 Soccer:
English bodies launch new joint action plan on players' brain health
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[December 07, 2021]
(Reuters) - England's Football Association,
the Premier League and other soccer governing bodies have launched a new
joint action plan to understand, promote and protect the brain health of
players amid the risk of head injuries, they said in a statement on
Tuesday.
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 The issue of dementia in professional soccer was highlighted by the
death last year of England's Nobby Stiles who, along with many of
his 1966 World Cup-winning team mates, had been diagnosed with the
condition.
The British government was urged in July to mandate a minimum
standard protocol for concussions across sports in a bid to reduce
the risk of brain injuries among athletes.
The joint statement by the FA, Premier League, English Football
League (EFL) and Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) said
the joint action plan focuses on research, education, awareness and
support for players.
"Understanding the risk factors of neurodegenerative disease in
football is an incredibly complex area of medical science which
requires exploration of many different lines of research," said FA
Chief Executive Mark Bullingham.
"Football is working together to try to build a more complete
picture by supporting a variety of projects. Until we have a greater
level of understanding, we are also reducing the potential risk
factors."
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 In July, the Premier League 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.
"This new joint action plan will further help to
build our understanding across English football
of this complex area," Bullingham added.
The Premier League introduced permanent
concussion substitutions trials in February
after the game's rule-making body IFAB gave the
go-ahead for trials of additional "concussion
subs".
(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru;
Editing by Ken Ferris)
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