More and more European countries are banning the game of headers in training among young footballers. A few months ago, a study showed that football players have a higher risk of dying from a degenerative disease.
Three football federations took the same decision on Monday, February 24: to ban under-12s from playing with a header during training. These are the English (FA), Scottish (SFA) and Irish (FAI) federations, which specify that for players between the ages of 12 and 16, heading will be introduced into training gradually. On the other hand, concerning the matches, no measure has been taken. UEFA, the body that manages football on a European scale, must issue rules on this subject in the coming weeks. Rules that France should follow.
Players exposed to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease
These positions follow a study published last autumn by the University of Glasgow (United Kingdom). Work carried out on former Scottish footballers revealed that they were 3.5 times more at risk of dying from a neurodegenerative disease than the average. Additionally, the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease would be five times more important in a former football player and twice as much for the Parkinson disease.
No direct link established with heading game
“Naturally, there were calls to ban heading play after the study was published. It’s perfectly understandableLes Howie, head of grassroots football for the FA, commented in a statement. We must keep in mind that the study did not show that the heads had a link with neurodegenerative diseases (…) and there was no evidence to suggest that heading should be banned at all levels of competition.”
The size of the balloons changed
In general, young football players don’t make headers very often. However, to limit all risks, the size of the balls will be modified next season by the English, Scottish and Irish federations. Thus, size 3 balls (diameter of 57 to 60 cm) will be used for children up to less than 10 years old while usually at 7 years old we go to size 4 balls (62 to 66 cm in diameter ). Finally, these balloons must be inflated to the minimum allowed by the regulations.
