The English Football Association said on Monday that it has received approval to experiment with the elimination of intentional headshots in matches “under 12 years”, as it seeks to mitigate potential health risks and the chances of developing dementia.
The experiment will continue during the 2022-2023 season, with the thought of completely canceling intentional headshots during the 2023-2024 season if the experiment is successful.
And the FA had already issued guidelines earlier either to restrict or cancel headshots during training.
The trial was approved by the International Football Association Board, which is responsible for enacting the laws of the game.
The FA said in a statement: “The aim is to help mitigate any potential risks that may be associated with headshots, including head-to-head contact, elbow contact or head-to-head contact.
“This represents a cautious approach to playing and enjoying football while ongoing research continues in this field.”
Studies have linked head blows to chronic brain injury, highlighting this problem following identifying five players from the England team that won the 1966 World Cup with dementia.
It even came to the point that a software company, which was working with Premier League clubs, developed a virtual reality training program in an attempt to find a solution to overcome the harmful effect of headshots.
