Grassroots club first in country to protect players from brain damage linked to heading

Killingworth FC is the archetypal to instrumentality other precautions to support their players from encephalon harm linked to heading footballs, raising consciousness astir the dangers of concussion

A grassroots nine has go the archetypal successful the state to support its players from encephalon harm linked to heading the ball. Killingworth FC partnered with the foundation 'Head Safe Football' to go its archetypal 'trailblazer'.

The purpose is to summation consciousness of the information of concussion and caput impacts. But the thrust volition besides amended coaches, parents and players astir the signs of caput injury. The run 'Football United vs CTE' is looking to 'futureproof football' to prevent encephalon illness Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.

Killingworth FC has astir 80 teams crossed each property ranges and has go the archetypal successful the UK to formally backmost the crusade. Donna Rooke, nine secretary, said: “We instrumentality the payment of each our players truly seriously, and portion we privation them to play and bask their football, we besides don’t privation the athletics we emotion to person antagonistic repercussions connected their aboriginal and wellbeing.

“Through partnering with Head Safe Football, we person go the archetypal grassroots nine successful the state to pledge our committedness to making affirmative alteration done educating, informing and supporting our players, coaches and parents to marque the crippled safer. We are truly arrogant to beryllium doing this and anticipation galore others travel suit successful proactively prioritising the payment of the full footballing community."

Head Safe Football’s coaches and encephalon wellness squad volition enactment intimately with the North Tyneside club. Their Oranges Under 15 squad volition besides deterioration the Head Safe Football logo connected their shirts.

The instauration of Head Safe Football was inspired by erstwhile Middlesbrough defender Bill Gates, the archetypal footballer to gain £50-a-week, who died past twelvemonth aged 79 arsenic a effect of CTE. He ne'er headed a shot aft the property of 29.

His woman Dr Judith Gates, the charity's founder, said: "Football is simply a athletics for perfectly everyone, immoderate their age, gender, level of quality oregon circumstances, and this is the athletics we each love. But we request to marque it harmless for those we emotion the most.

"It was Bill’s privation that what happened to him due to the fact that of his engagement successful shot should not hap to anyone else. By tackling the elephant successful the room, we privation this to beryllium his legacy."

Football legends Gary Lineker, Kevin Keegan, Alan Shearer, and Graeme Souness enactment the request for much probe into the nexus betwixt heading the ball, and dementia. Law steadfast Slater and Gordon has sponsored the Killingworth Oranges' shirts.

Jordan Bell, their caput of concern disease, said: “There are irrefutable links betwixt CTE and football, and its prevalence successful erstwhile footballers, some nonrecreational and amateur. This is profoundly concerning for those playing the athletics present and into the future.

"This is wherefore it is truthful important that we spot enactment and inspiration from those who are consenting to follow alteration to support players and safeguard the aboriginal of the crippled itself.

"By engaging young people, and educating them and their coaches successful tiny changes that tin marque a immense difference, we tin alteration the world successful avoiding the implicit heartbreak that Bill, Judith and the Gates household -and galore different families - person suffered."