As the most popular sport globally, soccer is played by billions of people at one point in their life. It is considered a relatively safe game for children to play, and people can find leagues for all age groups.
With all that said, how safe is soccer? Is it something that people should be worried about when it comes to any injury issues, or is it a sport every child should try out?
Is soccer dangerous? There are some injury concerns with soccer, as is the case with any physical contact sport. Head injuries are currently the biggest topic in the game, taking impact from the ball and other players. Additional injury risks exist due to the wear and tear on the body, running up and down the field all game long.
Head Injuries
Injuries at all levels will always be a problem with any sport, but head injuries, in particular, are something that people are anxious about with soccer.
Many leagues are going the route of prohibiting headers to cut down on injury issues at lower levels. It makes sense for younger players, as there is no need to be recklessly jumping around and potentially doing some serious damage to the head.
For adult leagues, it is probably going to be a long time that they are ever banned. It is part of the game, and soccer is resistant to change in many cases. However, this is the major cause of serious, long-term damage. It is not so much the fear of the ball doing damage to the head, as it is head-to-head contact with an opponent. That happens more often than many people want to admit, as competitive players are chasing the ball to gain any edge.
Head injuries can cause long-term issues for players and start to become a serious topic for sports across the board. Football and rugby are just two team sports a lot of people link head injuries to, but soccer is on the higher end.
General Wear & Tear
At the highest level, soccer players will play at most, two times a week. Anything more than that can be an enormous challenge for even the best professionals to play at a high-level.
Part of the reason why there is a limit on how much action a player can take part in comes down to the lack of substitutions. Each team is only allowed three substitutions per contest, so most players are playing all 90 minutes. Considering how much effort is needed to run up and down the field and compete for the ball when it is near, that is a pretty significant workout on the entire body.
One thing that does save soccer players a bit is that it is mostly played on natural grass. This means that the surface is pretty giving, and the body is not going to the same type of wear and tear that one would face if they are on a harder surface. Still, it is a sport built for younger players, which is why those who get to their mid-30s are usually unable to keep up the same way they used to.
When players are fatigued and not able to compete at the highest of their levels, it can lead to some muscle pulls and injuries in general. Many soccer players will go through leg issues as they age, especially with calves, hamstrings, ankles, and more.
Physical Contact
Soccer has a reputation that it is not a physical sport, but all it takes is playing at a decently high-level to see that that is not the case. Players are constantly battling the opposition for the ball, and collisions are prevalent throughout a match.
Injuries might not happen at the same frequency as in football, basketball, hockey, and other physical team sports, but they do occur. Soccer players are wearing little to no padding, so any type of hard hits will be felt pretty easily. Some teams realize that a strategy to use is to be a bit physical with their opposition, so they will do whatever they can to get them out of their rhythm.
With so much contact happening below the waist, legs are particularly susceptible to injuries with physical contact. It takes just one wrong step or other issues like that to sprain, tear, or break something if a player is not careful.
Field Players VS Goalkeepers
There is a little bit of a debate between what is more challenging to play from a physical, risk of injury standpoint. Some people believe that being a goalkeeper is the most physically demanding position in soccer, as they are in charge of putting their bodies at risk to prevent goals from scoring. Not only that, but players can run into them when they are going for a shot, and those can sometimes lead to some pretty physical altercations.
The one positive for goalkeepers is that they are not running around nearly as much as a field player. This means they generally do not have to take any games off, as they will be able to bounce back a little faster.
More often than not, goalkeepers who suffer from an injury are dealing with something relatively random. Maybe they took a shot in the wrong position, or someone hit them during a scramble in the box. This can be an excruciating injury and a dangerous part of the game, but it is what goalkeepers have to deal with.
They also had to deal with the possibility of having hand injuries more so than any other type of player on the field. That is because goalkeepers are using their hands to block shots, and catching the wrong angle can break a finger if the ball is traveling fast enough. Any player running into their fingers or hands can also significantly injure a person overall.
How To Stay Safe During a Soccer Game
Freak accidents in any sport will occur, and the same goes for general wear and tear. With all that said, there are some ways to cut down on the chances of injury, keeping a person off the pitch.
Always Wear Shinguards
It might not seem like that big of a deal, but shinguards can significantly protect the legs overall. Whether it is the impact from the ball or someone else’s cleat, the shinguards are right there to protect where most of the action occurs.
Shinguards are pretty inexpensive these days, and they can last a while as well. They need to be a basic necessity at the lower levels, as it helps to cut down on injuries significantly. Once a player develops the habit of wearing them, it is easy from there. If you don’t own a pair of shin guards yet, you should check out our current recommendations here.
Play The Right Way
Soccer players need to play the game the right way to keep everyone else as safe as possible on the pitch. The last thing a person wants to do is get into a very physical game for no reason. It is not enjoyable for anyone, and all it does is put certain people at significant risk.
Referees do a pretty good job of controlling the game, but it can be difficult if the league has a limited source of referees in the first place. For example, one or two referees are not going to see every single thing that is happening on the pitch at any given time, so it is irresponsible to think that they will be able to make the proper call 100% of the time.
They do their best to stop any dangerous behavior that could lead to injury, and those who do enjoy another player are dealt with immediately.
Sit Out When Necessary
Playing through injury is something most competitive athletes want to do, but in soccer, it can cause more harm than good.
Unlike a lot of sports, soccer almost always requires players to play the entire match. If a player is not feeling ideal, they are putting themselves at risk of further injury. It might be best to be held out of the starting lineup if that is the case, allowing coaches not to have to waste one of their three substitutions if needed.
The good news is that instead of entirely sitting out of the game, players can also focus on substituting in their own right. A player coming back from an injury might not be able to play 90 minutes, but they could play 15 or 20 minutes. This is a great bonus to have for coaches looking to gain an edge.
Stopping The Fear of Injury
While injuries can occur with soccer, it is not something people should be thinking about when playing. Yes, injuries happen with all sports. Thinking about them constantly is not doing a person any favors.
Never think of soccer as a dangerous sport while playing. There are ways to take precautions to limit injury risk, but no one should ever feel like they should play cautiously when on the pitch. If anything, holding back could leave the body just as vulnerable to injury.
