No headers

Well looks like I won't have to pay cash to my kid if she gets a header goal .....

US Club Soccer has elected to implement new heading and concussion rules recommended by US Soccer Federation (USSF). Effective immediately, the following rules apply for all PrimeTime Sports leagues and tournaments sanctioned by US Club Soccer:



The Federation is recommending, and US Club Soccer is requiring immediately, new rules as it relates to heading in games, as follows:


- Players in U-11 programs and younger shall not engage in heading in games.

- Referees should enforce these restrictions by age group according to the specified rules.

- In adherence to these new requirements, referees have been instructed by U.S. Soccer of the following rule addition: When a player deliberately heads the ball in a game, an indirect free kick (IFK) should be awarded to the opposing team from the spot of the offense. If the deliberate header occurs within the goal area, the indirect free kick should be taken on the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the infringement occurred.



For more information about the USSF Concussion Initiatives, please visit www.ussoccer.com/about/recognize-to-recover



- PrimeTime Sports

Good rule, now keeper should not be allowed to punt and must throw out.

Next they should make a rule where you cannot kick the ball when another player is within 5 feet. Do you know how many kids I have seen hurt from getting hit in the head or face from a nearby kick?

I have mixed emotions about the header rule. While I can see its purpose our girls are really starting to use headers during game play. I think it may be hard to tell them no more for a year then you can do it again.

laughing stock! Absolutely ridiculous. Kids head the ball at whatever age they feel comfortable so why are we punishing the ones that can and want too. No one gets concussion from heading it correctly!

MustangGT wrote:Next they should make a rule where you cannot kick the ball when another player is within 5 feet. Do you know how many kids I have seen hurt from getting hit in the head or face from a nearby kick?

It seems likes it a small handful of kids that are repeatedly smashed in the face.

Yep the closer you can get to the ball the better. It's a great lesson as the timid ones get hit often so shy away more and the aggressive ones don't as the closer you are the more likely you will be hit below the knees.

I've stated before that I've seen a couple thousand youth girls soccer games and seen dozens of concussions. I've seen concussions from heads bouncing off the turf. Seen girls hit the goal poles, seen elbows, knees, feet to head. Seen concussion from blows to the back snapping the head back violently. I've seen shots and crosses that struck another player who was not ready or did not see it in the head. Completely wiped them out. I've seen head to head.

What I have never seen is a concussion caused by intentionally heading the ball as properly taught. I'm not saying it's never happened but I'd wager out of 100 concussions, it would account for less than 5%.

This rule is less about preventing injuries and more about complying with the class action suit and checking a box as "doing something." IMO.

If you were really serious about concussions, you would mandate headgear until age 14, instruct officials to use those funny little cards in their pockets occasionally and create a mandatory BaseLine for all Soccer for concussion protocol. And sit kids that failed. It's not really all that hard but this rule will do nothing to solve the issue.

There, I said it.

Well said!

DDdad wrote:I've stated before that I've seen a couple thousand youth girls soccer games and seen dozens of concussions.   I've seen concussions from heads bouncing off the turf.  Seen girls hit the goal poles, seen elbows, knees, feet to head.  Seen concussion from blows to the back snapping the head back violently.   I've seen shots and crosses that struck another player who was not ready or did not see it in the head.   Completely wiped them out.   I've seen head to head.  

What I have never seen is a concussion caused by intentionally heading the ball as properly taught.   I'm not saying it's never happened but I'd wager out of 100 concussions, it would account for less than 5%.  

This rule is less about preventing injuries and more about complying with the class action suit and checking a box as "doing something." IMO.

If you were really serious about concussions, you would mandate headgear until age 14, instruct officials to use those funny little cards in their pockets occasionally and create a mandatory BaseLine for all Soccer for concussion protocol.  And sit kids that failed.   It's not really all that hard but this rule will do nothing to solve the issue.  

There, I said it.  

DDdad wrote:I've stated before that I've seen a couple thousand youth girls soccer games and seen dozens of concussions.   I've seen concussions from heads bouncing off the turf.  Seen girls hit the goal poles, seen elbows, knees, feet to head.  Seen concussion from blows to the back snapping the head back violently.   I've seen shots and crosses that struck another player who was not ready or did not see it in the head.   Completely wiped them out.   I've seen head to head.  

What I have never seen is a concussion caused by intentionally heading the ball as properly taught.   I'm not saying it's never happened but I'd wager out of 100 concussions, it would account for less than 5%.  

This rule is less about preventing injuries and more about complying with the class action suit and checking a box as "doing something." IMO.

If you were really serious about concussions, you would mandate headgear until age 14, instruct officials to use those funny little cards in their pockets occasionally and create a mandatory BaseLine for all Soccer for concussion protocol.  And sit kids that failed.   It's not really all that hard but this rule will do nothing to solve the issue.  

There, I said it.  

