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 A group of soccer parents and players filed a class-action lawsuit Wednesday morning against FIFA, the sport’s international governing body, over its handling of concussions. Filed in United States District Court in California, the suit also names American soccer organizations, including U.S. Soccer and the American Youth Soccer Organization, charging that they and FIFA have been negligent in monitoring and treating head injuries. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 The plaintiffs do not seek financial damages but ask for changes to the sport’s rules, such as limiting headers for children and altering FIFA’s substitution protocols. With the N.F.L., the N.H.L. and the N.C.A.A. involved in concussion litigation, soccer’s governing bodies are the latest to face a lawsuit over head injuries. 
 
 “There is an epidemic of concussion injuries in soccer at all levels around the world, including in the United States, from youth to professionals, from elite players to children playing for the first time, women and men, girls and boys,” the filing reads. “FIFA presides over this epidemic and is one of its primary causes.” 
 
 The suit seeks an injunction that would change the way soccer is played at all levels. Children under 17 would be limited in how many times they could head the ball. The suit also seeks to require professional and other advanced leagues, which are currently limited to three substitutions a game, to allow temporary substitutions while a player is examined for a head injury. Medical testing would also be available for soccer players who competed as long ago as 2002 and are now coping with the effects of concussions. 
 
 A FIFA spokesman said the organization had no comment because it was unaware of the suit as of late Wednesday morning. 
 
 According to legal experts, the crux of the case could be a matter of jurisdiction. While FIFA is based in Zurich, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Steve Berman, contends the organization is vulnerable to a suit in the United States because many American leagues are affiliated with FIFA and its Laws of the Game are cited by nearly every soccer organization. FIFA posts guidelines about preventing and treating concussions, but it does not have rules regarding their treatment. 
 
 “There are going to be questions about standing, jurisdiction and venue and if these are the right plaintiffs and the right defendants,” said Gabe Feldman, the director of Tulane Law School’s sports law program. “Parents and children who are playing soccer are playing by the rules set forth for the most part by FIFA. Whether that leads to legal liability is another question.” 
 
 Berman, who also represents players in a concussion suit against the N.C.A.A., said: “Every U.S. organization follows the Laws of the Game. If FIFA made the Laws of the Game different, they would be different at every level.” 
 
 Others, though, were skeptical of the case’s chances. 
 
 “These rules need to be changed to protect the children, but I don’t think they’re going to be successful in this particular route to do it,” said Michael Kaplen, a professor at the George Washington University Law School who specializes in issues involving traumatic brain injuries. “I don’t think the court is empowered to provide this injunction because none of the plaintiffs have alleged a specific injury. The case they are trying to make is about medical issues they might have in the future.” 
 
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 Plaintiffs in the case include Rachel Mehr, a former youth club soccer player; several parents whose children have played in youth leagues; and Kira Akka-Seidel, a former club player at the University of California, Santa Cruz. 
 
 According to the filing, nearly 50,000 high school soccer players sustained concussions in 2010 — more players than in baseball, basketball, softball and wrestling combined. The recent World Cup in Brazil had several high-profile incidents involving head injuries, which Berman said had helped galvanize the case. In a semifinal match, Javier Mascherano of Argentina banged his head against a Dutch player and was on the sideline for only two minutes before returning to action (medical research suggests six or seven minutes are necessary to provide a full neurological test). Christoph Kramer of Germany sustained a blow to the head in the final against Argentina and was allowed to continue playing for about 15 minutes in a dazed state before he was helped off the field. 
 
 FIFA and the other defendants have 60 days to respond to the filed complaint, after which a judge will decide if the case may go forward. ||||| High School Participation Increases for 25th Consecutive Year By on October 30, 2014 nfhs news Share 
 
 
 
 
 
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 The number of participants in high school sports increased for the 25th consecutive year in 2013-14 with a record total of almost 7.8 million, according to the annual High School Athletics Participation Survey conducted by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). 
 
 Based on figures from the 51 NFHS member state high school associations, which includes the District of Columbia, sports participation for the 2013-14 school year reached an all-time high of 7,795,658 – an increase of 82,081 from the previous year. This one-year increase was the highest since 2009-10. 
 
