In the game the NZ keeper got hit in the head 2 different times. Once with a knee to her head. She never came out of the game. Later she said she does not remember much of the game. What does this say about NZ coaching staff? This is a national team they should have a second keeper that they trust to come in an finish the match. What do you guys think? Is it this is a world cup game if a player has a head injury she should stay in the game, and we can deal with it later if she is still alive. Or the well being of the player should come before everything else even the World cup.
What it says is that the coaches would risk a career ending injury for a match result. (The first contact didn't look serious, but its hard to imagine that she didn't have symptoms after the knee to the head. That looked like she lost conciousness.) From what I understand it is the risk of second concussion that drives the policy about coming out for a head injury. It isn't a matter of whether a player can continue. The referees are supposed to force a player to leave the field until cleared to return by a physician if they suspect a possible concussion. (I would have ejected the keeper. She had no chance for a tackle and came in late with cleats up. The US player jumped to avoid the cleats.).
As someone who is still suffering from the serious aftereffects of many concussions, the fact that they still don't take proper care just pisses me off. In the end, it's just a game.
I coach high school soccer in Maryland. I'm in a private school so I'm not sure how the law will affect me. But, Maryland just passed a law requiring coaches to be educated about recognizing concussion symptoms and to take players out if they show signs of a concussion.
You never got a hand out concerning what to look for on concussions? Incidentally, there are a lot of people going to school to be medical trainers. What they need is practical experience. Being a medical trainer on a HS team would be perfect for them. They have training for concussion injuries. You maybe able to get one of there guys for no money or very little money like minimum wage. You should look into that.
I coach at a private high school. All of the private schools have paid, licensed athletic trainers. They get paid well, too. Most of the counties in the state require public schools to have athletic trainers in the school; our county does not. However, I think it won't be long until most schools, not just here, but, across the country, will be required to have athletic trainers. Many of the private schools in the area now have an orthopeadic doctor on retainer where if they are needed they need to drop everything and take care of the students first. Ridiculous, I know. All of our players are required to take the IMPACT test before the season. It is a computer run test to gauge the basic cognitive levels. If there is even the smallest hint a player has suffered a concussion they must retake the test to see if their cognitive level matches pre-concussion levels. They can't play until they pass.
That's very interesting and it is very good. But, what if he does not show up for a game? Is he also there for practices?
The athletic trainer is always there, games and practices. He's a full time employee of the school. Great job to have, too. At our school he, also,teaches PE. At a school I used to coach the athletic trainer didn't need to show up at school until 2:00 and was, generally, done a little after 6:00.