Footballs could be designed to reduce impact of heading – scientists

“There are examples of balls that transfer high or low energy in all eras of the game.”

said Andy Harland, professor of sports technology at Loughborough.

“There is no trend that suggests that the magnitude of energy transfer is increasing or decreasing over time.

“Our evidence suggests that high-energy pressure wave transfer was not limited to leather balls, so, if this energy is associated with neurodegenerative disease, it is not a problem that has gone away with modern balls.”

It comes with increasing pressure on football to take more action on brain injuries and renewed scrutiny over the links between heading and neurodegenerative diseases.

In January, a senior coroner announced that repeatedly heading footballs was “likely” to have contributed to the brain disease that was a factor in the death of former Leeds United and Manchester United defender Gordon McQueen.

McQueen, who was diagnosed with vascular dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), caused by repeated head trauma, died in 2023 at the age of 70.

Former England striker Jeff Astle, who died due to years of neurological symptoms, is considered to be the first footballer whose death was affected by leading football.

“These findings provide opportunities to work toward ball designs and testing specifications that minimise energy transfer to the brain,” Phillips said.

“We are hopeful that this finding will provide some valuable information that can specifically look into the potential causes of the disease we are seeing in retired players.

“Right now, we see correlations and statistical observations about him and his career in the game.

“As yet, it is not clear what exactly is causing the damage to the brain caused by a collision with a football in a header, and it may take many years for us to get to that point. But I think this discovery allows us to focus specifically on something that we have never measured before.”

“The most exciting thing is that it gives us the opportunity to manipulate the ball. This energy transfer that we measured is separate from the bigger picture of the ball hitting the head and the player’s head moving back. It ends at the very beginning of the collision and represents a very discreet pulse of energy passing into the brain.”

A 2019 ‘Field’ study funded by the FA and the Professional Footballers’ Association found that footballers were 3.5 times more likely to suffer from neurodegenerative disorders.

Since then, the FA has introduced a phased ban on under-11 football and says it is investing in objective and robust research to get a deeper understanding of the issue. It has also issued guidelines for clubs to limit high-force headers in training, such as from balls coming at speed from free kicks and corners.

The Scottish FA has gone even further and banned heading the day before and after matches in the professional adult game.

Charlotte Cowie, Chief Medical Officer of the FA, said: ‘This new independent research provides us with novel and previously unseen insights and is part of our ongoing commitment to gain greater understanding of this highly complex area.’

“The results of the study have also been shared with FIFA and UEFA, and we continue to welcome global perspectives to support further research in this important area.”