TORONTO -- A new study suggests the world鈥檚 top female soccer players are more likely to receive on-field assessments for head injuries compared to their male counterparts, but both sides have some work to do when it comes to concussion prevention in the sport.
The research led by St. Michael鈥檚 Hospital in Toronto examined head collisions among players at the 2019 FIFA Women鈥檚 World Cup and compared the results to similar incidents at the 2014 and 2018 FIFA Men鈥檚 World Cup, as well as the 2016 UEFA Euro Cup.
The researchers found these collisions occur at a similar frequency in the men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 tournaments, but half of the women received in-game medical assessments, compared to just a third of men.
The study, published Tuesday in the also indicates the play was stopped for an average of just 70 seconds for the women, compared to 50 seconds for men, a fraction of the 10 minutes concussion research suggests it could take to detect a head injury.
鈥淭here is international consensus that athletes who sustain a potentially concussive head collision should be given a proper medical assessment and be removed from play until a qualified professional can determine that it is safe for them to return to play,鈥� Dr. Michael Cusimano, lead researcher and a neurosurgeon at St. Michael鈥檚 Hospital, said in a news release.
鈥淚t is clear that this is not happening in elite women鈥檚 or men鈥檚 play at this time.鈥�
Cusimano鈥檚 research team also found that 84 per cent of female athletes and 88 per cent of male athletes showed more than one visible sign of a concussion after a head collision on the pitch, despite less than half of the players receiving an assessment.
Cusimano believes that, given the popularity of the sport globally, there is an urgent need to address concussions in soccer.
鈥�Tournaments like the FIFA World Cup attract millions of viewers, and the examples set by elite athletes and officials affect how players and officials globally, at any level, deal with concussions,鈥� he said.
Cusimano suggests FIFA should implement policies similar to football and hockey as a way to help their players, including bringing in video referees, independent medical professionals to assess the athletes and allowing for temporary substitutions of players.
