Heading The Ball 09:18 - Jan 16 with 17538 views | mingthemerciless | It's just been on the news that school children in Scotland under the age of 12 will be banned from heading the ball in training but not in actual games. Is this the start of heading the ball becoming outlawed ? What would the game look like without heading ? [Post edited 16 Jan 2020 14:46]
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Heading The Ball on 09:39 - Jan 16 with 5165 views | Rochdale_ger | What would be the point in taking corner kicks. | ![](/images/avatars/26540.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Heading The Ball on 09:42 - Jan 16 with 5153 views | EllDale | Could always pass corners backwards playing pretty football..... | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Heading The Ball on 09:55 - Jan 16 with 5113 views | fitzochris |
Heading The Ball on 09:39 - Jan 16 by Rochdale_ger | What would be the point in taking corner kicks. |
It's already come in unofficially as my lad's Sunday team has already stopped it. He's a winger with a cracking left foot and a fierce cross. He's had to completely change his game. He also plays for Motherwell, who haven't implemented this yet, so he is constantly switching styles, which is hampering him no end. At the end of the day, though, if heading the ball is damaging their little noggins, then stopping it is right. | ![](/images/avatars/1214.gif) |
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Heading The Ball on 10:12 - Jan 16 with 5081 views | jonahwhereru | 40 years ago a mate of mine who was a decent player at local level was given the nickname turtlehead because his neck would disappear into his shoulders when he tried to meet a cross. He got a lot of stick back then, but it turns out he was ahead of his time. Not sure he is a good example mind because he’s still as daft as a brush. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Heading The Ball on 10:36 - Jan 16 with 5030 views | DaleiLama |
Heading The Ball on 10:12 - Jan 16 by jonahwhereru | 40 years ago a mate of mine who was a decent player at local level was given the nickname turtlehead because his neck would disappear into his shoulders when he tried to meet a cross. He got a lot of stick back then, but it turns out he was ahead of his time. Not sure he is a good example mind because he’s still as daft as a brush. |
……….. turtle's head was always a different kind of problem for me. | ![](/images/avatars/17584.gif) |
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Heading The Ball on 10:42 - Jan 16 with 5022 views | deeplishblue | Didn't there used to be a saying...."He's a bit of an Head The Ball" similar meaning to "He's not a full shilling" ? | ![](/images/avatars/1388.gif) |
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Heading The Ball on 10:45 - Jan 16 with 5007 views | Yorkshire_Dale | There has been recent TV coverage of Steve Smith, player, captain and Manager of Huddersfield Town who has had demetia for 5 years and his family are attributing it to heading the ball. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Heading The Ball on 10:46 - Jan 16 with 5008 views | modelboydave | but if they outlaw this what next? lots of evidence eating meat causes Cancer - get it banned. Alcohol causes lier disease - get it banned. Listening to music on head phones for prolonged periods causing hearing damage - get it banned. .......its a slippery slope pop fans. | ![](/images/avatars/4528.gif) |
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Heading The Ball on 11:59 - Jan 16 with 4954 views | dingdangblue | MJ Williams has started this already. | ![](/images/avatars/2229.gif) |
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Heading The Ball on 12:23 - Jan 16 with 4921 views | SuddenLad | All this is a legacy of the death of Jeff Astle, former WBA striker, whose dementia and death was deemed by an enquiry directly attributable to many years of heading the ball in a football career. The PFA undertook to carry out research into the link between the two, but buried the results. The Astle family have long campaigned for the safety of players to be a priority and a recent documentary highlighted the problems. The PFA have a role to play and need to be more pro-active in making this a priority for young players. | ![](/images/avatars/5895.gif) |
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Heading The Ball on 12:49 - Jan 16 with 4874 views | ChaffRAFC |
Heading The Ball on 10:42 - Jan 16 by deeplishblue | Didn't there used to be a saying...."He's a bit of an Head The Ball" similar meaning to "He's not a full shilling" ? |
I still use it! | ![](/images/avatars/1119.gif) |
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Heading The Ball on 14:53 - Jan 16 with 4745 views | mingthemerciless | A few of the centre halves I played with in the old days are suffering now. One got early on-set dementia and died quite young. The other two have Parkinsons pretty bad. Ok, they all could have been afflicted any way I suppose but it does makes you think. I never much liked heading the ball to be honest but it had to be done. I've seen stars heading the old wet balls direct from the goalie kicking it out of his hands | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Heading The Ball on 15:02 - Jan 16 with 4724 views | rochdaleriddler |
Heading The Ball on 10:46 - Jan 16 by modelboydave | but if they outlaw this what next? lots of evidence eating meat causes Cancer - get it banned. Alcohol causes lier disease - get it banned. Listening to music on head phones for prolonged periods causing hearing damage - get it banned. .......its a slippery slope pop fans. |
Adults can make their own choices, and evaluate the risks. Under 12’s can’t and their bodies are still developing . We don’t allow them to smoke and drink. It’s just common sense really | ![](/images/avatars/14968.gif) |
