FAIR PLAY AS AN INJURY PREVENTION INTERVENTION: DO YELLOW CARD ACCUMULATION POLICIES REDUCE HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER INJURIES?

BACKGROUND: Pediatric sports-related injuries are common, yet prevention efforts too often go unevaluated. Collins et al. studied nine U.S. high school (HS) sports during 2005/06-2006/07, finding boys’ and girls’ soccer had the highest injury rates related to illegal activity. Several states have implemented yellow card accumulation policies (YCPs) in an effort to prevent injuries. HYPOTHESIS/PURPOSE: 1. Athlete-athlete contact injury rates are lower in states with YCPs. 2. Severe injuries (concussion, fracture, ACL, injury requiring surgery, injury resulting in > 3 weeks’ time loss) are less prevalent in states with YCPs. 3. Gender differences influence the effectiveness of YCPs. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of NHFS member state association HS soccer players injured during competition in 2005/06-2017/18. Athlete exposure (AEs) and injury data collected from a national sports injury surveillance system, High School RIO. Poisson regression assessed the effects of YCPs on injury rates and patterns. RESULTS: Of 50 NFHS member states associations, high schools from 47 were represented. Overall, 901 athlete-athlete contact injuries occurred during 352,775 competition AEs in states with YCPs and 3,525 during 1,459,708 AEs in states without YCPs. There was no significant difference in overall contact injury rates (rate ratio [RR] 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.98-1.14) between schools in states with and without YCPs. A small, significant increase in overall contact injury rates was discernable after states’ adoption of YCPs (RR 1.17; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.34), particularly in boys’ soccer (RR 1.32; 95% CI 1.08-1.62). A significantly lower proportion of injuries resulting in > 3 weeks’ time loss occurred in states with YCPs (injury proportion ratio [IPR] 0.81; p=0.047), while other severe injuries did not differ. There were no significant differences in YCPs’ effect by gender (p=0.319). CONCLUSION: Among HS boys’ and girls’ soccer players, playing in states with YCPs did not lower athlete-athlete contact injury rates, although injuries resulting in > 3 weeks’ time loss were less prevalent in states with YCPs. Athlete-athlete contact injury rates were slightly higher in states following adoption of YCPs, particularly in boys’ soccer. Enactment of YCPs alone, without proper enforcement, may not be a sufficient injury prevention strategy. Further studies assessing the impact of HS soccer YCPs need to consider the effects of state level YCP enforcement, documented illegal activity/foul play, and Fair Play education. TABLES/FIGURES: