New Heading Guidance

Max 10 high force headers per week in training. Means practicing set pieces will be limited now. Big change.

 

I'm epileptic and I always duck out of the way of headers now. When I started with a new group and a few didn't know they were going wild

 

I can honestly see that the art of heading will gradually phase out. Not saying it will be banned. But players will start to do it less and less to the point where good headers will become fewer and farther between. Also an unwritten rule where players will let the ball bounce from a keepers goal kick. Or maybe goal kicks might be banned. Maybe they will have to just pass the ball short in future? In order to limit the number of times a player heads a ball?

 

The balls in todays game are far lighter than they used to be, surely thats got to have been taken into consideration. The games becoming more and more sterile, tackling will be limited before long.

 

Professional footballers in England are to be limited to 10 "higher force headers" a week in training under new guidelines for the upcoming season.

It comes after recent "multiple studies" were conducted into concerns about the long-term dangers of heading.

In 2019, a study found professional footballers were more likely to suffer from neurodegenerative brain disease.

Guidance for amateurs is "10 headers per session and only one session a week where heading practice is included".

It comes after an MPs' inquiry earlier in July said that sport has been allowed to "mark its own homework" on reducing the risks of brain injury.

"The preliminary studies identified the varying forces involved in heading a football, which were provided to a cross-football working group to help shape the guidance," said a joint statement on behalf of the Football Association, Premier League, English Football League, Professional Footballers' Association and League Managers Association.

"Based on those early findings, which showed the majority of headers involve low forces, the initial focus of the guidance [for professional football] will be on headers that involve higher forces.

"These are typically headers following a long pass (more than 35m) or from crosses, corners and free-kicks.

"It will be recommended that a maximum of 10 higher force headers are carried out in any training week.

"This recommendation is provided to protect player welfare and will be reviewed regularly as further research is undertaken to understand more regarding the impact of heading in football."

Research into football and head trauma has shown professional footballers are three and a half times more likely to die from dementia than people of the same age range in the general population.

The Premier League introduced a trial of additional permanent concussion substitutions in February, while the FA introduced head injury substitutes into the FA Cup in February.

Children aged 11 and are no longer taught to head footballs during training in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, while FA guidelines for coaches also puts limits on how much heading older children should do.

The new guidance for amateur football is for clubs "up to and including step five of the National League system and tier three and below of the women's football pyramid, and is specifically tailored for this level of the game".

"Our heading guidance now reaches across all players, at all levels of the game," said FA chief executive Mark Bullingham.

"We are committed to further medical research to gain an understanding of any risks within football. In the meantime, this reduces a potential risk factor.

"It is important to remember that the overwhelming medical evidence is that football and other sports have positive impacts on both mental and physical health."

Heading in football: Professional players in England limited to 10 'higher force headers' a week in training - BBC Sport

 

How is this enforceable? Seems odd. You train as normal, hit ten and then start playing dead defending corners?

 

My son just got himself a premier league football. It s like heading a”fly-away” (pennyfloater as they’re seemingly called now)!!

 

Think this is a decent move myself. Academies like Bournemouth limited heading ages ago. For years evidence has suggested it can lead to problems but noone wanted to admit it. At least this does that.

As for the new balls being better sure they are. Personally though I have dealt with 2 concussions last season alone from heading in matches at u16 level. One wasnt even my player but I recognised the signs straight away. Plenty of evidence that multiple concussions can be dangerous. Individual comcussions are dangerous too if not spotted.

I reckon we will see heading virtually non existant in 10 years. We havent really coached it at youth levels for a couple of years and this will speed things up. The teams at the top end rely less on it offensively already. It will filter down.

 

That’s my point, it’s an awful shame what’s happened to some of the old pros but it’s a different game these days, boots, shin pads, balls are all far lighter. The balls they use in today’s games are nothing like the ones back in the 50s, 60s, 70s. It was also perfectly acceptable for the keeper to come out and smash anyone who dared to get in his way.

 

That'll work to our advantage.....

 

Great point. Wonder how many time Jeff Astle took a crack from a keeper? Not that I’m under estimating the head juries he suffered, just that it all seems to have been down to heading. I watched some early games wher keepers were hitting heads with fists, knees, feet. Probably happened a lot

 

Must be in those new vests. There’ll be a “headed the ball” sensor next to the go’s. Once it counts to 10, you’re banned if you head any more…

 

What does a centre back do after ten? Let attackers score? Not bother leaving the changing room?

 

Wyke was doing this 10 years ago. Trail blazer.

 

Perhaps wearing protective head gear would help alleviate the damage. Not helmets like in American football, something like you see some rugby players wearing.

 

Remember Ji-Dong-Won ducking out of the way of the ball? Six inches from the opposition's goal line.

I foamed at the mouth at the time but he must have been blazing that trail.

 

Coaches will adapt training sessions to minimise it. We are talking about training only and then long balls or corners / free kicks. The only downside I see is not being able to spend loads of time on free kicks and corners, either defending or attacking. With a bit of luck we might see some different variety on these as a result.

 

I think this is something being looked at mate. Could see it working myself. Be like an old fashioned head band design. Another way to earn sponsorship money too.

 

Not sure about that mate. Might be a very small part perhaps. Heading was a much bigger part of the game back in the day and they would practice it massively. Even Shearer, in his documentary reckons he would often head the ball 100 times in training. If we think about that for a minute it is madness isnt it? I dont think many clubs train in that way now, it is just a smaller part of the game. I agree the balls were different and often full of water but there remains doubts about even the current ones. Banging your head against anything loads of times is probably not the most sensible thing.

By the way I type this sat outside my sons boxing gym where he trains three times a week! I am not one for removing all risk from life but it seems like risks can be minimised in football to me.

 

Be interesting to see as a percentage how many ex players have been affected ( proven ) over the years.
There’s a risk in almost every sport of hurting yourself or causing long term damage, we all know the risks prior to playing.
I couldn’t watch a watered down version with next to no heading of the ball, it’s an art in itself, watching centre forwards and centre half’s In aerial battle is part of the game and has been for over a 100 years