Mothers Against Drunk Driving launched a new Coaches' Guide on National Coaches Day in Irving, Texas, putting coaches at the center of its prevention work. The guide is meant to help them spot risk early, reinforce healthy norms, and support student-athletes before alcohol and other substance use take hold.
Stacey D. Stewart on coaches
Stacey D. Stewart said, “Coaches have an extraordinary opportunity to shape not only athletic performance, but the character, confidence, and choices of the young people they lead. This new guide gives coaches practical tools to foster team cultures that prioritize safety, wellness, accountability, and substance-free living.”
That framing matches the numbers MADD chose to lead with: approximately 60% of high school students participate in sports, and the organization is targeting the years when habits are still forming. The guide is also sponsored by the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association, which puts another institutional backer behind the prevention push.
Coach Across America feedback
The guide was shaped through focus groups with real high school coaches conducted in partnership with Coach Across America. Kimberly Crawford said, “The coaches who participated in our focus groups wanted resources that were practical, relatable, and easy to implement. MADD listened, and the result is a guide that gives coaches actionable ways to support student-athletes now.”
Crawford also said, “Coaches do so much more than teach skills and strategy. They help shape character, confidence, and decision-making.”
That practical focus matters because the guide is built around day-to-day team settings, not abstract messaging. It offers evidence-informed strategies to build positive team cultures, strengthen communication, recognize warning signs, support mental wellness, and encourage healthy, substance-free lifestyles.
60% of high school students
MADD is leaning on a complication that parents and coaches cannot ignore: sports participation can be protective in early adolescence, but risk factors for alcohol and other substance use can rise during the high school years if healthy norms are not intentionally reinforced. The guide responds to that gap by treating the team environment as part of prevention, not just competition.
J. Neal Insley said, “Coaches are among the most trusted and influential adults in a young person's life. Their positive impact on our youth continues long after the season ends and transcends into those important life lessons needed for a healthy and successful future.” He added, “That's why NABCA is proud to support resources like this that help address underage drinking and substance use prevention.”
The guide also encourages coaches to partner with parents, and MADD says teens whose parents have ongoing conversations about alcohol and other drugs are up to 80% less likely to drink before age 21. It complements the Power of Parents® program, so the practical next step is clear: coaches can use the guide as a team-level tool, then carry the same language into parent contact and season routines.
