Heading was banned?
I heard some welcome news that salvia tests have been introduced to detect concussion. A great development for sure.
With more and more evidence coming out though about brain injuries in footballers even those in the modern era do we think banning heading is inevitable?
How mad would it make the game? Would defenders all of a sudden be wee square shaped tank like guys?
Although it's a serious subject how funny would the first season be? I remember the passback rule and Keepers getting caught up in indecision. This would be so much worse.
With evidence suggesting that repeated heading of the ball is more dangerous than boxing if heading continued would we see footballers being asked to accept these risks and sign waivers? Would it in anyway impact a decision to get your kids into the game?
Discuss
What if? ....
posted on 7/12/21
comment by What would Stuart Pearce do? What age is middl... (U3126)
posted 9 minutes ago
comment by Call Sign: gave an 83rd minute penalty (U3627)
posted 15 minutes ago
Personally I think there is an over reaction and a lack of awareness to the here and now.
As has been said the footballs these days are not the same as what evidence points to from years gone by. I accept partially what CT has said about youth football does great things at 4's, 5's and 7's wit regards to playing football on the deck. Most players can't life it anyway - however I disagree with the 12-18 year old thing. In my experience the hoofball returns for some teams from under 13's to maybe under 15's max. These are the teams who load their teams with the biggest players and use physicality and heading to win games. By the time under 16's arrives the top teams are footballing sides with fewer headed goals. The boys and girls have learned that football out does physicality.
I watch under 16 games most weekends now and it may still happen further down the divisions but not at the top level, certainly not as much as it did when they started playing 11's.
Sadly we as a nation need time. Our national team is recovering and back to being a good footballing side, we need to let the current generation of youth move into adult football to see hoofball slowly eradicated more
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Not sure if the same in England but over here from 12 up, we play 11 aside on full size pitches/full size goals.
Most of the goalkeepers can't even reach the cross bar which lends itself to players hoofing the ball, and more physically dominant players.
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Same here though they have introduced 9's in between since my eldest went to 11's. that is why I say it takes a couple of years for the footballing sides to come out on top and by under 16 it is back to being football.
posted on 7/12/21
Keep this trajectory going and it will be only a matter of time till we start looking at banning tackling.
posted on 7/12/21
comment by whodunnit (U22710)
posted 10 seconds ago
Keep this trajectory going and it will be only a matter of time till we start looking at banning tackling.
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Well that escalated quickly. Only 6 more comments until Godwin's Law kicks in
posted on 7/12/21
comment by Call Sign: gave an 83rd minute penalty (U3627)
posted 2 minutes ago
comment by whodunnit (U22710)
posted 10 seconds ago
Keep this trajectory going and it will be only a matter of time till we start looking at banning tackling.
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Well that escalated quickly. Only 6 more comments until Godwin's Law kicks in
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P.C. gone mad.
And that Godwin's Law sounds a bit natsee.
posted on 7/12/21
Unfortunately a lot of Defenders already believe that tackling has been banned
posted on 7/12/21
I am 78 now and I remember big leather wet heavy balls and the headache after heading one of them. At least I think I remember it
posted on 7/12/21
comment by angelx (U11102)
posted 2 minutes ago
I am 78 now and I remember big leather wet heavy balls and the headache after heading one of them. At least I think I remember it
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Laces.
posted on 7/12/21
I'm all for it. Encourage more technical play by keeping the ball on the ground and it'll lead to a more attractive game overall. Doesn't mean you need to take the physicality out of the game, we can still have a good shoulder to shoulder challenge. If we really must keep heading in the game, restrict it to headers in the box only.
posted on 7/12/21
I do like a header in the box
posted on 7/12/21
comment by What would Stuart Pearce do? What age is middl... (U3126)
posted 3 hours, 9 minutes ago
comment by super phoenix rangers - comments on this forum are not mine but a fictionalised version loosely based on someone similar to me (U14864)
posted 52 minutes ago
comment by Silver (U6112)
posted 40 minutes ago
comment by Zico 🏴 (U21900)
posted 3 minutes ago
Heading the ball was bad for you back when a wet leather football weighed about a stone.
I think modern footballs are light enough now the damage would be minimal.
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No it’s still reckoned to be an issue based on the cumulative impacts being sufficient to potentially cause the same injury.
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Yeah they still weigh 0.5kg when you add the speed the ball is traveling from say a set piece (up to 80mph) then that's still significant.
Some players that could be happening a few times a game, in training every week.
For me it's about informed consent. Need to make sure players know the risk (obviously much research still needs done) and maybe remove it from everything up to u-16. As people have said it would improve passing and technique.
People get into boxing knowing the risks so should be same with football. However I doubt the average person would realise a brain injury could be as likely from a football career as a boxing one.
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Studies on CTE have been ongoing for decades, so this is not a new phenomena.
Research has found it is the repetitiveness (of heading the football) that causes brain damage, not so much the weight of football.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chronic-traumatic-encephalopathy/
The NFL has had to pay out millions of dollars in compensation after CTE claims, and regardless of restrictions (on heading) or not, the football authorities need to protect themselves, as can see this being a big problem in the years to come.
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Yeah the cumulative effect is what I was getting at. Boxers have months between fights to heal and recover. Footballers Don't get that so it just keeps adding up