Sports

Should Wellesley Adopt Boston's Youth Sports Head Injury Rules?

Teams and coaches must be trained in concussion identification and prevention.

Boston's new youth sports head injury ordinance took effect earlier this week. Starting Nov. 26, Youth Sports leagues and teams face a set of new requirements to help reduce the number of concussions and other brain injuries caused by contact sports.

Youth sports teams must now have in place training for staff to both identify and manage head injuries, according to MyFoxBoston

The new rules apply to both public and private groups, going a step beyond state law, which requires head injury training for staff of high school and public teams. Community centers that organize games and any group that needs a permit for city-owned property would also have to follow the rules, according to The Boston Globe.

Find out what's happening in Wellesleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Concussions and other brain injuries have been a hot topic of pro and amateur sports in recent years. A survey showed that nearly 3,000 Massachusetts kids suffered a brain injury playing sports in 2011, according to boston.com. But even as groups like Pop Warner limit practices and work to avoid injuries, there are still coaches and parents who think the physical nature of sports toughens kids up.

There are also some head injury specialists who believe kids under 14 should not play tackle football at all

Find out what's happening in Wellesleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

What do you think? Will the city's new rules help prevent head injuries, or are the regulations not enough? Should Wellesley take these on? Tell us in the comments below.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here