Peter McCabe, Chief Executive of Headway said: “After years of inaction the FA is finally taking small steps in the right direction.
“The recent report by the Department of Culture of Media and Sport Select Committee accused sports’ governing bodies of marking their own homework.
“The FA has taken this one stage further and is now both setting and marking its own homework.
“The guidelines are said to be based on preliminary, unpublished studies undertaken in recent months.
“This has led to a recommendation that a maximum of ten higher force headers are carried out in any training week.
“Until we see the evidence of how this figure was determined, how do players know that this figure wasn’t just plucked out of the air?
“What would be the consequences for a player who tells his manager in training that he has already exceeded his quota of headers of the week?
“Has the research task force set up by the FA been consulted about this guidance?
“The involvement of leading independent experts in this field would have provided much needed reassurance to players who fear they may be putting their health at risk”.Back
