Anyone get their child out of playing rugby? (head injury concern)

[BarqsHasBite]

Just that really - am determined that when my son moves to secondary (we are hoping to send him to an independent school) that he does not play any contact rugby, or head the ball in football though that’s less of an issue as he can just not head when he’s playing.

Has anyone tried to get their child out of playing rugby for the same reason? I’m sure someone told me that some schools have it in the parental contract that the boys will play rugby and it’s a condition of accepting a place at the school 😱

If I get pushback am hoping to find a neurologist to advise against playing rugby - is the school really going to insist on going against medical advice?
But interested to know if anyone has any experience of this.

Does he have a medical reason or are you just overly protective?

Overly protective???!! Have you not heard about all the cases of brain damage??

It isn't overly protective not to want your kid playing rugby. My db teaches at a private school that worships rugby and kids regularly break collar bones, one was hospitalised for a very severe injury last year. It's a very strange sport IMO.

My friend's boyfriend had a friend who was paralysed from the neck down in his teens from playing rugby.

My husband has a dodgy knee from playing rugby.

My father in law has two front teeth missing (false ones, you'd never know to be fair) from playing rugby.

My kids will never play rugby.

Not really being overprotective in my eyes...

😂

@vnoud

Clear, intelligent response there 🙄

Just choose a non rugby school

There's so much safer practice at the moment for rugby. The safe tackle height is changing, very rigid rules re safety and injuries in particular re head injuries.

I don't have sons but would be with you if I did. A young man I knew in my schooldays died from injuries sustained on the rugby pitch. Can you look for a school which plays other sports instead? Some schools don't do rugby, but perhaps in the independent sector they are few and far between.

You probably need to speak to the school about how their games lessons work. I know in some schools all boys play rugby in the autumn term and then hockey in the spring term. In other schools they have a 'rugby team' group that do contact rugby and then another group that either plays touch rugby or does other sports.

If rugby is compulsory for all boys and you categorically don't want him to play I'd honestly look at other schools. Also consider if he is the only one who is pulled out of rugby he may stick out - just at the time that he's trying to make friends etc.

My son is at a prep school and can not play contact rugby because of a neurological condition. School were very good and gave us various options (he could wear a bib which meant he could not be tackled), he could be the referee, he could sit out or he could swim (but we would have to pay for the swim teacher). We chose swimming.

The problem to be honest is probably not going to be him not doing rugby (doubt you would need a neurologist). I doubt any school would say “play or get out”(there will be kids every week who can’t play for one reason or another); however, what you may find is then there is no other option save for siting in the library.

A lot of schools (particularly coed) are not insisting children play a certain sport. Most give children a couple of options. I would look for a school in that category.

A young Dad in his 20s died locally this weekend. It was following a tackle during a rugby match.

I said to DH earlier that there's no way I'd ever let my DS play. DH, his Dad and siblings all played/still play. His dsis played for the country. She and bil have both had surgery following injuries. SIL's dp was knocked unconscious playing just a couple of weeks ago. I hate the sport.

But all of you get in cars week in, week out. The majority switch to forward facing car seats too soon, or allow children out or car seats too quickly, or in the front.

Yes we did. It wasn't an issue and yes there was a lot of rugby played at the school.
No he wasn't bullied and no, we weren't being over protective, thanks. There were plenty of other sports and activities to join in.

I would try and find a football hockey school if you can. Sometimes I think some schools do allow you to chose touch rugby instead of contact. I totally agree with your feelings about rugby and this was actually a main factor in choosing to send my son to state school. He is a very sporty boy, and with sport being one of the big draws to private school, why would I spend all that money on a school that invests in/provides a sport I don’t want him to do. Unfortunately all the private schools near me offer rugby. He loves his varied sport offering at school and the shorter days and money saved enable us to provide him with any coaching and club sport he wants/needs.

I'm from a rugby family.

Not a chance my son will play. On the advice of my dad who is rugby obsessed, grew up playing in the valleys and absolutely loved it.

I'd speak to a school who insist upon it and would seriously consider withdrawing if it was non negotiable.

I'm going to get mine playing cricket or tennis. I quite fancy doing the tea at cricket!

With what we now know about chronic traumatic encephalopathy, it is madness to let kids (and adults) play rugby .

Mine plays rugby & football. Hard to stop some kids heading. Rugby at contact ages has st

Thanks for this.

There aren’t really any other school options for us - there is the school in our town which we all loved, or two other possibilities which would involve a long coach ride (which our son would hate) and which also both play rugby.

My son would be quite happy to go and sit in the library and I don’t expect the school to do much in the way of providing alternatives for him, I just hope they respect our wishes.

Set roles etc.

Every sport has the possibility of a head injury. At DS’ private school more children have been hospitalised due to cricket and tennis related head injuries than anything else.

Rugby is the one sport I will never permit DS to play. DH’s friend (30s) was hospitalised with a broken neck from playing rugby. Spent months in a ward wearing a contraption on his head, being fed through a straw. Thankfully he recovered, but was told he could easily have been paralysed. He’s been advised to avoid any contact sports or hard impacts in future because his neck is weak and he’s at high risk of paralysis. I don’t think it’s overprotective - rugby is dangerous.

Luckily DS had a medical issue from Y8 that stopped him playing rugby (also luckily the medical issue didn’t really impact him in any other way). Could have kissed the consultant when he told us DS shouldn’t play contact sport like rugby anymore.

To be fair DS’s school were becoming slightly more enlightened than other schools and were beginning to allow boys who didn’t want to play to go to the gym or do another sport, by the time DS was in about Y10. I think with all the medical knowledge now schools would be on sticky ground if they insisted boys had to play rugby.

@JustAMinutePleass less likely to break their neck I would have thought from cricket

This is just total Cope. Rugby has a horrendous rate of injury at school level. It’s something like 80% likelihood that a child will had an injury during each rugby season.

I come from a family where all the men nurse injuries to knees/shoulders/collar bones decades after leaving the sport. It wasn’t worth it.

In lots of ways I am no great shakes as a parent. But at least I am not sending my 11yo DS onto the rugby pitch after a concussion the week before.But plenty do.