Epidemiology of soccer‐related head injury in children 5–14 years in Victoria, Australia

Aim Our aim was to use epidemiological data to determine the incidence of soccer‐related head injuries in children aged 5–14 years who presented at emergency departments (EDs) or were admitted in hospitals in Victoria, Australia. Methods ED presentation and hospital admission de‐identified aggregate data were from the Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit. Soccer participation data were compared with the soccer‐related head injury data to determine the incidence of this injury among these children. Results The incidence of ED presentations was 0.17% of children participating in soccer during the study period (financial years 2011–2012 to 2015–2016). The 10–14‐years age group presented with more head injuries than the 5–9‐years age group. For the admissions data, soccer had a significantly lower ( P = 0.0379) incidence of head injury when compared with ‘sport as a whole’. Conclusions The low incidence of soccer‐related head injuries presenting to an ED or admission to hospital is consistent with international findings.