This story is part of our series Climate, Sports, and Recreation, about the impacts of extreme weather chaos, air pollution, and toxic chemicals on kids’ sports, outdoor activities, and generally enjoying nature.
Gabe Gibbons is the type of youth soccer coach parents adore: he’s a dad of two and a retired semi-professional soccer player. Growing up in Germany, he watched his dad and older brother play soccer and aspired to be just like them, going on to play in college and then semi-professionally for the Austin Aztecs.
This experience helps him run drills and motivate team players, but it’s actually Gabe’s job as a climate advocate at the Environmental Defense Fund that makes him a perfect modern soccer coach. He’s aware of the ways climate change is increasing the frequency and deadliness of extreme heat, and he takes protecting his young players from it and other environmental risks as a neighborhood rec league coach in Austin, Texas, very seriously.
Tell Congress: Hold Zeldin Accountable for Corrupting EPA’s Mission
Athlete safety and climate adaption
Gabe has experienced his fair share of extreme Texas heat as both a player and coach. Back when he was playing, there were scorching days, but nothing like today’s in both intensity and amount. He recalls that it was considered a sign of weakness to take a break when overheated; it gave coaches the impression that you didn’t want to compete.
Gabe remembers seeing water breaks introduced for the first time during a particularly hot World Cup back when he was a player. This signaled an important step forward for both athlete safety and climate adaptation. “There definitely has been a culture change,” Gabe says. Thankfully, today’s kids now are being taught by climate-aware coaches and parents like Gabe. He’ll say, “Hey, if it’s hot, take a break. Get some water.” These simple steps can significantly lower his players’ risk of heat-related illness, including heat stroke.
Environment matters
Gabe says his job makes him more cognizant of the ways the environment youth athletes play in goes hand-in-hand with their health. “I often go scope out the environment before games. For example, some fields have a power facility next to them. If I can move a game to a safer field, I do it every time,” he says.
The air quality in Austin can also contribute to health problems for his athletes, prompting his club to move practices further outside the city where the air quality is better. To Gabe, sports are about keeping kids healthy and active. “You have to invest in the health of these children. Having a healthy environment equates to a healthy future,” he states.
University. Photo courtesy of Gabe Gibbons.
Artificial turf, a growing concern
Gabe prioritizes playing only on safe, natural surfaces for away and home games for his teams and the entire soccer club. “I would prefer none of my athletes play on turf,” he says. Artificial turf has been correlated with more injuries, but Gabe’s real concern is the chemicals laced into the artificial fields.
Before moving to the United States from Germany in 2002, Gabe had never played on artificial turf. As a goalkeeper, he was constantly diving around on the surface, often with exposed skin. The rubber “dirt” pellets and other plastic bits would fling into his eyes, get embedded in his skin, and sometimes even get ingested.
He read an article that opened his eyes to artificial turf a few years after he started playing on it. It is made of plastic blades that look like grass. Plastic, a fossil fuel product, harms communities, especially those near production facilities, from manufacture to disposal. There’s no requirement for turf manufacturers to disclose proprietary chemicals used in the production of artificial turf. But we do know that some contains PFAS, known as “forever chemicals,” because they linger in the environment, accumulate in our bodies, and have been linked to serious health impacts like cancer, decreased fertility, liver damage, thyroid problems, low birth weight, preterm birth, and more. Young soccer players are especially vulnerable to all these health concerns.
The plastic blades are embedded in rubber pellets that look like dirt. These pellets often contain 6PPD, a chemical that has been added to tires and rubber products for decades, and one of its by-products, 6PPD-quinone (6PPDQ). While most of the focus on 6PPD has centered on how it impacts aquatic ecosystems—it’s extremely toxic to fish—there’s increasing concern about how it might be impacting human health.
Learning that artificial turf is a concerning cocktail of chemicals is why Gabe now seeks out natural play surfaces for his players. Artificial turf can also contribute significantly to heat-related illnesses and injuries because it absorbs, retains, and radiates intense heat. In hot, sunny weather typical in Austin, turf can reach temperatures much higher than real grass and can pose risks for young soccer players racing around on it, including heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and even burns.
From rec league to the World Cup
Dangerous playing conditions, from extreme weather to air pollution to chemical-laced surfaces like turf, impact players at every level from youth to professional. With the World Cup just around the corner, it’s important to note that nobody is immune to these conditions—not players, fans, coaches, or parents. Games will be played from June 11 to July 29 all across North America, including notoriously hot cities, like Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Miami.
Gabe says he’s already seeing temperatures in the 90s in Austin, and it’s not even summer yet. He encourages all of us to consider what needs to be done to protect everyone during soccer games. As a coach and parent himself, he always tells young athletes to take breaks, drink lots of water, wear sunscreen, and speak up when the weather makes them feel unsafe. As helpful as these tips are—even for World Cup fans—what’s needed is systemic change to mitigate the worse impacts of extreme weather, air pollution, and toxic chemicals so that all athletes can safely adapt to a climate in chaos while continuing to enjoy the game.
Tell Congress: Hold Zeldin Accountable for Corrupting EPA’s Mission