SFA’s partial ban on kids heading the ball is right thing to do – Angus Robertson

Safety for kids must come first even though I don’t support taking all the risk out of contact sports, writes Angus Robertson

Heading the ball has been linked with dementia in later life

Congratulations to the Scottish Football Association for putting the safety of children first. They’ve decided, together with the other Home Nations, to ban the heading of footballs during training sessions, following definitive evidence linking football with dementia. At this stage, the ban does not affect matches, but that too should be kept under review as an option.

A study by Glasgow University concluded that former professional footballers are three-and-a-half times more likely to die of degenerative brain disease – and five times more likely to die from Parkinson’s disease. While it’s not yet clear exactly what has caused the problems, the SFA has said the issue is about common sense and mitigation. In the United States, a similar ban, that also includes restrictions during matches, has been in place since 2015.

Safety for kids must come first in sport, regardless whether that is in football or any other sport. That’s exactly what has been happening in rugby as well to reduce the risk of concussion and other sports injuries. As someone who has a proud range of sporting injuries, I’m not in favour of taking all of the risks out of contact sports or fun out of winter sports. Parents have to have the confidence however that risks are within tolerable margins.

The SFA have shown leadership on this and deserve to be recognised for making the right call.