The USSF have recently passed a rule that all heading of the ball will be banned from practices at U12 level and below. Should a player deliberately head a ball in a game, an indirect free kick will be given to the opposition. This has caused a rather large debate among the soccer community. Is this is case of overprotective to players? Should lighter balls be used? Will players completely forego heading as they get older? It certainly makes for a fascinating discussion.
Interestingly, the player with the most international caps for the US Women's National Team, Abby Wambach, scored 77 of her 184 international goals with her head. Likewise, the number 1 draft pick in the inaugural MLS season, Brian McBride, was often known to go where angels fear to tread and was well known for his combative nature in the air, as displayed by this relegation saving goal for Fulham (4:30). Heading certainly has played a big role in the successes of recent US Soccer history.
That is not to say it is without it's dangers. Jeff Astle, a legendary center forward for West Bromwich Albion, passed away in 2002 at the age of 59. Astle is a cult hero at WBA, due to the amount of goals he scored for the club and his stereotypical target man approach of winning as many headers as he could. Astle's death was as a result of chronic traumatic encephalopath (CTE), which doctors related to multiple concussions being obtained through heading the ball. The doctor studying Astle's brain said that he thought it belonged to an 89 year old man.
The evolution of soccer balls has helped reduce the possibilities of this occurring. In Astle's time, the ball was a lot heavier, soaking up water rather than deflecting it adding the weight. Heading the ball must have felt like taking a punch from Anthony Joshua. In recent years, balls have become lighter, have less panels on them and take in no water at all. Derby Star have gone one step further and designed a ball especially for youth players, weighing as little as 290 grams. On a study visit to the Ajax academy, I got to hold one of these balls and it felt like I was holding a feather. Ajax had determined that all teams up to U11 would use these balls for practice and games, to not only improve the technique and skill behind lofted passes, but also to reduce the risks associated with heading. One coaching employee said that they have to teach heading from U8, as it is part of the game.
So why have the US put these rules in place? One word - lawsuits. In 2014 a litigation was filed against US Soccer, US Youth Soccer, American Youth Soccer Organization, US Club Soccer and the California Youth Soccer Organization. A resolution was agreed in 2015 which has led these rules to being put in place. Though the ruling is a recommendation only, most states have heeded the warning and decided to implement these rules as mandatory.
The research and studies that have been put in place state that children up until the age of 14 have heads that are too big for their bodies and as such, the neck muscles are not fully developed to cope with the stress of heading the ball. It has also been shown in a study published by the JAMA Pedriatics journal that most concussions among children aged 14-18 who play soccer are caused by heading the ball. The data that is being provided certainly points to the benefits of limiting heading practice at specific age groups. Repeated blows to the head are not good for anyone, especially children whose brains are still developing.
However, is a ban of heading in all games really necessary? Unfortunately, the data on how many headers take place in U12 games and below is not available. But think back to all the U10/11/12 games you have watched over the years. How many headers can you recall seeing? In my own experience, I can probably count less than 10 in the last 5 years. The context of the situation should certainly be taken into account. I once coached against a team that had a number of older, bigger girls in their team and played for corners. Those corners would be aimed at the back post for one of their taller players to win the header and score. This is certainly a coach taking a win at all costs mentality over the safety of the individuals involved. This rule would also require the coach to focus on other ways to break the opposition down, such as using clever combination play, 1 v 1 skills and movement off the ball, which can only add to the development of the players.
At the same time, if a ball is coming towards a player and the best way of dealing with it is with their head, what are they supposed to do, duck?! Teaching that habit at an early age cannot be good for the long term development of the player. When they are allowed to head during games, balls will be traveling at a faster speed and poor technique can lead to whiplash, as well as concussions.
This ruling is only in place in the US. The English FA, as mentioned in the Guardian, said they would continue their research into concussions and head injuries, even starting a campaign to raise awareness, but would not be changing the rules regarding heading the ball.
Despite the research, there is no real way of telling what impact the rule with have on US Soccer as a whole. On one hand, the data suggests that kids will be less likely to suffer from concussions as a result of heading the ball, which can only be a good thing. But as players progress to college & professional level, only time will tell if this will have a long lasting improvement or not on the performance of both the MLS and the National Teams.
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