There has been a 7% increase in the number of female adolescent soccer players from 2001 to 2007. This growth has helped make soccer one of the top youth sports in the U.S. Parents and organizations responsible for rule making and enforcement need to know current trends of injuries in the sport, and a recent report in the journal Pediatrics provided a review of the latest evidence.

Most studies have found that soccer has a higher injury rate than many other contact/collision sports such as field hockey, rugby, basketball, and American football. Approximately 44% of the 186,544 soccer-related injuries reported in the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System during 2006 were in players younger than 15 years. As expected, leg injuries are most freqeuent, with ankle injuries (16% to 29% of total) being more common in boys and knee injuries (7% to 36% of total) being more common in girls. Concussion accounted for only 3% of injuries and occurred most often as a result of contact with another player’s head, elbow, or foot. However, the long term effects of repeated heading of the ball on cognitive development have been poorly studied.

In order to reduce injury, this group recommended: 1) Knee injury reduction programs; 2) Secure and safe goal posts; 3) Strong rule enforcement to reduce violent and aggressive play; 4) Allowing heading of the ball only in older children; 5) Better education of team physicians, coaches, and athletic trainers in the management of injuries; and 6) The use of protective eyewear.

Read an abstract of the article here.