April 7, 2022, 6:17 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
How dangerous are headers for young soccer players? The DFB considers cautious and age-appropriate training to be appropriate. Specialists from Hamburg are calling for a clear ban on header training.
Specialists at the Hamburg Asklepios Clinic Nord have called for a ban on header training with children under the age of twelve in soccer. The doctors–including neurologists, ear, nose, and throat specialists, and pediatric surgeons–also criticized the stance of the German Football Association (DFB), which relies on age-appropriate regulations. “The clinic’s experts agree that a clear ban on headers would be the significantly more responsible option,” a spokesperson for the Asklepios Clinics said.
Overview
DFB Doctor Sees No Medical Condition
The team doctor of the German national team and head of the DFB’s medical commission, Tim Meyer, warned against hasty bans at the end of January. “Such a header usually does not result in a tangible medical condition,” he explained. Concussions can occasionally occur with headers. “Most of the time, it is not the ball that causes the concussion, but contact with the opponent’s head, shoulder, post, or ground,” Meyer said.
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What the DFB Recommends for Header Training with Children
The DFB recommends using light balls, such as those made of foam, for training in the younger youth classes. Additionally, a small number of header repetitions per training session is advisable. Small playing fields and mini-goals for children are intended to help keep the balls low.
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Call for Protection Against Long-term Health Risks
The doctors at the Hamburg Asklepios Clinic called on the DFB to immediately take a stand against early header play and suspend header training for children under twelve. “Relying on chance in the sense that the problem will practically solve itself through changed small-field game forms is not considered sufficient protection for the long-term health of our children,” said Markus Kemper, chief physician of the children’s clinic at Asklepios Nord.
A Scottish study published in 2021 found an increased risk of dementia among soccer players.1 There is still no answer to the question of whether headers can cause severe brain diseases. In England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, there has been a ban on headers in training for children under twelve since early 2020. In the United States, headers are banned for children under ten.
Sources
- 1. Russel ER, Stewart W., Mackay DF. et al. (2021) Association of Field Position and Career Length With Risk of Neurodegenerative Disease in Male Former Professional Soccer Players. JAMA Neurology.
- With material from dpa