Portable soccer goals pose serious child safety hazard
Soccer moms and dads need to know that the portable goals used on many of their kids' soccer fields pose a serious safety hazard when they're not secured to the ground.
As many as half a million portable goals weighing up to 400 pounds are on American soccer fields, and if they aren’t secured properly, they can tip over and cause severe injury or even death.
According to statistics from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, at least 34 children have died since 1979 from injuries caused by soccer goals that tipped over. And each year, more than 200 players are injured.
Soccer goals are heaviest in the front and therefore can tip forward without warning when children climb or hang from the front bar (doing pull-ups or chin-ups, for example). Even a gust of wind can cause an unsecured goal to tip over.
If the goals are weighted down with stand bags or stakes, they won’t tip. Although referees are supposed to check each goal before every game to ensure they are being held down, parents should double check to ensure the goals are firmly in place.
Child safety experts also advise parents to talk with their soccer-playing children about the dangers of portable soccer goals. And, they say, the goals should be taken down when they aren’t in use to avoid accidents after the game is over.
Source: WRAL-TV Raleigh
Soccer parents can find a complete list of safety recommendations here.
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