Concussion Policy

Concussion Initiatives & Heading for Youth Players 

US Club Soccer is clarifying the following implementation guidelines for U.S. Soccer's Recognize to Recover Player Safety Campaign, specifically as it relates to concussion initiatives and heading for youth players:

  • The Federation is recommending, and US Club Soccer is requiring immediately, new rules as it relates to heading, as follows:
    • Players in U-11 programs and younger shall not engage in heading, either in practices or in games.

    • Limited heading in practice for players in U-12 and U-13 programs. More specifically, these players shall be limited to a maximum of 30 minutes of heading training per week, with no more than 15-20 headers per player, per week.

    • Clubs should be aware of circumstances in which individual consideration is needed. For example:

      • A 10 year old playing at U-12 or older should not head the ball at all.

      • An 11 or 12 year old playing at U-14 or older should abide by the heading restrictions in practice.

    • Referees should enforce these restrictions by age group according to the specified rules. Referees will not be assessing the age of individual players on the field; they will enforce the rules for the age group.

  • Leagues and organizations are free to set their own standards, as long as the minimum requirements outlined above are met.

  • In adherence to these new requirements, referees have been instructed by U.S. Soccer of the following rule addition: 
    When a player deliberately heads the ball in a game, an indirect free kick (IFK) should be awarded to the opposing team from the spot of the offense. If the deliberate header occurs within the goal area, the indirect free kick should be taken on the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the infringement occurred.

  • Modified substitution rules also took effect Jan. 1, 2016, as follows:
    Any player suspected of suffering a head injury may be substituted for evaluation without the substitution counting against the teams total number of allowed substitutions during the game.

  • US Club Soccer strongly recommends that all coaches, staff members, parents and players watch U.S. Soccer's concussions in soccer overview video.


For our 2017 MVSC and NorCal will be implementing:

  • a no heading policy for all U11 and younger age groups

  • a "no re-entry" policy for players who are removed from a game due to a suspected head injury

  • if an MVSC player is removed from athletic activity due to a suspected concussion, the player's MVSC Coach is expected to notify a parent or guardian of that athlete of the time and date of the injury, the symptoms observed, and any treatment provided to that athlete for the injury.

  • a change to the NPL substitution rules to allow for the evaluation of head injuries

U11 (6th Grade) No Heading Rule:
For all players 11 and younger (6th Grade and younger) there should be no heading in training or games.  For players 12-14 years of age heading training should be limited to a maximum of 30 minutes per week with no more than 15-20 headers per player, per week.

Heading Game Rule:
When a player deliberately heads the ball in a game, an indirect free kick (IFK) should be awarded to the opposing team from the spot of the offense.  If the deliberate header occurs within the goal area (6 yard box), the indirect free kick should be taken on the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the infringement occurred. If a player does not deliberately head the ball, then play should continue
.

No Re-Entry Protocol:
In accordance with the US Soccer return to play guidelines, any player removed from the field for a suspected head injury will not be allowed to return to the field of play unless cleared by a Healthcare Professional.  In practice this will mean that any player for whom a coach is called onto the field will have to leave the field and will not be allowed to return unless they are evaluated and cleared by a Certified Healthcare Professional.