The FA have recently issued guidelines that no under 12 football player should be allowed to head the ball in training. Its all based on the neuro diseases of retired players like the late Jeff Astle.
Although tragic that Astle died from a neurological disease, traumatic encephalopathy, it would be hard nevertheless to pin the blame on heading a football repeatedly in today's era. Even if we accept that was the cause of Astle's tragic death as per the coroner, the football used in his era was a completely different ball to today's balls. Nowadays they are far lighter and better shaped to undoubtedly cause less damage to the brain from heading them.
In the world we are now in where there is a huge sensitivity towards head injuries in football, most head injuries on the field of play are caused by collisions with other players, not by heading the ball. So are we to say that there should be no bodily contact, or even risk of bodily contact for fear of head injuries?
Anything in life comes with risk, and in the case of sport, all players of their chosen sports are clearly aware of such risks. Obviously there are far more dangerous sports than soccer. Boxing, rugby, cricket, motor racing to name a few. Yet I dont see other sports preventing junior players practising a very important part of their sport in training while still allowing it competitively in a match.
I would suggest that what the FA have just endorsed is not a sensible way forward either for the game or its players at ALL levels. If we are going to have heading competitively then of course it should be allowed in training.
This in my view is an over reaction to a very sad end to a few late players who had an exceptional skill in heading a football in their era. Even though we must accept their is still a risk (albeit very small) of later life illness from heading a football repeatedly, I doubt very much there is or ever has been a footballer who wouldn't have pursued the fun of playing the game just as it has always been even with the knowledge of this risk.

I can see some sense in this - back in Jeff Astle's day boys under 12 would only be playing occasional or irregular park or street football which generally, as I recall, involved relatively little heading.

Currently, you now have structured football training sessions available from about 7 years old, which means regular weekly session at least and sometimes more, with games at weekends. A child on a training scheme and playing at school or for a local club would therefore be playing far more often than in the old days.

Under 12 (and indeed up to 17/1 all bones, skull included, are still growing/developing, and although modern balls are lighter, and probably relatively softer than the old dubbin soaked leather ones, I would imaging that there is nowadays the potential for risk of long term damage from heading a ball more frequently. Add to that, as jeeagles says, the risks from aerial collisions and I can understand where the FA are coming from.

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You're being a bit dramatic. Undeniably there is a link between footballers and early death to neurological disorders, which could be due to heading the ball repeatedly. While more research is being done, they're changing the coaching of youngsters. It's a simple as that.

Your point about most head injuries on the field being caused by collisions is correct, however that is completely different to damage over time by repeatedly heading the ball in training (not matches).

From my understanding, there will still be heading coaching that may use lighter balls, and not rely on just repeatedly heading the ball.

I’d say that central defenders and central midfielders with today’s footballs are receiving more impact from high balls rather than attacking players that flick the ball on from high keeper kicks or attack lower crosses with less travelling speed, energy and impact in the ball.

We also now have a lot less kicks from the keepers’ hands. These are the worst for impact. The others aren’t even close, especially with today’s balls. However, I do wonder that some defenders think they’re facing enemy fire the way they wimp out defending a shot that affects the result, the league position, their career, the club that pays their wages. I’d like to think in squad video sessions these are replayed but I expect some teams the other players would do exactly the same. We’ve seen Luka do this. I think Tomkins May have done but not sure.

COYP

US is iffy the way they do things so it could just be because of insurance or typical misleading of information which is something they do an awful lot in the so called medical field.

Their is no science to back any of this up and never will be because they wont be allowed to conducted the required testing for the studies.

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It’s mad isn’t it to think how coaching/safety has changed... I was a centre half and played at a decent level, playing with Clinton Morrison and Jody Morris as a teenager... (obviously they went on to better things than me!!)

My training as a defender was some guy throwing the ball in the air about 30 feet and me having to header it about 50 times a session!!
Funny days!!

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