SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. (AP) — A YMCA in northeast Nebraska has cited concussion and other health risks in announcing that it will drop its tackle football program for children in third through sixth grades.

The Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA in South Sioux City says the program will end June 1. More than 500 kids have been signing up to play in the league. The YMCA plans to expand its flag football program instead.

The YMCA's CEO, Kevin Engel-Cartie, said in a news release Monday that the long-term and short-term risks showed that discontinuing the league was in the best interest of parents and children.

Repeated head blows incurred during the play of tackle football have been linked with lasting memory problems and potentially a degenerative brain disease.