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Is Soccer the Safe Sport?

One of the most in!uential factors is the perception that soccer is a “safe” game when compared to other popular sports like football or baseball. “Soccer moms” around the country are rapidly enrolling their little ones in this game knowing that the kids will avoid a major injury from a spearing helmet or a screaming fastball. A look at the game, the common injuries it produces, and their possible prevention may reveal if American moms really know best.

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Featured

 More than just a game, football brings people together

Nothing brings people together more than a World Cup

 Soccer is basically medicine, some researchers argue

Compared to some other forms of exercise, including running and Zumba, soccer may also be just as beneficial to health, with added social, motivational and competitive benefits, the study team writes in British Journal of Sports Medicine.

 The Global Heartbeat of Soccer: What Makes It So Universal?

Soccer holds a rare place in the world’s collective identity. It beats like a shared pulse across continents, languages, and cultures. Even people who never touch a ball often feel its pull. The game seems simple on the surface, yet its reach goes far deeper than the grass on which it is played. Its universality is not an accident. It grows from a mix of accessibility, emotion, cultural meaning, and the way it brings people together. Soccer has become more than a sport. It is a global experience that crosses borders with ease.

Articles of Interest

Elevating recreational soccer to improve population health in the United States: the time is now

Although the majority of U.S. soccer participants are children and youth, soccer is a sport that can be played at any age and by people with different technical skills and abilities. Soccer's accessibility and simplicity—requiring minimal equipment and often played in informal settings—combined with its inherently playful nature, make it a strong motivational force, encouraging participation not just for fitness, but for the pure enjoyment of the game.

How grassroots soccer brings people together in Canada beyond the spectacle of the World Cup

Grassroots soccer does not resolve all challenges of integration, of course. But a ball, an open field and a group of players can create a space where strangers become teammates, and over time, part of the same community. In a country defined by diversity, these everyday, informal gatherings matter.

Soccer Can Hurt a Young Person’s Brain

‘The beautiful game’ would be more so if players weren’t encouraged to hit the ball with their heads.

Soccer Heading Linked to Measurable Decline of Brain Structure and Function Over Two Years

Research shows that changes in brain structure and function are associated with high levels of soccer heading. In a new study that is just underway, Lipton and colleagues will assess the competing effects of fitness and head impacts on the brain by looking at soccer players, athletes who never participated in contact sports, and nonathletes. “Soccer players and their parents have been rightly warned about the potential risks of heading in soccer, but it leads to mixed messages about the wisdom of playing the sport,” says Lipton. “This grant will allow us to determine soccer’s tradeoffs with respect to brain health so that people can make informed decisions, and we can establish evidence-based guidelines for heading.”

Why sports stars who head the ball are much more likely to die of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and motor neurone disease

Professional soccer players and American football stars are at much greater risk of developing dementia. What can we do to help them?

A Sociological History of Soccer Violence

How social and cultural rifts manifest themselves through sports—especially when fans identify intensely with their team.

A Sport on the Edge: How Much Soccer Is Too Much Soccer?

Professional soccer is getting faster and more taxing, which has experts starting to wonder if the game is beyond the limits of human ability.

Bad News, Soccer Moms: Soccer Is Getting More Dangerous

More players and more time on the field is leading to an increase in emergency room visits.

Brain injury and heading in soccer

Whether repeated concussive or subconcussive blows cause permanent or cumulative brain injury is a complex and controversial question.

Connecting Communities Through Soccer: The Impact of Cultural Exchange at Soccer Without Borders

At Soccer Without Borders (SWB), we exercise peace in practice everyday. We know that soccer is more than a game—it’s a powerful tool for cross-cultural understanding. Once the ball is in play, differences begin to fade, replaced by teamwork, communication, and a shared purpose.

Don’t Use Your Heads, Kids

It shouldn’t take much to persuade an impartial observer that heading in youth soccer is pointless.

Effects of soccer training on health-related physical fitness measures in male adolescents

Adolescent soccer players had markedly higher physical fitness compared with untrained adolescents. Small-sided soccer games practiced by untrained adolescents elicited high exercise intensity. While 8 weeks of twice-weekly soccer training sessions induced significant improvement in postural balance, the short duration of the study was not sufficient to result in between-group differences in sprint and jump performance or aerobic fitness.

FIFA’s Rule Changes Won’t Solve Soccer’s Concussion Problem

One has to wonder why FIFA’s changes to its concussion protocol are so feckless. It may be a cultural issue...

Girl soccer players are five times more likely to return to the game after a concussion than boys

Overall, 40 percent of youth soccer players play through the pain, according to a recent study.

Head Protection Can Greatly Improve The Safety Of High School Soccer

While it may be impossible to reduce the speed of the game, we can do more to protect them from harm—by introducing head production for youth soccer players.

Heading May Be Riskier For Female Soccer Players Than Males

An important note about this research, Lipton says, is that it isn't about concussions. Instead, it's measuring "sub-concussive injuries," or repeated impacts that don't cause any immediate, acknowledged problem for the player, but could be problematic in the long-term.

Health Gains for Grown Up Soccer Players

“We know a lot about strength training, running and cycling because those sports are very easy to study in the laboratory,” Dr. Krustrup said. “But so many people all over the world play soccer, basketball or hockey. It’s very important to understand the health benefits of those sports and to emphasize that there are motivational and social factors related to team sports that may enhance the possibility for lifelong adherence to a physically active lifestyle.”

