Soccer Injuries in Female Youth Players: Comparison of Injury Surveillance by Certified Athletic Trainers and Internet (Original Research) (Report‪)‬

Soccer is one of the most popular sports worldwide (1) and is increasing in popularity in the United States among youth players. (2) Despite the perception that soccer is a relatively safe sport, it is one of the most common causes of sport injuries among youths. Numerous authors have described incidence rates of soccer injuries among youth ranging from 2.3 to 6.4 injuries per 1000 athlete-exposure hours. (3-7) One important methodologic consideration in studying the epidemiology of sport-related injuries is the type of injury-surveillance system used. Most authors of studies on youth sports injuries have called on physicians, certified athletic trainers (ATs), or other medical personnel such as physical therapists to report on the number of injuries, (4.5,7-11) with most focusing on high school players. The use of medical personnel to report on injuries is relatively expensive, is typically available for high school-aged athletes who participate at school rather than in community-based sports clubs, and might not be necessary if players, parents, or team designees can be relied upon as an alternative injury-surveillance system. Several investigators (12,13) have recently evaluated the use of nonmedical personnel for sports injury surveillance and have noted good reliability of reporting.