Should heading the ball be banned in all youth football?

PC gone mad. Dementia was caused by heading the old school leather footballs used in the 60’s and 70’s. Modern footballs are perfectly safe.
 
Northampton Lodger said:
My son plays under 14 and plays either central defender or full back. He will easily have five or six headers a game. Everything from a deflected shot that ends up in the air with no power to a full blown shot that he would have no hesitation in heading away. As for some of his team mates they would run back about 15 yards for the ball to drop.
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My boys the same age and plays in the first div of the paisley and Johnston league at centre half and centre mid. He reluctantly heads it only if he has too. He’s decent as well but, it’s the main area of his game that I think he’s weak with. He’s quite tall around 5’10 and his coach says he becomes 4’6” when going to head a ball:))
 
Arkanoid said:
Yes absolutely, we should be playing futsal up to young teens anyway. Our whole game needs ripped up and start a fresh...what have we got to lose?
As for heading from a technical and also health perspective 100% it should be scrapped
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I think it could benefit young players if they just learn to play to feet,give and goes, get them into a good passing game,so much more entertaining,thedays of the big punt up the park are gone I think.
 
The baw's are a lot lighter then the ones previous years. I remember heading a soaking leather baw when playing in the 60's and then in the 70's and 80's a Mitre 5.
If you look across the board on how many people have played and headered the baw in the past 60 years to the amount of players having health issues due to heading the baw, then the risk is is low. But as I have stated the baw's now are lightweight therefore safe to header, in my opinion and it's part of the game.
 
This all stems from American football with helmets on and brain damage from it.
Heading a ball especially now they are like balloons compared from years ago.
For me the advantage U gain as a forward when a CH can't head the ball is way way to much. Basically false learning of the game!
 
There would be nothing wrong with kids not being allowed to header the ball until they are 14/15 years old. Especially as it will help them develop as actual footballers and put emphasis on ball skills, something that is severely lacking in the Scottish game. Regardless of the supposed health benefits that would be a good idea.

I remember training headers when I was young and it was always with foam balls or size 2s (the wee tiny ones). And the training was more based on how to direct a ball (glancing headers or cushioned to a team mate) into bins rather than clearance headers or smashes at goal.

Funnily enough I stopped football training around 13 to move to playing rugby more. And at that age rugby isn't played with a full 15, 2 forwards are left out, partially to make the basics of the scrum safer and to slightly weaken defences to encourage more expansive/ better ball skills. It also discourages just smashing it up through the forwards all the time. Look at how our national rugby team are doing- and how they are doing it- in comparison to our national football team.
 
Some of the best goals I scored were headers would hate to see it be taken out the game. There is a real technique to heading a ball properly you need to coach kids like all aspects of the game how to do it right. Maybe up to 12 or 13 it wouldn't be a bad thing but after that it's an integral part of the game
 
How shite would it be to see a cross just go over everyone because they can't just jump and head it.
 
That’ll be Motherwells youth team screwed then if this comes to pass.
Having said that, I coach youth football and would be in favour of this having seen 3 bad head collisions this season with two boys contesting a ball in the air. No heading rule is going to remove those situations from the game.
 
No.

If anything it will be worse when they step up they wont have the technique or neck muscles to head the ball safely
 
No chance, it’s an integral part of the game.

There is still no definitive link between heading the ball and dementia or any form of brain damage, and that’s when looking at older players from the 60s and 70s when the balls were much heavier. There would have to be absolute proof before something gets done.
 
Up until under 12’s or so, probably.

Not worth taking any risks health wise and it would improve kids technique with the ball at their feet.

Plenty of time to learn after that, I don’t think it’s particularly difficult to master
 
Some utterly depressing replies in this thread disregarding the benefits of this both in terms of its potentially positive impact on football ability and well-being, no doubt from those whose tactical insights into a football match amount to "just get the ball in the box".
 
You can't take it out of the game, but you can coach around it until kids are old enough.

For small-sided games in development age groups, there isn't really a place for heading. Once it gets to 11-a-side then it is more natural to include it in games.

When coaching younger kids, when you see them try and header a ball, they usually have their tongues out or turn at the last minute and it hits them on the back of the head.
Defo need to be at the proper age before incorporating it.
 
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