42
CPSC NEISS Data 2005–2024

Soccer (activity, Apparel Or Equipment)

Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.

Sports & Recreation Equipment · CPSC Code 1267

Down 17% over 5 years

The verdict

Soccer (activity, Apparel Or Equipment) carry a danger score of 42/100 (moderate risk), driven by roughly 202,262 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 17% over the last five years.

42/100
danger score (moderate risk)
202,262
ER visits per year (avg)
2.0%
end in hospital admission
5-14
most-injured age group

Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1267 - last data year 2024.

PlainSafety danger score

0/100100/10042/100
PlainSafety danger score

Source: CPSC NEISS danger-score model As of 2024

How this 42/100 score is built

The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for soccer (activity, apparel or equipment) - no opinion, no editorializing:

  • Injury volume202,262 ER visits/yr
  • Severity (hospitalization rate)2.0%
  • Fatality rate0.01%
  • 5-year trend-17%

See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.

What the CPSC Data Shows

Soccer (activity, Apparel Or Equipment) (CPSC product code 1267, in the Sports & Recreation Equipment category) generate an estimated 202,262 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 4.0M ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 42/100 for this category (moderate risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are declining by about 17% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (258,166 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2020 (81,509 estimated visits).

The single most common ER diagnosis for soccer (activity, apparel or equipment) is strain, sprain to the ankle, accounting for approximately 492,149 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by strain, sprain to the knee (259,283 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 1.8M cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 2.0% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.01%) result in fatality.

Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 7 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how soccer (activity, apparel or equipment) fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.

202,262
Injuries / Year
2.0%
Hospitalization Rate
0.01%
Fatality Rate

Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)

50K100K150K200K250K300K 20052008201120142017202020232024 258K
Estimated annual emergency-room visits for Soccer (activity, Apparel Or Equipment), CPSC NEISS

Source: CPSC NEISS national injury estimates As of 2024

Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only

Who Gets Injured?

Age Group Male Female Total
0-4 23,605 7,614 31,219
5-14 1.1M 709,210 1.8M
15-24 995,885 554,573 1.6M
25-34 318,772 67,947 386,719
35-44 155,135 35,657 190,807
45-54 64,019 13,371 77,390
55-64 14,953 4,997 19,950
65-74 4,826 2,292 7,118
75+ 1,720 1,806 3,526

Most Common Injuries

Body Part Diagnosis Est. Injuries
Ankle Strain, Sprain 492,149
Knee Strain, Sprain 259,283
Head Internal Injury 229,180
Head Concussion 195,683
Wrist Fracture 161,340
Lower Arm Fracture 126,479
Knee Other 125,359
Wrist Strain, Sprain 111,175
Face Laceration 95,946
Finger Fracture 87,777
Ankle Fracture 87,733
Lower Leg Fracture 84,187
Shoulder Fracture 77,795
Foot Contusions, Abr. 72,289
Foot Strain, Sprain 70,254

Severity Breakdown

Treated/examined And Released 97.0% (3.9M)
Treated And Admitted/hospitalized 1.6% (65,579)
Left Without Being Seen 0.9% (35,356)
Treated And Transferred 0.4% (14,966)
Held For Observation 0.1% (5,297)
Fatality Incl. Doa, Died In Er 0.0% (240)
Unknown, Not Stated 0.0% (38)

ER Visit Narratives

Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.

Age 16 · Male · Shoulder · Strain, Sprain · 2024

16YOM PLAYING SOCCER, HURT HIS SHOULDER. HIT BY A BALL.DX: MUSCLE STRAIN LEFT SHOULDER.

Age 54 · Male · Lower Leg · Strain, Sprain · 2024

54YOM WAS PLAYING SOCCER WHEN HE FELT A POP IN RIGHT ACHILLES TENDON TEAR DX:ACHILLES TENDON TEAR

Age 31 · Male · Lower Leg · Other · 2024

31 YOM KICKED IN LEG PLAYING SOCCER IN JAIL DX: CELLULITIS

Age 13 · Female · Knee · Contusions, Abr. · 2024

13YOF WAS PLAYING IN A SOCCER GAME AND WAS KICKED IN THE LEFT KNEE BY ANOTHER PLAYER CAUSING A BRUISE TO HER KNEE, WAS THEN HIT IN THE SAME SPOT AGAIN WHILE KICKING A SOCCER BALL AROUND WITH HER BROTHER DX: CONCLUSION OF LEFT KNEE

