Interesting research study that looked at Emergency Room visits over a five year period for concussions in children ages 8-19. About half of the 500,000 visits were for sports related brain injuries, including organized team sports and individual activities like snowboarding and cycling.
Since a person’s brain is still developing well in the late 20s, TBI in an 8 year old can have significant long term consequences. The main author of the study recommends good prevention strategies like wearing protective helmets in all sporting activities.
I would also add baseline cognitive testing for all school age children. Having a baseline comparison available will help in determining the level of cognitive deficit (if any) for a particular child after a concussion or other brain injury.