ORLANDO – The NFL Owners Meetings are far more than a gathering of the NFL's higher-ups to discuss new rules and improving the game.
It's also place for some of the league's most important initiatives can get rewarded in a major way.
On Monday, the National Football League Foundation, which is chaired by Cowboys' VP Charlotte Jones Anderson, made an announcement along with league commissioner Roger Goodell for a $45 million grant to USA Football.
The donation will help support the growth of youth football and provide funding for USA Football over the next five years.
"This is a very exciting day for us at the NFL Foundation," Anderson said, a mother of three, including two sons that have played youth football. "It's been our efforts to expand the health and safety of the game and awareness of safety concerns. USA Football has excelled in that area."
USA Football, the official youth football development partner of the NFL and its 32 teams, will use the grant to support youth and high school football through its programs such as, Heads Up Football, NFL Punt, Pass & Kick and NFL Flag.
In 2013, the first year of Heads Up Football, a membership program developed by USA Football to raise awareness to coaches and [embedded_ad] players on the safety of the game, more than 2,700 youth leagues were registering, representing about 600,000 players and 90,000 coaches.
This $45 million grant should allow Heads Up Football to reach more than 10,000 youth leagues in the next few years, which should include more than 1 million youth athletes.
Spring is the start of Heads Up Football registration for the 204 youth football season. To learn more, visit www.usafootball.com/headsup.
Anderson, the daughter of Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones, was named chairwoman to the NFL Foundation in December 2012, becoming the first woman to lead an NFL charitable institution in this capacity.
