Some of football’s most iconic moments have involved players heading the ball, but as millions tune in to the World Cup, there is renewed pressure on Australia’s governing body of the sport to limit the practice linked to dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
The players’ association Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) and a concussion expert are calling on Football Australia to delay training children to head the ball until they are older, limit the number of high-force headers players do a week, and introduce stronger measures around concussion.
It comes as FIFA, the governing body for the sport globally, has developed an on-pitch concussion assessment protocol, with an Australian-led research team behind the test.
The aim of the test is to provide a more uniform approach for professional leagues around the world, and involves researchers sending questionnaires to medical staff with recent experience in FIFA-associated leagues, then using their responses to develop the assessment.
A study is underway to determine whether the test works in real-world settings.
Earlier this week the ABC’s Four Corners program revealed 33 former AFL players had died with CTE, a figure six times higher than previously thought.
Neuroscientist Alan Pearce said concussion was not the only issue facing soccer players, with concerns players could develop dementia, motor neurone disease and CTE.
“What we’ve found in overseas soccer players in the UK in particular is chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE,” he said.
Professor Pearce, who is the founder of Concussion Legacy Foundation Australia and works for the Australian Sports Brain Bank, said there were also concerns about the repetitive act of heading the ball, which affects the electrical function of the brain.
“Heading the soccer ball doesn’t necessarily create a concussion, but some people do experience a slight headache if they’re not heading the ball correctly,” he said.
“We do know that the sub-concussive nature of heading can release this protein called tau that can lead to toxicity in the brain towards dementia and also chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
“So this is the concern that we have, not necessarily just with one header in the game … occasionally, but rather when players are doing multiple headers in practise, and they’re doing it at every practice, every week, over a number of years.
“I think the concern that we have here in Australia is the fact that if players are heading the ball repetitively, they’re at greater risk of CTE.”
There has long been a debate in research and the community about whether children should head the ball, and whether the act of heading the ball can definitively be linked to neurodegenerative diseases.
Researchers previously told the ABC it was difficult to determine the long-term impact of sub-concussive head knocks from heading because it cannot be differentiated from more severe head knocks a player can experience.
In short:
An Australian-led research team has developed an on-pitch concussion assessment test with football’s global governing body, FIFA.
There are particular concerns about whether heading the ball should be off limits for the sport’s youngest players.
What’s next?
Australian football’s professional players’ association and a concussion expert are calling for stronger measures to manage risks associated with heading the ball.
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Some of football’s most iconic moments have involved players heading the ball, but as millions tune in to the World Cup, there is renewed pressure on Australia’s governing body of the sport to limit the practice linked to dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
The players’ association Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) and a concussion expert are calling on Football Australia to delay training children to head the ball until they are older, limit the number of high-force headers players do a week, and introduce stronger measures around concussion.
It comes as FIFA, the governing body for the sport globally, has developed an on-pitch concussion assessment protocol, with an Australian-led research team behind the test.
The aim of the test is to provide a more uniform approach for professional leagues around the world, and involves researchers sending questionnaires to medical staff with recent experience in FIFA-associated leagues, then using their responses to develop the assessment.
A study is underway to determine whether the test works in real-world settings.
Earlier this week the ABC’s Four Corners program revealed 33 former AFL players had died with CTE, a figure six times higher than previously thought.
Neuroscientist Alan Pearce said concussion was not the only issue facing soccer players, with concerns players could develop dementia, motor neurone disease and CTE.
“What we’ve found in overseas soccer players in the UK in particular is chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE,” he said.
A man with his arms resting on a fence looks into the distance.
Alan Pearce predominantly studies sports-related head injuries. (ABC News: Billy Draper)
Professor Pearce, who is the founder of Concussion Legacy Foundation Australia and works for the Australian Sports Brain Bank, said there were also concerns about the repetitive act of heading the ball, which affects the electrical function of the brain.
“Heading the soccer ball doesn’t necessarily create a concussion, but some people do experience a slight headache if they’re not heading the ball correctly,” he said.
Soccer heading can alter brain chemistry
Two children in green are heading soccer balls in front of trees and blue sky.
It is an integral part of the game, but newly published research shows that heading a soccer ball can have “acute” effects on the brain.
“We do know that the sub-concussive nature of heading can release this protein called tau that can lead to toxicity in the brain towards dementia and also chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
“So this is the concern that we have, not necessarily just with one header in the game … occasionally, but rather when players are doing multiple headers in practise, and they’re doing it at every practice, every week, over a number of years.
“I think the concern that we have here in Australia is the fact that if players are heading the ball repetitively, they’re at greater risk of CTE.”
There has long been a debate in research and the community about whether children should head the ball, and whether the act of heading the ball can definitively be linked to neurodegenerative diseases.
Researchers previously told the ABC it was difficult to determine the long-term impact of sub-concussive head knocks from heading because it cannot be differentiated from more severe head knocks a player can experience.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-02/football-heading-the-ball-risks-cte-concussion/106865326
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