Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, and one of the most popular in Australia. Soccer is characterised as vigorous, high intensity, intermittent, ball and contact sport. The characteristics of soccer along with the required functional activities obviously places great demands on the technical and physical skills of individual players. A direct blow from a soccer ball or a stray kick may result in fractures, bruising, or even death. Soccer players can also suffer from a range of overuse injuries associated with running, jumping, pivoting, heading and kicking of the ball. The overall aim of this report is to critically review both the formal literature and informal sources that describe injury prevention measures, or countermeasures, for soccer. The range of countermeasures for preventing soccer injuries is presented in this report, together with an assessment of the extent to which they have been formally demonstrated to be effective. Such countermeasures include pre-season conditioning, protective equipment including shin guards, warm-up programs, attention to environmental conditions, adequate footwear, modified rules, education and coaching, first aid and rehabilitation. Recommendations include the need to conduct more biomechanical and epidemiological research into the mechanisms of injury; further development and testing of protective equipment; improving education for both players and coaches, particularly at the wider community level; adopting modified rules for children; extending pre-participation screening to the general soccer community; providing prompt first aid; and improved injury data collections, particularly for the less formal level of play.
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