Trial information

Ban on ‘deliberate heading’ incompetitions and matches atU-12 level and below

8 August 2022
Updated April 2023

The International Football Association Board
Münstergasse 9, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
T: +41 (0)44 245 1886
theifab.com

Ban on deliberate heading – trial information

Trial of a ban on ‘deliberate heading’ in competitions and matches
involving players at U-12 level and below
Background

There are concerns about the potential negative impact on players’ short- and long-term
health/welfare with regard to potential head injuries resulting from:•deliberately heading the ball•being accidentally hit on the head with the ball (especially unexpectedly or fromshort range)•attempts to head the ball (especially ‘aerial challenges’) that lead to the headmaking contact with:o another player’s body (elbow, head, etc.)o the groundo a goalpost

These concerns are exacerbated when children are involved, as their bodies, brains andmotor skills are still developing and they may not have the physiological strength or theexpertise to reduce potential risks. Consequently, some football authorities have alreadyintroduced restrictions on heading in practice/training for younger players and it istherefore logical to extend such restrictions to matches.
Although a ban on deliberate heading may remove some risks, it might also increaseothers, e.g. players trying to kick ‘high’ balls, which could result in the kicker being injured(e.g. by falling awkwardly) or injuring another player by kicking them in the head or upper
body.
Therefore, decisions about heading bans must take into account the relative risks ofheading at different ages, whether a ban inadvertently results in other risks and the major
impact that banning heading at all levels would have on the way football is played.

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Ban on deliberate heading – trial information

Considering the importance of this matter, The IFAB has approved a trial to investigate
the effects of ‘deliberate heading’ becoming an offence punishable by an indirect freekick.* The trial will be conducted in competitions and matches at U-12 level and below,
where there are restrictions on heading in practice/training.
*It was felt that, in the initial stages, a direct free kick (and especially a penalty for a header by adefending player in their own penalty area) would be too harsh for such young players.

Protocol•Deliberately heading the ball is an offence punishable by an indirect free kick•

The indirect free kick is taken from the point where the ball was deliberately headed
except:owhere a player of the defending team deliberately heads the ball in their own
penalty area – the indirect free kick is taken from the penalty mark on the sideline of the penalty area closest to where the offence occurred•Deliberately heading the ball is not a cautionable (yellow card) or sending-off (redcard) offence unless it:
ostops or interferes with a promising attack (yellow card)odenies the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (redcard)ooccurs often enough to be considered ‘persistent misconduct’ (yellow card)

Explanation and guidance

Deliberate header/heading:•A deliberate header will usually involve:o•a player moving their head and/or body:§towards the ball and/or§

into the path of the ball

When judging whether a header is ‘deliberate’, account should be taken of whether
the player had the time/opportunity to avoid the ball – this will be influenced by:othe speed of the ballothe distance between the ball and the player when it is played by another playeror rebounds from the goalpost or crossbar, etc.
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Ban on deliberate heading – trial information

Location of indirect free kicks in the penalty area:•An indirect free kick awarded for when a defending player deliberately heads
heading the ball inside their own penalty area is taken from the side of the penalty
area and not the penalty mark because:
oearly application of the protocol demonstrated that taking the kick from thepenalty mark created a risk of injury (particularly to the head) to defenders
when the ball is deliberately kicked at the defenders in the hope of it deflecting
into the goal.

ounder the current Laws, if an indirect free kick is awarded to an attacking teamfor an offence inside the goal area, the free kick is taken on the goal-area line
(parallel to the goal line), which creates major problems with trying to keep thedefending players on the goal line, between the goalposts

oan indirect free kick taken from the penalty mark is more advantageous for theattacking team, which thus partly addresses the concern of some that anindirect free kick is not a strong enough punishment

Competition feedback

Competitions participating in the trial will be required to collect a range of data andfeedback for submission to The IFAB (exact details and methodology to be determined).

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