Today, let’s start making sure dementia doesn’t curse future heroes
AFEW years back, it would be tragic and unusual to read of our former football heroes being treated for dementia. Now it seems that hardly a month goes by without another high-profile case in the headlines, prompting us to remember the great games and treasured goals of years gone by.
What began as a trickle of cases has become a flood of diagnoses and tragic deaths.
So as the months roll on and the roll of names grows, we face a choice — to honour the legacy of our national heroes with action or to let another generation of players fall victim to preventable suffering.
today, I will lead a debate calling for action on dementia caused by heading the ball in football. Incredibly, it will be the first time it has been debated in the Scottish Parliament.
Because despite some of the most well-known faces in Scottish football coming forward to warn of their private health battles, we’ve seen very little action from the SNP Government.
I hope this can be the first step to ensuring real action is taken.
But words won’t be enough to protect those currently playing or to support the generations of ex-footballers suffering now.
For them, it is injury-time. And time is running out. Repetitive heading of the ball in football, leading to diseases such as dementia, is one of the key issues confronting our game.
though it has doubtless always been an issue, research, understanding and the experience of footballers — such as Frank Kopel, Gordon Wallace, Denis Law and countless others — tells us that urgent action is required.
Research from Dr Willie Stewart at the University of Glasgow has shown professional footballers are up to five times as likely as the general population to suffer from dementia.
Behind the high-profile cases will be many more unreported, where families are struggling on, doing their best for their loved ones and our heroes. Some actively shun the attention. that is their right. So often, dementia can strip our loved ones of their dignity.
It is small wonder that families of men known for their physical skills wish to have them remembered as they were in their prime.
those who have spoken out have done so bravely. And the science is clear. these injuries are clearly a result of the time that these men spent playing the game we all love.
they have unknowingly sacrificed their health for our entertainment and it is time that we supported them properly.
While these players will tell you it was a privilege to have played in front of us — for the badge, doing a job they loved — we must recognise that these men were injured at work and deserve the support from a social security system that recognises this fact.
It is also important to remember that the generation
of heroes suffering now also played at a time before the eyewatering money in the game for some players today. Even now, most Scottish professional players make little more than a decent living in a short career. They are not made for life.
Our current generation of footballers, and the generations to come after them, also need preventative support and action.
Far more proactive research is needed to better understand the impact of the sport on dementia, so that preventative measures can be developed. When I can make it home in time from Parliament, I coach my son’s football team. He is obsessed with the game. He and his pals are in love with every part of the sport and would play every minute if they were allowed to.
That, in itself, is a worry for parents and grandparents. Is the game they love, that keeps them fit and healthy, also a risk?
While some actions — such as banning of heading balls in training for kids — have taken root in Scotland, progress has been slow on an issue that is now urgent.
And it is thanks to the work of footballers, families and campaigns like the one run by the Scottish Daily Mail, that we are in a position now to press for change.
That is why on Sunday at Tannadice, before the Dundee derby and ahead of tonight’s Parliamentary Debate, I launched the #InjuryTime campaign. The campaign is backed by Scottish Labour, The GMB Trade Union, and PFA Scotland, the players’ union.
It has three simple demands for the Scottish Government and the Scottish footballing authorities:
● Classify brain injury in football as an industrial injury.
● Fund research into the practical and preventative support that is needed within the game.
● Establish a working group to consider the issues around brain injury and dementia, including in the grassroots game.
Because without action, the beautiful game could be forever tainted by an ugly scandal.
You can tell the Scottish Government and the SFA to use their head, and sign the #InjuryTime petition at: action. labour.org.uk/injury-time