In an effort to reduce instances of brain damage in football, players under the age of 12 will be sent off if they intentionally head the ball to prevent a goal.
The FA has sent the new guidelines to grassroots teams aged six to twelve that would penalize players who head the ball more severely according on how the move affects the game.
The rules state that if a player intentionally heads the ball, the opposition team will be granted an indirect free kick, but if the offense prevents a goal, the player will be sent out.
For the remainder of the 2022/23 season, the experimental project aims to prevent young players from heading the ball during practice and games.
The scheme, which has been criticized as a “mess” by grassroots coaches, comes as research links the repeated heading of a football with neurological illness, which has claimed the lives of some former players.
Referees will issue red or yellow cards to players who intentionally head the ball in specified scenarios in order to enforce the new rules.
A new FA trial program will penalize players between the ages of six and twelve for heading the ball during a game, awarding a free-kick if they do so without earning an advantage but sending them out in more severe circumstances, such as preventing a goal.
If a player between the ages of six and twelve denies the opposition team a goal by purposely heading the ball, they will be sent off.
This is equivalent to a player purposely blocking a goal-bound shot with his hand.
A player will receive a yellow card if they intentionally block a “promising opposing attack” by heading the ball. During a game, a child who “persistently offends” will also be booked.
Some youth coaches are concerned that the new rules may encourage more teams to play long-ball football.
Mike Statham, an U12s coach with Hessle FC in Hull, wrote on social media, “The new law in grassroots football will damage the sport.”
“Children between the ages of U7 and U12 may no longer intentionally head the ball during a game; if they do, they may receive a yellow or red card (situation dependant).
You claim it will encourage teams to maintain possession of the ball. Have you met any grassroots coaches? Because they will no longer be able to defend against long balls over the top, it will just encourage them.
“In football, heading is a natural reflex.” This trial will be a complete disaster.’
One father remarked, “Up until now, heading has been an integral aspect of the game for 11-year-olds.”
Some of them will automatically head the ball during a game, and for that they could be sent off. It seems really severe.
The scheme has been criticized as a “mess” by grassroots coaches, but it comes as research linked repeated heading of a football to neurological illness, which has claimed the lives of some former players.
However, five members of the 1966 England World Cup-winning squad developed dementia, which has been linked to a lifetime of heading footballs.
Jack Charlton, Nobby Stiles, Ray Wilson, and Martin Peters have all passed away, although Bobby Charlton is still alive.
In 2002, 59-year-old former footballer Jeff Astle died of a degenerative brain condition that a specialist told his inquest was likely caused by his 18-year career of heading the ball.
A spokesperson for the FA stated that the International Football Association Board had been engaged over the enforcement of the new heading rules.
He indicated that children under 12 who participate in the experiment and head the ball during an attempt to score will receive a red card.
He stated, ‘There is insufficient evidence to determine whether heading has any long-term effects.
“We intend to limit any potential hazards by implementing restricted heading.” We lobbied IFAB for this, and it is their responsibility to create the law.’
After the completion of the trials, the FA intends to implement the heading rule for all under-12 players.
A spokesperson for the International Football Association Board, the organization founded in 1886 to determine the Laws of the Game of Association Football, stated: ‘Deliberate heading is an offense during the heading ban trial, and the Laws of the Game state that any offense (foul, handball, etc.) that prevents a goal is a red card.
The law does not differentiate between different offenses or age groups.