Liverpool FC Forum

by **Ciggy** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 9:27 am

On saturday Aaron was playing football he's a goalie and he was banging his footie boots on the goal post and the thing nearly tipped over I was standing next to the goal and stopped it tipping over.

I said to the trainer thats really dangerous that cause its not tided down with hooks into the grass and they dont use little mini goals its not the biggest one you get in pro games but the next size down and weighs about 50 kilo.

Last night at goal keeper training some kid hit the bar of the goal the goal tipped over and landed on some little boys head there was blood everywhere ambulance came and he got rushed to hospital.

I dont know how he is I dont know if he is seriously hurt but he's a little dot he's only six.

Now last week when I told the trainer he banished me away from the touchline for complaining about the goal.
Aaron plays away from home on saturday so I dont know if their goals will be just placed on the grass either.

Its put me off letting him play now for the same money it could have happened to him and something really serious might have happened to the kid last night.

He loves being a goalie and loves it at the club and cause I am a bit to over protective my nerves are gone thinking something might happen to him or another child.

The club might just brush this incident that happened last night under the carpet and it has probably happened before?

Hes only been there a few months and I dont really like to tell them the score but surely the kids safety comes first?
I cant bloody stand there the whole game holding the goal post can I ?

by **NiftyNeil** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 9:32 am

Raise your concerns to whoever is running the league, they must have health and safety regulations.

by **woof woof !** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 10:01 am

Aarons and other kids safety comes first Cig. In your shoes i'd be making a stink about it, regardless of whether it cost Aaron a place in the team. Surely better than a place in the Hospital.

by **Ciggy** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 10:05 am

woof woof ! wrote:Aarons and other kids safety comes first Cig. In your shoes i'd be making a stink about it, regardless of whether it cost Aaron a place in the team. Surely better than a place in the Hospital.

Just rang the kids dad woof he's still in hospital with concusion he has had two lots stitches and a big lump on his head. He will be home today though, he said his wife is going to a meeting this afternoon to have talks about why the goals are not fixed into the ground so hopefully it will get sorted.

If not I will have something to say about it.

by **112-1077774096** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 10:06 am

the odds on it happening again are probably slim but you do need to take it further to be safe, there must be a higher authority, such at the league must have a board

by **Bad Bob** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 11:27 am

As others have said, Cigs, keep after them until it's sorted. Hopefully this will be resolved now that there's been an incident but, if not, you might consider getting together with the other kid's mother and start a campaign to get other parents on board. If enough parents raise concerns, they'll have to listen.

On a lighter note, you could always kit Aaron out like this:

by **ivor_the_injun** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 1:22 pm

Something like this happened during an under 9s game that my nephew was playing in some years back. The goals were a similar size, I'd guess, and the keeper jumped up to touch the crossbar while waiting for a corner. The whole thing fell forward and took 3 of the kids out completely, as they were watching the corner taker. One of them lost teeth, and another was knocked unconscious and had a couple of days in hospital, I seem to remember. Parents went absolutely apesh*t as you'd imagine, and the game got abandoned.

In this case they were actually secured to the ground, but it was muddy and the pegs were too thin and too short to grip. I seem to remember someone at the club got binned as a result, as they were supposed to make sure the equipment was up to minimum league spec for every game.

Like everything, the safety of all the participants overrides any concerns you should have about his place in the team. Take it up with the club, and if you're not happy with what they say, definitely take it up with the league. That kind of equipment, especially when it's swinging downwards, could very easily fracture young skulls if they're right in its path.

by **Sabre** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 1:29 pm

It's typical for some coaches to dismiss such concerns, but you're spot on. Many concerns like that were dismissed and laughed in my country. Until when? until of course something happens, and in my country I remember two deadly incidents, one with a football goal, and another one with a handball goal:

by **ivor_the_injun** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 1:37 pm

From http://www.sheffieldfa.com/football/Goal+Post+Safety/

"The FA are launching a new £1million funding programme to support its four-year-old Goalpost Safety campaign, to replace unsafe goalposts that have been responsible for causing the deaths of dozens of children across the world.

