Cheerleaders face a greater risk of serious injuries than football players, according to a study cited in The Telegraph.

Survey: More Rules For Cheerleaders?

The report said that the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research found 67 girls who suffered serious injuries or death between 1982 and 2007. That was two-thirds of all serious athletic injuries among young women.

The rate of paralysis or disability was 2.68 per 100,000 cheerleaders. Football, however, had more deaths.

The number of cheerleaders treated at hospital accident and emergency wards increased from under 5,000 a year in 1980 to nearly 30,000 a year today.

"We are getting more and more of these cheerleading injuries, and they are pretty serious head and neck injuries. They're throwing people in the air 20 to 25 feet and trying to catch them on the way down. It's really gymnastic activity. It shouldn't be called cheerleading any more," said Dr. Frederick Mueller of the University of North Carolina in The Telegraph.

He also said more training is needed for coaches.

"Right now, they don't have certified coaches. You get some kids teaching each other," he said.

The National Cheer Safety Foundation called for federal legislation to regulate high schools, colleges and private cheerleading companies.