Do soccer coaches know enough about concussions?

On Tuesday, Korrio and Axon Sports released data from surveys with over 250 youth soccer coaches about concussions. The two companies will fully present their findings at the US Youth Soccer Workshop later this week, but their initial findings suggest that more education is needed for coaches. 

The survey found that one in four coaches still do not receive training for how to identify the signs and symptoms of a concussion. 

“We were certainly encouraged by the high-level of concussion awareness, but with 25 percent – that’s one in four – coaches still professing a lack of awareness regarding serious brain injuries to young athletes, we believe there is still a lot of work to do,” Steve Goldman, CEO of Korrio, said in a press release. 

The survey was conducted in late 2011 with coaches from a variety of levels in the youth game. Per the release, it was designed to “gauge youth soccer coaches’ level of concussion awareness and the strength of related organizational guidelines, protocols, education and training."

Only 50.4 percent of the coaches said they were familiar with baseline testing for concussion management, which is widely considered the best-practice protocol for concussion management, according to the release.

“Baseline testing is a very simple and effective method for measuring cognitive brain functions and managing the return of players suffering from concussion symptoms,” Axon Sports President and CEO Polly James said in the release. “It is a protocol that should be familiar to every coach and volunteer in youth sports, as well something parents and players should be very familiar with. These survey results indicate there is still education to do on a fundamental step to advance safety.”

When asked if the coaches thought concussions were a serious problem in youth soccer, nearly 42 percent of coaches selected either ‘strongly disagree’ or ‘neutral.’

A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control revealed that one in ten athletes would suffer a concussion this year. 

Coaches also said that parents were not properly educated on the topic of concussions, as only 56 percent said that their organizations offered some form of concussion awareness education for parents. 

For the full results of the data: click here.