Safety, health & sustainability

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As the subject matter has been modified from time to time, as described in various posts below, any given post may not fall squarely within the subject matter. As at 17 February 2014, this first post on this thread was:

Jul 19, 2010 14:46:40 GMT 8 Rajiv said:

There are comments on Saturday's game about sliding or dangerous tackles.

The GIFFA Rules currently provide that:

* No sliding tackles. Everyone, stay on your feet. The goalkeeper can dive to make a save, but hands/body first (at the goalkeeper’s own risk), not feet first.

* No tackling with a raised foot. More generally, no reckless tackles, dangerous play or unsporting behaviour.

Sliding tackles were first discussed on the blog in connection with a game in December 2008, followed up with a separate post the same day (9 December 2008).

Sliding tackles will continue to be disallowed for our 4, 5 or 6-a-side games on the smaller pitches at The Cage, Sports Planet and the Premier Pitch. The closer space between players makes sliding tackles too dangerous.

6, 7 or 8-a-side games at the bigger pitches at Premier Pitch or Sports Planet may be seen as halfway between indoor football and full field football. I've seen some good sliding tackles on the big pitch at the Premier Pitch. However, there is also the risk of mistimed sliding tackles, which can cause injury to the player tackled.

If we all remember that this is social football based on the GIFFA Principles, sliding tackles may be acceptable in games on the bigger pitches. The problem will be that once sliding tackles are allowed, not everyone can be sure they will do it well, and badly effected or mistimed sliding tackles can cause injury.

I have put up a poll. The votes and any comments added below will be taken into consideration in making a final decision about sliding tackles on the bigger pitches. Until a final decision is made, sliding tackles are not allowed on any of our games, as per the current rules.

You have to be registered and logged in to vote.

according to fifa, if i remember to correctly, sliding tackles are prohibited in futsal/indoor football. the offending team accumulates fouls which leads to a penalty.

the main reason i don't play field soccer is to avoid being on the receiving end of mistimed challenges. i have witnessed many friends who had their playing days ended prematurely due to these reckless and unnecessary tackles.

we are here to enjoy the game and make friends along the way. no need to get too emotional over the results. relax lah

if we are going to ban sliding tackles then it is up to everyone present at the game to collectively recognise when a slide tackle has taken place and award the opposing team a free kick.

talking about sliding tackles, another friend of mine just got his leg fractured last weekend.
one more soccer kaki downed

Although its always in the rules - in actuality some players consistently slide tackle, especially when they're in goal.

There is also the case of the accidental slide tackle - like against Ace on Saturday, I basically tried to track back, catching up with Ace who had the ball running against our goal, I stepped on the ball instead of tackling it and my foot gave way and essentially I was on the ground "slide tackling" him. That would have been a penalty too

I think the crucial point is that everyone should acknowledge the rule PRIOR to the start of every game - and decide then and there if slide tackling going to be an automatic foul or not. This means no one can complain when the foul is called at the time.

now that u mentioned, i realized that i always ended up tumbling on the ground during every game i played.

guys, pls be more gentle with me.

may i suggest that we award a penalty for all fouls committed through sliding tackle regardless of where the foul was committed?

Sliding tackles MUST NOT be allowed. It is considered as a infringement in the futsal rules regardless whether the person got the ball or not. We need to start enforcing this rules or else we are going to have endless debate on this topic again.

www.futsalgc.com/html/rules_of_futsal.html. Rules of Futsal

i agree with rajiv that gk should not slide with their feet first, in the direction of the player and ball, to block a shot. it can lead to nasty injuries if mistimed.

so is it a penalty for any sliding tackle made? regardless where it was committed and whether there's any contact? can we come to a consensus? no point discussing if there's no conclusion.

Jul 21, 2010 1:42:49 GMT 8 Poh Keng said:

Sliding tackles MUST NOT be allowed. It is considered as a infringement in the futsal rules regardless whether the person got the ball or not. We need to start enforcing this rules or else we are going to have endless debate on this topic again.

Although strictly speaking, the game we play isn't "futsal" - which is why the message board refers to "generic indoor football".

Jul 21, 2010 18:04:07 GMT 8 Ace said:

....

so is it a penalty for any sliding tackle made? regardless where it was committed and whether there's any contact? can we come to a consensus? no point discussing if there's no conclusion.

If we start down that path, then should we have penalties for high foot (especially when wearing blades), elbows etc - other kinds of fouls that risk injury?

The aim of the rules are to keep the game flowing. My view is just call the foul, take the free kick and continue with the game. That's what the current rules state.

If it's within the D, then it's a penalty.

My aim is to keep the rules as basic as possible. The more involved the rules get, the more complicated the game becomes.

Anyone who persistently fouls or plays in a reckless manner even after being reminded of the rules and the principles we play to may be prevented from playing for a period of time, or indefinitely, depending on how serious the matter is.

