Soccer nets removed in wake of girl’s death

A cross and memorial now mark the spot where a five-year-old Watson Lake girl died Wednesday evening after being struck by a falling soccer goal.

A cross and memorial now mark the spot where a five-year-old Watson Lake girl died Wednesday evening after being struck by a falling soccer goal.

A group of children were playing on the Watson Lake Secondary School field when the soccer net tipped, striking the young girl on the back of the head.

The Watson Lake RCMP and the Yukon coroner’s office are investigating the tragedy.

Yukon coroner Kirsten Macdonald said the children were under adult supervision at the time.

The girl was taken to the hospital in the southeast Yukon town and pronounced dead at around 8 p.m. Wednesday.

The RCMP released the news of her death on Thursday afternoon.

Officials have identified the girl’s father as longtime resident Paul Amann.

The family has requested that the child’s name be withheld.

Michele Royle, a spokeswoman for the Department of Education, said Thursday afternoon her department is removing all movable soccer nets — about 70 in total — from school grounds across the territory as a precaution while it completes its own investigation.

“Our hearts go out to the family and the community members who are touched by this tragedy,” Royle said.

The department said in a statement today staff will work with community groups and Yukon sports associations to determine a plan “to return soccer nets to the fields based on the safety assessments.”

Watson Lake Mayor Richard Durocher said the community is reeling from the tragedy.

“People are definitely affected by what happened,” he said. “You run into people who are tearing up. It is a small community.”

For now, everyone’s focus is on doing what they can to support the girl’s grieving family, he said.

Territorial politicians have also expressed their condolences.

“On behalf of the Government of Yukon, I want to express my profound sympathy to the Watson Lake family after the tragic loss of their daughter,” Premier Darrell Pasloski said in a statement Thursday afternoon.

“It is a sad day for Yukon to lose someone so young. Our thoughts are with the family and the community at this extremely difficult time.”

“The loss of such a young life is especially saddening,” said NDP Opposition Leader Liz Hanson.

Education Minister Scott Kent also released a statement late this morning.

“Our sympathies go out to the family and community members at this troubling time,” he said.

“The family and community members are in our thoughts and have our deepest sympathies.

“A tragedy of this kind touches a community profoundly, and the government is taking action to help ensure safety in soccer fields in Yukon school yards.”

Johnny Nunan, the president of the Yukon Soccer Association, noted today minor league soccer in the Yukon has already completed its season.

There are still a number of adult leagues playing, but those players are not using moveable goals, he said.

“When adults play, they are playing with the full field, and in most of those cases, they are using fixed nets.”

Nunan said it is the association’s policy that referees inspect the goals before games and during halftime.

These inspections include ensuring the goals are properly anchored.

In 1995, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued guidelines for movable soccer goal safety.

The report says the CPSC knows of four deaths in 1990 alone and at least 21 deaths between 1979 and 1994 associated with movable soccer goals.

“The majority of movable soccer goals are constructed of metal, typically weighing 150-500 pounds. The serious injuries and deaths are a result of blunt force trauma to the head, neck, chest, and limbs of the victims.

“In most cases, this occurred when the goal tipped or was accidentally tipped onto the victim.”

A Montreal boy died about a decade ago under those circumstances.

The CPSC document lists six different styles of anchors to secure soccer nets.

“It is imperative that all movable soccer goals are always anchored properly,” it says.

The CPSC also offers design guidelines for nets and recommendations like checking on the structural integrity of the goals, ensuring that all safety/warning labels are visible and fully disassembling goals for seasonal storage.

“The majority of the incidents investigated by CPSC did not occur during a soccer match. Most of the incidents occurred when the goals were unattended,” it says.

“Therefore, it is imperative that all goals are stored properly when not being used.”

The report notes that these are only guidelines, and not mandatory requirements.

It is not known what style soccer goal was being used at the high school or if similar guidelines have ever been issued in Canada.