Ahead of the game: SFA to be applauded for blazing trail with new heading rules
Ground- breaking initiative is step in the right direction by MacLean and Co in battling neurological disease
SCOTLAND’S absence from the Qatar 2022 finals this month has underlined that this country has some way to go to catch up with the leading football nations despite the strides forward which have been made under Steve Clarke in recent seasons.
But when it comes to taking proactive measures to safeguard against the proven long- term damage which is caused by heading the ball, we are leaving the rest of the world trailing in our wake.
The SFA banned primary school age children from heading in training sessions and limited the number of times kids aged between 12 and 17 could practice heading along with their English and Northern Irish counterparts back in 2020.
And yesterday they went further still when they announced new guidelines, brought in following extensive consultation with the representatives of no fewer than 50 professional men’s and women’s teams, which curtails heading in the adult game.
The moves comes after the results of a Glasgow University study ( FIELD), which showed that former footballers were three- and- a- half times more likely to die of neurodegenerative disease than age- matched members of the general population, were made public last year.
Many famous Scottish footballers, including Lisbon Lions Stevie Chalmers and Billy McNeill, Rangers greats Jimmy Millar and Davie Wilson and former Dundee United stalwart Frank Kopel, have passed away in recent years following battles with dementia.
Under the ground- breaking new SFA rules, training exercises which involve repeated heading will be limited to once a week and will not take place in sessions the day before or after a game. In addition, clubs have been advised to both plan and monitor heading activity in training to reduce the overall burden on players.
Some supporters expressed reservations about the move yesterday and questioned whether it will have a detrimental impact on the technical ability of Scottish footballers in the years to come.
However, a survey led by Dr John
MacLean, SFA chief medical consultant, and Dr Katy Stewart, the head of research and education at the Hampden Sport Clinic, found that 70 per cent of coaches and managers and 64 per cent of players were in favour of limiting heading in training.
Dr McLean stressed yesterday that professional players at leading clubs like Aberdeen, Celtic, Dundee United, Hearts and Hibernian will by no means be prevented from heading in training or in games.
“Heading is part of football and for at least the near future that will continue,” he said. “Our drive really in training is to reduce unnecessary heading. We are not saying coaches can’t do heading drills, we are not saying they can’t do them when they are practising set pieces, we are looking to reduce unnecessary heading.
“So limited to heading that is part of that coaching process, part of what the coach wants to get over. We have asked in the guidelines for heading practice not to be in match day minus one and match day plus one so that we can reduce the amount of heading that will take place in that 48- hour period around the match.”
The development was certainly widely welcomed by those who have campaigned for more to be done to protect the future wellbeing of footballers and sports men and women in general.
Luke Griggs, the interim chief executive at brain injury charity Headway, applauded the new SFA guidelines.
“Football has traditionally been fearful of change, so this willingness to evolve protocols and adapt to emerging research is a welcome development,” he said. “The link between repetitive head impacts and degenerative neurological conditions is now too well established for football to ignore.
“We look forward to learning more about how the impact of this proactive initiative will be monitored as part of the sport’s efforts to safeguard the short and
long- term brain health of players.”
A statement from the Drake Foundation, a not- for- profit organisation which has funded a number of pioneering studies since 2018 and which has worked closely with Dr Willie Stewart of Glasgow University examining brain injuries in sport, also applauded
“The decision by Scottish football to ban heading in training the day before and the day after a game is a positive step forward to reduce cumulative head impacts in football in Scotland and we are pleased at the progress,” a statement read. “It is encouraging to see proactive, precautionary steps taken.”
SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell said: “The historic University of Glasgow study which found an increased risk of neurodegenerative disease in retired professional footballers compared to a matched population control group, has been a catalyst for a radical rethink of football guidance.
“That started in the youth game with the introduction of the heading guidelines children between 6 and 17 in 2020.
“The SFA said at the time that this research should shape the thinking in the adult game not just
We are not saying they can’t do them when they are practising set pieces. We are looking to reduce unnecessary heading
domestically but across the world. I am grateful to everyone in the professional game – clubs, coaches and managers, and players – for contributing to the latest research which has culminated in these new guidelines.
“It is our intention that these guidelines will be embraced and implemented with immediate effect. The publishing of today’s guidelines represents our ongoing commitment to player welfare.”
That the SFA treat the welfare of their players seriously and take no risks with head injuries was highlighted during the Nations League matches that Scotland played back in September.
Kieran Tierney, the Arsenal fullback who has been one of his country’s outstanding performers in the past few seasons, suffered a knock just before half- time in the vital Group B1 game against the Republic of Ireland at Hampden.
The defender was, with his side trailing 1- 0, desperate to continue, but he was told in no uncertain terms by the national team’s physios that he could not play on and was replaced by Celtic left- back Greg Taylor.
This is a further example of the SFA leading the way when it comes to protecting footballers and is to be applauded every bit as much as a John McGinn goal.