A Statistical Analysis of Youth Football Players Aged 9-13 Years

An April 2002 study by the Sports Medicine Center at the Mayo Clinic shows, among other things, that "the risk of injury in youth football does not appear greater than other recreational or competitive sports."

While many studies have been done on football players in the past, most of them focus on the high school age or older. As outlined in the report, "the purpose of the project was to determine the risk of injury in youth football games."

After receiving written consent from all of the parents, the researchers studied over 900 youth football players, ranging in age from 9-13, for an entire season.

The study concluded that "youth football injuries are uncommon. Most injuries are mild."