NOCSAE Summer 2026 Meeting Recap

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA (August 28, 2026) — The National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) Standards Committee addressed a number of items at its 2026 summer meeting on July 17 in Minneapolis.

NOCSAE reported progress on helmet add-on accessories issues, emergency airway access procedures, approved a new youth football helmet recertification standard and outlined a policy change to its research grant program to enhance scientific return-on-investment and support NOCSAE’s standards development mission.

A “Combined Model” Pathway for Helmet Accessory Add-ons

The NOCSAE Board continued discussions on the use of accessory add-on equipment, such as coach-to-player communication devices and soft-shell helmet covers, with certified helmet models. NOCSAE said the goal of its ongoing work is to enhance the existing certification pathway for a “combined model,” consisting of a certified helmet and a specific add-on product.

While a pathway for certification has always existed, it has not been frequently used because of claims of burdensome testing requirements and related expenses. The adjustments under consideration will attempt to facilitate greater use of the pathway by helmet manufacturers choosing to collaborate with manufacturers of add-on products. Those adjustments seek to leverage existing information about the certified helmet while imposing appropriate QAQC obligations on the add-on product.

One option being explored is that the combined model’s performance could be evaluated against both the NOCSAE standard, as well as some performance boundary established by the helmet at the time of its original certification. Additional exploration of that, as well as additional ideas, will continue through the fall and important to any final solution is that helmet manufacturers must retain the authority to enter a collaborative arrangement with an add-on manufacturer, according to NOCSAE.

NOCSAE said it will continue its work on this pathway and anticipates that any standards adjustments necessary for pathway implementation will be considered at the Winter Standards Committee Meeting on February 5, 2027 in Litchfield Park, Arizona.

Emergency Helmet Facemask Removal Standard [ND015]

In response to and recognizing the critical importance of airway access during medical emergencies, the Board formed a Working Group at the February 2026 Winter Standards Meeting to review ND015 (the metallic hardware corrosion standard) and recommend options for ensuring that helmet and/or faceguard design allows for emergency access to the airway in the event of a medical emergency.

This initiative reflects NOCSAE’s response to becoming aware of several helmet designs that permanently affix the faceguard to the helmet with no way to remove the faceguard other than removing the helmet. The Working Group submitted proposed language to the Board for review, which was approved.

That language will now become recommended revisions to each of the existing helmet performance standards and those draft revisions will be considered by the NOCSAE Standards Committee at the February 2027 meeting. If the revisions are approved, they would take effect in February 2028.

Updates on Youth Football Helmet Standard Standard Performance Specification for Recertified Youth Football Helmets [ND007]

The Standards Committee approved a new standard specification establishing performance requirements for the recertification of youth football helmets to ND006 (Standard Performance Specification for Newly Manufactured Youth Football Helmets). The new standard, ND007, will remain in proposed status until considered again by the Standards Committee at the July 2027 meeting. If approved, the standard will be elevated to final status.

As a recertification performance standard, ND007 will support the youth football helmet standard (ND006) in the same way as the ND004, the performance standard for recertified football helmets, supports ND002, the performance standard for newly manufactured football helmets.

Status Update

• New recertification standard approved and moved to proposed status by the Standards Committee
• 7 youth football helmet models currently certified to NOCSAE standards and available for review through the SEI website (org)
• ND007 represents NOCSAE’s commitment to ensuring that recertified youth football helmets continue to meet rigorous performance standards
• The Youth Football Helmet Standard (ND006) effective date remains September 1, 2027

Scientific Roadmap & Research Grant Program Restructuring

Dr. Robert Cantu, MD, NOCSAE Vice President and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), provided a summary of progress toward developing a “scientific roadmap”, a prioritized list of topics and/or initiatives that will guide the organization’s ongoing scientific research and standards development agenda. In a meeting of the NOCSAE Scientific Advisory Committee the day before NOCSAE’s business meetings, significant progress was made and a final report and proposal will be submitted to the Board for consideration at its February meeting.

The NOCSAE Board of Directors approved recommendations for refocusing the grant program to address several strategic goals, including a strategic interest in 1) tighter control over the research questions and outcomes of interest, and 2) enhanced scientific return-on-investment. Effective immediately, NOCSAE is transitioning to a targeted request for proposals (RFP) research funding strategy and will move away from the open grant funding mechanism that has been in place since 2010. NOCSAE is hopeful that an RFP-based model will enable NOCSAE to:

• Direct research toward targeted safety questions of priority
• Generate evidence to directly support or revise equipment standards
• Respond to emerging risks or unresolved scientific controversies
• Accelerate translation of research into standards and practice

Future RFPs will be made available through multiple channels, including the NOCSAE website, familiar to researchers who seek grant funding opportunities.

NOCSAE Statement on Catastrophic Injuries in Lacrosse

NOCSAE’s Board of Directors, Standards Committee and Scientific Advisory Committee all discussed the recent and fatal injury occurrences in the sport of men’s lacrosse. In response to those discussions, the NOCSAE Board released this statement. 

The National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) is aware of several recent occurrences of catastrophic injuries and deaths reported in the sport of lacrosse involving contact between a ball and/or stick and the posterior neck and/or upper cervical region. NOCSAE recognizes the seriousness of these events and the concern they have understandably raised among athletes, families, coaches, and the broader lacrosse community.

The cause or causes of this trend are not yet known, and NOCSAE takes no position at this time on whether equipment, standards, rules of play, technique, or other factors are involved, individually or in combination. Consistent with NOCSAE’s general practice of monitoring developments relevant to athlete safety, the Board has determined that this trend warrants careful examination. This examination is at an early stage.

NOCSAE has not reached conclusions regarding the nature, extent, or causes of the injury mechanisms in question, and will not speculate on findings in advance of a thorough review. In fact, it should be noted that NOCSAE has not been able to secure the kinds of event and medical information that would ideally inform such an examination. We will continue to work with our partners in the medical and scientific communities, especially the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, to understand the unique details of each of these events. 

Should NOCSAE’s review indicate that standards, testing methods, or equipment specifications are a relevant factor, any resulting determination as to whether they should be reconsidered will proceed on the basis of sound science and in a manner consistent with established policies and procedures for the development and/or revision of performance standards. NOCSAE will continue to monitor developments and remain open to engagement with governing bodies, researchers, clinicians, manufacturers, and other stakeholders as its understanding of this issue develops. The safety of athletes who play lacrosse remains central to that work.

Standards Development Process 

NOCSAE’s Standards Committee operates as an ANSI-accredited consensus body, maintaining a formalized standards development process that requires rigorous scientific and engineering review. The Standards Committee is authorized to act on standards, including the creation of new standards, and the revision, modification, and reauthorization of existing standards This transparent, consensus-based approach ensures that all NOCSAE standards reflect the best available science and engineering expertise. The policies and procedures that inform this work can be found in the document entitled, NOCSAE Summary of Procedures for Adoption and Implementation of Standards and Revisions to Existing Standards.