Footballs Need Health Warning

Experts call for action after study confirms header dementia risk

- Martin Bagot

A LANDMARK study is said to prove beyond doubt that heading footballs raises the risk of dementia.

Its lead author Professor Willie Stewart, a global expert on head injuries and dementia, insists football authorities should consider taking heading out of the sport at lower levels – and that footballs are sold with health warnings.

Research found defenders – who head the ball more – are most likely to develop the devastating brain condition.

Health records data for 8,000 professional players were compared to those of 23,000 similar individuals from the public.

Prof Stewart, of Glasgow University, said: “We know what the risk factor is here and it’s entirely preventable. We can stop this now. To do that we need to reduce, if not eliminate, unnecessary heading practice in the sport.

“Is heading absolutely necessary for football to continue? Is exposure to dementia risk absolutely required with the game? We have enough evidence to suggest football manufacturers should be displaying a warning with their products that repeated heading may lead to increased risk of dementia. A quarter of a billion people participate in football globally. With this data the global game has to change.”