Major change to rules in youth football matches announced after two year trial

HEADING is being outlawed from youth football matches in England, it was announced yesterday.

It will be banned for the next three seasons under a new rule for all leagues, clubs and affiliated school matches, the Football Association says.

The change will cover all under-seven to under-nine matches in 2024-25, before expanding to include under-ten level from 2025-26 and under-11s the following season.

Deliberately heading the ball will result in the opposition being awarded an indirect free-kick.

The indirect free-kick will be taken at the point where the ball was deliberately headed.

If the ball was deliberately headed in the penalty area, the game will restart from the nearest sideline.

It follows a two-season International Football Association Board trial.

Ex-professional footballers are more than three times as likely to be diagnosed with dementia than the general population.

The FA said about 16,000 teams and 107,000 players participated in the Ifab trial, launched in 2022.

The ruling body said: “Our aim is to create more opportunities for players with the ball at their feet.”

In 2021 it was recommended professional footballers in England should be limited to 10 “higher force headers” a week in training.