BALLARAT and District Soccer Association president Herman Bogers doesn’t believe there’s a great need to change the rules of the game, despite a shock decision by the United States Soccer Federation to ban headers for players under the age of 10.
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The move headlines a series of safety measures aimed at tackling head injuries in the sport and ends the threat of a proposed class-action lawsuit – by a group of parents and players – alleging not enough was being done to treat and monitor those issues.
The revised safety measures will also limit the amount of headers in practice for players aged between 11 and 13, a statement on the US Soccer website confirmed.
The new rules will be followed strictly by USSF Soccer youth national teams and the youth sections of Major League Soccer teams, but are only recommendations for teams and associations outside US Soccer control.
Bogers said there hadn’t been any “recorded injuries” to players that he was aware of during his time with the BDSA.
“I don’t think it’s an issue because a lot of the play consists of having the ball at the feet at that age group, (they’re) not playing at a fast and furious pace and it’s a lot slower,” Bogers said.
But Bogers admitted the BDSA would follow suit if a similar move undertaken by the USSF was brought in by governing bodies such as Football Federation Australia.
As part of the resolution, the USSF has developed an extensive program to improve concussion awareness and education among youth coaches, referees, parents and players, a statement said.
It is this aspect that is the most important part of the reforms, according to Football Federation Victoria chief medical officer Dr Andrew Jowett.
Dr Jowett said there was “no good evidence that heading the ball causes long term damage" and believed it was more important to control things like teaching correct technique, using the right equipment and playing and refereeing to the rules.
