No heading day before or after games, advises SFA

The Scottish Football Association believes now was the right time to act after telling clubs that players should not head the ball in the days immediately prior to and after games.

The governing body has issued new training guidelines to all clubs, professional and amateur, following further research into concussion and the impact of heading on the brain.

The principle recommendation is that no heading drills should take place in training sessions on what the game refers to as MD-1 andmd+1–namelythedays before and after matches.

Clubs should also limit training exercises involving repeated heading to once per week and heading activity should be monitored to ensure it is reduced overall.

The SFA previously introduced guidelines limiting heading in children's and youth football in 2020 after Glasgow University research indicated that footballers faced increased risk of ne ur ode generative disease.

The latest measures come after further studies conducted with the Hampden Sports Clinic. They do not constitute an outright ban but are effective immediatelyand, after consulting with 50 clubs in the process of its work, the SFA expects them to be strongly supported.

Dr john ma clean, the sf a

chief medical consultant said:"surveys of players and coaches have been been supportive and (there is) a great willingness to change training programmes.

"That's part of why we've come up with the three key points of the guidelines.

"It's trying to get us all to work together in the game to try and reduce the incidences of dementia in the future. If we waited for another 40 years to the next lot of science, then we would have missed the boat."

The latest study has used data and insights from across the men's and women's adult games. A survey also indicated 70 per cent of managers and coaches and 64 per cent of players supported further guidelines being introduced.

Dr Maclean added: "Heading is part of football and, at least for the near future, will continue. "Our drive through training is to reduce unnecessary heading. What happens regarding banning and matches is for others to decide."