The FA has sent more than a million leaflets to schools and sports clubs warning them that home-made posts should not be used as they "have been the cause of a number of deaths and injuries".

Children have been killed and thousands more injured by unsecured goalposts in Britain.More than twenty children have been killed in America by falling posts and crossbars, and others have died in Australia, Ireland and Malta in the past twelve months.

The British Standards Institution has warned goalpost manufacturers that if their goals do not pass strict tests of strength and stability then they will not be able to display its BSI logo.

Goals are often freestanding and there is no legal obligation to secure them to the ground, so when children swing on them they come crashing down.

Research conducted by The FA found that 42 per cent of mini-soccer goals, 50 per cent of five-a-side goals and 22 per cent of junior goals failed stability tests.

A set of full-size metal posts blew over during an under-12s game this year at a professional football club. News of potential funding will be made in October, following a meeting at the Football Foundation, the nation's biggest sporting charity, which is funded by The FA, FA Premier League and the Government."

by **ConnO'var** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 1:44 pm

Raise hell , ciggy.

The safety of the kids come 1st. I'd be a nervous wreck if it was my Conn Jr too...

by **RUSHIE#9** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 1:53 pm

Ciggy, I'd make it clear to the people who run a)the football team and b)the league that you raised concerns about the suitability of these goals but those concerns were treated with disdain. I'd certainly be surprised if the league didn't take any action but the obvious next step if they don't do anything would be to call in Health & safety over it as the poor little lad that was injured could easily have been killed.

by **Ciggy** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 2:20 pm

ivor_the_injun wrote:From http://www.sheffieldfa.com/football/Goal+Post+Safety/

"The FA are launching a new £1million funding programme to support its four-year-old Goalpost Safety campaign, to replace unsafe goalposts that have been responsible for causing the deaths of dozens of children across the world.

The FA has sent more than a million leaflets to schools and sports clubs warning them that home-made posts should not be used as they "have been the cause of a number of deaths and injuries".

Children have been killed and thousands more injured by unsecured goalposts in Britain.More than twenty children have been killed in America by falling posts and crossbars, and others have died in Australia, Ireland and Malta in the past twelve months.

The British Standards Institution has warned goalpost manufacturers that if their goals do not pass strict tests of strength and stability then they will not be able to display its BSI logo.

Goals are often freestanding and there is no legal obligation to secure them to the ground, so when children swing on them they come crashing down.

Research conducted by The FA found that 42 per cent of mini-soccer goals, 50 per cent of five-a-side goals and 22 per cent of junior goals failed stability tests.

A set of full-size metal posts blew over during an under-12s game this year at a professional football club. News of potential funding will be made in October, following a meeting at the Football Foundation, the nation's biggest sporting charity, which is funded by The FA, FA Premier League and the Government."

Fuckinell now I am concerned, if they dont do anything in the meeting this afternoon then Im not letting him play there anymore, I am worried sick about saturday now because they will probably have the same goals.
He is playing against FC Twente and they have more money than his club so surely their goals will be of safety standard?

by **woof woof !** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 2:27 pm

Ciggy wrote:He is playing against FC Twente and they have more money than his club so surely their goals will be of safety standard?

You shouldn't be asking us that question Cig, you should be asking them.

I think there's enough ammo in this thread for you to be ripping into the people running the club/league Aaron is playing in. I have no doubt that even if the suits in charge dismiss your concerns, the parents at least will support you.

by **EddieC** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 2:43 pm

Give em hell Ciggy, fuck protocol, your childs safety has to come first.

by **shanks72** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:34 pm

Aaron's safety comes first, Cigs....but of course you want him to play.

The club were lucky the lil boy wasn't killed, as has been said. This should be a warning to them, which they should heed.

The parents should pull together over this one. After all it's your money that keeps the club running.
The very least you deserve is for them to do everything to keep the kids safe.

My Sam plays footie.

One lad turned up without his shin pads and the new manager said he could play. When the health and safety man objected, he told him where to go. Now there's a meeting going on to decide whether the new manager has a future.

Health and safety matters. They must realise this. They should listen to you and the other parents. After all they have a duty of care.
It's a shame they didn't listen to you in the first place...but now surely they must.

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