The FA, Premier League, EFL and Professional Footballers Association (PFA) have on Tuesday announced a new joint action plan on understanding, promoting, and protecting brain health.
“Understanding the risk factors of neurodegenerative disease in football is an incredibly complex area of medical science. It requires the exploration of many different lines of research. Football is working together to try to build a more complete picture. By supporting a variety of projects,” said FA Chief Executive Mark Bullingham.
“Until we have a greater level of understanding, we are also reducing the potential risk factors. We have already done this for heading earlier this year by introducing the most comprehensive guidelines anywhere in the world. Covering the youth and adult game at all levels. This new joint action plan will further help to build our understanding across English football of this complex area.”
‘The safety of players is a priority for the Premier League’
The organizations have also announced a consultation with key stakeholders which will help shape future work in this important area. Interested parties will be invited to provide their views regarding ongoing research programs, how to improve heading awareness, knowledge, and education of concussion across the game. As well as any additional areas of support that could be given to current and ex-professional footballers.
In July, the English bodies, and other governing bodies announced that English football would limit the number of high-force headers in training to 10 per week from the 2021-22 season to protect players as part of new guidelines.
“The safety of players is a priority for the Premier League and football’s joint action plan outlines. Our extensive work is to better understand and manage the brain health of current and former players. It is important that football has come together to work collaboratively on this issue. With the help of experts, and alongside other sports with similar challenges. We want to ensure we have the right approach in place to protect the welfare of players.” said Richard Masters, Premier League Chief Executive