Injuries, Sports Injuries in Children, Sports Injury
Conditions
Keywords
youth soccer injury
Brief summary
A study is proposed to test whether adding additional referees to youth soccer matches may reduce the risk of injury to the children playing soccer. Publicly-open youth soccer games will be randomly assigned to have either one or three referees and videotaped. The videotaped games will then be watched to record risk-taking behavior by players, referee decisions, and other factors relevant to potential injury.
Interventions
BEHAVIORAL3 referees present
We compared player behavior with one versus three referees present on youth soccer fields during match play. The time between these two matches ranged from a few hours to several weeks.
OTHER1 referee present
We compared player behavior with one versus three referees present on youth soccer fields during match play. The time between these two matches ranged from a few hours to several weeks.
Sponsors
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
8 Years to 11 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* unit of measurement was youth soccer teams playing in Birmingham, Alabama area league
Exclusion criteria
* teams serving children under age 9 or over age 11
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Average Number of Injuries During Soccer Matches | baseline through one hour, which is beginning of the game until the end of the game, averaged across games | average number of injury events requiring player to leave the field or be attended by an adult, across all games in study |
Countries
United States
Participant flow
Pre-assignment details
49 youth soccer teams were included this randomized crossover design. All completed both arms.
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| 3 Referees Three referees were present on the field during these youth soccer matches.
3 referees present: We compared player behavior with one versus three referees present on youth soccer fields during match play. The time between these two matches ranged from a few hours to several weeks. | 23 |
| 1 Referee One referee was present on the field during these youth soccer matches.
1 referee present: We compared player behavior with one versus three referees present on youth soccer fields during match play. The time between these two matches ranged from a few hours to several weeks. | 26 |
| Total | 49 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | 1 Referee | Total | 3 Referees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Categorical <=18 years | 26 Participants | 49 Participants | 23 Participants |
| Age, Categorical >=65 years | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Age, Categorical Between 18 and 65 years | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race and Ethnicity Not Collected | — | 0 Participants | — |
| Region of Enrollment United States | 26 Participants | 49 Participants | 23 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 10 Participants | 21 Participants | 11 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 16 Participants | 28 Participants | 12 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk | EG001 affected / at risk |
|---|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 49 | 0 / 49 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 49 | 0 / 49 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 49 | 0 / 49 |
Outcome results
Primary
Average Number of Injuries During Soccer Matches
average number of injury events requiring player to leave the field or be attended by an adult, across all games in study
Time frame: baseline through one hour, which is beginning of the game until the end of the game, averaged across games
Population: youth soccer teams
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Referees | Average Number of Injuries During Soccer Matches | .4 average number of injuries per game | Standard Deviation 0.7 |
| 1 Referee | Average Number of Injuries During Soccer Matches | .4 average number of injuries per game | Standard Deviation 0.7 |