Should children be allowed to head footballs?

[So]

One of my children did some superb headers on Sunday, whilst playing for his U11 team. However, he came off complaining of a pain in his head.

Today I saw this: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/50124102

What are people's views?

[Gargamel]

So said:

One of my children did some superb headers on Sunday, whilst playing for his U11 team. However, he came off complaining of a pain in his head.

Today I saw this: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/50124102

What are people's views?

The US have I believe changed coaching of junior teams based on this risk and no longer practice heading

The FA have done nothing of use since Jeff Astle’s sad death. The Telegraph have done a longer investigation.

Based on the precautionary principle I believe that yes, we should stop heading in Junior football.

10 years of coaching juniors btw ...

[So]

Gargamel said:

So said:

One of my children did some superb headers on Sunday, whilst playing for his U11 team. However, he came off complaining of a pain in his head.

Today I saw this: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/50124102

What are people's views?

The US have I believe changed coaching of junior teams based on this risk and no longer practice heading

The FA have done nothing of use since Jeff Astle’s sad death. The Telegraph have done a longer investigation.

Based on the precautionary principle I believe that yes, we should stop heading in Junior football.

10 years of coaching juniors btw ...

I agree FWIW.

[peterperkins]

Won't they have to make heading a foul in the professional game then? or those coming through the system will be at a severe disadvantage as far as the game is concerned?

[So]

peterperkins said:

Won't they have to make heading a foul in the professional game then? or those coming through the system will be at a severe disadvantage as far as the game is concerned?

Would it hurt the game if it were made a foul? Serious question.

[CustardOnChips]

Hard to ban it completely, but there is no need for kids to be practicing heading.

I'm sure some luddite will be along shortly to say it's fine and never did them any harm.

[Gargamel]

peterperkins said:

Won't they have to make heading a foul in the professional game then? or those coming through the system will be at a severe disadvantage as far as the game is concerned?

From what I understand the data is tricky to interpret, for example there is no clear evidence of when the damage is done, is it via the frequency of impacts, or how hard the impacts are (for example defenders heading a goal kick or high kick away)

Equally the young brain in children is not fully developed and there is *some* evidence that it suffers more at a young age than when fully formed.

I would suggest banning heading until 16 years old, and let the professional clubs coach it from there.

To be honest, most juniors I have ever coached are terrible at it anyway until about 13 or 14. So postponing it a few years I think is sound.

Finally, there is a generation that used to head leather footballs in their youth, these are the ones dying now. Is it going to be the same for the far lighter modern footballs ? We don’t know. But again on precaution I would still take it out of the youth game

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2019/10/21/fo...

[So]

CustardOnChips said:

Hard to ban it completely, but there is no need for kids to be practicing heading.

I'm sure some luddite will be along shortly to say it's fine and never did them any harm.

My youngest has never been taught to head a ball. But he does it instinctively and to good effect. I don't like it though.

[Downward]

So said:

CustardOnChips said:

Hard to ban it completely, but there is no need for kids to be practicing heading.

I'm sure some luddite will be along shortly to say it's fine and never did them any harm.

My youngest has never been taught to head a ball. But he does it instinctively and to good effect. I don't like it though.

Yep my sons 14 now. Never headed in training. In matches some kids will do it from goal kicks etc from a height. My son will from throw ins but if it was coming at pace from height I wouldn’t want him doing it and don’t encourage it.
Issue is some kids do and some kids will go to kick. It’s dangerous and this is why they should just say no heading from goal kicks out of keepers hands etc

[Cheib]

Gargamel said:

peterperkins said:

Won't they have to make heading a foul in the professional game then? or those coming through the system will be at a severe disadvantage as far as the game is concerned?

From what I understand the data is tricky to interpret, for example there is no clear evidence of when the damage is done, is it via the frequency of impacts, or how hard the impacts are (for example defenders heading a goal kick or high kick away)

Equally the young brain in children is not fully developed and there is *some* evidence that it suffers more at a young age than when fully formed.

