FA to impose restrictions on heading the ball for under-18s

The Football Association (FA) is set to launch new coaching guidelines restricting how much youth players can head the ball in training, after examining the risks of brain injury caused by heading a football.

BBC Scotland revealed in January that the Scottish FA is set to prohibit under-12s heading the ball in training, following an in depth study by Glasgow University. The study, which began in January 2019 and was commissioned by both the FA and the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), found the “first links between playing professionally and dying from dementia”.

It compared the deaths of 7,676 former players to 23,000 from the general population.

The sample was taken from men who played professional football in Scotland, born between 1900 and 1976.

The findings revealed that former professional footballers were three and a half times more likely to die of dementia than those of the same age range in the general population.

Dr Willie Stewart, a consultant neuropathologist, led the research and said that "risk ranged from a five-fold increase in Alzheimer's disease, through an approximately four-fold increase in motor neurone disease, to a two-fold Parkinson's disease in former professional footballers compared to population controls".

The study came about following claims that the death of West-Brom player Jeff Astle was due to repeated head trauma.

The former England international developed dementia and died in 2002 at the age of 59. An inquest into Astle’s death found heading heavy leather footballs repeatedly had contributed to brain trauma.

The findings of the study are yet to be finalised and will apply solely to under 18s in training – not in matches and heading the ball will not be banned completely. The guidelines are due to be issued in late February.

Two months after the findings of the study where revealed, Charlotte Cowie, the FA's head of medicine said: "The FA's independently chaired research taskforce has instigated a review of possible changes to heading coaching and training at all levels to decrease overall exposure to heading without compromising technique.

"It is imperative that football now does everything it can to further understand what caused this increased risk and what can be done to ensure that future generations of footballers are protected."

Peter McCabe, chief executive of Headway - the brain injury association - said: "We are encouraged to hear the Football Association is set to restrict the amount of heading allowed by young players.

"In light of the recent study undertaken by the University of Glasgow, this is a positive, common sense approach to take. After all, it will not prohibit young people participating in the game or impact their enjoyment.

"Further research is urgently needed in order to remove any uncertainty about how often a player can head a ball and at what age - if any - it is safe to do so before damage is caused.

"What is clear, however, is that we cannot afford to wait for further evidence to be published before taking action on this."

Gary Herbert, Partner & Personal Injury Solicitor specialising in Brain Injury here at Potter Rees Dolan, is currently serving on the committee for Headway Salford and Trafford. Gary comments:

“As a parent of a young boy starting his football journey I welcome any step that will make him safer.

"I would like to see the FA go further and ban the heading of footballs for under 12s as other countries have done. There is no technique to head a ball that cannot be taught at a later age and the FA should be protecting the youngest players registered with them against such risks.”

Gary is a Partner within the Personal Injury team here at Potter Rees Dolan. If you would like to speak with Gary regarding personal injury, head injuries or indeed any other aspect of this article, please call 0800 027 2557.