Soccer goals continue to present some of the most dangerous safety hazards to young children. The often front-heavy field equipment can weigh up to 400 lbs and can tip over easily – requiring as little as a tug on the netting.
The sport, popular with youngsters from middle school throughout high school, is played on a variety of competitive levels, ranging from recess, to intramural, and finally league play. Inevitably, kids pull on the net or hang from the net, or even position themselves against the posts of the goal with their weight, resulting in the goal falling down on top of them.
Professionals warn that these goals should be anchored down with stakes or sandbags to prevent tipping; staking or otherwise anchoring the goals down is typically the preferred method. Thirty-five children or young adults have been crushed and killed by falling goals since 1979, which is a shocking statistic. More than one person a year is killed by a falling soccer goal.
Kevin Kaye, a certified soccer referee, warns that if parents see goals on the field that are not anchored properly to the ground, the game should be cancelled or postponed until they are properly done so.
For more information on soccer goal safety visit:anchoredforsafety.org/ or www.haydensgoal.org/
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