Riddell unveiled the winners of its 2016 Smarter Football program, a grassroots campaign that recognizes and rewards teams for their safer, smarter approach to the game of football. This year’s winners include four youth and six high school organizations from across the U.S. and Canada that will receive a collective $100,000 in new equipment grants from the football protection company.

“We are excited to recognize a new class of Smarter Football grant recipients,” said Riddell president and CEO Dan Arment. “We believe in all that football has to offer and we applaud the coaches, players, parents and fans for their passion to advance their programs and the sport we all love. We are honored to shine a light on these ten teams – and everyone who applied for a grant – as great examples illustrating the power of football.”

As part of the 2016 campaign, Riddell pledged a total of $100,000 in new equipment to teams that best articulated how an equipment grant would strengthen their commitment to a smarter game. Riddell received nearly 1,000 submissions from the U.S. and Canada that spotlighted unique situations ranging from budget constraints to existing equipment concerns to interest in player alert and monitoring technology.

The winning entries each displayed impressive efforts in coaching leadership and training and unwavering commitments to player safety, personal development and dedication to the broader community at large.

The recipients of the 2016 Riddell Smarter Football equipment grants are:

High School Football

  • Brimley High School – Brimley, MI
  • Mar Vista High School – Imperial Beach, CA
  • Nicholas Senn High School – Chicago, IL
  • Benedict High School – Cambridge, Ontario (Canada)
  • Tenino High School – Tenino, WA
  • Waggener High School – Louisville, KY

Youth Football

  • Bay Saints – Bay Saint Louis, MS
  • Gum Springs Youth Athletic Association – Alexandria, VA
  • Hobe Sound Ravens – Hobe Sound, FL
  • Who Dat Warriors – Indianapolis, IN

Now in its second year, Riddell created the Smarter Football program to bring together the broader football community in an effort to promote smarter tactics on and off the field. For more information, visit riddell.com/smarterfootball.

Riddell is a designer and developer of football helmets, protective sports equipment, head impact monitoring technologies, apparel and related accessories.