What does this research mean for the field?

Higher wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) is associated with a decreased incidence of overall injuries, time-loss injuries, and concussions in youth soccer athletes. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.NOVEL_FINDING. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.ESTABLISHES_NEW_DIRECTION.

What question did this study set out to answer?

To determine the association between wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) and the incidence of match injuries and concussions in youth soccer athletes.

September 10, 2026Sports Health A Multidisciplinary ApproachOpen Access

The Associations of Wet Bulb Globe Temperature With Match Injury and Concussion Incidence in American Youth Soccer

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Authors

BMBrandon Merfeld KHKristin Haraldsdottir JKJohn Kohler

Discussion

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Overview

Prospective cohort study finds lower injury and concussion incidence under higher wet bulb globe temperatures in youth soccer players, highlighting environmental influences on match risk.

Key Points

To determine the association between wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) and the incidence of match injuries and concussions in youth soccer athletes.
Prospective cohort study evaluating youth soccer athletes across 42 Elite Clubs National League events throughout the United States over a 2-year period, totaling 315,113 player-hours.
Athletic trainers recorded injury and concussion data, while daily WBGT was calculated for each event day.
Negative binomial regression models adjusted for player age and sex analyzed associations between WBGT and nontime-loss, time-loss, and concussion incidences.
Overall injury incidence was 5.0 per 1000 player-hours, with girls having higher rates than boys (5.6 vs 4.4 per 1000 player-hours; IRR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.1-1.7; P ≤ 0.001), as well as higher concussion incidence (1.20 vs 0.78 per 1000 player-hours; IRR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.0-1.9; P = 0.03).
Higher WBGT was associated with lower overall injury incidence (IRR, 0.986; 95% CI, 0.98-0.99; P < 0.01), time-loss injury incidence (IRR, 0.983; 95% CI, 0.97-0.99; P < 0.01), and concussion incidence (IRR, 0.981; 95% CI, 0.97-0.99; P = 0.01), with no significant association for nontime-loss injuries (IRR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.99-0.99; P = 0.86).

Cite This Study

Merfeld et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6aa27ae958559d80afc73c7f https://doi.org/10.1177/19417381261479669

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September 10, 2026Sports Health A Multidisciplinary ApproachOpen Access

The Associations of Wet Bulb Globe Temperature With Match Injury and Concussion Incidence in American Youth Soccer

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Authors

BMBrandon Merfeld KHKristin Haraldsdottir JKJohn Kohler

Discussion

Member takes

Overview

Prospective cohort study finds lower injury and concussion incidence under higher wet bulb globe temperatures in youth soccer players, highlighting environmental influences on match risk.

Key Points

To determine the association between wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) and the incidence of match injuries and concussions in youth soccer athletes.
Prospective cohort study evaluating youth soccer athletes across 42 Elite Clubs National League events throughout the United States over a 2-year period, totaling 315,113 player-hours.
Athletic trainers recorded injury and concussion data, while daily WBGT was calculated for each event day.
Negative binomial regression models adjusted for player age and sex analyzed associations between WBGT and nontime-loss, time-loss, and concussion incidences.
Overall injury incidence was 5.0 per 1000 player-hours, with girls having higher rates than boys (5.6 vs 4.4 per 1000 player-hours; IRR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.1-1.7; P ≤ 0.001), as well as higher concussion incidence (1.20 vs 0.78 per 1000 player-hours; IRR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.0-1.9; P = 0.03).
Higher WBGT was associated with lower overall injury incidence (IRR, 0.986; 95% CI, 0.98-0.99; P < 0.01), time-loss injury incidence (IRR, 0.983; 95% CI, 0.97-0.99; P < 0.01), and concussion incidence (IRR, 0.981; 95% CI, 0.97-0.99; P = 0.01), with no significant association for nontime-loss injuries (IRR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.99-0.99; P = 0.86).

Cite This Study

Merfeld et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6aa27ae958559d80afc73c7f https://doi.org/10.1177/19417381261479669

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark