Heads Above or Nanny State?

[Rowdy]

Header ban for US kids:



US Soccer released a player safety campaign banning children 10 and under from heading footballs

Children in the United States will be banned from heading footballs after a campaign announced by US Soccer.

Concussion has become a major talking point in football, particularly after World Cup incidents involving Germany's Christoph Kramer and Uruguay's Alvaro Pereira last year.

US Soccer was facing a lawsuit from parents and players, who accused the governing body of acting "negligently" over thousands of concussions.

The lawsuit was dropped before the campaign by the body was announced.

The rule changes included:
- eliminating heading for children 10 and under
- limiting heading practice for children between 11 and 13

US Soccer said it was strongly urging the recommendations, which came via the organisation's medical committee, be followed.

 

[Rowdy]

Think at that age it doesn't affect the players development if heading is banned.

13 & unders should be more focused on keeping it on the deck, banning heading could actually help with fast-tracking technical development with the feet, forcing the young players to chest/thigh & or catch the ball with feet to bring down then head it away aimlessly.

 

[dibo]

I reckon the biggest problem would come from kids playing with balls the wrong size. A 9yo heading a size 5 is going to hurt themselves. A 9yo heading a size 3 probably not.

That said, I think you're right on development outcomes. I'm a bit iffy on the medical side; I wonder how much is medical advice and how much is risk aversion...

 

[FFC Mariner]

How much is the American legal system?

 

[midfielder]

Unbelievable ... I worked their for 9 months in 1988 ... one thing that stood out for me was how everyone was prepared to sue somebody if anything went wrong in their life...

One night I was feeling a bit low and was cheered up by a skit by a comedy team on a TV show.

Went something like this and remember 1988 so crossing live to a scene was very new... as was more than one news presenter and even more a male and female news presenter...

It started with the News starting when one of the news presenters says there is a breaking story down town a man has been shot at the blip bank on the corner of # & #

Next you see the News helicopter taking off...

Next you see the live crew with cameras lights running with a reporter out front.

Next they run past a man lying injured and shot on the floor with paramedics tending to him.

The reporter see the Banks security guard runs over and says did you see what happened.

The security guard says the alleged indicating a man who had left the bank, entered the bank, saw the queue at the rope, and jumped the queue to be at the front of the rope and thus be the next person served.... I when up and told this man to get back in line, he refused, so I got and my gun pointed at him and again asked him to get back in his place in the queue.... he again refused so I fired he ducked and it hit the next in line who is lying over there.

The reporter ignoring the paramedics and pushing them out of the way went over and held the Mike under the mans mouth and said this must be a terrible day in your life you come into a bank to make a transaction and the banks own security guard shots you...

The mans says to the reporter ... no you got it all wrong this is the greatest day in my life...

The reporter then asked how he worked that out..

The man replied ... """ I now own this bank"""

 

[Capn Gus Bloodbeard]

I guess it's hard to make an educated comment without understanding the medical opinions