With over 45 million school sports and organized community-based youth (defined as age 6 to 17 years) programs in the United States, the potential for youth sports injuries is enormous. More than half of the youth population in the United States participate in sport. Regular participation in youth sport is important for physical and mental health, but not without the risk of injuries; every athletic exposure puts participants at a risk for injury. Of greatest burden are musculoskeletal injuries, i.e., muscle, joint (e.g., tendons and ligaments) and bone injuries, particularly in team sports such as youth football, basketball, soccer and volleyball.

Beyond ensuring that players are available for games and practices/training, which is necessary for performance and winning medals, reducing the risk of both sudden and gradual onset (e.g., overuse) injuries in youth sports is essential to protect the present and future health of players. Coaches have a crucial role to play in ensuring the safety of their players.

Project Team

Dr. Oluwatoyosi (Olu) Owoeye (PhD, PT) (Project Lead)
Sports Injury Prevention, Dissemination and Implementation Science (Saint Louis University)

Dr. Flavio Esposito (PhD)
Computer Science (Saint Louis University)

Dr. Shelly Rauvola (PhD)
Psychology (DePaul University)

Dr. Shelina Babul (PhD)
Sports Injury Prevention, eLearning (University of British Columbia)

Dr. Ross Brownson (PhD)
Dissemination, Implementation and Policy Science (Washington University in Saint Louis)

Trey Porter (MS, MA)
Sports Administration, Youth Football, Coaching (Missouri Minority Coaches Association)