Soccer

The image shows a soccer ball.

An estimated 1.2 million Australians aged 15 and over played soccer in 2024–25 (ASC 2025). During this period, there were around 5,400 injury hospitalisations attributed to soccer: 4,400 males and 980 females. The highest number of injury hospitalisations was among those aged 10–14 (1,100 cases), while the 0–4 age group had the lowest number of hospitalisations (22 cases) (Figure 37).

Figure 37: Number of injury hospitalisations from soccer by 5-year age group, Australia, 2024–25

Column chart shows younger age groups between 10 and 19 years had the highest concentration of hospitalisations in 2024–25, decreasing in older age groups.


Source: AIHW National Hospital Morbidity Database.

For more detail, see data table 5.

Trends over the past decade

From 2017–18 to 2024–25, the number of hospitalisations ranged from 2,700 to 4,400 for males and 530 to 980 for females (see Figure 38). Between 2017–18 to 2018–19, injury hospitalisation rates were relatively stable for women (at an average of 6.9 hospitalisations per 100,000 population) and increasing for males (from 33 to 35 hospitalisations per 100,000 population).

Figure 38: Number of injury hospitalisations from soccer by 5-year age group, Australia, 2015–16 to 2024–25

Line graph shows trends for males, females and persons with a dashed vertical line separating years 2016–17 and 2017–18 to indicate a break in time series, described in technical notes.

Line graph shows trends for males, females and persons with a dashed vertical line separating years 2016–17 and 2017–18 to indicate a break in time series, described in technical notes.

For more detail, see data table 6.

From 2019–20 to 2021–22, injury hospitalisations fluctuated noticeably – a likely effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitalisation rates were lowest in 2019–20 for males (23 hospitalisations per 100,000 population) and females (4.6 hospitalisations per 100,000 population).

Across 2022–23 and 2024–25, injury hospitalisation rates were increasing for males (from 32 to 34 hospitalisations per 100,000 population), and females from 6.6 to 7.8 hospitalisations per 100,000.

Nature of injuries

For injury hospitalisations from soccer in 2024–25, the top three most injured body parts across all ages were:

  • hip and lower limb, excluding ankle and foot (just over 2,200 cases)
  • shoulder and upper limb, excluding wrist and hand (1,400 cases) 
  • head and neck (750 cases) (Figure 39).

Figure 39: Common injuries and causes of sports injury hospitalisations from soccer, Australia, 2024–25

Diagram of human body shows percentage of body parts injured in hospitalisations in 2024–25, including injury types and causes.

Diagram of human body shows percentage of body parts injured in hospitalisations in 2024–25, including injury types and causes.

Source: AIHW National Hospital Morbidity Database.

For more detail, see data table 13.

Fractures accounted for more than half of all injury hospitalisations (or 3,000 cases), followed by soft-tissue injuries (25% of injury hospitalisations or 1,300 cases) and intracranial injuries (4.4% injury hospitalisations or 240 cases). About 97% of these intracranial injury hospitalisations were concussions: around 165 males and 64 females.

The top three common causes of injury hospitalisations from soccer in 2024–25 were:

  • falls (2,000 cases or 7.2 hospitalisations per 100,000 population)
  • contact with living things (e.g. another human) (1,100 cases or 4.0 hospitalisations per 100,000 population)
  • overexertion (630 cases or 2.3 hospitalisations per 100,000 population).
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