Age 17 · Male · Shoulder · Fracture · 2024

17YOM,SHOULDER PAIN PLAYING SOCCER THIS EVENING WHEN COLLIDED WITH ANOTHER PLAYER,FELL DOWN TO GROUND,DX:FX CLAVICLE

Age 10 · Female · Foot · Strain, Sprain · 2024

10YOF WAS PLAYING SOCCER AND TWISTED LEFT FOOT DX: STRAINED FOOT

Age 22 · Male · Ankle · Strain, Sprain · 2024

22YOM WITH SPRAINED ANKLE IN SOCCER DX: SPRAINED ANKLE

Age 15 · Male · Elbow · Fracture · 2024

15YOM WITH FRACTURED ELBOW IN SOCCER DX: FRACTURED ELBOW

Age 15 · Female · Ankle · Strain, Sprain · 2024

15 YOF ROLLED HER RIGHT ANKLE AT SOCCER PRACTICE. STATES SHE WAS TRYING TO STOP SOMEONE FROM KICKING THE BALL AND ROLLED HER ANKLE ON THE BALL DX ANKLE SPRAIN

Age 39 · Male · Hand · Puncture · 2024

39 YOM WAS PLAYING PICK-UP SOCCER. HE CLIMBED A FENCE TO GET THE BALL AND PUNCTURED HIS RIGHT HAND ON THE TOP OF THE METAL FENCE. DX PUNCTURE WOUND

Age 24 · Male · Ankle · Strain, Sprain · 2024

24YOM WITH SPRAINED ANKLE IN SOCCER DX: SPRAINED ANKLE

Age 14 · Female · Knee · Strain, Sprain · 2024

14YOF WITH FALL IN SOCCER DX; KNEE SPRAIN

Consumer Incident Reports

Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.

6/3/2022 · Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received · adidas Group · Colorado

Using the Adidas Copa Gloro 20.2 cleats, I was severely injured while playing a semi-professional soccer game. I tore my ACL, MCL, meniscus, and patella ligament (no one touched me, I just collapsed). The lack of quality and support in the shoes caused this unprovoked accident which resulted in three surgeries and up to a year of not being able to play. I've been an athlete for over 20 years and have only ever worn Copas, so I'm incredibly familiar with how the boot should feel and fit. Adidas's recent upgrades to the Copa line have been pretty awful. Similar reviews online show consistency amongst other athletes who have found the 20.2 to be uncomfortable and of poor quality. Adidas recently discontinued this line (without reason) but did not recall the shoe. Shame on Adidas for making a boot that unsafe for their athletes.

6/1/2011 · Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received · Markers, Inc. · Illinois

Consumer wanted to report that his stepson was injured on a white coated goal cover by Marker’s Inc. when his son slid across the field at his school during recess at Sherwood school in highland park, IL. The school district is 112. His son slid on the soccer goal post cover and received 22 stitches on his left knee as a result of the incident. He was at recess playing for about 15-20 minutes. The product indicates that the product advertised that the product has no sharp edges . The consumer spoke to the company president yesterday who explained to him that sometimes in cases of cold weather the product may come above ground. The consumer is concerned about this increasing risk especially since the incident occurred last November. He questions if lawn mowers could crack the cover. The product is known as a Mark Smart field marking system by Marker's Inc. At the time of the incident, the consumer’ stepson was taken to the Highland Park Hospital emergency room. The consumer spoke to the head groundsman of the entire school district grounds, [REDACTED]. The consumer sent an email to [REDACTED] on May 9th and had his phone call returned around May 12th of this year. [REDACTED] told the consumer that he had a conversation or meeting with the soccer league who use the fields and concluded along with the soccer league that the product was safe. The consumer stated that he initiated contact with [REDACTED] in November of last year a few days after the incident happened. The consumer's son was not hospitalized. However, he occasionally bleeds from the scar. The consumer stated that the incident concerns him because other children may be harmed by this product and felt it was imperative to report this to the CPSC. The President of Marker's, Inc. says Fed. review maintenance recommendations.