I would suggest banning heading until 16 years old, and let the professional clubs coach it from there.

To be honest, most juniors I have ever coached are terrible at it anyway until about 13 or 14. So postponing it a few years I think is sound.

Finally, there is a generation that used to head leather footballs in their youth, these are the ones dying now. Is it going to be the same for the far lighter modern footballs ? We don’t know. But again on precaution I would still take it out of the youth game

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2019/10/21/fo...

Great post.

[Murph7355]

Gargamel said:

...
Finally, there is a generation that used to head leather footballs in their youth, these are the ones dying now. Is it going to be the same for the far lighter modern footballs ? We don’t know. But again on precaution I would still take it out of the youth game ...

I admittedly wasn't able to concentrate fully on the report I was listening to, but I thought it had been noted that the older balls didn't make any material difference? I'd assume because whilst heavier, they couldn't be kicked as hard/quickly perhaps.

Either way, IMO whether the link has been fully proven to heading the ball or not I don't want my lad (7yrs old) heading it. And am actively discouraging him from doing so (he's doing pretty well as a keeper at the moment so heading isn't quite so much of a thing anyway).

The FA and footballing bodies are hopeless at dealing with anything properly IMO so waiting for them to deal with it is a waste of time. It would be pretty easy to ban it and to treat it like handball. Even if they did this under a certain age group at first.

I think Shearer's been pushing this hard for a while.

[Gargamel]

Murph, I think it is unclear at the moment as the study was inconclusive about the effects in the modern game - essentially the evidence isn’t in the data stem but my view would be to reduce heading drastically certainly in training and definitely for the youth game. I will be writing to the FA and the Juniors league shortly and my MP. I suggest those concerned do the same.

5 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s is too big a spike in the odds to ignore.

This from the articles Q&A


Was it a problem from a different era?

Not necessarily, although the research focussed on former professionals who were born no later than 1976. There is a hope that changes in training methods and footballs will have reduced the risk but there is no evidence to support that theory and, while lighter, modern balls also travel faster.

[CrgT16]

I agree, no need to practice heading if they head the ball now and again probably will come to no harm but actively and regularly practicing it may have more long term effects. I also feel a little uneasy about rugby scrums and youngsters but I say this without having played rugby just by watching it, don't really know the rules for training at younger ages.

[So]

CrgT16 said:

I agree, no need to practice heading if they head the ball now and again probably will come to no harm but actively and regularly practicing it may have more long term effects. I also feel a little uneasy about rugby scrums and youngsters but I say this without having played rugby just by watching it, don't really know the rules for training at younger ages.

The same son who plays football and heads the ball formerly played inter-school rugby. He was hospitalised overnight on one occasion.

[Derek Smith]

So said:

The same son who plays football and heads the ball formerly played inter-school rugby. He was hospitalised overnight on one occasion.

There is, at least in the rugby clubs I've been members of, a lot of training with regards protecting heads in tackles, rucks and such. Training can only go so far. Head injuries are treated seriously in the sport, with a requirement for head injury assessments in certain cases. If one eliminated all risks then we'd all be spectators.

The last person I saw knocked out was charging down a kick. It hit him under the chin. It wasn't his first concussion and did not play rugby again.

In the terms of overall serious health risks, rugby is regarded as below football. I used to cycle a lot and the dangers in that are significant. I played badminton seriously and we had three players hospitalised; ball from the shuttlecock in the eye, one chap fell onto a bench of spectators, and another ran into a wall.

My lad had to give up rugby when he was 28. That was the result of foul play - he was kicked in the head, and then his head was stamped on. It was a deliberate action. The same player back-heeled our scrum half, knocking him out, and also broke the cheek bone and eye socket of a centre. He got a 12 week ban. I think policing needs to be stepped up. The player should have been banned for life. My preference was to report him for GBH, there was ample evidence on video, but I was asked not to.

If heading a ball leaves a player dizzy then I'd be clear as what my directions to the lad would be.