california youth football alliance

What california youth football alliance does

California Youth Football Alliance (CAYFA) is a California-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in Larkspur, California, founded in September 2018. It is California's first and only statewide organization dedicated to preserving youth tackle football, and it operates on a 100% volunteer basis. CAYFA's core function is to advance youth football safety through standards-setting, advocacy, and training, anchored by its sponsorship of AB-1, the California Youth Football Act — the first state legislation in the United States to specify youth tackle football safety standards — which was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on July 31, 2019, effective January 2021.

CAYFA's product portfolio comprises a digital compliance platform (the Alliance Management Platform, developed with InjureFree), educational content (CrashCourse concussion education co-developed with Stanford researchers in VR and HD), training programs (NCSS PREPARE first aid and Atavus shoulder-led tackling certification), equipment (LIGHT Helmets as exclusive preferred provider), and a fitting certification (HelmetFitting.com). The organization serves youth tackle football leagues, coaches, administrators, parents, and approximately 130,000 student-athletes in California.

CAYFA's revenue model blends donations (as a 501(c)(3)), affiliate referral revenue sharing from partner companies (a portion of LIGHT Helmets, Atavus, HelmetFitting.com, and NCSS PREPARE sales routed through CAYFA), and discounted resale of partner training programs. Its go-to-market is community-led: it recruits leagues, coaches, parents, and administrators to adopt AB-1 standards through advocacy events such as the Governor's Youth Football Summit, a podcast (Chain Crew), and statewide organizational partnerships, with national expansion underway via the American Youth Football alliance.

Name

california youth football alliance

Legal name

California Youth Football Alliance

Website

https://cayfa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Short description

California Youth Football Alliance (CAYFA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advancing youth tackle football safety through standards, advocacy, and training for approximately 130,000 California student-athletes, leagues, coaches, and parents, anchored by the AB-1 California Youth Football Act.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Football Safety Services

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Amateur Sport Governing Bodies & Federations (National/Regional) (MPAKACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

National Governing Bodies (NGBs) (MPAKAFAC), Athletics Compliance, Eligibility & Governance (EDALAIAJ)

Keywords

• Youth football safety
• Concussion education
• Football safety certification
• Athlete safety standards
• Coaching certification programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Larkspur

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Partnership Revenue Sharing: A portion of all sales from partner companies (LIGHT Helmets, Atavus, HelmetFitting.com) that come through CAYFA-affiliated links are donated back to the Alliance to fund their mission.
2. Training Program Sales: CAYFA offers discounted PREPARE training courses and receives a portion of sales proceeds.
3. Donations: As a registered California 501(c)(3) nonprofit, CAYFA accepts donations to support their mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

California Youth Football Alliance (CAYFA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that advances youth tackle football safety through safety education programs, equipment certification, coaching certification, and a digital compliance platform. It operates as a membership organization for California youth football leagues, sponsors the AB-1 California Youth Football Act, and distributes partner products (helmets, tackling certification, concussion education, equipment fitting) to member organizations.

