Should heading simply be scrapped in football?

[He's here!]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57996593

With younger kids across the UK prohibited from heading the ball in training, older kids limited to a certain number of headers and now English pros having restrictions placed on the number of headers in training is it time to assess whether football needs to be restructured so that heading the ball is no longer part of the game? The medical concerns seem to point in that direction.

[AugustaHibs]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57996593

With younger kids across the UK prohibited from heading the ball in training, older kids limited to a certain number of headers and now English pros having restrictions placed on the number of headers in training is it time to assess whether football needs to be restructured so that heading the ball is no longer part of the game? The medical concerns seem to point in that direction.

Game would be dead if you just outlawed heading.

[Since90+2]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57996593

With younger kids across the UK prohibited from heading the ball in training, older kids limited to a certain number of headers and now English pros having restrictions placed on the number of headers in training is it time to assess whether football needs to be restructured so that heading the ball is no longer part of the game? The medical concerns seem to point in that direction.

No.

[JeMeSouviens]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Game would be dead if you just outlawed heading.

It would be very different and who doesn't love a SDG style bullet header? But in the end, it might actually produce a better game. Aerially dominated football is mostly pish.

[BegbieHSC]

Our most famous, and emotive goal ever came from an absolute stoater of a header, so nah.

[scoopyboy]

Would kill the game for me.

Headed goals would be a thing of the past and so would headed clearances off the line, a striker would just have to chip the ball and the defender on the line would just have to let it float in or handle it.

Not for me

[wookie70]

Sport is dangerous. Downhill skiing, Motor Racing, Boxing etc. It is part of the draw knowing that athletes and sports people are putting everything they have on the line.

Football is far less physical now than it was in the past and if heading is removed it will lose yet another physical element. Barring Hibs football isn't that interesting to me, there are very few big tackles and a third of the time the ball isn't even in play. High Balls and heading are another skill as far as I am concerned and that leads to diversity of styles of play which can mean smaller teams can upset those with the money. That is a good thing imo.

[Brightside]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57996593

With younger kids across the UK prohibited from heading the ball in training, older kids limited to a certain number of headers and now English pros having restrictions placed on the number of headers in training is it time to assess whether football needs to be restructured so that heading the ball is no longer part of the game? The medical concerns seem to point in that direction.

No. But we do need to coach young players how to head properly. Too many at 14 etc that are going to hurt themselves due to not being coached how to head a ball.

[007]

Don't know if there have been any studies but are the balls these days not so likely to cause as bad an impact? Plus keepers pass it to a defender more as opposed to a big kick upfield straight onto a centre back's head, which must be the worst ones.

[Bishop Hibee]

No.

[Since452]

Can see it happening eventually. Can't ignore medical evidence. Either that or headgear being worn or a change in the way footballs are made. Don't think it'll change any time soon though.

[Haymaker]

It's banned until U12 here in the states. I use foam balls to demonstrate technique in practice and get my kids to play on the floor anyway. Works fine if you've got a good coach.

[Greenbeard]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Never thought about that, the ball has changed a lot so might be a something that has to be factored in to any assessment.

Not seen research to back it up but I'd guess that the more serious damage comes from clashes of heads during aerial challenges rather than just heading today's relatively light ball. Ban heading and the do-gooders would say you greatly reduce the risk from aerial head clashes.
While we're at it, can we prohibit tackling in rugby, have the fences in horse racing 6 inches high and have a 50mph speed limit in Formula 1?

[Brightside]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

It's banned until U12 here in the states. I use foam balls to demonstrate technique in practice and get my kids to play on the floor anyway. Works fine if you've got a good coach.

Is it banned in actual games? The same advice is in place for u12s here but not in games.

[basehibby]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Sport is dangerous. Downhill skiing, Motor Racing, Boxing etc. It is part of the draw knowing that athletes and sports people are putting everything they have on the line.

Football is far less physical now than it was in the past and if heading is removed it will lose yet another physical element. Barring Hibs football isn't that interesting to me, there are very few big tackles and a third of the time the ball isn't even in play. High Balls and heading are another skill as far as I am concerned and that leads to diversity of styles of play which can mean smaller teams can upset those with the money. That is a good thing imo.