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Heading The Ball on 15:18 - Jan 16 with 4704 views | dingdangblue | What about the millions of footballer's who head the ball but dont get dementia? | ![](/images/avatars/2229.gif) |
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Heading The Ball on 15:40 - Jan 16 with 4672 views | mingthemerciless | The stats say that former professional footballers are three times more likely to get dementia that ordinary blokes of a similar age. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Heading The Ball on 15:53 - Jan 16 with 4635 views | dingdangblue |
Heading The Ball on 15:40 - Jan 16 by mingthemerciless | The stats say that former professional footballers are three times more likely to get dementia that ordinary blokes of a similar age. |
Although... *while the study found the risk of dying from neurodegenerative disease was almost 3.5 times higher for footballers, fewer than 2% of the footballers in the study died from these health conditions. *the researchers found footballers were less likely to die from some other conditions, such as heart disease, and were less likely to die before age 70. *the study looked at footballers born before 1977, so it's not known if the same results would apply to young footballers playing now. | ![](/images/avatars/2229.gif) |
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Heading The Ball on 17:10 - Jan 16 with 4560 views | EllDale | I suppose modern balls don't do as much damage as the old water retaining ones. Still, if it prevents issues later in life maybe there's a case. No pun intended. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Heading The Ball on 17:18 - Jan 16 with 4542 views | D_Alien |
Heading The Ball on 17:10 - Jan 16 by EllDale | I suppose modern balls don't do as much damage as the old water retaining ones. Still, if it prevents issues later in life maybe there's a case. No pun intended. |
There won't be that many who'll know what a "casey" is! | ![](/images/avatars/1219.gif) |
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Heading The Ball on 17:23 - Jan 16 with 4537 views | nordenblue |
Heading The Ball on 17:18 - Jan 16 by D_Alien | There won't be that many who'll know what a "casey" is! |
Weren't they pigs bladder back then,....."during the war" | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Heading The Ball on 17:33 - Jan 16 with 4507 views | D_Alien |
Heading The Ball on 17:23 - Jan 16 by nordenblue | Weren't they pigs bladder back then,....."during the war" |
Aye, but the pigs didn't mind! Remember doing up the laces on one i got as a birthday present back in 1894 | ![](/images/avatars/1219.gif) |
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Heading The Ball on 17:48 - Jan 16 with 4480 views | TomRAFC | I think the research is a fantastic thing and any strong research needs to listened to. A lot of sports come with associated risks, some of them very serious. It's only right that people who opt to play are as fully informed as possible as to what those risks may be. That doesn't necessarily mean the rules for the sport at a professional level should change. Depending on what the evidence says there could be sense in heading being less prominent in the youth game/practised but with low density balls. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) |
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Heading The Ball on 18:30 - Jan 16 with 4440 views | Shun |
Heading The Ball on 10:46 - Jan 16 by modelboydave | but if they outlaw this what next? lots of evidence eating meat causes Cancer - get it banned. Alcohol causes lier disease - get it banned. Listening to music on head phones for prolonged periods causing hearing damage - get it banned. .......its a slippery slope pop fans. |
One of those things already is banned for children! And the other two already come with warnings. I’m surprised it’s taken so long, tbh. The research is clear but even still it doesn’t take a genius to work out that something travelling at high velocity and colliding with your head repeatedly over a 15-year career isn’t going to do you much good. I can’t see it ever being banned from the professional game because it’s so inbuilt, but as TomRAFC says, it’s right that the research has been done and players are made aware of it. Banning it for children, who lack the capacity to fully understand the future ramifications of heading a ball, is absolutely the right decision. Not to mention their crania aren’t as tough! [Post edited 16 Jan 2020 18:33]
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Heading The Ball on 19:47 - Jan 16 with 4375 views | kiwidale |
Heading The Ball on 10:46 - Jan 16 by modelboydave | but if they outlaw this what next? lots of evidence eating meat causes Cancer - get it banned. Alcohol causes lier disease - get it banned. Listening to music on head phones for prolonged periods causing hearing damage - get it banned. .......its a slippery slope pop fans. |
Not to mention mrs Palmer makes you blind then it falls off... good luck with banning that. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) |
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Heading The Ball on 02:24 - Jan 17 with 4273 views | DiddyDave | What next? As has been mentioned,modern day footballs are light years away from the old caseys that Arthur Daley and myself played with for Heybrook Junior School in the late fifties. Ming knows about them,heading was indeed not very nice particularly if you headed the lace part,but really,the 2020 footballs are bloody plastic coated. The wowsers and so called "health experts" win again by the look of it. They`ll be banning players from playing in boots soon,furry slippers only please. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
Heading The Ball on 02:46 - Jan 17 with 4258 views | frenzied | How about footy players wearing boxing type head guards? | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
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