Avoid Heading a Football to Prevent Brain Damage: Experts

Heading footballs may not be a good idea for children's brains, warn neurologists.

Heading is a common tactic to score a goal in football matches. Health experts recommend against this practice as it can cause brain damage in children.

The technique resulted in a serious brain condition in Jeff Astle, a former football player who died in 2002 due to recurring heading of football throughout his career.  After his death, Astle's family urged a thorough examination about the safety of heading footballs. Past researches by American scientists also say heading a 1,000 times can lead to 'untreatable' damage, reports the Independent.

Experts in motor neuroscience at the University of Birmingham's School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences believe children are particularly not equipped to handle strain and tension of heading footballs. They add children's brains are not able to withstand harsh blows, injuries and concussions. Besides their neck muscles need to be developed to endure the pressure of the football hitting their heads repeatedly.

Recently, the U.K's Football Association (FA) released a statement on safety rules and guidelines along with an education video starring renowned football player Steven Gerrard. The guidelines received renewed  attention when Hugo Lloris, the Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper headed even after losing consciousness in the last season.

However, the FA officials have no valid sources or facts to confirm heading is dangerous for young children as a majority of players who enrolled in a study discontinued the game after a certain period of time.

"We know what killed dad, the coroner's court said it was industrial disease: heading footballs killed dad and the Football Association just don't acknowledge it. We have real worries, not just for current footballers, and of course not just professionals we're talking about amateurs as well  but about football's future, about the children in the game," said Dawn Astle, daughter of Jeff Astle in a FA meeting, reports SKY.

"They need to know the risks, then they can make informed choices," she adds.