Courtesy: Edmonton Journal


Don't red-card soccer boards

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

There is little more horrifying to parents than hearing about a young athlete severely injured crashing hard into the boards, be it in hockey, lacrosse or --in the case of a Lethbridge boy whose head injury in January cost him use of one ear -- indoor soccer.

What distinguishes soccer from the other two is that it's a sport usually played outdoors or without in-play boards, which might account for some Calgary parents and Edmonton soccer organizers pushing for boards to be taken out of play or removed from fields altogether.

Also, soccer players compete without the padding of the other arena sports.

But indoor soccer is also distinguished from lacrosse or hockey in that any hitting or "boarding" is met with severe penalty, often ejection. This is among many reasons to remain skeptical about the need for such drastic safety reforms to the popular game.

While the case of the Lethbridge boy is chilling, Edmonton injury numbers do not make a study case for the need of a no-boards game. In five and a half years in the city's three indoor soccer centres, only 31 injuries were reported on the boards. That amounts to fewer than six incidents per year, and covers adult and child play, as well as major and minor injuries.

In fact, a more menacing play surface for most players is the thick concrete that lies beneath the artificial turf -- a surface which makes for hard and occasionally limb-breaking falls. Boards are involved in less than 10 per cent of local injuries at the indoor pitches.

Even one of the province's biggest injury-prevention advocates finds the Calgary petition's proposal rather dubious.

"My gut feeling is if you remove the boards, you may save one injury in 10 to 15 years," Dr. Louis Francescutti, director of the Alberta Centre for Injury Control, told The Journal.

To many fans of what is largely an Alberta phenomenon, removing the boards from indoor soccer would ruin much of the game's lure. The addition of the board's rebounds and ricochets gives the game a pace and excitement level different from traditional soccer. Its indoor nature also makes it a year-round sport, one that is far more affordable for parents than hockey, with its layers of equipment. A sport that boasts 1,100 teams in Edmonton alone should not be tinkered with too reflexively.

Moreover, the growing realization of the dangers of unprotected young bodies slamming into boards has led to a harsh crackdown on aggressive play. The Edmonton Minor Soccer Association has developed a zero-tolerance policy -- referees automatically eject any player who hits another into the boards.

That is a solid safeguard against the rare board-related injuries: only three in 20,000 league games this past season. If fears or problems grow, perhaps the league could adopt safety equipment. Taking the boards out of the game is a fundamental, radical and last-step reform.

For parents or children who prefer a boardless soccer game, there remains the option of futsal, a relatively slow-paced game with a less active ball. It is a more skill-intensive variety which would appeal to anyone with dreams of being an international player, since it is the only indoor soccer game recognized by the global soccer governing body, FIFA.

Those who dislike the rougher edges of indoor soccer have for a few years been able to choose futsal. But, like the parents who keep enlisting their children into the injury-prone game of ice hockey -- boards and all -- there will likely remain those who are willing to accept the relatively small risks in Edmonton's second-most popular indoor game.



Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com