NR conversation: Is the kids’ football heading ban here to stay?
At the start of the 2022/23 football season, the English Football Association announced a trial ban for heading the ball for all levels involving children under the age of 12.
The ban is being trialled in order to protect the developing brains of participating children.
Should the ban be deemed a success, the FA will “remove deliberate heading from all football matches at U12 level and below from the 2023/24 season.”
But, is the trial being a success so far?
Difficulties, Differences & Development
NR Times speaks with two coaches of children’s football, Steve Jeffreys and Daniel Moore, both coaches of under 8’s teams.
NR: Do you think the ban has made a positive effect on the game?
SJ: “It’s positive in that it’s the right thing to do but it’s incredibly difficult to embed as players see their role models heading day in, day out in professional football so it’s hard to effect change while this goes on.”
DM: “I am not sure the effect of the ban are obvious at u8s as there is very little heading anyway, but I do think it will encourage teams to play a more technical game, rather than relying on a long clearance or a hopeful cross into the box. We have already noticed more teams trying to take a short corner.”
Has the ban made a noticeable difference in gameplay?
SJ: “It has in so far as you notice player hesitancy when they have to give themselves extra space to receive the ball as opposed to head it! You can see it currently goes against instinct and certainly when defending gives more opportunities for attackers to press higher and run in behind given the hesitancy.”
DM: “Aside from short corners mentioned in the previous answer, the biggest impact on gameplay has been with throw-ins. I do think this is an area that needs further thought as players are having to move out of the way of the ball when a throw-in arrives at them in the air.
“This has resulted in some teams taking advantage of this to score when previously a defender would have comfortably cleared the ball. I know Arsene Wenger has suggested that throw-ins should become a kick in and we did play one team who had already decided to roll the ball onto the pitch, which is a more sporting solution.”
Do you agree with the ban?
SJ: “I agree with it because it has been called early and before the decision has been forced – which feels the right way round to do it.”
DM: “Although I don’t think it is universally popular I do agree with the ban, especially amongst young children who may not go on to have a career in football. Repeated heading of a football is going to have a negative impact on their developing brains.
“I believe football will adjust and become a more technical game. If heading had never been allowed, in the same way that using your hand is not allowed, we wouldn’t think anything of it. Football needs to take the impact of head trauma seriously.”
Has it been easy to enforce the ban?
SJ: “No! Even young children have developed with heading so it’s a constant reminder to all players (and sometimes coaches!)”
DM: “It has been relatively easy to enforce the ban. The players have quickly adapted and referees have responded to any headers in the right way, issuing warnings and not being over officious.
“There was a concern when the FA issued the rules as they indicated that repeated heading or a header to prevent a goal should result in a red card, but thankfully the league we are involved with have taken a much softer stance.”
“A complete ban on heading the ball for under-12s across the sport would be a watershed moment for English football.”
NR Times speaks to CEO of Child Brain Injury Trust, Lisa Turan and interim chief executive of Headway, Luke Griggs, on the importance this ban has towards the development of children’s brains.
Turan highlights the importance of prevention of brain injuries, she says:
“As someone who has worked solely with families affected by acquired brain injury for the past 20 years, I have seen at first hand the devastating impact that brain injury has on family life , so anything we can do to influence the prevention of such injuries, then I am not only happy to do so, but I am also passionately committed to.”
Meanwhile, the Headway chief executive says the ban was a welcomed precaution: “We welcomed the move to ban heading in children under 12 as a sensible precaution when it was first announced back in 2020.”
Turan highlights their wishes for the ban to be made permanent after its trial phase: “As a charity, the Child Brain Injury Trust supported the trial ban of deliberate heading in football matches across U12 with a hope that it would be made permanent across the game.
“This falls in line with current heading guidance for training, which already recommend that heading is eliminated or restricted at this level.”
Griggs says that other sports should take inspiration from this ban and look to how they can limit head impacts: “Given the increasing body of evidence linking repeated blows to the head with neurological degenerative diseases in later life, we believe that all sports should be looking at how they can limit head impacts.”
Turan follows up on the point of repeated head blows, saying: “Ultimately, we don’t know how many knocks to the head it takes before a brain injury is sustained.
“Research does tell us that sustained knocks to the head can have a neurological impact, with adult football players three and a half times more likely to die from dementia or other neurodegenerative diseases.
“Therefore, early prevention to protect the brain and to create positive habit- forming behaviour in a child’s formative years, may reduce the chances of such instances.”
Griggs says the ban should be seen as a positive development from a sport that has been traditionally reluctant to change: “Football has traditionally been fearful of change, but this should be seen as a positive development that will not only protect children from neurological harm, but also safeguard the future of the sport.”
Turan expresses that if the ban was made permanent it would be a huge step in moving forward for English football: “A complete ban on heading the ball for under-12s across the sport would be a watershed moment for English football that we hope would be seen as a safety measure and should be followed by all football governing bodies.”
Griggs shares his appreciation of the ban, as his children play football and he also officiates games at under 9’s level, he says: “From my perspective as a parent of young children who play football and someone who referees games at the under nine level, it is hard to see any negative impact from removing heading from the game at this level.
“At the same time, it has given parents reassurance and encouraged greater participation.”
Further research into the ban and a review of heading the ball is something the CEO of Child Brain Injury Trust would welcome, she says: “I would welcome further research into this and a review of ‘heading the ball’ at any age so that we can protect the developing brain from sustained and prolonged insult or injury.”
“I’d be protecting my head rather than protecting my shins.”
Asked about the ban, Dr Emer MacSweeney, CEO and consultant neuroradiologist at Re:Cognition Health, says: “Between the ages of eight and 11 is a really critical phase of brain development.
“Children do need to have their brains protected as much as possible, and whether it’s heading or anything else, anything that is going to decrease the amount of direct head injury and rotational force of the brain to be honest at any time, particularly during that period of time, is very, very important.”
On further ways of protecting the brain, MacSweeney suggests there should be more CE certified protective equipment available: “If there is out there, something that is a CE marked head protection piece of equipment, then to be honest I’d be protecting my head rather than protecting my shins.”
Next steps
If The FA deem that the trial to have been a success, it will apply to the International Football Association Board to have the ban put in place on a permanent basis. It is yet to be mentioned if the ban has the potential to be trialled in older age groups.
