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Brockton Pop Warner Football League Invests In More Protective Helmets

BROCKTON (CBS) -- The president of a local Pop Warner Football league is hoping that new helmets for the league will put parents at ease about their kids playing football.

Brockton Junior Boxers' President Miguel Oliva said the organization spent $23,000 on 196 new helmets that will better prevent concussions.

"Safety is our number one priority for our kids," Oliva told WBZ NewsRadio 1030.

The new helmets will be sturdier, have more impact resistance, and will not allow kids' heads to move around as much inside them, according to Oliva.

Oliva brought the idea before board members himself. He said the large price tag would be worth it instead of restoring the helmets the league already had.

"With the new technology and safety protocol and they will be better for kids, the board decided it was the right move to do," he said.

Participation in the Junior Boxers League went down as scientific studies began connecting concussions and the problems they cause later in life, with football.

"Numbers are starting to pick up again as far as attendants and kids wanting to play football" though, said Oliva.

But concussions remain one of the biggest concerns parents have when it comes to football.

"That's why we try and make the football that we teach the right way, the safe way for the kids to enjoy the game again," Oliva said.

To donate to the new helmet fund, visit the organization's GoFundMe page.

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