On yer 'ead 'arry!

[RHB]

Goals such as our two last night at Oxford could be things of the past if this report gains enough support in the game.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38971750

I personally couldn't imagine the game without head contact to the ball, but I can also see the risks the report is highlighting. A bit of a dilemma.

 

[londonblue]

The problem with these studies is that a) the sample size is so small, and b) nowadays balls are much lighter which presumably means (if you assume the worst) they do less damage.

Personally I think heading the ball should be banned from kids football until we know for sure what the issue is.

 

[EastStandBlue]

nowadays balls are much lighter which presumably means (if you assume the worst) they do less damage.

I've genuinely no idea about this, but I'd be interested to see any trade off between perceived differences in weight against how quickly modern footballs travel in comparison to older ones. It's not the weight that's the issue here, it's the force.

Personally I think heading the ball should be banned from kids football until we know for sure what the issue is.

All you risk doing then is creating teenagers who don't know how to head a ball properly, exacerbating the problem.

 

[Napster]

I know it's an old link but this is interesting

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4123437.stm

 

[londonblue]

I've genuinely no idea about this, but I'd be interested to see any trade off between perceived differences in weight against how quickly modern footballs travel in comparison to older ones. It's not the weight that's the issue here, it's the force.

I know it's an old link but this is interesting

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4123437.stm

I agree. I have no idea, but that article is interesting. However, I think it might be missing the point somewhat. Surely the issue isn't the force, it's the transfer of energy? Kinetic energy is measured as 1/2 MV squared so that any reduction in mass (for a given velocity) will have a large reduction in energy. The fact that the ball collapses to half its size doesn't prove a whole lot because that will be partly down to the structure of, and materials used to manufacture, the ball.

All you risk doing then is creating teenagers who don't know how to head a ball properly, exacerbating the problem.

I don't really think that's a good argument. Learning how to head the ball correctly won't be all that difficult once we're sure it's safe.

I guess the real problem is that we simply don't have any idea. My point is that until we do it might be sensible to stop kids potentially given themselves neurological problems in later life.