Agree with this. There seems to be an ironically UN-healthy obsession in modern society with removing all risk from everything. Living entails risk. Death is part of life.

[Viva_Palmeiras]

Was speaking to a guy who’s son plays for one of the youth Premiership Team academies down South he reckons his son will be let go because he’s suffered concussions and had to play with some head protection best part of a year.

if you’re losing talent to the game through no fault of their own - and through health thats a tough one to take. I’d imagine there’s more to it than this but that was how he presented it.

[Stanton Spence]

Simply NO

Sent from my G3121 using Tapatalk

[Haymaker]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Is it banned in actual games? The same advice is in place for u12s here but not in games.

Yep. Indirect free-kick given for a deliberate header

[Northernhibee]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Not seen research to back it up but I'd guess that the more serious damage comes from clashes of heads during aerial challenges rather than just heading today's relatively light ball. Ban heading and the do-gooders would say you greatly reduce the risk from aerial head clashes.
While we're at it, can we prohibit tackling in rugby, have the fences in horse racing 6 inches high and have a 50mph speed limit in Formula 1?

In Formula One we had a debate on whether the Halo safety system was a good idea a few years back. Some didn’t like the aesthetic effect it had on the car.

Since then it’s almost certainly saved the life of Roman Grosjean and probably helped avoided serious injury to other drivers.

Just because sport is dangerous it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t have a sensible debate on how to make it less so, and it may not harm the enjoyment of the game either.

[Brightside]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Yep. Indirect free-kick given for a deliberate header

Do they still have corners?

[He's here!]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

It's banned until U12 here in the states. I use foam balls to demonstrate technique in practice and get my kids to play on the floor anyway. Works fine if you've got a good coach.

I guess with under-12s heading's never been as a big a part of the game as it is for older age groups, but do you notice a a big difference in the game (for better or worse) without it?

[He's here!]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Agree with this. There seems to be an ironically UN-healthy obsession in modern society with removing all risk from everything. Living entails risk. Death is part of life.

The risk of falling off a horse or crashing a car is different to the risk involved in heading a football tho. These are accidents which occur in dangerous sports. Dementia as a result of heading a football is now a proven medical issue and should arguably lead to that part of the game being changed.

[Scouse Hibee]

No not for me, the ball is so much lighter these days anyway.

[WhileTheChief..]

Should really stops kids playing outdoors.

They could fall and scrape a knee or something.

[Haymaker]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Do they still have corners?

Yep. My teams usually play short

[Haymaker]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

I guess with under-12s heading's never been as a big a part of the game as it is for older age groups, but do you notice a a big difference in the game (for better or worse) without it?

To a point yes. My High School aged teams could solve a lot of their problems by heading away a long ball sometimes but will try to deal with it other ways

[500miles]

I think the ball is much lighter know, so that should make a difference.

If you took heading out of the game, you'd have to move the game in a futsal type direction.

[Pagan Hibernia]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Our most famous, and emotive goal ever came from an absolute stoater of a header, so nah.

not to mention stokes equaliser in the same game, one of the five in 2007, two of the seven in ‘73, and O’Rourke’s bullet against Celtic in the Final a few weeks earlier.

Hibs without headers? Not for me.

[Northernhibee]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

not to mention stokes equaliser in the same game, one of the five in 2007, two of the seven in ‘73, and O’Rourke’s bullet against Celtic in the Final a few weeks earlier.

Hibs without headers? Not for me.

Nobody is looking to rewrite the past though.

[cameronw-hfc]

I've got a different take on this. I don't think it should be outlawed, however being an avid MMA and Boxing fan, I've seen a lot more of the scary affects of CTE and 100% it needs to be tailor to. It's an awful, awful way for anyone to go out/grow old with, and it's something they're noticing in footballers also. Imo we need to take precautions on this, as currently as can only test for CTE AFTER a death, which means management of the issue is about the only way they can work around it. Ban it under certain age groups, and they need to tighten down on the head knocks. If someone needs ANY treatment for a head knock, get them off, let them recover.