Decision to Ban Heading in Youth Leagues Will Be the Demise of U.S. Soccer
Crunch time. Five minutes left, down by one. The pace is being pushed. The ball is crossed into the box. Wambach jumps and connects with the header. The crowd gasps. Goal. The title hopes remain strong.
That fateful goal by Abby Wambach in the 2011 Women’s FIFA World Cup set up the United States to defeat Brazil and move on from the knockout stage to the World Cup Final where they eventually fell to Japan. However, if it were up to the United States Soccer Federation, the U.S. Women’s soccer team would have never passed the knockout stage.
A statement released by the USSF states that heading a soccer ball will no longer be permitted until the age of 11, where it will be allowed during practices only up until the age of 13. George Chiampas, chief medical officer for U.S. soccer said, “What we’re establishing is creating parameters and guidelines with regards to the amount of exposure [to head injuries].”
This decision concluded a year-long case that started back in August of 2014 when parents filed a class-action lawsuit in a California court charging FIFA, U.S. Soccer and the American Youth Soccer Organization with negligence in treating and monitoring head injuries. Many parents rejoiced, as they felt this was a necessary step to save their children from unnecessary head trauma.
Obviously, safety is a top priority, especially when youth sports intersects with the potential for brain injury. However, Boston University neuropathologist Ann McKee, while examining Patrick Grange, a 29 year-old soccer player who died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in a case unrelated to the California suit, said “We can’t say for certain that heading the ball caused his condition in this case.”
Though it is more common for concussions and brain injuries to be found in football and soccer players, there is no direct correlation with correctly heading the ball. Sadly, many kids may be heading the ball incorrectly. When going up to head the ball, players should keep their mouths closed, retract their heads and shoulders to gain power to head the ball, then hit the ball with their foreheads. Instead, kids are pushing their heads forward, exposing their neck muscles, and hitting the ball with the top of their heads, a more vulnerable spot for brain damage.
Not heading the ball correctly can cause damage to the brain, which is what has been found. So, more than anything, if kids were taught correctly, this ruling may never have come down.
The kids can’t be totally blamed, as they are still young and uncoordinated. But is banning the act of heading for almost 13 years necessary? This ruling may negatively affect soccer in ways not originally intended.
As we know, soccer is a game where the feet are the most important part of the body, as they are used not only for running, but passing and shooting the ball. However, as the game evolved, using the head became an integral part of the game. From it stemmed crossing and corner kicks. The header is as integral a part of soccer as is dunking to basketball. It adds another facet to the game and provides the ability to be more creative ways to score.
In the 2014 World Cup, ESPN banked $529 million dollars off of advertisements. Flash-forward 30 years into the future. The decision made recently hasn’t changed. Now, kids aren’t learning how to head the ball until they may not be interested in learning it. The sport becomes less popular in the U.S. as a main facet of the game is removed, so less and less people watch it as no one is interested in watching people kick a ball around.
There goes all that advertising money.
Also, U.S. international soccer teams and soccer players will be at a disadvantage as our players won’t know how to head the ball because we were concerned about “safety” while the rest of the world was still learning the method.
U.S. soccer is now completely irrelevant, and the top three teams get money in tournaments and large cups, so any of that money U.S. Soccer could’ve acquired isn’t obtainable because they are so outmatched. This decision is setting up soccer hopefuls to fail in exchange for the illusion of safety.
This ruling may be satisfying to the overly concerned parent, but we will pay for this decision, figuratively and literally, for years to come, leading to the demise of U.S. soccer on the international level.
Dan Boyle • Apr 23, 2016 at 2:54 pm
Growing up playing and loving the game of Football(soccer) I spent many of days only practicing one thing. This “one thing” was heading the ball. The advantage our youth players have to develop skills is tireless energy. Although it may have taken me 1,000 plus times of heading the ball as a youth player to finally figure out how to do it properly, I never stopped! When the day came to effectively utilize this skill in a game or even practice I was comfortable and ready. By the age of 13, 14, or as late as 15 players who were not able to effectively head the ball in a game often times were sitting on the side lines. Heading a ball is not only part of the game it IS THE GAME! Now having a son of my own at age 9 and watching him progress in the game that I still love it is disheartening to have spent the time developing the skill of heading the ball only to have it stripped away right when he was comfortable and no longer scared of heading the ball. As I watch my boys games and see the missed opportunities for these youth players to score goals, defend, or pass a ball through the means of heading the only thing that comes to mind is the fact that every other country in the world now knows the USA will never compete in professional soccer or have the chance to be as competitive as the rest of the worlds greatest teams are. It is sad to also know the chances of one of our future youths to be selected for a European or any National professional team is slim to none. It figures that the birth place for such a ridiculous law comes from California. Sooner or later we won’t be able to kick the ball because God forbid someone accidentally kicks another person and injures them. Maybe we should just all sit around on the field in one giant circle and roll the ball to one another and then try to score a goal. Unfortunately there maybe ants or bugs on the field and a child could get a bug bite so even that wouldn’t work. Well I guess soccer is finished for USA along with everything else. Hope you parents and attorneys that fought hard to pass this ridiculous law are all happy with the fact that your kids along with every other child in America are the laughing stock of the rest of the world.