COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - We are seeing the impacts of the Denver Broncos stepping up to ensure Colorado student-athletes can take the field without the steep price tag often attached to youth sports.
Through the team’s “All In All Covered” program, high school football players across Colorado Springs are getting outfitted with top-of-the-line protective gear, directly easing the financial burden on local families while making safety the top priority.
Air Academy High School is currently in year two of a four-year partnership with the Broncos. To date, the program has provided 218 premium Riddell Axiom helmets across five football programs in the district.
For Air Academy Head Football Coach Waymond Jackson, the impact of having elite protective equipment was noticeable almost immediately.
“The Riddell Axioms are at the top of the line, and safety is most important for us as our program,” Jackson said. “When I first got here my first season, we had 16 to 18 concussions, and that number has drastically decreased now that we have these helmets. You know, a lot of the players say it feels like wearing a pillow on their head, so that was pretty awesome, and they’re very protective.”
Each helmet is custom-molded to fit an individual player’s head. Athletes use their assigned helmet throughout their entire high school playing career before turning it back over to the school.
The helmets typically retail for more than $1,000 each and carry an estimated 10-year lifespan. To keep player safety standards year after year, the school covers the required annual reconditioning costs.
Beyond injury prevention, Jackson noted that the program is opening doors for more students to participate by eliminating a major equipment expense that can often sideline potential athletes before they even start.
“So being able to have the top protection on our heads, families really buy into it, so it gets a lot of buy-in on the team as well, and getting people out for football because they understand that we have the top equipment there is,” Jackson said.
Thanks to the continued partnership, local coaches and parents are confident that student-athletes can focus on competing and developing teamwork on the gridiron—fully protected from kickoff to the final whistle.
_Copyright 2026 KKTV. All rights reserved._