Why is this study important?

Heading in association football, is an intentional, direct impact between the head and the football and a fundamental skill that can significantly influence match outcomes. Heading in football continues to attract attention, particularly in relation to long term brain health, concussion risk, and youth participation. 

To support informed decision making, there is a need to increase our understanding of how often heading occurs in competitive play, how this changes across the player development pathway, and how frequently heading is associated with unintended head impacts and concussion risk.

This study addresses these gaps by providing largescale, real-world data on purposeful heading across the English men’s elite football pathway, from a player’s entry into Academy football through to First Team Premier League matches (1). By quantifying heading exposure across ages, playing positions, and match contexts, and by documenting the incidence of unintended head impacts during heading events, the findings help ground contemporary discussions around heading exposure.

How did the study go about this?

A prospective observational cohort study was completed using video analysis from 687 matches played between April 2021 and June 2024. Matches spanned Under 9 to First Team levels, including Category One and Two Academies and Premier League First Team competition.

Trained analysts systematically identified all purposeful heading events using predefined operational definitions. For each event, analysts coded the preceding match action (e.g. long pass, clearance, cross, throw-in) and recorded whether an unintended head impact occurred during the heading event (e.g. head-to-head collision).

Heading exposure was expressed as headers per minute of match play. Comparative analyses were conducted across age groups, development phases, playing positions, and preceding events using negative binomial regression, allowing examination of how heading exposure changes across the elite pathway.

What did the study find?

Across 49,703 match minutes, 26,510 purposeful heading events were recorded.

Exposure increases progressively

Heading exposure increased progressively and predictably with age, rising by an average of 13% at each age group from U9 to First Team level. Mean heading rates increased from 0.167 headers per minute at U9 to 0.895 headers per minute in First Team football. The Foundation Phase (U9–U11) exhibited substantially lower heading rates than Youth Development (U12-16), Professional Development, (U18-U21) and First Team phases, highlighting a clear escalation in exposure as players progress through the pathway.

This data set informs coaches and performance staff on the heading demands that players of different ages must be prepared for. It also provides important considerations for teams transitioning players, particularly those with accelerated individual development plans ahead of their regular peer groups.

Playing position matters

Playing position was a major determinant of heading exposure. Central defenders consistently recorded the highest heading frequencies across all development phases, while wide attackers and central attackers recorded the lowest. These findings emphasise the importance of position specific considerations when discussing player preparation and education.

Match context evolves with age

Across all age groups, the most common preceding event leading to a header was a long pass, followed by clearances, throw-ins, short passes, corners, and crosses. However, age specific profiles were evident.

At U9, 51% of all set play headers followed a throw-in, but this proportion decreased substantially by U12 (to ~31% of all headers). In contrast, headers following free kicks increased between the same age groups from 8% to 18% of all set play headers. Heading rates following most preceding events increased as players progressed through the pathway, but particularly after long passes and clearances. This likely reflects players’ developing physical capability to execute longer passes as they mature through the age groups. Importantly, these preceding events (long passes and clearances) are associated with faster ball speeds and higher heading forces, making them a key consideration for player preparation. The profile of preceding events at younger ages (e.g greater proportion of throw-ins) may allow players to develop heading skills (such as ball tracking and timing of the header) in actions characterised by lower ball speeds, prior to progression.

Unintended head impacts are rare

Unintended head impacts (where a Player’s head made contact with something other than the ball during purposeful heading events) were infrequent, occurring in 31 instances or <1% of all purposeful headers. Six players required removal from play following medical assessment. The highest incidence was observed in First Team matches, with the lowest in the Foundation Phase.

What are the key take home messages?

• Heading exposure increases progressively across the elite football pathway, with clear differences between age groups and development phases.
• Heading exposure is position dependent with central defenders undertaking the greatest volume.
• Unintended head impacts during heading events are rare in match play, occurring in fewer than 1% of heading events.
• By quantifying how often, when, and in what contexts headers occur, this study provides a robust evidence base to inform discussions around coaching practice, player preparation, and future policy. 
• It is important that language is precise when describing heading events (ball to head), unintended head impacts and concussive episodes and terms are not used interchangeably 

Blog author: Mike Brownlow

References:

Brownlow M, Townsend DC, Varley I, et alHeading in football matches: descriptive analysis of heading events from 687 matches across age groups in English Academy and First Team men’s professional footballBritish Journal of Sports Medicine 2025;59:1670-1677