Heading Ban

[Sid Bishop]

If you practice heading in training the current thought process is to let the air out of the ball so that the child headers a softer ball.

Heading a soft ball is pretty pointless as the ball tends to just fall in front of you. Similar with light balls where it's impossible to judge the trajectory.
When I think of all the heading I used to do playing in defence, I do wonder if there could be a long term impact. I stopped playing about 12 years ago in my early 40s as my knee had given up. No idea what damage (if any) 30 years of heading balls has done. Suspect not too much as I tended to have a week between games, but hopefully I don't go gaga in the next 10 years.

Seems like too many of the old footballers who played years ago with the leather balls e.g ''Dubbin balls'' have suffered brain injuries.
Dementia: the shocking legacy of England's 1966 World Cup triumph. 2016 news article below.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-08/ ... ph/7826618
The surviving members of England's 1966 World Cup winning side gathered in July to commemorate the 50th anniversary of their famous victory, but not everyone could make it. Martin Peters, Nobby Stiles, Ray Wilson and Jack Charlton are all suffering from memory loss or dementia.
"It's been widely reported that four of the team have got it," John Stiles, Nobby Stiles' son, told 7.30.
"I've been informed that in the squad it's quite a few more."
That's way above the statistical average in the wider community. "I spoke to Willie Stewart, who is a professor at Glasgow University, and he told me if you had two squads of 22, in other words 44 players, you might get one person (with dementia)," John Stiles said. "That should be the average and the odds of (such high rates of dementia) happening are astronomical."

[AckneyAwks]

Dont be surprised if throw-ins, goalkeepers catching, punching or throwing the ball are banned. Players kicking or chesting the ball are banned. Hang on would that not mean that FOOTBALL is banned!!
Dont get me started on Referees blowing a whistle for gods sake.

[RientO]

What a waste of coke, should have drunk it first then re-filled with water !

Very dull when a bottle filled with water explodes. Beside it was that cheap supermarket cola which costs less than 50p.

[Max B Gold]

In our street we used to play the game of "Heeders".

The pitch had a ready made Goal between a wall on one side and the metal green box which had the street lights controls in it on the other. The green box was up against the electricity sub station wall

The other end goals were the wall on one side and a jumper on the other.

The game had two players. The object of the game was to throw the ball in the air and then head it toward the opposition goal. The technique was to do a bouncer off the ground or ricochet the ball off the roughcast wall. There were many injuries from the roughcast wall.

It was usually a two/fiver (i.e. two half time, five the winner). Then the next guy would take on the winner.

It was the 60s/70s so there were upwards of a squillion kids on our street and the wait for your turn was long.

During the wait some would open the green box and tamper with the timer for the street lights, others would investigate the inside of the electricity sub station or jump about on its wire roof.

I recall one time Big Pete Mitchell had been given an old bike to refurbish and between matches he was fully immersed in this task.

Eventually he declared the bike road ready. We all watched on as he took the bike to the top of the hill behind the sub station and proceeded to bomb down it.

As he approached the road he applied the brakes which failed and he shot straight across. His front wheel hit the kerb on the opposite side of the road and he went over the handle bars and smashed head first into a wooden fence.

His mum was called and an ambulance took him to hospital. For months after it every time you saw him he had a blue crash helmet on.

From that day on he never played heeders again.

[RientO]

Dont be surprised if throw-ins, goalkeepers catching, punching or throwing the ball are banned. Players kicking or chesting the ball are banned. Hang on would that not mean that FOOTBALL is banned!!
Dont get me started on Referees blowing a whistle for gods sake.

Throw ins would be pretty pointless if you can't head a ball. Have to be replaced with a roll in...

[spen666]

Dont be surprised if throw-ins, goalkeepers catching, punching or throwing the ball are banned. Players kicking or chesting the ball are banned. Hang on would that not mean that FOOTBALL is banned!!
Dont get me started on Referees blowing a whistle for gods sake.

Throw ins would be pretty pointless if you can't head a ball. Have to be replaced with a roll in...

They did try kick ins instead of throw ins - not a success

[RientO]

Seems like too many of the old footballers who played years ago with the leather balls e.g ''Dubbin balls'' have suffered brain injuries.

I would expect similar with the modern ball as it is often headed after travelling and falling further. Or just headed on a flatter trajectory. Anyway, when i do go gaga I will blame the heading ahead of the 1000s of bottle of wine consumed

[Sid Bishop]

In our street we used to play the game of "Heeders".

The pitch had a ready made Goal between a wall on one side and the metal green box which had the street lights controls in it on the other. The green box was up against the electricity sub station wall

The other end goals were the wall on one side and a jumper on the other.

The game had two players. The object of the game was to throw the ball in the air and then head it toward the opposition goal. The technique was to do a bouncer off the ground or ricochet the ball off the roughcast wall. There were many injuries from the roughcast wall.

It was usually a two/fiver (i.e. two half time, five the winner). Then the next guy would take on the winner.

It was the 60s/70s so there were upwards of a squillion kids on our street and the wait for your turn was long.

During the wait some would open the green box and tamper with the timer for the street lights, others would investigate the inside of the electricity sub station or jump about on its wire roof.

I recall one time Big Pete Mitchell had been given an old bike to refurbish and between matches he was fully immersed in this task.

Eventually he declared the bike road ready. We all watched on as he took the bike to the top of the hill behind the sub station and proceeded to bomb down it.

As he approached the road he applied the brakes which failed and he shot straight across. His front wheel hit the kerb on the opposite side of the road and he went over the handle bars and smashed head first into a wooden fence.

His mum was called and an ambulance took him to hospital. For months after it every time you saw him he had a blue crash helmet on.

From that day on he never played heeders again.

Ripping yarns indeed, would have made a good story in the Beano type comics of the 1950's !

[Max B Gold]

In our street we used to play the game of "Heeders".

The pitch had a ready made Goal between a wall on one side and the metal green box which had the street lights controls in it on the other. The green box was up against the electricity sub station wall

The other end goals were the wall on one side and a jumper on the other.

The game had two players. The object of the game was to throw the ball in the air and then head it toward the opposition goal. The technique was to do a bouncer off the ground or ricochet the ball off the roughcast wall. There were many injuries from the roughcast wall.

It was usually a two/fiver (i.e. two half time, five the winner). Then the next guy would take on the winner.

It was the 60s/70s so there were upwards of a squillion kids on our street and the wait for your turn was long.

During the wait some would open the green box and tamper with the timer for the street lights, others would investigate the inside of the electricity sub station or jump about on its wire roof.

I recall one time Big Pete Mitchell had been given an old bike to refurbish and between matches he was fully immersed in this task.

Eventually he declared the bike road ready. We all watched on as he took the bike to the top of the hill behind the sub station and proceeded to bomb down it.

As he approached the road he applied the brakes which failed and he shot straight across. His front wheel hit the kerb on the opposite side of the road and he went over the handle bars and smashed head first into a wooden fence.

His mum was called and an ambulance took him to hospital. For months after it every time you saw him he had a blue crash helmet on.

From that day on he never played heeders again.

Ripping yarns indeed, would have made a good story in the Beano type comics of the 1950's !

It's true. I still bump into Big Pete Mitchell now and again and we have a laugh about that day and the way we used to control the street lights until the Council replaced the lock on the green box and other stuff.