5/18/2013 · Injury, No First Aid or Medical Attention Received · NIKE · Florida

Until now, the two most common soccer injuries are:ankle sprains and Achilles tendon rupture or tear. During five years period of practice soccer, i injury my self between seven to nine times with different soccer shoes brands . My most common injury it was achilles tendon and calf tear. This injuries it has never been associate directly with the soccer shoes design malfunction because to the simple eye view for many of us it's difficult to see how athlete move the foot on the grass field. Thanks to biometric data analysis equipment on the marked and it's applicability on sports we can see what simple eye view can not. The grass terrain is an uneven surface no matter what,to the athlete that wear cleats because it's faulty design in combination with the soft ground create a hazard for lower leg,bone,muscle,tendons, etc. How this happened ? There is a principal that mostly all sport shoes designers fallow. Due to the calcaneus or heel fall on mostly all body mass, designers increase cushions in the area for more comfortable impact when we walk,run, jump etc. This principal has negative effects with cleated sport shoes on a grass terrain. Cleated shoes with or without cushion on grass terrain it's acting like a dagger(on heel area)a holding force and it go deeper according the weight index we apply. The deeper it goes down,the difficult to pull out. Cleats, created bigger problems on grass terrain broke the anatomic alignment between heel to toes and for that, change the weight and balance center making more difficult no only departure but turning to the sites, jumping, running, kicking the ball, etc. In conclusion ,Cleats,on a grass terrain created more drag to the player foot to point of over stretching legs muscle and taking the tendons to the limit of it elasticity to the limit where injury start.

4/3/2025 · Incident, No Injury · Kaixiangda Toys Factory · Pennsylvania

On 04-03-2025 a fire broke out in a school dormitory from a toy. The toy, a rechargeable hover ball manufactured in China, was charging when the failure occurred. The toy was being charged overnight by a child in the dormitory. No injuries occurred. However, the fire occurred next to an occupied bed and may have extended if not noticed in time.

4/23/2020 · Incident, No Injury · Scione · Wisconsin

electronic hover soccer ball had a battery fire.

3/23/2025 · Injury, First Aid Received by Non-Medical Professional · FRANKLIN SPORTS, INC. · Idaho

This is regarding the Franklin Sports Blackhawk Backyard Soccer Goal - Portable Pop Up Soccer Nets - Youth + Adult Folding Indoor + Outdoor Goals sold on Amazon. My daughter suffered from multiple fiberglass splinters on her hands and fingers as she assisted us in assembling it and sliding the poles through the fabric. We followed the instructions in the assembly instruction guide.

2/26/2019 · Injury, First Aid Received by Non-Medical Professional · FRANKLIN SPORTS, INC. · Virginia

On or about February 20, 2019, I was inflating a soccer ball. It is labeled as being marketed by Franklin Sports Inc., Stoughton MA 02072. It is a size 3 soccer ball labelled as F-100. It bears the number 1160937245. It also bears a smudged number that appears to be 5063-3. The soccer ball indicates "inflate 4 - 6 LBS." As I inflated a Franklin size 3 soccer ball, pressure increased towards 2 pounds per inch ("PSI"). At approximately 2 PSI and certainly before 3 PSI, the soccer ball exploded. As it exploded, my 9 year old son, who was seated nearby, was impacted by the explosion on his neck. He experienced redness, pain, and swelling. The pain and swelling have since subsided. This is the second time a Franklin soccer ball has exploded prior to reaching the recommended pressure. It also occurred years ago.

Product Recalls

Search for active and past recalls related to soccer (activity, apparel or equipment) on the CPSC website.

Frequently Asked Questions

How dangerous are soccer (activity, apparel or equipment)?

Based on 20 years of CPSC data, soccer (activity, apparel or equipment) have a danger score of 42/100 (moderate risk). An estimated 202,262 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.

What are the most common injuries from soccer (activity, apparel or equipment)?

The most common injury is strain, sprain to the ankle, accounting for approximately 492,149 injuries over 20 years.

Are injuries from soccer (activity, apparel or equipment) increasing or decreasing?

Down 17% over 5 years.

Who is most at risk for soccer (activity, apparel or equipment) injuries?

The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 1.8M cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.

What happens when someone is injured by soccer (activity, apparel or equipment)?

Of all ER visits involving soccer (activity, apparel or equipment), approximately 2.0% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (98.0%) are treated and released from the emergency department.

How can I report a safety problem with soccer (activity, apparel or equipment)?

You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.

Safety Guides

What this means for you

Treat the 42/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.

  • See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
  • Injuries cluster in the 5-14 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
  • Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls

NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.

Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.