 Girls participation increased for the 25th consecutive year with an additional 44,941 participants from 2012-13 and set an all-time record of 3,267,664. Boys participation eclipsed 4.5 million for the first time (4,527,994), breaking the mark of 4,494,406 in 2010-11. 
 
 The increase in boys participation was due in part to the first increase in football numbers in five years. An additional 6,607 boys participated in 11-player football in 2013-14, pushing this past year’s total to 1,093,234. In addition, another 1,715 girls participated in 11-player football last year, an increase of 184 from the previous year. 
 
 “We are pleased with the increase in participation numbers in the sport of football for the 2013-14 school year,” said Bob Gardner, NFHS executive director. “With the precautions that are in place nationwide to address concussions in all high school sports, including football, we have maintained that the risk of injury is as low as it ever has been. Certainly, this rise in football numbers is a confirmation of those beliefs and indicates the strong continued interest nationwide in high school football.” 
 
 Among the top 10 boys sports, baseball registered the largest gain with an additional 7,838 participants, followed by football and soccer (6,437). The top 10 boys sports remained unchanged from last year: football, outdoor track and field, basketball, baseball, soccer, wrestling, cross country, tennis, golf, and swimming and diving. 
 
 Volleyball gained the most participants among girls sports (9,426) from the previous year, and its total of 429,634 was within 3,710 of basketball for the No. 2 position. Track and field, with an additional 5,946 participants from 2012-13, remained the No. 1 sport for girls, followed by basketball, volleyball, soccer, fast-pitch softball, cross country, tennis, swimming and diving, competitive spirit squads and lacrosse. 
 
 “This past year’s report on sports participation in our nation’s high schools was another great statement about the importance of these education-based programs,” Gardner said. “We are encouraged that schools are continuing to respond to the funding challenges, and are particularly pleased to see that the increase this past year was evenly distributed between boys and girls.” 
 
 In terms of combined participation, lacrosse continued to register sizeable increases as overall participation for boys and girls increased by 9,744 to 188,689. The sport ranks 10th for girls and 11th for boys. 
 
 The top 10 states by participants remained in the same order as last year, with Texas and California topping the list with 805,299 and 783,008, respectively. The remainder of the top 10 was New York (389,475), Illinois (343,757), Ohio (325,448), Pennsylvania (317,318), Michigan (299,246), New Jersey (285,020), Florida (268,266) and Minnesota (232,909). Overall, 33 states reported higher figures from the previous year, up from 30 states that had increases the previous year. 
 
 The participation survey has been compiled since 1971 by the NFHS through numbers it receives from its member associations. The complete 2013-14 High School Athletics Participation Survey is attached in PDF format and will be posted soon on the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org. ||||| Parents are worried about their children playing football, but most haven't decided to keep their kids from putting on a helmet and stepping onto the field. 
 
 FILE - In this Dec 22, 2012 file photo, Denton Guyer's Adam Scott (22) is tackled by Georgetown's Blair Murski (44) and Mason Alexander during a UIL Class 4A, Division I high school football championship... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this Nov. 30, 2013 file photo, Richards running back Romeo Johnson (9) is tackled by Batavia center Michael Mofatt, top, and center Forrest Gilbertson, bottom, during the first half of the IHSA... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this Dec. 6, 2013 file photo, Eastside Catholic quarterback Harley Kirsch, right, winces moments before being hit by Bellevue's Ryan Bowman, left, in the second half of the Class 3A high school... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this Dec. 21, 2013 file photo, Aledo quarterback Luke Bishop (4) is tackled by Brenham's Ryan Nunn (22) in the first half during the UIL Class 4A, Division II high school football championship... (Associated Press) 
 
 According to an Associated Press-GfK poll, nearly half of parents said they're not comfortable letting their child play football amid growing uncertainty about the long-term impact of concussions. 
 
 In the poll, 44 percent of parents weren't comfortable with their child playing football. The same percentage was uncomfortable with ice hockey, and 45 percent were uncomfortable with participation in wrestling. Only five percent, though, said they have discouraged their child from playing in the last two years as concern over head injuries has increased at all levels of the game. 
 
