Heading in football: Premier League studies set to inform new guidelines ahead of 2021-22 season

Heading guidelines for training in the professional and adult game are set to be in place for the start of next season, the Premier League has announced.

Campaigners such as Dawn Astle and Chris Sutton have long called for a reduction in the amount of heading done in training at senior level, as a means to limit the risk to players of long-term brain injury.

A working group made up of representatives from the Football Association, the Premier League, the EFL, the Women's Super League, the Professional Footballers' Association and the League Managers Association is responsible for drawing up the guidelines, and a statement from the English top flight on Friday confirmed they "are expected to be implemented ahead of the 2021-22 season".

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The Premier League announced on Friday the launch of two studies to measure the impact of different types of heading.

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One will involve men's youth team and senior women's team players at Manchester City and Liverpool wearing mouthpieces in training which relay real-time data to touchline analysts.

The outcome of the research will inform the working group's decision-making on heading guidelines.

Guidance on the restriction of heading for under-18s football has been in place since February last year.

The mouthpiece project is being run using Sports & Wellbeing Analytics' PROTECHT device, and will involve the Liverpool under-23s men's team, under-18 men's team and senior women's team, plus Manchester City's under-18s men's team and senior women's team.

Crucially, the study will also give insight into any differences between men and women in terms of heading impact, an area where there has been very little research in the past.

The second project will involve Second Spectrum, the Premier League's tracking and analytics provider. It will compare match-tracking data from the 2019-20 season with results from the mouthguard study.

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"The Premier League's focus is to make the game as safe as possible for all players," said Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said.

"We are working with our partners across football to achieve this and the research studies we are undertaking are just one example of our commitment to this important issue.

"We hope the results of this project will contribute to the development of practical guidelines for the professional and adult game in this country."

Sky joins PL, ECB and Prem Rugby in campaign to tackle dementia

On Friday, the Premier League, along with the England and Wales Cricket Board and Premiership Rugby, were among the leading organisations teaming up in the fight to tackle dementia.

Alzheimer's Society revealed a number of sporting figures have joined the board for the charity's Sport United Against Dementia campaign.

The operation aims to unite the collective power and reach of sport to make a transformative difference to people affected by dementia in the sporting community and beyond.

Premier League executive director Bill Bush, chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board Tom Harrison, and chief commercial officer of Premiership Rugby Mark Brittain are among the individuals joining the board.

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Bush said: "We are pleased to be joining other sports organisations and broadcasters to work together to build awareness of dementia in our communities. Sport plays a vital role in the lives of so many and it can help people remain connected through the clubs they know and love.

"Through our partnership with Sport United Against Dementia, we will build on the existing work carried out by Premier League clubs to increase support for fans and communities and help break down stigma to ensure millions more people access dementia support."

Sky Sports managing director Rob Webster is among the new board members from broadcasting, along with Niall Sloane (director of sport at ITV), Barbara Slater (director of BBC Sport) and Duncan Jones (an Alzheimer's Society Trustee and former editor of BBC Sport).

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Other names joining the board from the world of football include Richard Bevan, the chief executive of the League Managers Association, and head of commercial affairs at the FA James MacDougall.

Martyn Phillips (former chief executive of the Welsh Rugby Union) and Guy Lavender (chief executive of the Marylebone Cricket Club) are also on the board, which is chaired by Alzheimer's Society Ambassador Richard Thompson, the non-executive chairman of Surrey Cricket Club.

Thompson said: "We want this campaign to be a gamechanger, and together, we hope to leave a legacy by harnessing the unparalleled reach of sport to make a transformative difference to the lives of people affected by dementia today, and for generations to come."

The Sport United Against Dementia board will meet regularly to help break down stigma and create a truly dementia inclusive industry by working in partnership with clubs.

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The campaign will help Alzheimer's Society equip clubs with the tools and knowledge to further raise awareness of dementia and the support available and enable people affected by the condition to remain part of the game and continue enjoying and supporting the clubs they love.

The campaign will ensure players, managers, ex-players, and fans know about, and have access to, dedicated dementia support, by funding key elements of Alzheimer's Society's revolutionary Dementia Connect service. Money raised will fund crucial roles and support the development of vital dementia resources and guidance. Alzheimer's Society's services have been used over 3.7 million times since March 2020.

Sport United Against Dementia will also add to existing research to help further knowledge and better identify and prevent dementia at its earliest stages among the general population, bringing hope to future generations.

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