Premier League to begin two studies researching impact of heading in training

Links between dementia and heading in football will be formally investigated

Gabriel and Kane contest a header (Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I)

The Premier League have announced the start of twin studies to begin monitoring the impact of heading in training sessions in the game, the results of which will go on to form guidelines for heading for next season.

Lawmakers and organising bodies in the game have come in for criticism due to the mounting evidence and numbers of former players suffering with dementia-related issues linked with heading the ball during their playing days.

Former England striker Gary Lineker recently revealed he would be tested for dementia.

PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor was recently accused by Chris Sutton of having “blood on his hands” with former players dying as a result of dementia, but Taylor vehemently rejected the suggestion that the issue had been ignored by the players union.

In a statement, the league said future guidelines will be agreed by The FA, EFL, WSL and other bodies, as well as medical experts in the game.

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The Premier League will begin two studies to identify the forces involved in heading footballs.

The outcome of these studies will inform guidelines for heading in training at professional and adult football levels which are expected to be implemented ahead of the 2021/22 season.

An initial cohort of players from Liverpool FC’s U23, U18 and women’s teams and Manchester City’s U18s and women’s teams will participate in one of the Premier League’s studies, which is being conducted with sports welfare technology company Sports & Wellbeing Analytics (SWA).

Players will be provided with PROTECHT mouthguards, which will collect data to show how the force and frequency of impacts affect the brain and body. The equipment will be fitted with sensors to provide precise measurements and the data will be independently verified.

A second study is being conducted in partnership with Second Spectrum, the official tracking and analytics provider for the Premier League. This study will compare match-tracking data from the 2019/20 season with results from the mouthguard study.

Premier League

Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said that the research studies underlined the organisation’s “commitment to this important issue” and reiterated that the top flight’s focus remained to “make the game as safe as possible for all players.”

The Premier League has also announced that it has joined the Alzheimer’s Society’s Sport United Against Dementia campaign, aiming “to generate funds and awareness of the condition across research, community and support.”

A parliamentary inquiry was recently launched to examine the link between sport and long-term brain injury.