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RISBOROUGH RANGERS JFC

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RISBOROUGH RANGERS JFC

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February 2020

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THE FA ANNOUNCE UPDATED HEADING GUIDANCE

The Football Association [The FA] has today announced updated Heading Guidance for all age groups between Under 6 and Under 18, in association with the Irish and Scottish FAs.

The updated Heading Guidance, which will be introduced immediately, will provide grassroots Clubs, Coaches and Players With the recommended heading guidance for training  sessions. The Guidance does not make any changes to the way matches are played.

Following the publication of The FA and PFA joint-funded FIELD study in October 2019, The FA established the independently-chaired Research Taskforce to guide on possible changes to heading coaching, review concussion management protocols, and advise on future research projects.

Find out more here at theFA.com

Although there was no evidence in the FIELD study to suggest that heading the ball was the cause to the link with incidence of degenerative neurocognitive disease, to mitigate against any potential risks, the updated Heading Guidance has been produced in parallel with UEFA’s Medical Committee, which is seeking to publish Europe-wide guidelines  later this year. The Irish FA and the Scottish FA will also adopt the same Heading Guidance.

The updated Heading Guidance includes: 

• Heading Guidance in training for all age groups between Under 6 and Under 18

• No heading in training in the foundation phase [primary school children]

• Graduated approach to heading training for children in the development phase between Under 12 to Under 16

• Required ball sizes for training and matches for each age group

• No changes to heading in matches, taking into consideration the limited number of headers in youth games

FA Chief Executive, Mark Bullingham, said: “This updated Heading Guidance is an evolution of our current guidelines and will help coaches and teachers to reduce and remove  repetitive and unnecessary heading from youth football.  Our research has shown that heading is rare in youth football matches, so this guidance is a responsible development to our grassroots coaching without impacting the enjoyment that children of all ages take from playing the game.”

Irish FA Chief Executive, Patrick Nelson, said:”Our football committee has reviewed and approved the new guidelines. As an association we believe this is the right direction of travel and are confident it will be good for the game, and those who play it.”

Scottish FA  Chief  Executive, Ian  Maxwell,  said: “While it is important to re-emphasise there is no research to suggest that heading in younger age groups was a contributory factor in the findings of the FIELD study into professional footballers, nevertheless Scottish football has a duty of  care to young people, their parents and those responsible for their wellbeing throughout youth football.

“The updated guidelines are designed to help coaches remove repetitive and  unnecessary heading from youth football in the earliest years, with a phased introduction at an age  group considered most appropriate by our medical experts. It is important to reassure that heading is rare in youth football matches, but we are clear that the guidelines should mitigate any potential risks.

“I would like to thank our colleagues at the English FA for their collaboration in this process and UEFA’s Medical Committee for their guidance.”

 

Download the updated heading guidance

Q&A – Updated heading guidance

 

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FIFAR – Support local youth club

FIFAR supports Risborough youth club by supplying new Dart board and electronic score board.

 

THE IMPORTANCE OF RISBOROUGH YOUTH CLUB:

  • Being part of a group can help young people develop important personal and interpersonal skills. These include the ability to think critically and solve problems, and the assumption of personal and group responsibility.
  • It can also help young people gain self-confidence and self-esteem. Contributing to a group can help them see themselves as being able to really help other people, and having something important to offer.
  • It can help reduce the risk of becoming involved in unsafe activities, such as using drugs and alcohol. Being involved in community activities has been shown to be a protective factor–that is, it helps young people to make healthy choices. That’s because by being involved in an organization, they can develop a “safe” identity, and are less likely to participate in unsafe activities (such as becoming sexually active before they are ready) to feel they belong.
  • Young people involved in organizations can develop job skills, including organization, the ability to run meetings, and experience working with a wide variety of people. These skills that young people learn from being part of a group can help them be better prepared for any job they might choose.
  • Often, organizations give youth a “safe space” that they wouldn’t have otherwise–a place where they can express themselves through arts and activities, or just by being able to talk openly with peers and caring adults.
  • Youth organizations offer opportunities for leadership that young people might not get otherwise.
  • Young people involved in organizations can receive information on staying safe and healthy from their peers or adults they know and respect. They then pass on this information to other young people. In this way, youth organizations offer a credible way for young people to learn about staying healthy, because they can learn about it from friends they admire, rather than adults or other outsiders whose opinions they might not value.
  • Young people can develop a strong support network of other young people who make healthy choices, and who can help convince them to stay healthy, too.

ADVANTAGES FOR THE COMMUNITY:

  • Youth organizations can help change public perception of young people from being “the problem” to an important part of making life better in the community.
  • Involving young people in the community helps them see themselves as part of the whole; they really do become less likely to cause problems and more likely to want to look for solutions.
  • By involving young people, the community is allowing them to carefully develop their leadership potential, so that as they grow and learn they can become thoughtful, prepared leaders of the society.
  • Other community organizations can often partner with youth organizations, to mutual benefit. Young people can bring a tremendous amount of life to an organization; often, their energy, enthusiasm, creativity, and perspective are invaluable to members of larger community initiatives that choose to actively involve them.