Basic HTML Version
Touchline issue 23 | April 2016 | 17
US SOCCER BANS YOUNG PLAYERS
FROM HEADING
Players aged 10 and under are banned from headers by US
Soccer after a lawsuit from parents. The governing body has
introduced a number of safety measures to settle a lawsuit
accusing it of negligence in treating and monitoring head
injuries.
The ban includes national team and Major League Soccer
academies.
Players aged between 11 and 13 will be limited to headers
during matches only, while medical professionals must
attend all academy games to decide whether players
suspected of suffering concussion stay on. If a concussed
player leaves the game, it will not count as one of his or her
team's substitutions.
It is unclear how the rules will be enforced by referees.
A group of youth players and parents sued at the US District
Court in San Francisco in August 2014.
Steve Berman, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said: "With the
development of the youth concussion initiative by US Soccer
and its youth members, we feel we have accomplished
our primary goal and, therefore, do not see any need to
continue the pursuit of the litigation."
In the UK, the family of former England and West Brom
player Geoff Astle has campaigned for controls on heading.
They say the brain disease that killed him was clearly linked
to how often he headed the ball during his career.
The FA introduced new guidelines for professional matches
last season that require team doctors to decide whether
concussed players stay on the pitch.
There are no guidelines yet on youth football - despite
warnings from neuroscientists.
Dr Michael Grey told Sky News last year: "It's probably not
safe for children to be heading the ball. First, their neck
muscles are not fully developed.
"Second, the brain is still developing, so it is still a vulnerable
period for taking a blow to the head."
Dr Grey said it had not yet been established whether
heading was dangerous for adults.
OVER HALF OF HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
PLAYERS 'SUFFER BRAIN TRAUMA
FROM MINOR HITS
Minor knocks on the field are contributing to over half of
high school American football players at risk of long-lasting
brain trauma, experts have warned.
A new seven-year study has warned high school players risk
potentially serious head trauma, from seemingly innocuous
knocks.
More than half of the players participating in the trials
showed signs of altered neurological function and dramatic
changes to the wiring and biochemistry of their brains,
according to a series of studies published by the Purdue
Neurotrauma Group,
They focused their research on pre-concussive head injuries,
which up until now went largely ignored due to lack of
symptoms such as dizziness or disorientation associated
with a concussion.
'It's not just the neurons that get damaged, it's the glial
cells, it's the vasculature,' said Eric Nauman, professor
of mechanical and biomedical engineering at Purdue
University.
'Basically in football and woman's soccer about half the
team is experiencing these kinds of things, these kinds of
changes.
'Some of them heal and some of them don't by the time they
start playing their next season and that was the thing that
really got us nervous,' he added.
The researchers placed sensors on the athletes to record
impact forces and coupled that data with brain scans and
cognitive tests to track neurological function
Experts at Purdue University argue that small knocks can be
'more dangerous' than more severe head injuries because
they go unnoticed for a longer period of time, meaning
damage could be done without anyone realising the player is
in danger.
Based on their results, the researchers are developing
equipment that better protects the head from high force
impacts.