QUINCY, IL. (WGEM) -- It's a decision that many people will have to make at some point in time.
Whether or not to allow their kids to play the game of football.
With the rising issue of long term injury risks, there are different angles to examine.
"I think anybody entertaining the idea of playing football, especially at the high school level, they need to do the proper things to get ready for the season," QHS head football coach Rick Little told WGEM Sports.
"They're going to get in a weight program, they're going to hopefully take the instruction on the proper way to tackle, and those sorts of things."
Even with awareness of long term injuries coming to the forefront, many parents are already using caution when it comes to guiding their children toward the game.
"My children have expressed an interest in playing football, and it was discouraged," Quincy mother Christine Koetters expressed.
"None of them actually went through with it because we talked about the brutality of the sport and the concussion stuff is a huge concern for us."
While some parents like Christine have already made their decisions clear, others will continue to be flexible and trust within the new safety and technology that continue to develop across the entire landscape of football.
"I believe today, I'm more confident in allowing my son to participate in these things," said Quincy father Jeff Westcott.
"Knowing that I'm looking out for his best interest, and giving him the best quality of equipment that money can buy."
"Even our equipment that we use, its the exact same thing that you see in the NFL on Sundays," added Rick Little.
Coaches across the country are also putting extra emphasis on using the correct fundamentals and techniques designed to make football as safe as possible.
"I think you need to do your homework on who's instructing," said Little.
"That's what I would say, is just to do your homework, and once you make that decision, just to put your son in the safest situation possible."
Long term injury risks within the game of football are becoming more prevalent than ever before
The risk of potential concussions have become one of the biggest health concerns that go along with football.
