22 Jul Killed by a soccer goal!

Another tragic soccer goal death was reported in Bentonville,  AR in January 2011 when 9 -year-old Jonathan Nelson died when a portable soccer goal fell on him at the Elm Tree Elementary School. The fourth grader was playing with other school children when the unanchored goal tipped over. Officials were uncertain about how the accident occurred.

Earlier, in January 2007,  Corey Hawk, then an 18 year old soccer player died when he was attempting to adjust the net on a goal at a city park in Lake Wales, FL. City officials reported that they had moved the goals to allow new grass to grow in the worn goal mouth area. The city reported using permanent anchors but had moved the goals to implement their maintenance program. In addition, the city said that this was an ongoing problem with people moving the goals. “Padlocking the goals to the anchors didn’t work, reported CJ Torrance, City Manager. People would simply unscrew the anchors to move the goals. The staff is trying to figure out a way to permanently keep them on the ground.”

Speaking of ground anchors, Gary Mysorski, Recreation Director in Port Aransas, TX recently opined that their barrier island soil was all sand and that anchors and stakes are totally ineffective and needs to find a more realistic and effective anchoring system that insures the safety of the soccer players and allows the staff to easily and safely move their portable goals. And, of course the same could be said for goals that are used on artificial turf surfaces which are more and more common at all levels of play. There is really only one way to guarantee the safety of players and staff members – anchor the rear of the goal with sand filled polyethylene rollers that provide ballast and allow the goal to be easily and safely moved.