Header (association football)

A header is a technique that is used in association football to control the ball using the head to pass, shoot, or clear.

[3] Footballers such as Santillana, Tim Cahill, Marco van Basten, Fernando Torres, Cristiano Ronaldo, Virgil Van Dijk, Andy Carroll, Didier Drogba, Alvaro Morata, Harry Kane, Luuk de Jong, Olivier Giroud, Gareth Bale, Javier Hernandez, Sergio Ramos, Peter Crouch, Miroslav Klose, Giorgio Chiellini, Ali Daei, Abby Wambach  and Joel Pohjanpalo are some examples of players who are known for the quality of their headers.

[4][5][6][7] Heading the ball, whether in practice or a competitive match, carries health risks that can become apparent immediately or after a few years.

A 2019 study shows that footballers, with the exclusion of goal keepers, are three and a half times more likely to suffer from neurodegenerative disease than the general population.

Former Wales professional football player, Alan Jarvis, was ruled to have died in a similar fashion.

[10] In July 2022, the FA announced they received approval from the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to trial the removal of deliberate heading in matches for those playing U-12 and under.

[11] In 2016, the United States Soccer Foundation implemented measures to mitigate the risks of heading the ball.

Under the new rules, if a player aged 10 and under deliberately heads a ball in a match, an indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team.

While this may not be a feasible option for competitive matches, experts suggest implementing these changes to balls being used during practice.