MP submits motion seeking legal limits on heading in football training

Labour MP Grahame Morris has submitted a parliamentary motion calling for legal restrictions on repetitive heading in football training, BBC Sport reported on 11 November. The Easington MP wants the government to introduce enforceable protections for players' brain health, alongside a national action plan and wider education about the risks associated with repeated head impacts.

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The Early Day Motion, submitted on Tuesday, supports a petition lodged in September by the charity Head Safe Football. It calls for a task force bringing together government departments, medical specialists, player representatives, campaigners and football authorities. Morris also wants chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, recognised as a public health concern and the subject addressed through schools and the physical education curriculum.

The motion is a request for government action, not a change to the rules governing football. As the BBC explained, Early Day Motions allow MPs to express a position and seek backing from colleagues, but gathering signatures does not guarantee a parliamentary debate. The proposed legal limits therefore remain a campaign objective rather than an enacted restriction.

Existing measures vary across the game. In England, the Football Association has phased out deliberate heading in grassroots matches for children aged 11 and under. Its amateur training guidance recommends no more than 10 headers a week, while professional clubs have been advised to restrict players to 10 high-force training headers weekly. Scotland prohibits professional players from heading in training the day before and the day after matches.

Head Safe Football founder Dr Judith Gates told the BBC that some coaches and parents were unaware of the guidance or did not understand its purpose. She argued for clearer restrictions while acknowledging the difficulty of enforcing a legal limit. Her husband, former Middlesbrough player Bill Gates, died with CTE, a degenerative brain condition associated with repeated head impacts.

The debate also includes support for former players. According to the BBC, a brain health fund established by the Professional Footballers' Association and Premier League has supplied about £1 million annually since 2023, an amount campaigners say falls short of care costs. The FA has not contributed financially to that fund, but said it continues to invest in research and safety guidance while the relationship between heading and long-term brain health remains under investigation.