What Skeptics Misunderstand About Soccer Headgear

Oct 20, 2022

Ever since the first soccer headguard hit the market in the early 2000s, skeptics have made numerous claims to suggest they’re ineffective. There’s the typical “yada yada yada'' story that they lack research and so forth. This post will examine what skeptics say about headgear and offer Storelli’s honest opinion and insights about this precious protective gear.

Soccer concussion headgear is not 100% foolproof…

They’re not supposed to be, but they significantly reduce the risk and severity of traumatic brain impacts, which makes players much safer. When you look at other sports that require helmets, such as football or hockey, players can still get concussions despite wearing head protection. But that doesn’t mean players can get on the field or rink with bare heads, does it?

We know that a helmet still offers a high degree of protection that wouldn’t exist without one. Could you imagine what brain injury rates would look like if league officials said, “Helmets don’t prevent injuries altogether, so there’s no reason for players to wear them?”

Likewise, soccer headgear offers protection against concussions that players wouldn’t have without one. And the numbers back it up too. Researchers at Virginia Tech tested the safety profile of twenty-two concussion headguards, many of which demonstrated an ability to reduce impact forces to the head significantly. Among them was our ExoShield headguard, which scored number one and showed an ability to reduce impact forces by 84 percent.

Additionally, some of the biggest names in soccer have found headguard beneficial. Wayne Rooney and Bethany Balcer wear our headgear, as they’ve found it cushions their head from blows and keeps them from getting additional head injuries.

Lab testing for concussion headgear doesn’t exist.

A Reuters article published in 2019 presented this quote: “Most safety devices haven’t been studied beyond a company’s lab settings.” There’s some truth to this, but the Virginia Tech study mentioned in the previous section undermines that claim.

Remember, Virginia Tech’s study is an example of third-party research. All the findings presented in the report come from researchers who weren’t employees of the headgear brands. And the Virginia Tech study isn’t the only study of its kind, considering research around soccer concussion headgear dates back to the early 2000s.

The lesson for skeptics regarding soccer concussions

Ultimately, skeptics need to understand that soccer concussion headgear can make head impacts less forceful and, therefore, less damaging. It may not seem like much reassurance, but concussion severity is primarily related to how much force the brain (and skull) sustains. Reduction of such forces would naturally cushion such a hit.

If that’s not enough, skeptics should know that prominent safety organizations now recognize soccer concussion headgear as a bonafide form of head protection. For example, our ExoShield soccer headgear is the only headguard to have received a certification from the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). That gives this soccer headguard a stamp of approval regarding its ability to protect players from injury. The bottom line is this: there’s soccer concussion headgear that works, which you can trust.

For parents and players

If you’re a soccer player or the parent of one, rest assured that soccer concussion headgear is a wise investment. We’ve heard from happy parents how wearing a concussion headguard prevented their kid from getting a second concussion or cuts and bruises to their heads.

We’ve heard from players who said they didn’t see the need to wear soccer concussion headgear, and admit that wearing it makes them more confident on the pitch. In other words, we’ve seen them go from skeptics to believers. And rightfully so — there’s no harm in wearing head protection as opposed to wearing none at all.

Get the best head protection possible with our ExoShield concussion headguard.