in the training of young footballers, heading is prohibited to prevent concussions

While player Raphaël Varane warns of the dangers of concussions for young people, certain clubs have taken measures to protect them.

“My 7 year old son, I advise him not to make a face”confides Raphaël Varane in an interview with The Team Tuesday April 2nd. The footballer, French world champion, alerts football authorities to the consequences of concussions for better prevention and care, particularly among children. The player says he is in favor of limiting heading play among under-12s, as is the case in England which since 2022 has been experimenting with a ban in matches in this age group.

At Paris Alesia FC, 7-10 year olds train but no ball touches the heads of these budding footballers, this is the rule in this Parisian club. “With us, there is none at allconfirms technical director Ferhat Cisek. We do not resort to exercises or head games. In training, the priority is footwork. The most important thing is technique. Before the age of 16, you don’t do [de tête]. I think the most important thing is the health of our children.”

“I know that their brain is in full development until adolescence. If there are scientific studies that can lead us to say that it is dangerous, I think we need to standardize. Ban before 12-13 years, before preadolescence or adolescence.”

Ferhat Cisek, technical director of Paris Alesia FC

at franceinfo

The only time a kid at his club might be expected to make a header is during a Saturday morning match. But it is very rare during the season, he assures.

Shared parents

In the stands, Adil watches his son play: “The heading game is beautiful to see, it’s nice.” This father does not share the same concern about concussions as footballer Raphaël Varane. For him, head games are an integral part of the practice and if it is prohibited in clubs, he encourages it in private. “I didn’t know that in England, under-12s weren’t allowed to head. I pushed [mon fils] to do it because sometimes it’s easier to push the ball into the net.”assures Adil.

Rémi, another father who came to accompany his son, thinks the opposite: “It’s true that their skull is not yet well formed and when the ball comes a little hard, I’m in favor of avoiding heading. Up to 12 years I think it would be a good thing because it can cause some problems, that’s for sure.”

“We can have bumps”

And Stelios, Bentley and Ange, who all play in U10, do not say they are fans of heading: “I prefer to play with the foot because it’s very dangerous: you can get hit hard with the ball, especially if it’s well inflated. It can hurt a lot, for example, you can get bumps. It’s dangerous since our brains are quite developed.”say the young footballers.

Julien, the coach, also shares Raphaël Varane’s message of prevention towards the youngest. Today, he still suffers from the shocks he had after head games: “I have after-effects. Sometimes I have difficulty expressing myself, he assures. If from a very young age, with untrained brains, we send them to hit the ball, it’s complicated. Especially since some coaches do not inflate the balloons well, they are either over-inflated or under-inflated. And there has to be an impact.”