Footballs could be designed to reduce impact of heading – scientists

“There are examples of balls transferring high or low energy in all eras of the game,” said Andy Harland, a sports technology lecturer at Loughborough.

“There is no trend to suggest that the magnitude of energy transfer increases or decreases with time.

“Our evidence suggests that the transfer of high-energy pressure waves is not limited to leather balls. So if this energy is associated with neurodegenerative disease, it is not a problem that has gone away with modern balls.”

This is because football is under increasing pressure to take more action against brain damage and there is growing interest in the relationship between the head and neurodegenerative diseases.

In January, a senior coroner said repeated head-butting with footballs was “likely” to have contributed to the brain disease which was a factor in the death of former Leeds United and Manchester United defender Gordon McQueen.

McQueen, who was diagnosed with vascular dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), caused by repeated impacts to the head, died in 2023 at the age of 70.

Former England striker Jeff Astle, who died after years of neurological symptoms, is believed to be the first footballer whose death was caused by footballs.

“These results provide opportunities to work on bead designs and test specifications that minimize energy transfer to the brain,” Phillips added.

“We hope that this finding will provide valuable information that could allow us to more specifically examine the potential causes of the disease we are seeing in retired players.

“At the moment we are seeing correlations and statistical observations about them and their career in the game.

“At the moment, it’s not clear why hitting a soccer ball in the head causes brain damage, and it may be many years before we can reach that point. But I think this finding allows us to focus specifically on something we’ve never measured before.

“The most interesting thing is that this gives us the opportunity to make changes to the ball. This transfer of energy that we measured is separate from the overall picture of the ball hitting the head and the kickback of the player’s head. It stops at the very beginning of the collision and represents a very discrete pulse of energy that passes through the brain.”

In 2019, the ‘Field’ study, funded by the FA and the Professional Footballers’ Association, found that footballers were 3.5 times more likely to suffer from neurodegenerative disorders.

Since then, the FA has introduced a phased ban on playing under-11 football and says it is investing in objective, robust research to better understand the problem. It also issued guidelines for clubs on limiting high-force headers in training, such as those from balls coming at high speed from free-kicks and corners.

The Scottish FA went further by banning headbutting the day before and after the match in adult professional football.

Charlotte Cowie, FA medical director, said: “This new independent research provides us with innovative and never-before-seen insights, and is part of our ongoing commitment to gaining a better understanding of this very complex area.

“The results of the study have also been shared with Fifa and UEFA, and we continue to welcome a comprehensive approach to support further research in this important area.”