A panel of experts studying past research on the risk of concussion in youth contact sports concluded that for most sports, including football and soccer, there is no clear evidence to indicate an age at which kids should begin activities associated with potential brain injury risks, such as tackling in football and heading the ball in soccer. They also concluded that there is limited evidence to indicate that “modern helmets differ in their ability to reduce the risk of concussion” in youth football or that current headgear sometimes used in youth soccer reduces concussion risk.
The team of 13 researchers published their report [recently] in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.