Football Association to phase out heading for younger players

LONDON: Deliberate heading will be phased out in English grassroots football matches for younger players, the Football Association (FA) announced on Friday, with new rules being introduced to help reduce the risks linked to heading the ball.

The decision was made following a successful IFAB trial, in which around 16,000 teams and 107,000 players participated over the last two seasons, to remove heading from youth football in the younger age groups.

The new rules will apply to Under 7-9 level from the 2024-25 season, U10 in 2025-26, and U11 in 2026-27, encompassing all leagues, clubs and any affiliated school football matches.

The FA said it adopted the IFAB trial to help reduce any potential risk factors linked to heading the ball, including injuries, but the new rules also had a technical purpose.

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“Our aim is to also create more technical opportunities for players with the ball at their feet, allow for more effective playing time, and to reduce the amount of time the ball is in the air during a match,” the FA said in a statement.

The rules state that deliberately heading the ball will be punishable by an indirect free kick, taken from the point where the ball was deliberately headed.

If a player deliberately heads the ball within their own penalty area, the game is stopped and restarted with an indirect free kick to the opposition from the nearest side line of the penalty area.

No disciplinary sanctions will be applied for deliberate headers in matches, except in cases of persistent offences. New touchline restart procedures will also be implemented.

Promotion of safer play and research on health risks associated with heading continues after studies commissioned by the FA found evidence suggesting that repetitive heading of balls during a professional soccer career is associated with a higher risk of cognitive impairment in later life.

Last year, the number of claimants from a group of former soccer and rugby players suffering from neurological impairments rose to 380 as they joined a class-action lawsuit against their respective governing bodies.

Last month, Manchester United defender Raphael Varane said concussions have damaged his body as he stressed the importance of creating more awareness among players around the dangers of heading.