January 16 – In a ground-breaking move, children under-12 in Scotland could be banned from headers due to links between football and dementia.
The Scottish Football Association (SFA) is set to announce the ban later this month, according to British reports. The United States has had a similar ban in place since 2015 but the SFA would become the first European country to impose such a restriction.
The decision follows the release of a report by the University of Glasgow last October, which discovered that former players had an approximately three-and-a-half-times higher rate of neurodegenerative disease.
A spokesperson for the Scottish FA commented: “Since the publication of Football’s Influence on Lifelong Health and Dementia Risk [FIELD] study by Glasgow University into the link between football and dementia towards the end of last year, the Scottish FA has worked closely with the authors of the research – which includes the men’s national team doctor and medical advisor, Dr John MacLean – and wider football stakeholders to look at practical steps the national sport in this country can take to minimise risk in the area of head trauma…”
“Given the study was undertaken using medical reports from Scottish footballers, there is an additional onus on the national governing body in this country to take a responsible yet proportionate approach to the findings.
“Productive discussions have taken place within the auspices of the Scottish FA’s Professional and Non-Professional Game Boards, as well as main board, on proactive, preventative measures with particular focus on younger age groups.”
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