Make Play Safe: A youth soccer program to help kids recognize and report concussions
Official title: Make Play Safe: Intervention to Increase Concussion Recognition and Reporting in Youth Soccer
Funded at Research Inst Nationwide Children's Hosp · NIH-11397517 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A program uses virtual reality and coaching strategies to help kids, parents, and coaches recognize and report concussions in youth soccer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Research Inst Nationwide Children's Hosp NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Columbus, United States) |
| Project start | August 7, 2025 |
| Project end | July 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $669,566 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HD116730-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11397517 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are youth soccer players (and their parents/coaches) aged roughly 6–18 who are involved in organized soccer.
✕Less likely to help
Youth not involved in organized soccer or without access to VR-enabled materials and participating teams may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project creates a two-part program to help youth soccer players, their families, and coaches recognize concussion symptoms and report them promptly. It uses virtual reality simulations to let players experience concussion scenarios and learn the signs, paired with practical conversation tips for talking with parents and coaches. The study will measure whether the intervention increases recognition and reporting intentions and actual reporting behaviors, and whether parent-child or coach-team communication frequency mediates these effects. Ultimately, the goal is to reduce short- and long-term brain health risks by improving reporting after concussions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could lead to safer play for children by increasing timely concussion reporting and enabling faster medical evaluation.
How similar studies have gone: Similar concussion education programs improve knowledge but have mixed results on changing reporting behaviors, making this behavioral approach novel but with some precedent.
Where this research is happening
-
Research Inst Nationwide Children's Hosp
Columbus, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Yang, Jingzhen Ginger — Research Inst Nationwide Children's Hosp
- Study coordinator: Yang, Jingzhen Ginger
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.