Heading banned in training day before and after matches

Hong Kong Island 72 said:
Does this not disadvantage sides playing in Europe? And, later in the season, say if there has been a fixture back log, sides with busy schedules? I feel like the latter could be particularly targeted by canny opposition coaches down the leagues.

Hypothetical -

Hearts are playing in Europa Conference midweek and then away to Motherwell on the Sunday. Motherwell played the previous Saturday, Hearts previous Sunday. Considering the travel, Hearts likely haven't practiced a set piece in 9 days. Motherwell could have practiced them everyday M-F. Surely in a sport of marginal gains that offers them an advantage?

If one side is playing midweek the rule should be enforced on their next opposition, too
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I think what you've done is, over thought it.
 
I'd imagine most teams won't do anything the day after the game and it would only be a light session at the very most so I don't think this will make too much of a difference.
 
Would mean teams having a midweek session with sustained repetitive heading though, which could be counterproductive.

Also, while Scottish/English sides are forefront of this, I'm not sure there is such a drive to eliminate heading elsewhere in the world, so it might not have a huge impact on the game.
 
They're one big law suit away from banning heading from football altogether. It'll happen in the next 20 years guaranteed.
 
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Paisleyprod said:
Probably.

Or boxing style head guards the amateurs use

Or a specifically designed one for football.
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Headguards offer very little protection against concussion. In fact some studies in boxing have said they actually increase the rate of concussion. They have now stopped using them in mens amateur boxing.
 
I didn’t head the ball properly at 7’s the other day & my head was ringing afterwards. God knows what effects it has for folk not playing a sh*tey wee game for an hour a week.
 
so if we are playing saturday and tuesday then we are not heading the ball for a full 7 days except during the game?
 
It seems believable that repeated heading the ball over a period of say 15 years could lead to long term problems as theoretically you could could be getting a mini concussion every time you do it.If it has not already happened I would like to see a study carried out with as many explayers as possible especially strikers and centre halfs to see what the numbers are like compared to people that have never played the game.
 
I think it’d be quite interesting to see the change in the game once they completely ban it. Short corners for the rest of our lives at this rate maybe?

Can only be a good thing seeing how many players are paying for headers later in life.
 
Ced's Atomic Dustbin said:
Really awful about your dad, been lucky with with my older relatives so far in that respect, but seen the havoc it has wrought upon friend's families and the stress on my mum caring for a friend who was suffering but didn't have a family support network.

But, in fairness to the poster, I'm pretty sure he was making an irreverent/sarcastic joke.

It seems a weird call, in Scottish football of all places, where headering your way through a brick wall is pretty much esential and celebrated. But personally I think this is one to be too early on than too late.

The evidence from the NFL is pretty conclusive, and the scary thing is that it seems to be many repetitive smaller blows to the head that tend to have a devestating effect in the future, rather than a catastrophic clash/head injury. Taking out unnecessary repetition in training seems a relatively small price to pay to protect players' futures. Even from a selfish perspective, it's not out of the question that it may be something that can be done just now to pre-empt heading getting banned altogether from the game in the future when further evidence confirms what many people assume.
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The repetitive smaller blows seem to be the major problem.

I recently watched a documentary about the English rugby hooker, Steve Thompson, who now in his 40s doesn't know his daughters' names. He is an absolute collossus of a guy. and he cant remember ever playing for England or winning the World rugby cup.

He has had extensive tests, and the experts reckon he has had over a 100,000 small traumas to his head throughout his club and international career, which has a devastating effect on his brain, which has caused the dementia. The small blows, like heading a ball all add up and the results are there to be seen.

"Rugby: Dementia and Me", is the name of the documentary, which is a very interesting but depressing watch.
 
The downside of this is obviously that other nations might be better in the air that Scots by getting more practice. Which is a pathetically weak excuse for not protecting people against brain disorders.

I've no doubt similar measures will go global over the next decade or so, so it makes sense to get a head start (no pun intended). Has to happen.

I do wonder if heading will be outlawed altogether in twenty years. Seems to be inevitable if the findings of studies are correct. Then again, is it a certainty it is heading the ball and not just collisions in physical sport causing the issues. Presumably the studies have made comparisons with other contact sports like shinty or ice hockey in which there is no heading involved.
 
All for this.
We can never eliminate heading the ball from the game, but minimising it as much as possible is surely the right thing to do.
 
Anoldranger said:
What the %^*& next!
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Free Kick if the ball goes over head height.

Slippers must be worn at all times.

Yellow Card if you look at a player is a menacing way.

Play halted every 10 mins to give the players a rest.

New approved ball - Must be in rainbow colours

s-l500.jpg
 
So, who is going to be around to enforce this? Can also see it if someone there to enforce it, does that mean tactics getting out for game. Or a i looking to much into it.
 
Watching us at corners both for and against, I think we've been advocating this policy throughout Gio's tenure
 
nybear said:
My Granny had it and she never headed a ball in her life.
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You get different forms of dementia. My dad had drugs induced dementia as he had to take lithium for his depression. Studies shows head knocks has a massive impact with dementia too.
 
My forehead has hit more balls than Elton John's chin and the only thing that's been affected is my spellllling
 
BroomhouseBear said:
Very difficult to argue against, even more so when you read some of the personal stories above.

What I find utterly perplexing is that rugby is allowed to continue with minimal changes, zero interference from Scottish politicians and token gestures like their concussion protocols which seem to be seen as something to work around rather than implement thoroughly.

I’ve seen interviews/news footage of one of the medics at the forefront of campaigning for banning headers in football. Can’t remember his name, but virtually every time I’ve seen him interviewed he’s sitting in his office with several pieces of rugby memorabilia behind him.

I’m convinced rugby clubs and authorities are going to get the a*se sued of them in future years by families affected by this.
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What exactly more could Rugby do? High tackles have always been banned and are rules on head safety are brutally applied. There is no heading a ball and the only 6 players on the park who should ever touch heads are the single most policed players on the park in the front row. I played from the age of 6, 36 years ago, and even back then you were forced to sit out a minimum of 3 weeks for a head knock. There are the very odd occasions when someone will take a knee or shoulder, but the doctors immediately check for concussion and in rugby there are temporary subs for head knocks and have been since 2016.

Pretty safe to say that while rugby is capable of far worse individual injuries, it has been streets ahead of football for a while and the head knocks are thankfully rare.
 
Who polices this?

What impact will it have on visiting foreign teams who train in Scotland the day before a game?

How will this work for games at Hampden when hosting European Championship games?

How about kids training camps that are on during school holidays etc when there is no ‘match’ as such at the end of the training school?

While I’m sure organizers will adopt a common sense approach history shows us that poorly constructed legislation very often leads to more problems than it solves.
 
Given the CTE and head trauma issues of professional athletes over the years, it's no surprise to see sports organisations attempt to future proof themselves against potential litigation.

As of a few years ago, FIFA were one of the only major organisations not to sign up to allowing research groups full access to football.
 
cloodie said:
I'd imagine most teams won't do anything the day after the game and it would only be a light session at the very most so I don't think this will make too much of a difference.
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I was thinking the same?

You wouldn’t be launching balls into the box on a Sunday after a game

And a light session on the Friday before the Saturday……. Lot of shite
 
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