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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- A law passed by Gov. John Hickenlooper earlier this year will help coaches become more aware of the signs of a concussion.

The law known as the "Jake Snakenberg Act" officially goes into effect in January, but one local sports franchise has already taken steps on their own to keep kids safe.

i9 Sports has launched their own program called "Stop Youth Concussions Crusade" and offers kids a way to get out and play without having to worry about long lasting negative effects.

The organization offers a variety of sports such as flag football, soccer, basketball and cheerleading. But they have a strict "no contact" policy in all of them.

"We've never had any injuries, never had any incidents, but i9 is aware of what's going on around the country," Michael DeSanto, Program Director with i9 Sports of North Colorado Springs, said.

Parents have to agree to i9's policies before their kids are allowed to play.

"When they sign up their kids for our program they have to sign a pledge that says that we understand the concussion policy, and they have to read about what a concussion is, how to recognize it, what to do if they see it," DeSanto said.

Youth concussions are growing at an alarming rate, but i9 Sports doesn't want to be a part of that growing number.

Parents said they like their policy and think it's a great way to keep kids safe.

"Down the line we'll let him play full-tackle, but we want to let him make sure that he's fast enough, strong enough and knows the game well enough not to be a sitting duck," Tyler Grundvig, whose son plays flag football with i9, said.

DeSanto, whose son was an All-State tailback, said he knows first hand how dangerous sports can be.

"He already had two meniscus surgeries and three concussions, and he wasn't even 14 years old yet. That's not a good thing for a young person to do," he said.

Grundvig said he has heard similar stories.

"We were talking about doing tackle with our son who's 8 still, and we heard from another parent they knew a kid who went full pads at nine and already has his first concussion, so we just want to avoid that," Grundvig said.

DeSanto said i9 uses a "when in doubt, sit it out" policy.

"When the kids display any sort of concussion related symptoms like dizziness, headaches, unability to know where they are, just plain not understand what's going on around them then we sit them out," he said.

The kids must then get clearance from a medical professional before they can return.

Coaches at i9 said the precautions they are taking means parents can keep their kids off the sidelines and in the game without compromising their future.

"You know walking down the street is probably just as dangerous as having your kid out here playing in an organized environment, and of course you get a lot more exercise and a lot more fun than just walking down the street," Lewis Hickman, a head coach, said.

DeSanto agreed.

"When you're young I think it's important to play a sport, but it's also important to be safe in that sport," he said.