US Soccer recommends that children are prevented from heading the ball to mitigate against the risk of concussion
Heading the ball will be banned in America for children under ten amidst fears it can contribute to concussion.
The new ruling, announced as part of recommendations made by US Soccer, is part of an over-arching initiative to help address the rise in head-injuries in high school sport in the past few years.
A court action against US Soccer demanded the governing body took greater measures to prevent the 50,000 concussions which were recorded in high school football games in the year of 2010.
In August 2014, a group of former youth soccer players and parents brought a suit against U.S. Soccer and FIFA demanding that they increase their efforts to mitigate the potential for head injuries due to heading the ball. The case intended to gain no financial compensation, just the promise of future rule changes.
The main change to come from a raft of new rules will see children under the age of 11 will be banned from heading the ball.
The amount of training time spent practicing heading the ball is also set to be reduced to coincide with the ban during matches.
“What we’re establishing is creating parameters and guidelines with regards to the amount of exposure [to potential head injuries]," said US Soccer's chief medical officer, George Chiampas.
Steve Bernam, the lawyer who represented the plaintiff's of the case against US Soccer, said the recommendations accomplished their goal of improving the welfare of children playing football in America.
“With the development of the youth concussion initiative by U.S. 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,” said Bernam.
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/major-league-soccer/11986163/Heading-the-ball-to-be-banned-for-children-under-11.htmlFucking pussies!
