Safety

AYSO Incident Report Form

Injuries

Coaches are the primary point of contact with players and parents when it comes to working with AYSO Region 54. When a player is injured to the point where he/she can not continue to participate and the injury is deemed severe enough to see a doctor then the coach needs to complete an incident report form and send it to our Safety Director and the Regional Commissioner within 24 hours of the incident. The form must be submitted within one week of the incident.

If a player misses practices and/or games due to major injury he/she will need to provide a doctor's note showing that the player is fit to play.

For concussion injuries, a signed participation release form is required. This is for the player's overall safety as well as to protect the coach's and AYSOs liability.

Incident Report Form

Participation Release form

Soccer Insurance

AYSO offers Soccer Accident Insurance (SAI) that can be used in addition to a player's exidting insurance coverage. The claim must be submitted within 90 days of the injury. More information on this program can be obtained at the website - AYSO Insurance Information.

Incidents

Incidents includes those events that are outside of normal behavior. Although very rare in Cerritos, an incident might include threatening or violent behavior, fighting, damage to property, calls to the police, and similar situations. Such events must be reported using an Incident report form.

Safety

Heading The Ball

1. Consistent with the US Soccer mandates on heading the ball, heading is banned for ALL division players U11(including U12 divisions without a single age division) and below in both practices and games.

a. An indirect free kick will be awarded to the opposing team if a player deliberately touches the ball with his/her head during a game.
b. The indirect free kick is to be taken from the place where the player touched the ball with his/her head.
c. An indirect free kick awarded to the attacking team inside the opposing team's goal area, must be taken on the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the player touched the ball with his/her head.
d. Neither cautions nor send offs shall be issued for persistent infringement or denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity related to the heading infraction.

2. Heading for players in U14 age division is limited to a maximum of thirty (30) minutes per week with no more than 15-20 headers, per player. There is no restriction on heading in matches in U14 division.

Protecting the health and safety of athletes and preventing injuries is critically important to AYSO and US Soccer. US Soccer has taken education and research, and in result, make changes to improve player safety.

Thank you for your participation in AYSO and we look forward to another exciting, fun, and safe new year of soccer.

AYSO General Release

Once the team coach has assumed charge of the children on his/her team, the coach remains responsible until a duly designated adult has taken charge of each child after a practice or game. No child shall be left unsupervised after a game or practice.

AYSO does not encourage children to walk or ride a bicycle home or to a friend or relative's house. However, we recognize that it many be necessary in some cases. When it is, coaches should secure a general release form from the parents/guardians to ensure their approval.

General Release can be found on the main AYSO site at www.ayso.org, click on the General Release PDF.

Field Inspection Hazard

Field Coordinators, referees, and coaches should be the last line of defense when dealing with field safety. Everyone should be involved in making sure the fields are safe for AYSO players. Make sure everyone involved in practice and game days know what to look for in order to keep the fields free from safety hazards.

Goal Safety

The bottom line is this: Goal safety is everyone's job and your volunteers and parents need to be aware of the dangers.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has reported 26 deaths and hundreds of injuries since 1979 resulting from soccer goal accidents. Most of these injuries occur when children climb on top of an unsecured goal, causing it to either break from strain (in the case of many homemade goals) or simply flip over onto an unsuspecting victim.

The problems with goals is their shape. There is nothing in front of the goal to prevent its tipping forward. The only way is to keep the back from lifting.

Many portable goals are not professionally manufactured, and use the same heavy materials for the front face (goal mouth), back and bottom. Using lighter materials for the front and heavier materials for the bottom can help reduce the risk of goal tipping.

Still, even when they're properly built, securely anchoring the bottom and back of portable goals is the most important step you can take to prevent soccer goal injuries.

* Securely anchor or counter-weight portable goals at all times.
* Never climb on the net or goal framework
* Remove nets when goals are not in use
* Tip unused goals onto their goal face, or chain them face-to-face. You can also chain unused goals nearby fence posts or other sturdy fixtures.
* Use warning labels and make sure they are clearly visible.
* Fully disassemble goals for off-season storage.

Nutrition
* Pass these tips along to parents and team players about proper eating habits before, during and after a soccer game.
* Eat far enough ahead so food doesn't make you sick to your stomach during the soccer game.
* Eat a healthy meal about 3 or 4 hours before your practice or match.
* If you must snack, eat only a small quantity of a complex carbohydrates. Foods such as cereal, muffins, pasta or a piece of toast. Just make sure your don't eat less than an hour before the game.
* Three hours before any sport activity, drink a couple of glasses of water.
* Don't gulp! Sip the water slowly. One hour before game time, drink a little more water. During the match, drink a little water every 15 minutes or so. Drinking fluids is important!
* Thirty minutes after any competition, eat a meal high in complex carbohydrates to help restore your body's blood sugar.

Heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke are all serious (in some cases fatal) heat-induced conditions. It is imperative for the safety of your players and volunteers that you and your coaches know how to identify and treat them.

Heat Cramps

When a body loses too much water and salt through sweat, muscles tend to cramp (particularly in the abdomen and legs). Players suffering from these painful "heat cramps" should:

* Rest in a shady spot.
* Sip one glass of cool water every 15 minutes until the pain relents.
* If the player's parents are on hand, have them help by:
a. massaging the affected muscle
b. applying cool, wet cloths to help relax the muscles

Heat Exhaustion

Players with cool, moist, or flushed skin, heavy sweating, headache, nausea, dizziness, or muscle cramps may be experiencing heat exhaustion. This condition occurs because of high humidity or restrictive clothing, sweat is not properly evaporated and the body cannot cool down. To assist a player experiencing heat exhaustion:

* have the player lie down in a shady spot and elevate his/her feet
* remove the child's shoes, shin guards, and socks
* apply cold packs to the armpit and scalp areas
* have the player drink water or an electrolyte solution
* dampen the player's skin with cool cloths
* fan the player to help evaporate excess sweat
* if the player's parents are on hand, have them:
a. remove the players shirt
b. apply cold packs to the groin area

Heat Stroke

When a body completely loses the ability to cool itself, the internal temperature continues to rise resulting in heat stroke. If a player's temperature rises too quickly, brain damage and/or death may result. Players suffering from heat stroke may have hot, dry skin -- those with fair complexions may appear red, while darker-skinned individuals may appear gray. Victims may also experience a very rapid pulse and extremely high body temperature. In some cases, victims of heat stroke may seem confused, unresponsive, or even suffer from seizures. Recovery from heat stroke depends on the amount of time it takes to return the body temperature to normal, so immediate medical attention is imperative.

If you suspect that a player is suffering from heat stroke

* Call 911 immediately
* follow the recommended treatment for heat exhaustion
* DO NOT attempt to give liquids
* contact the player's parents

Professional soccer players lose seven and half pounds of sweat during a game. In order to avoid serious heat-induced conditions, players must drink enough fluids to replace that sweat. Every player should carry his/her own sports bottle to practice, and coaches need to stop for drink breaks every 15 minutes during the summer.

Symptoms of dehydration may include:
* dry lips and tongue
* sunken eyes
* dizziness or a loss of energy

In addition to staying hydrated, wearing loose-fitting, lightweight clothing in light colors will help keep the body cool. Coaches must remember to conduct shorter, easier practices in the summer.