England try to ban 'deliberate' header at U12 level

July 19 - England will become the first country in Europe to test a ban on young children heading the ball over fears of the link to neurological diseases.

The FA has received approval from the International Football Association Board to introduce the trial.

A study published in 2019 by the University of Glasgow found that former professional footballers were 3.5 times more likely to die of dementia than the rest of the population.

The English FA has therefore followed the United States in taking steps to remove the rubric among the younger age groups.

If the trial proves successful, then the FA's stated aim is to "remove the deliberate cap from all football matches at U12 level and below from the 2023-24 season".

Children aged 11 and under no longer learn to head during training in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, while guidelines for coaches also limit the amount of head older children must do.

Last year, new guidelines advised all professional footballers in England to limit themselves to 10 'top-strength headers' per week in training.

"The FA will continue to explore other ideas, in consultation with game stakeholders, to reduce the cap in youth football without fundamentally changing the structure of the game," the FA added.

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Dr Judith Gates, chair and co-founder of Head for Change, a charitable foundation focused on brain health in sport, said the move was 'a constructive step in making their world of football safer' .

"This action illustrates the recognition by the FA and IFAB of the need to protect young players and is a tacit acceptance of the dangers of head impacts. More questions will emerge, more answers will be sought, but this important conversation is no longer avoided. There is no turning back after this crucial trial."

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