For the first time, researchers at the renowned Virginia Tech Helmet lab tested the performance of protective headgear for soccer players.
Researchers found some of the headgear on the market can reduce head injuries by up to 84 percent in some cases.
Still, many high school teams don’t equip their players with these kinds of head bands and a Fort Worth soccer coach is on a mission to change that.
“They’re not allowed to step on the field without one,” Shad Green, coach of the Diamond Hill-Jarvis High School’s girls soccer team, said.
He made the headgear a requirement for his players after a devastating season three years ago, when 10 girls on the team suffered a total of 14 concussions.
“What were we going to put on these girls’ heads once they finished concussion protocol and came back into practicing and playing games? That’s what got me kind of motivated to use the protective head gear.”
He wrote a letter to every business he could and held team fundraisers to generate enough donations for the headbands, which cost about $40 each.
