BAC K TO S CH O O L BIRMINGHAM PARENT’S
happy,healthykids
IRMINGHAM PARENT’S
happy,healthykids
YOUTH FOOTBALL: How to Stay Safe & Play By Paige Townley In recent years, football has taken a hit with concerns about safety being at an all-time high. But according to a recent report, the sport has actually seen a modest increase in kids playing the game. According to the Sport & Fitness Industry Association, approximately 2.169 million children ages 6-14 played tackle football in 2015, up 1.9 percent from 2014 (2.128 million). Flag football participation among the same age group in 2015 was approximately 1.669 million, up 8.7 percent from 2014 (1.535 million). 30 | birminghamparent | august 2017
In the 15-18 year old age group, 1.248 million U.S. children played tackle football in 2015, up 2.5 percent from 2014 (1.218 million). Flag football participation among tis age group in 2015 was 528,000, up 10.5 percent from 2014 (496,000). The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) also reported in a 2016 survey that football is still the number one high school participation sport in the United States – approximately 1,085,272 high school students played on their school’s football team in the 2015-2016 school year.
Since football continues to reign as one of America’s favorite sports, there are many things parents need to know to make sure their athlete stays safe while on the field.
Main Safety Risks There are obviously numerous safety risks one takes when playing a contact sport like football. What comes to mind most is concussions or other head injuries. But there are also a number of more common types of injuries that can happen, such as fractures, contusions, ligament sprains, and even pain from overuse of a certain part of the body.