Preventing headers in the English Premier League

The Professional Footballers’ Association in England announced the launch of the world’s first comprehensive protocol to prevent chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain disease resulting from repeated blows to the head.

The association has expanded its focus to include the effects of “heading” and not just severe concussions.

The new guidelines recommend that professional players do not exceed 10 headers per week, including training, while preventing children under the age of 12 from heading the ball completely, in order to reduce the accumulation of the impact of trauma over the course of the player’s life.

During the first Global Summit on Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, which was held recently, Dr. Adam White, Director of Brain Health at the Professional Footballers’ Association in England, stressed that this disease “can be prevented” by applying the principles of “head-knocking less, with less force, with less frequency, and at a later age,” indicating that these rules are the best hope for protecting current and future generations from the fate of previous generations.

This move was based on research that revealed that former professional players in Scotland are at risk of developing dementia three and a half times higher than the general population, and it was also revealed that the majority of the brains of British footballers examined after their deaths were affected by this disease, including prominent names such as Geoff Astle, Gordon McCoy, and Chris Nicholl.