Grahame Morris tables motion seeking legal limits on football heading

Grahame Morris has called for legal restrictions on repetitive heading in football training through a parliamentary motion, BBC Sport reported on Wednesday. The Labour MP for Easington wants government intervention to strengthen protection for players' brain health, rather than relying solely on football's existing guidance.

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Parliament's record lists the proposal, titled Reducing heading in training in football, as Early Day Motion 1124, tabled on 10 November. Such motions allow MPs to gather support for an issue but do not guarantee a parliamentary debate, the BBC explained. The proposal does not itself introduce a legal limit.

According to the BBC, Morris is seeking a task force bringing together medical experts, player representatives, campaigners and football authorities. His proposals also include a national brain-health action plan, recognition of chronic traumatic encephalopathy as a public-health concern, and improved education about heading risks in schools.

Head Safe Football founder Dr Judith Gates told the BBC that awareness of existing restrictions remained inadequate among some coaches and parents. She called for clearer safeguards while acknowledging that enforcing a legal limit would present difficulties.

The Football Association's published guidance already recommends that adult amateur players undertake heading practice in only one session each week, with a maximum of 10 headers. It asks players to monitor their own activity and coaches to consider differences between playing positions when planning sessions involving repeated headers.

For younger players, the FA advises against introducing heading in training from under-seven through under-11 level. Its phased removal of deliberate heading from affiliated grassroots matches reaches under-11 football in the 2026-27 season. That programme covers affiliated leagues, clubs and school matches, with heading introduced in matches at under-12 level.

The FA's training recommendations for under-12 and under-13 players allow limited, unopposed practice using light balls, with no more than five headers in one weekly session. Its adult coaching guidance emphasises technique over volume and recommends thrown passes when practising heading to reduce potential loads. Morris's motion seeks government-backed safeguards alongside the measures football authorities already publish.