Football causes more serious childhood injuries than castells

TarragonaFor years, every time a young child tops a human tower in front of thousands of people, the debate about the safety of castells resurfaces. The image of children several meters high continues to generate admiration, but also apprehension among those who see this practice as a particularly dangerous activity. Now, a study by researchers from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the Rovira i Virgili University (URV) and the Santa Tecla Network provides data that question this negative perception.

The research, developed over two seasons, has compared the injuries of castellers children with those of grassroots football, one of the most widespread children's sports activities in the country. The conclusions offer a much more nuanced view of the real risk that children undertake in both practices. The study analyzed a total of 2,176 children between 5 and 14 years old: 935 members of the top of various castell groups and 1,241 registered football players.

The work, led by Manel González Peris, Marta Romeu, and Montse Giralt, concludes that the frequency of incidents is higher in the castell world. 17.5% of the casteller children suffered some type of injury during the studied period, compared to 9.7% recorded in football. However, when the severity of the injuries was analyzed, the panorama changed considerably.

Children footballers presented longer absences and injuries with more physical impact. On average, each incident in football resulted in 4.01 days off, while in castells the figure stood at 2.30 days. The difference is also evident in the type of injuries. In football, sprains and muscle injuries predominate, especially in the legs, which account for about 70% of cases. In contrast, within castell activity, almost three out of every four injuries are minor contusions, blows of little severity and quick recovery.

Exposure and training

To obtain a more precise comparison, the study applied the international indicator of days of absence per 1,000 hours of activity. This methodology takes into account that castellers dedicate more annual hours to rehearsals than footballers to training sessions. According to this criterion, football records 29.97 days of absence per 1,000 hours of activity. In castells, the figure drops to 13.23 days. Researchers point out that, despite the visual impact of human towers, children's castells practice shows a relatively low incidence of serious injuries.

Another aspect that the study highlights is the moment when injuries occur. In castells, the risk is concentrated mainly during performances, where 84.1% of incidents take place. This reinforces the idea that rehearsals, with established safety protocols and safety nets, are particularly controlled environments. In football, on the other hand, injuries are distributed more evenly: more than half occur during training sessions, which shows constant exposure to risk throughout the entire sports week.

The helmet is essential

Despite these conclusions, the authors insist that prevention remains key. In this regard, the study –which is supported by the URV Chair for the Study of the Casteller Phenomenon, the Coordinator of Casteller Groups of Catalonia, and the Mutual Society of Footballers of Catalonia– clearly endorses the use of the casteller helmet. Traumatic brain injuries account for 5.6% of registered injuries, and experts consider this protection to be essential to further reduce risks. In fact, the research comes at a time when the casteller world continues to evolve in terms of safety. A redesign of the current helmet is underway with the aim of incorporating facial protection.

Beyond the figures provided by the study, the authors emphasize the need to continue working on prevention. Among the recommendations are strengthening the training of families and children before starting any sports activity, as well as promoting specific sessions on injury prevention and safe practices.

The conclusions of the work do not seek to establish a competition between sports, but rather to provide context and objective data to a debate often conditioned by the visual perception of risk. The researchers point out that both castells and football are safe activities for children, but they also underline that the perception of risk does not always align with the reality of registered injuries.