Why does Scotland lead the way on football headers?

Looking at the combined metrics of Scotland compared to 10 top leagues around the continent, there are more than 35% more heading actions in Scotland.

The figures may not come as a shock to those who watch Scottish football on a regular basis, but they do throw up questions about what it means for the discussion around safety.

Since the death of former England centre-forward Jeff Astle from dementia in 2002, scientists have increasingly linked repeated head impacts to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which can also lead to neurodegenerative disease.

In January, a coroner investigating the death of former Scotland and Manchester Utd centre-half Gordon McQueen said: “I am satisfied that, on the balance of probability, repeatedly heading footballs contributed to his developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy.”

A field study by Glasgow University in 2019 found that former professional footballers were three-and-a-half times more likely to develop neurodegenerative disease. That figure was even higher for defenders.

“I actually looked, a few years ago, at the heading rates across World Cups, going all the way back to 1966,” Dr Willie Stewart, who led the study, said.

“The stats actually showed that the amounts of headers in games were increasing over that 50-year period, rather than declining, as some people might have thought – so I’m not too surprised.”

In 2022, the Scottish FA introduced a number of changes aimed at minimising the risk.

Heading the ball was banned for under-12s and, in the professional game, there was a ban on heading the ball during training the day before and after a match.

Clubs were also told to limit training exercises that involve repeated heading to one session per week.

The SFA’s chief medical officer Dr Jonny Gordon said: “The Scottish FA has led the way in research into head trauma in sport, working in partnership with the University of Glasgow in a landmark 2020 field study and additional research published in 2022.

“We will continue to monitor guidance based on evolving research as part of the association’s commitment to ensuring the national game is a safe and enjoyable environment for all players.”