Product overview

The California Youth Football Alliance offers a portfolio of safety-focused products and services for youth tackle football including educational content (CRASH COURSE concussion education), training programs (PREPARE Training, Atavus Tackling Certification, HelmetFitting.com certification), equipment recommendations (LIGHT Helmets), and a digital compliance platform (Alliance Management Platform). The organization also sponsors the AB-1 California Youth Football Act legislative framework. These offerings work together to provide a comprehensive safety ecosystem for youth football organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CRASH COURSE Concussion Education A video-based interactive learning experience for concussion education developed in collaboration with Stanford University researchers and filmed in both Virtual Reality and HD. It puts students virtually on the field during a high school football game and provides the latest medical knowledge on prevention and treatment of concussions. Targeted at students and youth sports organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• AB1 limits full contact to 30 minutes twice a week, exceeding all previous youth tackle football guidelines
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• American Youth Football (AYF)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 November 2019Partnership to accelerate adoption of AB1, the California Youth Football Act, across AYF's membership. Goal is to co-create plans, partnerships and implementation assets for the 2020 season to maximize compliance for 2021 when AB1 goes into effect. AYF supports CAYFA's approach to improving young athletes' safety while offering them opportunity to participate in the sport they love.
• AtavuscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 July 2019Partnership to bring Atavus Tackle System to youth football coaches in California. Offers shoulder-led tackling technique certification with access to online library of drill videos and coaching tools. Atavus provides digital tackling academy and certification program. CAYFA receives exclusive pricing for the California football community with portion of proceeds donated back.
• National Center for Sports Safety (NCSS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2019Partnership to offer NCSS PREPARE first aid training course at discounted rates for California youth coaches. PREPARE course educates on sports safety, illness/injury prevention, concussion recognition, and emergency response. The course has educated over 30,000 coaches nationwide. Portion of proceeds donated to CAYFA.
• HelmetFitting.comcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 June 2019Partnership to offer HelmetFitting.com's eLearning Youth Football Equipment Fitting Certification at 75% discount via CAYFA website. Addresses need for proper equipment fitting as critical component of athlete safety. Portion of sales donated back to CAYFA mission. Founder Dana Marquez: 'It is an honor to partner with the CAYFA to optimize athlete safety through education on properly fitting football equipment.'
• LIGHT HelmetscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 May 2019Strategic partnership making LIGHT Helmets the exclusive and preferred helmet provider serving the youth tackle football community. LIGHT offers Virginia Tech 5-star rated helmets at discounted rates via CAYFA website. Portion of all sales donated back to CAYFA. Nick Esayian, LIGHT Helmets CEO: 'We couldn't have found a better partner than the California Football Alliance.'
• Massachusetts Youth Football AllianceflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2019Strategic alliance supporting the launch of a National movement to Save Youth Football. CAYFA President Joe Rafter traveled to Boston to stand with Massachusetts coalition fighting anti-tackle football legislation. Partnership to share legislative framework and medical research to support similar safety standards in other states.
• InjureFreecoreTechnology or Integration · 26 March 2019Technology partnership to develop the Alliance Management Platform (AMP) - a custom digital platform for CAYFA members that delivers health and safety education mandates, incident documentation, player eligibility management, and return to play protocol administration. InjureFree CEO Charlie Wund stated 'The Alliance is laying the foundation for the future of all youth football.'

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Youth Football (AYF): National nonprofit youth football organization with1M+ members across 50 states. CAYFA's flagship expansion partner and the most direct functional peer — both serve as organizing/standards bodies for youth tackle football leagues rather than operating teams themselves.
• Pop Warner Little Scholars: One of the largest youth football organizations in the US, running cheer, tackle and flag programs. Comparable to CAYFA as a nationwide membership-based youth football body with similar safety, education, and parent-engagement priorities.
• USA Football: The national governing body for amateur football in the United States and the US member of the International Federation of American Football. Comparable to CAYFA as a football standards-setting organization, though operating at the national rather than state level.
• Massachusetts Youth Football Alliance: State-level peer and strategic ally of CAYFA, formed to counter anti-tackle football legislation in Massachusetts. Operates the same community-organization, legislative-advocacy model for youth tackle football families, making it the closest geographic-mission peer.

Broad incumbents

• National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS): National umbrella organization that writes playing rules and safety standards for high school athletics. Comparable to CAYFA as a sports governance and rules-setting body, but for high school rather than youth tackle football.
• NCAA: National governing body for collegiate athletics with extensive rules, eligibility, and safety compliance functions. Comparable in governance and eligibility-management structure, but for collegiate rather than youth tackle football.

Others

• LIGHT Helmets: Manufacturer of Virginia Tech 5-star rated football helmets and CAYFA's exclusive preferred helmet partner. Adjacent ecosystem participant whose commercial success is tied to CAYFA's safety advocacy and member channels.
• Atavus: Provider of shoulder-led tackling technique certification and Digital Tackling Academy used in CAYFA's training stack. Adjacent training/curriculum provider rather than a competing governing body.
• InjureFree: Technology partner that co-developed the Alliance Management Platform (AMP) with CAYFA for incident documentation, eligibility, and return-to-play protocols. Ecosystem enabler rather than a peer governing organization.
• TeamSnap: Youth sports management platform providing team registration, scheduling, and communication tools. Functionally adjacent to AMP in serving youth sports organizations, but broader than football-only and not a governance body.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cayfalliance
• Facebookfacebook.com/cayfalliance

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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