In a move that has been talked about for some time, the FA this week announced a trial that could see the end of deliberate heading by under-12s.
The FA have been given permission by football’s law-making body to remove heading from selected grassroots competitions in the forthcoming season, with a view to a game-wide ban from this time next year if the trial is a success.
It follows on from guidance in 2020, which advised coaches against under-11s practising headers in training before a phased and gradual entry to heading a ball from under-12s to under-16s.
Leagues and competitions across the country have been invited to take part in the trial, which will be coordinated with the County FA network, leagues, clubs and schools.
So, what does this mean for your grassroots team?
First of all, the FA are not looking to ban headers in youth football outright. Instead, they are looking to implement guidance to reduce and remove repetitive and unnecessary heading from the game without impacting how the game is played.
The move comes after extensive research from the FA, along with other FAs and UEFA, to focus on best practices when it comes to teaching how to head a ball without risk.
Essentially, this is just an extension of the previous guidance on how to train children to head the ball - if they are not heading the ball in training, then why should they be expected to head the ball safely in matches?
With plenty of research ongoing into how heading can impact the brain following a number of former professionals sadly being diagnosed with dementia and other brain diseases, the FA’s aim has been to eliminate any potential injuries that can be caused by heading.
That’s not necessarily just through just connecting with a ball by using your head, either, but through other areas of contact like head-to-head, elbow-to-head or head-to-ground.
With children’s brains still developing, surely it makes sense to take a cautious approach to making them use their heads in football?
After all, we get hundreds - if not thousands - of football matches in our lives, but only one brain, so we should surely make the most of it.
The above was taken from Kick N Mix, our newsletter dedicated to grassroots football. Fill out the form above to sign up.
