Injuries will always be a part of football, but the Mississippi High School Activities Association is hoping a new partnership with USA Football will keep them to a minimum.

The MHSAA is recommending that its coaches enroll in USA Football’s Heads Up Football program, which is described by the organization as “a comprehensive approach to teach and play the game.”

Heads Up Football teaches coaches and players safer ways to tackle, fit equipment, take precautions to prevent dehydration and concussions, and addresses a number of other player safety concerns.

USA Football is a non-profit group that is recognized as the sport’s governing body at the youth level.

“We think it’s an excellent program for our members to be a part of,” MHSAA executive director Don Hinton said. “With all of the emphasis on care and prevention, particularly in contact sports, some of the things USA Football teaches would be some of the things we want to teach.”

Once enrolled in Heads Up Football, coaches would attend clinics or take online classes.

Coaches in Mississippi will not be required to enroll in the program, but Hinton said it’s recommended that they do. He likened it to continuing education courses that teachers are required to take to stay up to date on the latest developments in their field of study.

“If I’m a school administrator, it’s something I’d want to look at. It’s on a school to school basis,” Hinton said. “Having been endorsed by the (National Federation of High Schools) and National Football League, it brings greater emphasis and awareness to do things better than we’re already doing.”

Mississippi and Louisiana are among 12 states that recommend its coaches enroll in Heads Up Football. Every high school that participates designates a “Player Safety Coach” whose job it is to train others on the staff and oversee implementation of the program.

Steve Alic, a spokesman for USA Football, said Heads Up Football has benefits that extend beyond the gridiron. Aspects of the program such as how to recognize and deal with concussions, heat and hydration safety, and cardiac arrest protocols are applicable to all sports as coaches and players change seasons.

“Much of the elements of Heads Up Football are transferable to other sports,” Alic said.

Alic added that the goal of the Heads Up partnership is to help establish standards that will make the sport safer everywhere.

“In many places you may not see these standards in place,” Alic said. “We’re seeing football taught and played differently than it was three or five years ago. What Heads Up Football is doing is helping state high school associations establish standards based in the best science.”

The recommendation to enroll in Heads Up Football is one of several measures the MHSAA is taking or considering to lessen the danger of an inherently violent game.

Hinton said work has begun on a proposal to limit contact in practice to certain periods or a set number of days per week. The proposal will be discussed at a meeting of state athletic directors later this month in Natchez, and could be enacted by the MHSAA’s executive committee in time for the 2016 football season.

“We’ll get input from our athletic directors. By the end of spring practice we’ll have a good idea of where we want to go,” Hinton said.