How Bad Are Head Injuries in Soccer?

There is no doubt that American football and rugby as contact sports have more head knocks, concussions, and long-term health effects. But even soccer has been linked to premature deaths due to players repeatedly heading the ball.

How Football Can Be Used to Tackle Childhood Obesity

Parents need to know that any football, played regularly, can deliver significant health benefits for their children. If children aren’t keen on taking a formal route at school or with a local club, simply getting out onto local playing fields for a 30-minute kickabout can prove highly beneficial — both in terms of general wellbeing and weight loss.

How soccer can help young men develop healthier habits

Research shows that sport can help build people’s identities. It makes them more socially connected because it fosters a sense of belonging and promotes feelings of agency and self-determination. Sport can help men and boys develop strong feelings of masculine identity and provide opportunities for them to assert their masculinity in a positive way.

No Timeouts: Minimizing Injury Risk in Young Soccer Players

Soccer is not only one of the fastest growing sports, but it’s also one of the most fast-paced. Like any contact sport there is always a potential for injury, but during the juvenile and teenage years, those chances are higher simply due to growth patterns and growing bodies.

Running and soccer are the only sports guaranteed to make you healthier

Which sports have actually been proven to benefit our health? The answer is rather disheartening.

Should Kids Be Allowed to Play Soccer?

A typical football practice drill involves many repetitions heading the ball. So what happens to the brain when these head impacts are repeated over and over again—particularly when done from a young age?

Soccer Benefits – 8 Reasons to Play Soccer

As you play soccer, you will discover other benefits. Soccer is brilliant in many ways, and you can only discover it’s beauty by playing.

Soccer Does More Than Simply Kick You Into Shape

Exercise is of course an essential component for healthy living and cardiovascular sustainability; however, working out can be a bit off-putting since heading to the gym and running on the treadmill doesn’t sound like the most exciting activity. Sports, on the other hand, provide a fun and challenging way to get some exercise and stay excited – especially soccer.

Soccer improves health, fitness and social abilities

Exercise is of major benefit for both physical and mental health, helping to prevent obesity, keep the cardiovascular system healthy, and reduce risk of many chronic diseases. Soccer, as one of the most popular participation sports worldwide, can play a role in public health. A major research project shows that soccer is a pleasurable team sport that provides an all-round fitness and can be used as treatment for lifestyle-related diseases.

Sports Bring People Together

I believe sports bring anyone and everyone together. Anyone and everyone can watch, play, and listen to sports. Sports are international and national. They bring sadness, happiness and anger.

The health benefits of soccer

Got soccer fever? Find out how playing "footy'" can improve your health.

The Lifelong Benefits of Soccer for Adults Over 30

Many people believe that soccer is a young person’s game, but the truth is that staying active in sports after 30 offers incredible physical, mental, and social benefits.

The Study on CTE In Soccer Is Not What You Think It Is

Most studies aren't worth reporting on. This was one of them. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

Resources

9 Benefits of Soccer That Will Have You Kicking Balls All Day Long

There are so many different benefits of soccer that you will want to play it all day long. Not only is it a fun sport to play that lets you socialize with others, but it is also fantastic for your muscle health, heart health, bone strength, your mental state, and so much more.

Five Health Benefits Of Playing Soccer

Soccer lovers are indulged in their game not only for the sake of fun and their passion for football, but normally people do not realize how healthy and beneficial playing soccer can be! Playing soccer is like working out without even realizing that you’re working out. And it is extremely healthy. I will explain to you numerous ways in which playing soccer can be healthy for you.

Soccer Without Borders

At Soccer Without Borders (SWB), we believe that real change happens when young people feel safe, seen, and supported, both on the field and beyond. Soccer is just the beginning. Through a combination of play, learning, and community, we offer free programs that expand access, foster connection, and help youth build the confidence, skills, and relationships they need to shape their own future.

The 20 Benefits of Playing Soccer and How It Changed My Life

Benefits of playing soccer? Thanks to this sport I am the person who I am today. It has helped me, not only physically, but to develop completely as a human being in all aspects. I am sure that me, or any soccer player, will tell you that soccer is the best school of life.

Grassroot Soccer

Grassroot Soccer is an adolescent health organization that leverages the power of soccer to educate, inspire, and mobilize at-risk youth in developing countries to overcome their greatest health challenges, live healthier, more productive lives, and be agents for change in their communities

Play Soccer Nonprofit International

A year-round, integrated educational curriculum that focuses on health, social, and soccer/football skills.

Soccer for Health Initiative

The Soccer for Health Initiative was initiated in 2018 by Dr. Felipe Lobelo to advance implementation research and programmatic activities, adapting the Football is Medicine (FIM) model to the needs of patients and populations in the U.S and the Americas. We are involved in the development of best practice, evidence-based concepts, using soccer and other team-based recreational sports as a powerful tool for health promotion across the lifespan.

Soccer in the Streets

Soccer in the Streets is a not-for-profit organization that works to develop young leaders so they can lead rich lives and cultivate healthy communities through sports-based youth development. Core to its mission is providing better access to quality soccer programs and making youth ready for employment.

The Complete Soccer Guide

Ways to improve your game.