Soccer Safety Tips

Inspect the Field
Before all practices and games, inspect the field. Make sure there are no hazards such as broken glass, animal droppings, branches or other debris on the field. Also, ensure that the playing surface is consistent and level. Make sure there are no holes or ditches in the field.

BE AWARE OF THE BALLS!
It is important that players pay attention during practices and games. At a minimum, the players should know where the ball is at all times. This awareness will cut down on the situations where a player is hit with a ball they have not seen.

Shin Guards, Shin Guards, Shin Guards
The most important piece of safety equipment is (you guessed it) Shin Guards. In beginner soccer, no matter how much you try to coach against it, a large amount of ball swarming takes place. Players tend to bunch up in a pile surrounding the ball and frantically kick at it. In these “swarms”, players will inadvertently kick each other by mistake. This is why it is essential that ALL players be required to wear shin guards. A player should not be allowed on the field without this important piece of equipment.

“No Sitting on the Field”
At this young age, many players get tired or bore easily. You will see that in the middle of the action, many players just simply sit down or lay down on the field. It can be very dangerous if a player sits down on the field while the rest of the team is running around dribbling and shooting soccer balls. That is why one rule you should have for your players is that no one is allowed to sit or lay down on the field. If a player is tired or bored tell them it is OK to go the sideline for a rest, but not on the field.