Grassroots football leagues in heading ban trials

Grassroots football leagues are running trials banning heading for players under the age of 12 in a bid to prevent concussions and other head injuries.

In 2020, Wolverhampton Wanderers player Raúl Jiménez suffered a fractured skull after clashing heads with Arsenal defender David Luiz.

The freak accident, which could have killed him, left him unconscious and facing an eight-month recovery.

Now, grassroots football is attempting to prevent similar injuries.

In areas where the trial is not imposed, many coaches are wary of young players heading the ball.

Doug Hill, manager of the Kewford Eagles U8 team in Kingswinford, said: "We've never done [heading] and we haven't been instructed to do it.

"We follow guidelines and basic models of what to teach the kids and I don't think heading's ever really included in it."

Jordan Miller, coach for the Halesowen Colts U8 team, said: "I certainly agree with limiting the amount of heading and not encouraging it at these young ages."

However, parents from the two Black Country teams said they thought children should be able to head the ball provided it wasn't "excessive" or "drastic".

One parent said: "I don't see a massive issue with it at this age, it's very few and far between."

Jiménez has now fully recovered and plays for Fulham.

He told the BBC after the incident: "It is a miracle to be to be here with you."

Dr Matt Perry, the Wolves doctor on the day of Jiménez's injury, played a crucial role in saving the player's life.

"It was a very serious injury and without prompt medical attention, it would have been a lot worse than it was," he said.

"One of the things about medicine generally is that you can only do your best and that varies a lot according to the circumstances on the day which you can't anticipate."

This article is by Luke Hemmings, the winner of BBC Young Reporter of the Year Award for the West Midlands in 2023.

The 17-year-old Wolves fan is a grassroots referee and began researching the story after Jiménez was injured.

"It makes me feel like my dreams to become a journalist are a reality," he told BBC journalist Alice Cullinane.

The Young Reporter competition is part of the BBC's commitment to media literacy and supporting young people's understanding and interest in broadcasting and the creative industries.

The competition is open until 23:00 on Sunday 24 March 2024 and entrants can submit their stories via the online entry form.

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