The English Football Association announced today, Monday, that it has received approval for an experiment to eliminate intentional headshots in under-12 matches to reduce potential health risks and the likelihood of developing dementia.
The lawsuit was approved by the International Football Association Board, which is responsible for making the rules of the game.
The experiment will continue into the 2022-2023 season, with intentional headshots to be completely abolished in the 2023-2024 season if the experiment is successful.
And the FA has previously issued guidelines for limiting or abolishing headshots during practice.
The FA said in a statement: “The aim is to help mitigate any potential risks that may be associated with blows to the head, including face-to-face contact, elbow contact, or head-to-head contact.”
“This represents a cautious approach to playing and enjoying football while ongoing research continues in this area.”
Research has linked blows to the head to chronic brain injury, highlighting the problem after it was found that five players from England’s 1966 World Cup-winning team suffered from dementia.
It even got to the point that a software company working with Premier League clubs developed a virtual reality training program in an attempt to find a solution to overcome the harmful effects of headshots in football.
Source: agencies