Watson dementia ruling paves way for benefit claims

Dave Watson, the former England captain, has won a landmark ruling to have the brain injuries he suffered during his playing career classified as “industrial accidents”, paving the way for footballers with dementia to receive benefits.

With assistance from the Professional Footballers’ Association, Watson’s wife, Penny, compiled evidence of 10 serious head injuries suffered by her husband between December 1971 and April 1983 which she believes contributed to his early-onset dementia.

Watson’s consultant believes he is likely to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy – a type of dementia associated with head impacts – and Penny believes that the condition was caused by head impacts and his repeated heading of the ball. Watson, 75, won 65 England caps and was a centre-back for clubs including Manchester City, Sunderland, Southampton and Stoke City.

Research by the University of Glasgow found that former centrebacks were five times more likely than the wider population to develop dementia and that footballers in general were 3½ times more likely to die of dementia. A disease usually needs to be twice as prevalent in an industry in order to be accepted as an industrial illness.

A coroner ruled in 2002 that Jeff Astle, the former England striker, had died of industrial disease as a result of repeated heading and this further recognition of the link paves the way for statutory help.

There is a separate, wider claim to have dementia in football recognised as an industrial disease but the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council has decided to group its football inquiry with boxing, rugby and horse racing. Families of former players now fear that a ruling will take years to decide.

Watson will now be medically assessed to determine the extent of his disability benefit, which is paid on a sliding scale from £36.58 a week up to a maximum of £182.90 per week.

Penny Watson said: “We hope it will set a precedent. It is about recognition of the situation and fighting for those who desperately need help financially.”