CHRIS SKELTON/Stuff
Former football player Kees Doornenbal has recently been diagnosed with early-stage dementia. He thinks heading in football may be associated with this. He had suffered multiple head injuries during his football career, including being “knocked out two or three times”. Glasgow University researchers found ex-footballers were three-and-a-half times more likely to die from neurodegenerative diseases than the general population. The 2019 research did not confirm a conclusive link between the sport and neurodegenerative diseases, but the findings prompted countries like England and Northern Ireland to ban heading in practices for children aged under 12. Sydney football club APIA Leichhardt has also banned heading for children under 12, and Christchurch United has banned it for children under 9.