Brief report: Behavioral risk factors for youth soccer (football) injury.

OBJECTIVES By most reports, soccer (football) is among the most played and most popular sports in the world. This study prospectively examined behavioral risk factors for youth soccer injury. METHOD Sixty 11- and 12-year-old boys who played on six teams in a suburban recreational soccer league were followed over the course of a season. Six predictors were assessed prior to the start of the season via self-report measures from coaches, parents, and the players themselves: inhibition, aggression, risk-taking, skill, experience playing soccer, and physical size. All games were videotaped, and tapes were reviewed to record players' collisions with other players, fouls, falls during the course of play, and injuries. RESULTS Greater skill and less experience playing soccer best predicted injury risk. Inhibition, aggression, and risk-taking did not emerge as predictors. CONCLUSION Results are discussed with respect to previous research in youth sport and general pediatric injury risk.