New Safety Proposals

[T]

From the Terrorgraph

Soccer death prompts safety call from grieving fatherArticle from: Font size: Decrease Increase Email article: Email Print article: Print Submit comment: Submit comment By Michelle Cazzulino

September 26, 2008 12:00am

THE photos and ribbons cover the wall in Maria and Dennis Howes' home, where scores of trophies and medals jostle for prominence.

For their eldest son Alex, moving restlessly between sports had become something of a way of life. It seemed he simply excelled at all of them.

In recent weeks though, his collection of accolades has become something of a shrine, with candles and flowers placed carefully around a photo of the smiling 21-year-old.

Alex's death, on August 12, occurred three days after he collided with other players while jumping to head the ball during a soccer match at North Ryde.

Despite leaving the field unassisted and joking with his father about "having a headache tomorrow", Alex collapsed about half an hour after he was injured and began suffering seizures on the sideline.

He was rushed to Royal North Shore Hospital but did not regain consciousness.

Today his parents say they are determined to help prevent another tragedy and are urging Australian sports clubs to make headgear mandatory for all football players.

They believe that, while protective wear might not have prevented Alex from being seriously injured, it might ultimately have saved his life.

"When the surgeon came out to me, he said, '(During the operation) one of the doctors couldn't believe it was a soccer injury because (the damage) was massive.' He must have really hit his head hard," Mr Howes said.

"The kids wear mouthguards, but they're only protecting teeth.

"It only takes one team or one club to say, 'That's what we're going to do', and the others will follow. If it saves someone else, it will be worth it."

On Monday, Federal Sports Minister Kate Ellis released new guidelines for children and young people in sport.

In doing so, she said figures showed that around one million Australians injured themselves playing sport each year.

From January to June 2007, 2907 people visited emergency departments for football-related injuries.

For Mr Howes, only 25m away when the accident happened, the manner of Alex's death was almost inconceivable.

"What shakes you is that, if someone says, 'I'm going paragliding' . . . you're kind of set for it, in a way. He was just playing a game of football.

What next, shoulder pads???

 

[Blackadder]

There has to be more to the death than just a head clash, seems like a over reaction from parents dealing with the grief.

 

[Ted]

Yeah I also think there was some underlying problem to begin with and the head clash set it off. I have had half a brick thrown over a tree and hit me in the head, (7 stitches) a 6 foot piece of wood fall from a tree house we were building and hit me in the head (5 stitches), I was hammered by a squash racket and passed out and I also went through a windscreen head first when I was hit by a car. The latter knocking me unconscious for over an hour and I have no recollections of the accident or the time spent in hospital under observation. It may have had an adverse effect on me in other ways but it didnt kill me.

 

[BAD BULLZ]

I didnt do it i promise i wonder how the other bloke is

 

[FFC Mariner]

One can only imagine the horror of dealing with the death of a child but this might be that horrible shitty rag using a parents grief to be anti sokka.

they never miss a trick do they

 

[Wilson]

That piece was lifted from The Hornsby Advocate....And they have no agenda against the game thats for sure

 

[serious14]

Cumberland Newspapers, a division of News Ltd. - sure about that Wilson??

 

[dibo]

there's no anti-football crusade going on here. it's a story with the parents quoted giving their views.

if we don't want to look like the over-sensitive never-been-kissed pimply teens of the sporting world, we've gotta lose the persecution complex.

 

[T]

It wasn't meant as a persecuion piece... just an example of over-reaction. I feel sorry for the parents, but everyone who plays sport, especially at that age should know that it comes with a certain degree of risk.

 

[dibo]

It wasn't meant as a persecuion piece... just an example of over-reaction. I feel sorry for the parents, but everyone who plays sport, especially at that age should know that it comes with a certain degree of risk.

i'm not having a ping at you, more at the 'never miss a trick' and the news ltd. thing.

 

[Bex]

Yeh, shocking tragedy for the parents and damn unlucky for Alex.

C'mon, its a death at a game of football; of course it will be reported. I for one am not going to cheapen the tragic death of a young kid by inferring that its some sort of propaganda exercise.

 

[Jolly_Roger]

I feel for the parents. A terrible thing to happen and very freakish at that.

Its the first time i have heard of a person dying from something like that on a football field. It must of been quite a clash of heads.

I dont thnk it requires a rework of the rules though. It is a very very rare instance for a head clash to result in this sort of outcome.

 

[midfielder]

Must feel for the parents ..... and in this respect to put forward in any way News are using their son's death to sell Newspapers and then us to have a go back at News is .......WRONG ..... please show some respect this is a public forum and it could get back to the parents and from there maybe in papers agian .  Suggest post more on the lines of we feel sorry for lost of your son and maybe say something at half time at a match about him would be a better answer. They would have been through enough already and TBH it is a news worthy story.

If I had lost one of my sons I know how I would feel.

 

[FFC Mariner]

It wasn't meant as a persecuion piece... just an example of over-reaction. I feel sorry for the parents, but everyone who plays sport, especially at that age should know that it comes with a certain degree of risk.

i'm not having a ping at you, more at the 'never miss a trick' and the news ltd. thing.

Then you must be having a ping at me

I can live with it. News have a 100% agenda to promote the code they own. Anyone who thinks otherwise probably believes in fairies at the bottom of the garden too.

Where in my post did I even begon to criticise the parents?? As a parent, that is more than just a living nightmare, its just something you dont even allow yourself to think about. My heart breaks for them but dont mistake News motives.

 

[curious]

You're (greenpole) either a simply minded individual with an inability to think outside the box, or an idividual so overwhelmed by paranoia it prevents rational thought. Do you sleep at night with an eye open watching for the bogey man?

The direction this thread has taken is laughable, though it could hold some interest for a psychology student doing his or her thesis on the subject.

 

[serious14]

Let me guess curious - you think the Telegraph is a top notch media outlet with the best interests of the people at heart??

 

[Bex]

Why does that even matter when we've just heard about the death of a young boy???

 

[serious14]

At what point did I ever say the death _wasn't_ a tragedy??  Fire up Bex!!! 

 

[FFC Mariner]

You're (greenpole) either a simply minded individual with an inability to think outside the box, or an idividual so overwhelmed by paranoia it prevents rational thought. Do you sleep at night with an eye open watching for the bogey man?

The direction this thread has taken is laughable, though it could hold some interest for a psychology student doing his or her thesis on the subject.

Students dont do a thesis you tool, you need a degree 1st.

But you probably dont have one of those either do you???

 

[curious]

Oh    A postgraduate student doing their masters or doctorate isn't a student?   

It has nothing to do with a kids death that's every parents nightmare Bex.
It has to do with clutching hold of every crumb, be it real, imagined or invented, for the purpose of voicing your paranoia on a soap box at & every opportunity. To the extent of inventing something sinister in an article about a fathers grief at his childs death.