Welcome to the Monday, July 16 edition of the TopDrawerSoccer.com Round Robin, where our editorial staff members weigh in on important topics in the world of American soccer. Please note that each opinion expressed is that of the author giving them, and not necessarily editorial policy at TopDrawerSoccer.com.

Today’s Topic: It made headlines on Thursday that girls at Strath Haven High School in Pennsylvania will be required to wear protective headgear (affectionately known in the soccer world as “helmets”) when they play high school soccer next fall. The district has mandated the use of headgear, and Strath Haven is the first school in the district to comply with the mandate. These “helmets” have been around for a while, but their use has never really caught on in a big way.  Players say they are uncomfortable and “not cool” as far as soccer gear goes, and some critics say they don’t really prevent concussions anyway.  So our question is:

Should soccer be considering the mandatory use of a helmet, or is it overkill?

Caroline Yort: Concussions are scary.  Having had three children play club and high school soccer, two of whom sustained concussions, I have to say (sorry, kids) that I am all for anything that can help to diminish their occurrence.  Just like shinguards, kids will never think that protective gear is necessary, but luckily, at least shinguards are required.  In some districts and leagues, even the size of the shinguard is mandated.  I had constant battles with my children over how small was too small – and we’re only talking about protecting the legs here.  A head injury is a whole different story.  Both of my children were out for several weeks following their concussions, and my daughter’s injury was particularly scary.

The helmets may be awkward to wear, and they may change how a player heads the ball (until they get used to them), but if they add protection, then I’m all for it. Just call me Mama Bear protecting her cubs.

Joy Fawcett wearing headgear

Travis Clark:  Obviously these sorts of issues are going to continue to be raised across all youth sports. And while not able to relate to this from experience, as much that can be done to protect the brain of younger (and older) athletes should be done.

The decision to mandate the headgear might be a step too far however, especially for those kids who are yet to sustain head injuries. I think that it makes sense to make this sort of protection available and easily accessible for soccer players, but not quite necessarily to make every single player wear them, as it's  ard to know if it'll make a huge difference.

J.R. Eskilson: I never wore headgear while playing growing up (I think it was around in my final years of youth soccer), so I won't speak on the comfort level, but for a school district to make it mandatory seems like overkill. I agree that concussions are very scary and very serious, but I think the better mandate would be instructing the coaches on how to recognize the symptoms. I believe the district that has required the 'helmets' has also put something in place for educating the coaches and trainers, which seems like the better first step. And I hope more teams, leagues, districts, organizations follow in those footsteps before implementing team helmets. 

Robert Ziegler - As a person who never wore a helmet while riding a bicycle and whose kids never wear helmets riding a bike, you can guess how I feel about mandating helmet wear. The headgear used for soccer could help prevent player from being cut, but I doubt they really do anything regarding concussions, and studies have suggested the same thing. That said, we do need to recognize that soccer is unique in what it requires players to do with their heads, and coaches and parents need to take a serious approach to monitoring players for the telltale symptoms of concussions, and then to have the discipline to keep those players out action for the requisite amount of time (and we’re not talking about minutes here). So yes to vigilance and no to placebos.

Caroline Yort’s Final Word:  Last September, Chelsea’s Petr Cech was in a collision with Fulham striker Orlando Sa, and Cech claims that the helmet he has worn for the last six years (since his 2006 skull fracture) probably saved him that night. Although there is no proof that wearing headgear lessened his concussion symptoms, Petr Cech seems to think it did, and you never see him on the field without that helmet. Kids are never going to wear any kind of protective gear unless a referee tells them they have to, so at the risk of being the curmudgeon that Rob deemed himself in Friday's Round Robin, I still say if it might help then why not make them wear it? 

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