Research reveals footballers are still heading for serious trouble | Sean Ingle

Scientific study on women footballers in the US has shown that constant heading of modern lightweight footballs can cause lasting brain damage

I am staring at images of human brains. Damaged human brains. One, in particular, fascinates me. It looks similar to a textbook MRI scan of a concussed brain, yet the injuries it shows were not caused by the sort of collision – eight-ounce glove on exposed jaw, rutting head on rutting head – that leaves a crowd gasping and a player unsure whether their next step will be a lurch forwards or a stumble sideways. No. This brain was damaged by simply heading a football. A lightweight, modern football.

We are all aware some old-time players – most notably and tragically Jeff Astle, the former West Bromwich centre-forward – suffered degenerative brain disease from repeatedly heading leather balls. But while modern footballs are lighter and more waterproof, research by scientists at Purdue University in Indiana suggests they may not negate the dangers from heading hard shots and high punts.

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