Background

Regular participation in sports, such as football (soccer), has positive effects on both physical1 and mental health.2 Despite these benefits, concerns have been raised about the potential neurological damage caused by playing football. Acute head/neck injuries in youth football have been reported to occur at a rate of 0.25 injuries per 1000 hours played,3 which is substantially lower than lower leg injuries (4.08 and 6.54 injuries per 1000 hours played, in males and females, respectively).4 While unproven, there are concerns that long-term exposure to repeated ‘subconcussive’ impacts (without the presence of injury or concussion) could alter brain white matter structure, but the potential for purposeful repetitive heading of the football to cause negative effects on the brain remains uncertain and under-researched.5 6 Although there have been significant steps made by governing bodies to reduce the number of…