Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. It has always been viewed as a safe, non-contact sport. If you wanted your kids to play in a competitive but safe game, soccer was the right place. However, for the last decade more and more information has become available. Much of this information has become published and it focuses on the risks of head injuries in soccer.
A recent study by researchers at Nationwide’s Children Hospital shows a 1596% increase of the concussion rate in soccer over a 25 year period. Part of the increased concussion rate is the increased popularity of the sport but the larger gain is the increased awareness on the part of the players, coaches and parents. And still, the vast majority of sports concussions are not recognized or diagnosed, so the actual problem is probably significantly bigger.
A concussion is a serious injury which can alter someone’s life. That is something that our founder, Jeff Skeen, had to experience himself unfortunately. His daughter Lauren, a star player for her high school soccer team in Del Mar, California, experienced multiple concussions. So Skeen made it his mission to learn more about concussions and find ways to prevent or lessen the severity of head injuries while she continued to play the game she loved.
Becoming the pioneer and leading manufacturer of soccer headgear was far from Skeen’s mind when he developed the very first headgear prototype for his daughter. At first, Lauren was the only player on her team wearing headgear, but soon other players, parents and coaches expressed their interest in the headgear. At a state championship game a referee made Lauren take the headgear off, because in his opinion the rules didn’t allow headgear. In that game she suffered a severe concussion, which took her 7 years to recover. After that incident and realizing he was not alone in his desire to protect soccer players from head injuries, Skeen decided to take a proactive approach to addressing the issue, and launched Full90 Sports, Inc., in 2002.
Today, Full90 Sports LLC is recognized in the soccer community as the company that brought attention to the issue of concussions; and is the leader in protective headgear for soccer players worldwide. Now under the leadership of CEO Tim Killeen, the company’s mission was and still is to raise awareness about head injuries and concussions, and ultimately assist in the adoption of new equipment and rules in soccer to reduce head injuries. During our journey, we have met and helped a lot of pro and amateur players suffering from head injuries, on and off the field. We are proud that some of the players we helped, had such a strong connection to our mission that they eventually became employees.
According to a study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine titled, “The Effectiveness of Protective Headgear in Reducing Concussions and Head Injuries in Adolescent Soccer Players,” players NOT wearing Full90 headgear during the study experienced 2.7 times as many concussion symptoms than those who wore the headgear.
The entire line of Full90 headgear has been designed to mitigate the typical impact forces that occur in soccer. Heading is an exciting and important part of the game, however, this effort to redirect the ball often times results in a head to head collision. These types of collisions along with head to elbow, knee, ground and post are the very reason players need Full90 Performance Headgear. It is lightweight, ventilated, and constructed of Forcebloc Foam™ and includes coverage to the crucial impact zones at the forehead and temple.
All Full90 products are allowed to be worn by players under the rules of FIFA, US Soccer and the National Federation of High Schools.
Reach out to us!
Being true soccer fanatics, parents and ex-players (who suffered multiple concussions as well), we value the contact we have with each member of the soccer community. So if you have any questions, want more information, stories or pictures you want to share, e-mail us at info@www.full90.com, call us at 1-877-438-5590 or tag us on social media using the #Full90.
WARNING: Designed to reduce severity of impacts to the head; however, no headgear can protect against all foreseeable impacts. Offers no protection to parts of the body it does not cover directly. Serious injury may occur even while using this product correctly. May be damaged by commercial organic substances; damage may not be visible. Must be worn in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions; read instructions before use. Surface wash with soft wet cloth. Air dry only.