The Importance Of Repercussions In Youth Sports

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Gone are the days when “getting your bell rung” on the field was considered a badge of honor. Over the last few years more attention and awareness has been placed on head injuries and concussions in sports. While there is still much to be learned, the evidence is overwhelming that concussions need to be taken seriously. Depending on the severity of the trauma and time between concussions, head injuries can have devastating short-term effects as well as long-term repercussions affecting cognitive abilities.

With a rise in the incidence of concussions in youth sports, the spotlight is creating a need for more research, awareness, and education. Toward that end, the Associated Press has a story about the U.S. Soccer Federation banning "heading"
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“We are treating kids much younger for concussions and it is clearly not a good thing. Anything to help mitigate the inherent dangers of a sport is very much welcomed. Additionally, I think parents these days are pushing kids at too young of an age to use their head and play when they do not feel 100%. When we see these kids, we also make sure to work with the parents and educate them about recognizing the signs of a concussion, safety measures and how to mitigate a head injury, when possible, and the potential long-term health risks associated with concussions.”

The key elements of this initiative include:

Improve concussion awareness and education among youth coaches, referees, parents and players
Implement more uniform concussion management and return-to-play protocols for youth players suspected of having suffered a concussion
Modify the substitution rules to insure such rules do not serve as an impediment to the evaluation of players who may have suffered a concussion during games
Eliminate heading for children 10 and under and limit heading in practice for children between the ages of 11 and