Soccer Goals A Real Danger For Kids

Susan Koeppen: They Can Fall Over And Kill, Injure; Offers Safety Tips

(CBS)  Parents may not realize it, but their soccer-playing kids may be exposed to a hidden danger every time they take the field, a danger that could hurt or even kill.

The Early Show consumer correspondent Susan Koeppen explained Thursday that portable soccer goals are inherently top-heavy and can weigh hundreds of pounds. If they're not anchored properly, or at all, they can tip over with relative ease, putting nearby players at risk.

The U.S. Soccer Federation says 14 million kids aged 6-17 play the sport in this country, with up to 500,000 goals in use.

Soccer goal tip-over accidents kill at least one child every year, and injure 200, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Unlike professional soccer, which uses permanently-anchored goals, youth soccer typically uses goals that are portable and can be moved on and off the field. Schools and parks prefer them because they enable more than one sport to be played on each field.

The CPSC's Julie Vallese told Koeppen, "Everyone who visits a field needs to understand that (soccer goals) are big, they are heavy, and the misconception is that they won't fall over because of that."

Soccer goals are sold with anchoring systems, usually sandbags or metal spikes.

Under national youth soccer regulations, referees are supposed to check that goals are properly anchored before every game, but no one supervises the refs to make sure that happens. The regulations also say goals should be anchored before every practice and scrimmage, but that safety measure is often ignored, as well.

And that, advises Koeppen, is key: parents or kids should check goals themselves before games or practices to make sure they're anchored securely. Also, kids shouldn't help move goals, because that leads to many accidents. And kids should never hang from them, since that leads to many tip-overs.

Even the wind can cause the goals to tip.

The organization responsible for creating voluntary safety standards for soccer goals, the American Society for Testing and Materials, is considering stronger stability standards for new soccer goals. The improved standard would require unanchored goals to stay upright even if two 10-year-olds are hanging off the center crossbar. There's no timetable for when these new standards might be passed.

Koeppen spoke exclusively with the parents of a 10-year-old goalie who lost his life last month when a goal fell onto him.

She also chatted with a father and daughter about a similar incident that severely injured the girl's leg.

Both families Koeppen visited have other kids who play soccer; they've taught their children to check the goals before they take the field to make sure that the goals are anchored.

To watch Koeppen's interviews and safety tips, click here.

[jester-it]

I'd like to recommend that people can find information at: http://www.sportsfieldspecialties.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=131&Itemid=151 The SG2S® is a Soccer Goal Safety Clamp System developed and patented by Sportsfield Specialties. The SG2S® is a rotating clamping mechanism that is installed and stored inside an access box with a synthetic turf wrapped cover, allowing the field to be used safely without the soccer goal in place, but more importantly anchoring the soccer goal via its back bar when it is in place. This will help in preventing accidental soccer goal tip-overs that create unsafe playing conditions and liability issues. In addition, Sportsfield has created a SGMobile® portable and retractable wheel system for their soccer goals that allows the soccer goals to be safely moved by as few as two people. Sportsfield Specialties is a proud sponsor of The National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, NY where Sportsfield?s soccer goals with corresponding SG2S® and SGMobile® are installed and utilized in their facility everyday. No matter what type of soccer facility or goal is involved, it is extremely important that the soccer goals have a suitable anchoring system with a stable back bar. The soccer goals tipping over in this particular article didn't have either a back bar and/or anchoring system, which clearly illustrates the need for both of these options when discussing the overall safety of an athlete in relation to the playing field equipment.

[m_riley]

I am an admin for an AYSO region with 1400 kids. We haven't had any injuries but I can say that I can see how they happen. I would bet that most goal related injuries don't happen during an actual game. The article noted that school fields have them and move them quite a bit. They need to move them to mow the grass.

Most games likely have secure goals - it's the 99% of the time that they aren't being used for games that is the problem. They can't be stored anywhere but on the field and locks tend to disappear. So kids at recess and after school play on them like jungle gyms. Parents need to keep their kids off of them and coaches need to put them away properly - up against a fence after use.

[vinepetal904]

the epic quest for the olympic wheelchair thrives ... meanwhile, most kids five and under would rather be dancing get well soon feed the world first aid on the trail songs for their friends who are more likely to be battered raped and executed by their parents than by anyone else and more likely to be dancing get sick soon tax the world quest for the wheelchair songs at the behest of their parents rather than for anyone else

[bunkin_boy]

The soccer goals need to have the depth dimension larger than the height dimension so that the lower center of gravity will keep the goal upright. Presntly, they are the opposite. Until the goals are redesigned, this will be a problem. They also need a metal brace across the back of the goal for counter weight, or the major part of the weight of the goal touching the ground. The present design has the top bar and front sides being the major weight. Once it gets tipped, it will fall as shown in the video.

I would imagine that the goals get moved to mow the grass and mark the playing area. The ground stakes/sand bags get removed, and forgotten.

Another possibility would be to dig holes to place the goal into, similar to football goal posts. Then they would need to pad the sides to prevent injury.

Just a few thoughts.

KB

[ronaldwahila]

For years I have seen this problem and I have even questioned several soccer officials in our area. I was told it wasn't an issue, they are too heavy and stable.

I have a simple fix. You need to weight down the back of the goals with see-thru water tanks, like fertilizer tanks. That way they can%u2019t flip over. Also, you can see if there is water in them and there won%u2019t be any question that they are SAFE. Hold-down cables aren%u2019t visible, with see thru tanks anyone can see if there is water in them.

Ron Wahila
Endwell, NY