Should Parents Let Their Child Play Football? Weighing the Pros and Cons
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When it comes to kids playing football, almost everyone has an opinion. Some parents want their kids to take the field like they did in their youth. Others believe football – particularly tackle football – should be reserved for older teens and adults. With the wide variety of opinions, many parents turn to sports medicine specialists at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) for advice.
Sports medicine specialist Naomi Brown, MD, FAAP, CAQSM, recently shared some of the most common questions she receives and the advice she offers to families.
Deciding whether to allow your child to play football is a personal family decision. Your family needs to weigh whether the risks of potential injuries outweigh the benefits of playing an organized sport.
We encourage families to talk to trusted experts, such as your pediatrician or a sports medicine specialist, as you navigate this topic. It’s important for both parents and children to understand the risks for injury, what activities put youth more at risk, and how kids can minimize their risks.
Allowing your child to be part of the discussion with a medical professional – to hear your concerns about injuries and how it could impact them long term – can help your child better understand the decision you make.
Flag football or non-contact football is a great way to introduce young athletes to the sport safely, while developing the same basic skills they’ll use later. Children can start throwing a football and participating in non-contact sports as early as age 4. At this age, they can start learning basic motor skills like running, catching and throwing; as well as start to develop hand-eye coordination and the value of teamwork.
Timing the transition from flag football to tackle football depends on several factors, including the player’s physical characteristics, growth status, maturity level and desire to participate in contact or collision sports.
There is no universal consensus on when it’s best to start tackle football. Other sports have weighed the risk of increased contact and collision with the transition to adult rules in the sport. Two examples:
For many youth athletes, freshman year of high school (typically age 14-15) may be a reasonable time to make the transition to tackle football. Before switching to tackle football, players should introduce modified tackling shortly before high school. One example of this is USA Football's Football Development Model, which considers the young athlete’s development and is based on their skill progression and mastery, before full contact tackling.
Many football-related injuries are musculoskeletal, and involve the lower legs, ankles and feet. Injuries typically include sprains, strains, fractures and contusions (bruises). In youth who are still growing, an injury to the growth plate may also occur and may be serious. While many growth-plate injuries can be treated with physical therapy and rehabilitation, some fractures involving the growth plate also require surgery.
In high school sports, the chances of serious ligament injuries – such as ACL tears – rise. Injuries to the shoulder – such as an acromioclavicular sprain (the joint where the shoulder blade meets the collarbone) or shoulder dislocation – are also more common in tackle football.
Sports that involve strategic skills support athletes’ mental and physical development.
Contributed by: Naomi Brown, MD, FAAP, CAQSM