VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The transition away from youth tackle football is something Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation officials have been considering for at least a decade now.
They conducted a sports management report into it, and those details were presented to the department’s director in December of 2020. The Parks & Recreation Commission voted to end city-run tackle football the following March.
Money wasn’t the main reason, according to officials from the department, but it did play a part in the reasoning.
The decision follows a nationwide trend, showing the interest in tackle football plummeting over the last decade.
In Virginia Beach, there has been a 40% drop in participation over the past five years and a 62% drop over the last 10 years.
Emerging science about the impact of the sport on the brain -- and the potential for long-term damage -- played a role in the decline.
Youth tackle football isn’t going away entirely in Virginia Beach. There are three independent youth leagues the city is offering reimbursements to if a family wants their child to play.
The city will still provide the fields for these leagues as well.