One of the biggest hazards in outside field sports, yet often the most overlooked, is the field itself.
I know because I was once a victim of a poorly maintained field. During a college lacrosse game, I stepped into a hole, tearing my Anterior Cruciate ligaments and the menial meniscus cartilage in my right knee. My knee was so badly damaged it required two surgeries and months of casts and rehabilitation. I never played lacrosse again.
If only someone had taken a few moments to check the field before the game began, I probably would never have been injured.
Recent statistics suggest that as many as 25% percent of all soccer injuries result from poor field conditions. (Couture 2010).
While game officials are usually the ones responsible for inspecting a field before a game begins to ensure that it is in a playable condition, the reality is that, all too often, the referee barely arrives at the field in time for the game itself (if he or she shows at all!) and assumes that the coaches have inspected the field.
The coaches are so busy getting their team ready to play and giving last minute instructions that they also don't have time to check the field for holes, puddles, broken glass, stones or other debris. Most coaches are happy to leave this task to the ref, so they don't bother to check the field themselves.
The solution? Set up a field detail:
According to an expert panel of the American Academy of Pediatrics (Koutures 2010), appropriate monitoring of field conditions, specifically holes or other irregularities, can reduce leg injuries in soccer.
The AAP's 2012 Policy Statement on Baseball and Softball also recommends regular inspection of baseball diamonds for hazards, including problems with sprinkler heads, gopher holes in the outfield, or rocky infields
Sources:
American Academy of Pediatrics; AAP Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness, Policy Statement: Baseball and Softball. Pediatrics. 2012;129(3):842-856. (doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-3593)(accessed February 26, 2012)
Koutures CG, Gregory AJM. Injuries in Youth Soccer. Pediatrics 2010;125:410-414.
Updated May 15, 2018
Links:
[1] https://mail.momsteam.com/node/529
[2] https://mail.momsteam.com/node/6246
[3] https://mail.momsteam.com/sports/soccer/preventing-ankle-sprains-in-soccer
[4] https://mail.momsteam.com/health-safety/muscles-joints-bones/knee/acl-injuries-in-female-athletes
[5] https://mail.momsteam.com/health-safety/baseball-diamond-overlooked-safety-hazard