New FA guidance looks to reduce and remove unnecessary heading from youth football
The guidance is for clubs, coaches, and players involved in youth football across the UK, and comes following the results of research publicised in October 2019.
Following the publication of The FA and PFA joint-funded FIELD study, The FA established the independently-chaired research taskforce to guide on possible changes to coaching heading, review concussion management protocols, and advise on future research projects.
Although there was no evidence in the FIELD study to suggest that heading the ball was the cause to the link with incidence of dementia, to mitigate against any potential risks the updated heading guidance has been produced alongside UEFA’s medical committee, which is seeking to publish Europe-wide guidelines later this year.
The Irish FA and the Scottish FA will also adopt the same heading guidance, which will not make any changes to the way matches are played.
The updated guidance includes:
- Training guidance for all age groups between U6 and U18;
- No heading in training in the foundation phase (primary school children);
- Gradual approach to training heading for children in the development phase (between U12 and U16);
- Required ball sizes for training and matches for each age group;
- No changes to heading in matches, taking into consideration the limited number of headers in youth games.
FA Chief Executive, Mark Bullingham, said: "This updated guidance is an evolution of our current guidelines and will help coaches and teachers to reduce and remove repetitive and unnecessary heading from youth football.
“Our research has shown that heading is rare in youth football matches, so this guidance is a responsible development to our grassroots coaching without impacting the enjoyment that children of all ages take from playing the game."
Irish FA Chief Executive, Patrick Nelson, said: "Our football committee has reviewed and approved the new guidelines. As an association we believe this is the right direction of travel and are confident it will be good for the game, and those who play it."
Scottish FA Chief Executive, Ian Maxwell, said: "While it is important to re-emphasise there is no research to suggest that heading in younger age groups was a contributory factor in the findings of the FIELD study into professional footballers, nevertheless Scottish football has a duty of care to young people, their parents and those responsible for their wellbeing throughout youth football.
"The updated guidelines are designed to help coaches remove repetitive and unnecessary heading from youth football in the earliest years, with a phased introduction at an age group considered most appropriate by our medical experts.
“It is important to reassure that heading is rare in youth football matches, but we are clear that the guidelines should mitigate any potential risks.
"I would like to thank our colleagues at the English FA for their collaboration in this process and UEFA’s Medical Committee for their guidance."
DOWNLOAD THE NEW GUIDANCE HERE
For further information please visit:
www.TheFA.com / www.irishfa.com / www.scottishfa.co.uk
Media contacts:
- The FA - media.relations@thefa.com
- Irish FA - danny.lynch@irishfa.com
- Scottish FA - darryl.broadfoot@framecreates.co.uk
KEY QUESTIONS
No. The FA is not banning heading in football.
We have implemented guidance to reduce and remove repetitive and unnecessary heading from youth football, without impacting how the game is played.
This is an evolution of existing heading guidance for coaches that helps to mitigate any potential risk without impacting the way the game is played.
When the results of the FIELD study were published, we confirmed that we would set up a coaching group, with a focus on looking at best practice in relation to heading the ball.
We have liaised with the Irish FA, Scottish FA, UEFA and the coaching group, and we have created an updated set of heading guidance for training and coaching across age groups.
This is recommended heading guidance, which are an evolution of our previous heading guidance.
Importantly, we are not making fundamental changes to the way the game is played. This heading guidance is a precautionary and common-sense approach to take whilst further research continues into whether there are any potential risks associated with heading.
These guidelines will remain under regular review, and if new evidence comes to light, we will take the appropriate steps.
The Premier League and the EFL have been consulted throughout this process.
The guidance applies to the whole game.
Both leagues will assess how the heading guidance fits with their clubs’ training curriculum and practices.
No. When youth players reach an age where heading is more likely in matches, appropriate coaching technique will be approached.
We are taking steps to reduce and remove repetitive and unnecessary heading from youth football without impacting the way the game is played. That is the responsible thing to do.
We also don’t want to ban heading from matches as players may take risks, such as trying over-head kicks, which could be more damaging to them.
Following wide consultation and research, over the past decade The FA has phased the mixed football rule to increase from U11 to U18.
Therefore, our guidelines remain the same for both boys and girls.
We are taking steps to reduce and remove repetitive and unnecessary heading from youth football.
This heading guidance is a precautionary and common-sense approach to take whilst further research continues into whether there are any potential risks associated with heading.
The heading guidance is proportionate to the amount of heading that actually takes place for each respective age group – our research shows heading is rare for younger age groups.
They were agreed in consultation with our group of experienced coaches, UEFA, and with colleagues from The SFA and NIFA.
We may be accused of being overly cautious, but we would rather be overly cautious to mitigate potential risks in line with best practice
The heading guidance is proportionate to the amount of heading that actually takes place for each respective age group – our research shows heading is extremely rare for younger age groups.
We are not banning heading training.
We are providing heading guidance to ensure that heading training in each age group is proportionate to the amount of heading each age group does in actual games.
So, for example, in U8’s football there is almost no heading in matches, so our guidance will ensure the requirement for heading in training is appropriate for that age group.
No, we are simply evolving our existing guidance for coaches to mitigate any potential risk without impacting the way the game is played. That is the responsible thing to do.
This heading guidance is a precautionary and common-sense approach to take whilst further research continues into whether there are any potential risks associated with heading.
No. There is no evidence that there is a link between heading and dementia.
Yes. We are proud that this is a collaboration and consultation with the Irish FA and the Scottish FA.
They are also in line with UEFA’s own guidelines which will be released in due course.
No. This is an evolution of existing guidance for coaches that helps to mitigate any potential risk without impacting the way the game is played. That is the responsible thing to do.
This heading guidance is a precautionary and common-sense approach to take whilst further research continues into whether there are any potential risks associated with heading.
We have taken coaching advice, which is supported by the medical experts on our independently-chaired research taskforce, and created this updated heading guidance.
They are not based on medical evidence. This heading guidance are a precautionary, proportionate and common-sense approach to take whilst further research continues into whether there are any potential risks associated with heading.
Importantly, the FIELD study did not determine whether the cause of its findings is due to concussions suffered by the group of professional footballers, or concussion management, or heading of the football, or style of play, or the design and composition of footballs over the years, or personal lifestyle, or some other factor.
However, once the FIELD study was published, we did confirm a number of proactive steps including: to analyse possible changes to heading coaching, to review concussion management protocols, and confirm which research studies we are currently supporting.
This guidance is an evolution of those steps.
This is an evolution of existing guidance for coaches that helps to mitigate any potential risk without impacting the way the game is played.
The heading guidance is proportionate to the amount of heading that actually takes place for each respective age group – our research shows heading is extremely rare for younger age groups.
More information on the existing coaching guidance can be found here.
This guidance is not mandatory. This is heading guidance to provide advice and support to coaches at all levels of the game.
We know coaches are constantly focused on providing their players with the best possible advice. We hope they will embrace what is an evolution of existing guidance for coaches that helps to mitigate any potential risk without impacting the way the game is played. That is the responsible thing to do.
Where coaches disagree or fail to apply the guidelines, we would like to work with them to understand why they would go against guidance that has been produced and endorsed by coaches and medical experts
The Welsh FA is broadly supportive of the guidance but is currently working on their own guidelines.
Recent scientific evidence has demonstrated that neck strengthening exercises might be beneficial in heading drills.
Techniques on how to teach neck strengthening exercises will be under consideration as we continually review how best to support the game, for example it could form part of coach development programmes in the future.
However more work is required in this area before we can provide any further guidance.