In Pop Warner Football, there is “an absence of
catastrophic head and neck injuries and disruptive joint injuries found at
higher levels.”
The injury rate in Pop Warner Football is:
less than one-third the injury rate in high school football (AND) less
than one-fifth the injury rate in college football (AND) less than one-ninth the
injury rate in professional football.
Furthermore, Pop Warner's age-weight schematic protects younger,
lighter players, who do not have higher injury rates.
The Institute of Sports Medicine and
Athletic Trauma in New York completed a Pop Warner injury survey in 71 towns
covering over 5,000 players in 1998. The injury experience of 5,128 boys (8 to
15 years of age, weight 22.5 to 67.5 kg [50 to 150 lb]) participating in youth
football revealed an overall rate of significant injury of 5%, with 61%
classified as moderate and 38.9% as major injuries. That's about 1.33 per team
per year. No catastrophic injuries occurred, and it was rare for a permanent
disability to result from any injury.
Pop Warner Rule Change on Concussions:
2010 Pop Warner Safety Rule Change: Pop Warner Little Scholars Inc. 2010 In Season Safety Rule
Amendment Re: Concussions.
Per the Pop Warner Little Scholars Official Rules 2010 Part
II, Introduction to the Rules, S3 “NO RULES WILL BE ADDED AFTER AUGUST 1ST
UNLESS IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE”, the following rule shall be immediately effective
for the 2010 season:
Injury Prevention & Control: Concussions:
A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury, or TBI,
caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head that can change the way your brain
normally works. Concussions can also occur from a fall or a blow to the body
that causes the head and brain to move quickly back and forth.
Health care professionals may describe a concussion as a
“mild” brain injury because concussions are usually not life-threatening. Even
so, their effects can be serious.