Feedback on individual players can be sent to me by message feature of the message board.

I got a call from Elvin today, to say there has been some concern about the use of field boots in our games.

Boots with studs are not allowed.

Boots/shoes with blades are sold as being suitable for both grass pitches and artificial pitches. Two years ago, I pointed out that blades can cause injury, and should be avoided.

Last year, I said that when buying new shoes, don't buy ones with blades but get those with rubber pimples on the base.

This has been highlighted on the blog's "Sustainability" page as follows:

"The choice of equipment is also aimed at reducing the risk of injury."

From now on, blades are also disallowed.

Please use appropriate shoes.

"If you are playing on an all-weather surface, such as astroturf, then special shoes with multiple rubber pimples are the best choice. "

Below is a picture.

A more recent article on the risk of blades can be found here.

A picture of blades (which are not allowed):

I continue to remind everyone - no sliding tackles or high foot.

A high foot can be dangerous, especially when wearing football blades. There is never a reason to raise feet above knee level. If you aim to control the ball when it is above knee level, use your thigh, chest or head, as appropriate. Develop a new skill if you need to. Executing a half volley may be the only exception.

And even when raising your foot above knee level, be careful not to stamp on another player. Again, football blades make stamping more dangerous.

I don't think we can insist that who those turn up with blades don't play (or play without boots even ).

However, if you do turn up with blades, it is your responsibility to exercise extra care not to cause injury to other players, and and get round to buying an acceptable pair of boots/shoes as soon as possible.

Both raising your foot above knee level and stamping are disallowed, but blades increase the risk of injury arising from these actions.

Raising your foot risks the sole of the shoe/boot coming into contact with another player. If the person raising the foot is wearing blades, the risk of causing injury is also greater.

Quite a few groin strains about.

Some useful information about groin strains here, including:

"What causes it?

Sports experts believe that groin strains can be caused by a variety of different factors, including:

(1) Overuse. Since the adductors must stabilise the hip with each footfall during the act of running, they are subjected to vertical-impact, front-to-back, lateral-plane, and rotational forces about 90 times per minute per leg. Strenuous workouts can put great strain on the adductors, and if the recovery periods between workouts do not permit adequate restoration, the adductor muscles and tendons may become increasingly more irritated.

(2) Inadequate warm-up prior to strenuous activity. If the adductor muscles are not warmed and loosened up prior to intense work, or if the warm-up fails to prepare the nervous system to control the adductors in an optimal way, sudden movements may place too great a strain on the adductors, leading to tearing.

(3) Sudden dynamic movements, such as initiating a sprint, changing direction powerfully, leaping to catch a ball, surging up a hill, or hitting the ground after a jump. All of these activities subject the adductors to greater-than-normal force loads, which may produce damage.

(4) Poor mechanics while lifting heavy objects. When a large weight is hoisted, there is a tendency for the thigh to undergo abduction, ie, movement away from the centreline. If this is not controlled, the adductors may experience excessive strain.

(5) A forceful contact with an external object, such as the head of a rugby player, a soccer goal post, or another competitor's leg. When groin pull occurs, the leg is usually struck from the inside and driven away from the centre of the body."

Generally, our games are designed to reduce the risk of injury, so take reasonable precautions!

WAGS cause groin strain too

The "Sustainability" page on the blog deals with health and safety.

There is also a post on the archived blog on equipment and safety, in particular, balls and shoes.

Suitable shoes are also dealt with in an earlier thread on this Board.

The futsal ball with reduced bounce feels harder than a regular ball. If it hits you on the face close to the eyes, it can damage the eyes. Please consider the type of goggles Look Liew wears.

We were using the futsal ball yesterday, and when Dave got hit in the face by the ball, his eyes hurt for quite a while. Fortunately, his vision was not blurred.

After the game, Poh Keng mentioned that there are beams at the big pitch at Sports Planet which could be dangerous if players run into it.

There are a few things I need to look into.

In the meantime, please take care.

Ultimately, each of us is responsible for our own safety, with due regard for the safety of those we play with or against.

there are some good groin massage you can consider . well it calms me most of the time . Dont know why ?

Nov 23, 2010 8:58:43 GMT 8 Andy P said:

I have now dug out my old shin pads for this week. I got tackled and then 'studded' on the same spot last thursday. my shin swelled up like a volcano...you should have seen it! could hardly walk on friday. no one was being malicilious, it is just those studs!

When I was looking around for a pair of shoes in August 2010, I found that most shops only stock boots with studs/blades. Rubber soled shoes are not that readily available. I finally managed to get a pair. They are green!

I spoke to Clive before yesterday's game about this. He says that rubber soled shoes are mandatory in hockey, which nowadays is played only on astroturf. I'll find out more about supply of shoes for hockey.

Once I have a ready supplier of rubber-soled shoes, I will move towards banning shoes with studs/blades. Currently, they are only "strongly discouraged".