Riverdale Country School Athletic Director John Pizzi tells News 12 the school had to cancel the last game of the 2018 season because it didn’t have enough players.

He says it caused him to see a need for a change.

The school’s football program started a push within its league to adjust the sport to make it safer.

Football games at Riverdale Country School don’t have kickoffs - that play alone is responsible for 21% of concussions in football, according to an Ivy League study.

Along with several other changes, its brought about a 33% decrease in concussions and an 18% increase in participation in the three years after the changes were made.