SouthFlorida.com | Teen Link South Florida

MAYFIELD, Ohio -- A groundbreaking new study is underway in Mayfield that could change football equipment and training methods in the future.

Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic received a $100,000 grant from NFL Charities to study youth football.

Specifically, they are working with the Mayfield Wildcat Youth Football Club, examining the players' speed, strength and recovery from head injuries and concussions.

"It's a huge epidemic in the United States," said Dr. Ed Benzel, Chairman of Neurosurgery at the Cleveland Clinic. "With as many as three to four million playing tackle football every year and most of the players are in this age group."

Fifty-five players, ages seven through 12, are participating in the research which will follow the young people as their athletic careers advance into high school, college and perhaps the pros.

Dr. Ed Benzel says over the years, players endure thousands of hard hits.

Benzel says a professional ball player sustains 25-50 thousand major hits to the brain each season.

"They could die from those hits. There are multiple cases of brain injuries discovered at autopsy in players who never even had a concussion," said Dr. Benzel.

Currently, the helmets used in youth football are exactly the same as those worn by the professional players.

The problem is, young players are significantly smaller and can't support the heavy equipment.

"The youth's neck is not as evolved as an adult and you see it when they put the helmets on. They wobbly at first," said Kris Bennett, Mayfield Youth Football Coach.

Stephen Schmidt, and 11-year-old player, agrees.

He recalls the first time he put on a helmet, "It felt heavy, really heavy. It felt weird too."

Researches hope that they are able to collect data to create better equipment for players.

"That's the ultimate goal, to work with manufacturers of helmets and shoulder pads to develop the best equipment," said Bob Gray, Cleveland Clinic Coordinator of Athletic Training and Sorts Health.

Parents of Mayfield players are pleased to be part of the study.

Especially those like Chris Schmidt who watched his son Stephen take a bad blow to the head his first season.

"There's definitely a pause," said Schmidt, "I was a little worried but he wanted to get back in there and kept fighting."

Dr. Ed Benzel says the bottom line is that young people are more vulnerable to brain injury and this research should've been conducted decades ago.

He says the research they are doing now will definitely help protect athlete's down the road.

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