I think that saying far less than 5% of headers results as a reason to not try to protect the younger kids. If even 1 in a hundred headers resulted in a concussion, that is way too many. Remember, they are not outlawing the use of headers except for the early years of competitive soccer. Even the NFL finally had to admit that concussions were a problem.
Safety of the kids should always come first, especially when it comes to body parts that are not fully able to protect themselves (the head for example).
Refmike

Sorry Mike, but your post reeks of today's pansy society, even though I know you didn't mean for it to come off that way.

There are hundreds of ways to reduce even 1 concussion; no running, no one is allowed within 5 feet of the posts, no slide tackling, no passing or shooting in the air, no jumping, etc.

This rule has done nothing but kick the can down the road.  Instead of having 8,9,10 year olds learning to head the ball we will have 11,12,13 year olds learning how to head the ball...what is the difference.  

Brain experts suggest that the brain doesn't stop developing until the age of 25, should we just ban heading until then?

This isn't a concussion problem, this isn't a sporting problem, this is a societal problem that suggests anyone who has ever had something bad happen to them must find something or someone to blame.

Next thing we will see will be a class action lawsuit for every kid or adult that has fallen and broken a bone in a soccer match, suffered a knee injury or busted a lip.

I have headed the ball tens of thousands of times and never once had a concussion from the act of heading.  This is an absolutely ridiculous rule.

I think that is what the NFL was saying about 5-10 years  ago and now the sport is paying for it. I don't know what the answer to the issue is but doing nothing is not the solution.

So let's implement a rule that will do absolutely nothing to solve the problem. Great, when are you running for office?

Unfortunately the answer will end up becoming waivers (that protect from any future lawsuit) in which parents have to make the decision to sign or not sign.  From there they need to make the decision whether or not they want to let their minor participate in any particular sport.

It is the only logical way to keep the form of sport the way we know it.

By signature herein, I (parent) understand that (daughter) may get injured by participating in soccer.  These injuries could be, but are not limited to:
- strawberries from sliding on the turf
- braces stuck to lip due to impact with ball, ground, field equipment, opposing player, teammate or water bottle
- concussion from heading the ball, hitting the ground with head, hitting goal post with head, hitting opposing player with head, hitting teammate with head, running too fast, running too slow, jumping too high
- broken bones due to falling, tripping, being tripped, landing awkwardly, walking, running, jogging, jumping

...we could go on for days and days and days with this garbage.  Yet, I truly believe that this is where we are headed.  

As parents, we know the risks given the way specific sports are played.  It is up to us to either let our kids play or not let them play.  It is no different than not letting a kid play football, or boxing, or MMA or rugby, or baseball (because the pitcher might hit the batter), or basketball because you might sprain your ankle, etc.

There are plenty of parents that don't let their kid play football, if they don't want to let them play soccer then don't sign them up.  Suing the governing body for rule changes is typical of our litigious society.

http://www.healthline.com/health-news/soccer-causes-concussions-especially-in-girls-071315

Okay it says heading the ball is not the problem,but contact between players is. Doesn't heading the ball create that head to head contact between players.

Have you watched a '06 girls game? To this date, I don't think I have ever seen two girls go after the same header in an '06 game. There are a maybe a handful of girls at this age level that consistently go after head balls. There are more elbows thrown in a game (depending on what team you are playing:shock: ) than there are girls intentionally trying to head the ball. I have yet to see an '06 try to head a ball struck with any kind of pace, most girls I've seen want nothing to do with a ball struck hard enough to cause a concussion. This rule has nothing to do with safety. Just like the age pure change has nothing to do with development.

It won't be long before parents and coaches are yelling don't let the ball bounce. The competitive pressure will be those mid fielders heading those balls down. Technique or no technique my DD was able to tell you some of those knocked the shit out of her and man that ball had a little to much air in it.

slrsoccer wrote:
As parents, we know the risks given the way specific sports are played.....

....There are plenty of parents that don't let their kid play football, if they don't want to let them play soccer then don't sign them up.....

That's the thing, parents don't know the risks because the medical and scientific community are still figuring them out. What if we confirm in the next 10 years that the repetitive impact of heading, starting at young ages, doesn't cause concussion, but leads to diminished brain function? A parent keeping their kid out of pop warner football couldn't have known the full risks putting them in soccer instead. I have yet to see any decent argument justifying why extremely young players need heading. Trump speak doesn't count.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-soccer-headers-concussion-met-20150428-story.html

We need Randy Marsh teaching Sarcastaball...Maybe Sarcastasoccerball.

Triumph FC wrote:Well said!

Yep, I totally agree!!!

Personally, I think txsoccer.net is all the evidence you need to support lingering brain damage caused from heading the ball too much as kids...

It is well know that the genetic inferiority of American children makes it dangerous for them to do heading. Their heads are squishy and more suited to sedentary activities. It's why US education standards fall near 3rd world levels. The rest of the children around the world are fully capable of doing it.

bwgophers wrote:Personally, I think txsoccer.net is all the evidence you need to support lingering brain damage caused from heading the ball too much as kids...

Except that 80% of the people on this forum didn't play soccer growing up.  We have to find something else to blame.