A new U.S. Soccer Federation policy is implementing a heading ban for children aged 10 and under, as well as a limitation for kids ages 11 to 13, in a series of safety initiatives that were released on Monday to resolve a class-action lawsuit that began in August 2014.
The settlement, which was announced on Monday by the law firm Hagens Berman, concluded the lawsuit that charged FIFA, U.S. Soccer, and the American Youth Soccer Organization with negligence in leaving the issue of severe soccer-related
concussions unaddressed, according to Today.com.
The USSF is implementing the changes within the U.S. youth national teams and its development academy, although it is strongly recommending that the new changes be adopted amongst all of its leagues and organizations that are not directly
underneath its governing body, ESPN FC reported.
“What we’re establishing is creating parameters and guidelines with regards to the amount of exposure” to potential head injuries, said George Chiampas,
U.S. Soccer’s chief medical officer, according to The New York Times.
In addition to these new safety regulations and recommendations, U.S. Soccer is also announcing changes to be made to substitution policies and rules in
concussion-related cases, Bleacher Report stated. These new policies, which are meant to help make modifications that will better serve injured players, are expected to be announced in the next 30 days, The New York Times reported.
"This is a tremendous victory that will affect millions of young soccer players across the country, and we're proud to be able to bring such comprehensive safety measures to the game," said Steve Berman, lead attorney in the suit, ESPN FC reported. "We believe that this decision sends a strong message to coaches and lays down paramount regulations to finally bring safety management to soccer."
After several high-profile head injury cases during the 2014 World Cup and some European matches, U.S. soccer officials reevaluated the staggering statistics revealing that 50,000 high school soccer players experienced concussions in 2010 alone, which proved to be more than the concussions that basketball, baseball, wrestling, and softball experienced combined, according to The New York Times.
“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,” Berman said in a statement, The New York Times reported.
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