 The majority of parents said they are comfortable with participation in a host of other sports — including swimming, track and field, basketball, soccer, baseball and softball, among others. 
 
 The AP-GfK poll was conducted from July 24-28. It included interviews with 1,044 adults and has a sampling error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. 
 
 The parents' concern comes as several high-profile lawsuits have challenged how concussions have been addressed in pro and college sports. Thousands of pro players sued the NFL and a $675 million settlement that would compensate them for concussion-related claims is pending. A tentative settlement with the NCAA, meanwhile, would create a $70 million fund to test thousands of current and former college athletes for brain trauma. 
 
 Youth and high school programs have increased training available for coaches, and helmet companies are releasing new designs with the hope that they reduce the force of impact. But research is murky about whether or not they will be effective. 
 
 Participation statistics also show only a slight decline in the overall number of high school students playing football. 
 
 According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, nearly 1.1 million students played 11-man football during the 2012-13 school year. The number was down approximately 10,000 from the year before and more than 20,000 since 2009-08. 
 
 Cathy Curtin, a high school rifle coach in northeast Pennsylvania, is one parent who has discouraged her children from playing football in recent years. 
 
 Curtin, 52, has gone through concussion-related training for her job, but one issue that concerns her is how much of identifying a head injury relies on the student's input following a collision. She said her 21-year-old son "would have said anything" to remain in the game while in high school, including hiding symptoms such as dizziness from a trainer or coach. 
 
 "Our training staff is good, but you can't always know," Curtin said. "You're basing whether they can play on their say. And they are 16-year-old kids, 17-year-old kids who want more than anything to get out there and play." 
 
 Curtin said her younger son broke his collarbone and leg while playing football as a freshman. 
 
 "Nowhere in that time did they check him for a concussion," Curtin said. "So, if he got hit hard enough to break his collar bone and his leg, then how hard did he hit the ground, too?" 
 
 Football wasn't the only sport Curtin said she was uncomfortable with. She also worries about hockey, wrestling and other high-impact competitions such as gymnastics and cheerleading. She's encouraged by new advances — such as chin straps that change color when a player may have suffered a concussion — aimed at reducing and identifying head injuries, but she is also skeptical about school districts' ability to afford new helmets. 
 
 JeMare Williams, 43, is no stranger to the possibility of getting a concussion while playing football. He thinks he "probably" suffered from one while in high school in St. Louis. 
 
 "I don't really know, but I remember being hurt, being dizzy," Williams said. "But during that time, there wasn't a specific diagnosis like now." 
 
 Now living in Henderson, Nevada, and with 17- and 11-year-old sons who play the game, Williams — an auto mechanic — has the same injury concerns as many parents. That said, he's comfortable with his sons playing football — or any other sport they choose. 
 
 One of the primary reasons for Williams' comfort level is because of the increased attention paid to head injuries over the last few years. He said coaches are trained more closely now to teach proper tackling techniques, as well as watch players for signs of concussions. 
 
 "There's a lot of publicity on (concussions) now, and I think that makes it better," Williams said. "So, I'm not as worried now."
– Almost half of parents have concerns about their kids playing football, but according to a new AP-GfK poll, they're not exactly yanking their offspring off the field in the kind of droves that will "kill pro football." Some 44% of parents were "not comfortable" letting their child punt and pass the pigskin, but only 5% said they had actually "discouraged" their kids from playing over the last two years, reports the AP. The majority of the 1,044 adults interviewed for the poll said they didn't have a problem with their kids playing most other sports, including baseball, basketball, and soccer—though the New York Times reports that FIFA was sued yesterday by a group of soccer parents and players over its handling of concussions. Feeding into parents' fears are high-profile deaths of pros like Junior Seau and a pending class-action settlement that would pay "thousands of former NFL players for concussion-related claims," notes NFL.com. But the National Federation of State High School Associations says that participation in high school football actually rose last year, after four straight years of losses. One possible explanation: With the NFL and NCAA finally acknowledging the seriousness of head injuries in the league, and college teams testing the next generation of head protection, some parents are feeling better about their kids on the field. "There's a lot of publicity on [concussions] now … I'm not as worried," one parent tells the AP.