Banning heading in football, going to happen?

[philcray]

As the research points increasingly to dementia being a risk of heading the ball, and the Scottish FA is talking of banning heading at a junior level, how long before it is banned in the pro game?

It will only take a relatively young and high profile player to start suffering from dementia, and his lawyers will be opening the floodgates for claims that the risk was known about but never made clear to the players. Given that most headers are from goal kicks, when the ball is moving quickly and tends to be headed by the same players time and time again, this could easily be banned without having a major effect on the game. Other headers, e.g. corners, crosses etc are relatively infrequent so could be allowed.

Just a thought, and I am a PNE season ticket holder so no great expert on football(!), but I can see this happening in the next few years.

Any thoughts?

[gooner1]

philcray said:

As the research points increasingly to dementia being a risk of heading the ball, and the Scottish FA is talking of banning heading at a junior level, how long before it is banned in the pro game?

It will only take a relatively young and high profile player to start suffering from dementia, and his lawyers will be opening the floodgates for claims that the risk was known about but never made clear to the players. Given that most headers are from goal kicks, when the ball is moving quickly and tends to be headed by the same players time and time again, this could easily be banned without having a major effect on the game. Other headers, e.g. corners, crosses etc are relatively infrequent so could be allowed.

Just a thought, and I am a PNE season ticket holder so no great expert on football(!), but I can see this happening in the next few years.

Any thoughts?

If the Scottish FA bring in the ban, I think other nations will have no option than to follow.
If only for the legal avenues that will/would surely follow.
I must admit having seen the likes of Gilzean, Law, Charlton etc, a part of me would be sad to see
this part of football ending.
Then again the phrase " heid the ball" was coined for a reason.

[Dan_1981]

Scottish FA is only looking at introducing a ban in training for under 12's.

We allow boxing to continue where people die in the ring. 'he know what he was letting himself in for'

The commercial demands will ensure that heading is not banned. (In my lifetime anyway)

[scottydoesntknow]

Seems a bit daft when boxing is still considered sport.

[PurpleTurtle]

With no scientific evidence whatsoever, my bloke-on-the-internet view is that the cases that are prominent now (Jeff Astle an often quoted example) are from the 1960s/70s era of thick leather 'caser' balls that used to get sodden with water and were like heading a house brick.

This being back in the days of blokes having a couple of pints and some tabs before running onto a pitch similar to The Somme, and only being substituted if a limb is hanging off for fear of being called a poofter by 60,000 factory workers in flat caps.

These namby pamby new age balls that a 7yo girl can curl into the top corner from 30 yards do not suffer those afflications, it's like heading a balloon, by comparison, no?

[Zetec-S]

Can't see how the SFA could implement a ban themselves (at a professional level), surely it would require approval from FIFA and standardised globally?

Otherwise every other club/nation would just keep playing high balls against Scottish opponents because they're not allowed to head the ball.

(ETA: at a professional level)

Edited by Zetec-S on Thursday 16th January 15:30

[Dan_1981]

PurpleTurtle said:

With no scientific evidence whatsoever, my bloke-on-the-internet view is that the cases that are prominent now (Jeff Astle an often quoted example) are from the 1960s/70s era of thick leather 'caser' balls that used to get sodden with water and were like heading a house brick.

This being back in the days of blokes having a couple of pints and some tabs before running onto a pitch similar to The Somme, and only being substituted if a limb is hanging off for fear of being called a poofter by 60,000 factory workers in flat caps.

These namby pamby new age balls that a 7yo girl can curl into the top corner from 30 yards do not suffer those afflications, it's like heading a balloon, by comparison, no?

This was raised on 5 live this morning and apparently not.

The new balls travel faster and harder so the impact is more or less the same.

[RDM]

Zetec-S said:

Can't see how the SFA could implement a ban themselves, surely it would require approval from FIFA and standardised globally?

Otherwise every other club/nation would just keep playing high balls against Scottish opponents because they're not allowed to head the ball.

Only if every other club/ nation was playing an under 12 training game as per the ban.

[franki68]

Dan_1981 said:

This was raised on 5 live this morning and apparently not.

The new balls travel faster and harder so the impact is more or less the same.

A ping pong ball will go faster and harder than a ten pin bowling ball but I know which one I would prefer to get hit with .

[Zetec-S]

RDM said:

Zetec-S said:

Can't see how the SFA could implement a ban themselves, surely it would require approval from FIFA and standardised globally?

Otherwise every other club/nation would just keep playing high balls against Scottish opponents because they're not allowed to head the ball.

Only if every other club/ nation was playing an under 12 training game as per the ban.

Sorry, meant to say they couldn't implement a ban at a professional level. Edited my original post now.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

scottydoesntknow said:

Seems a bit daft when boxing is still considered sport.

But children have to wear a headguard.

There is no suggestion re banning heading in adult football. Lots of sports come with dangers, and adults can make an informed decision on a risk v reward basis. But children cannot, so need to be protected.

Anyway, I though the ban on children heading the ball was only during training, which is when children mainly head the ball. Young children don't head the ball much at all during actual play.

[PurpleTurtle]

Here’s the study that the SFA are basing their proposals on, interesting reading.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/oct/21/l...

Five former professional footballers have volunteered to donate their brains to research on their death. Let’s hope Gazza isn’t one of them

(come on, that’s a tap in at the back post ....)

[Downward]

The other issue in kids football is when the ball is in the air a few kids will head but most will try and kick it. As kids are pretty subtle there is a risk of getting kicked in the head.

[Halmyre]

PurpleTurtle said:

Here’s the study that the SFA are basing their proposals on, interesting reading.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/oct/21/l...

Five former professional footballers have volunteered to donate their brains to research on their death. Let’s hope Gazza isn’t one of them

(come on, that’s a tap in at the back post ....)

I thought Gazza had donated his brain many years ago?