Heading phased out in Youth Football
In 2022, The FA became the first national association to successfully adopt the IFAB (International Football Association Board) trial to remove deliberate heading in grassroots football matches at U12 and below.
After two seasons of the IFAB trial in English football, we will now introduce a new rule to phase out deliberate heading in matches in all affiliated grassroots youth football between U7-U11 level over the next three seasons.
This includes all leagues, clubs and any affiliated school football matches – starting with U7-U9 level from the 2024-25 season, then increasing to include U10 level from 2025-26, and U11 level from 2026-27.
- Deliberately heading the ball is an offence punishable by an indirect free kick
- The indirect free kick is taken at the point where the ball was deliberately headed, except:
- Where a player deliberately heads the ball within their own penalty area, the referee will stop the game and restart with an indirect free kick to the opposition from the nearest side line of the penalty area where the offence took place
- When the whole of the ball passes over the whole of the touchline, on the ground or in the air, instead of a throw-in, a pass-in/dribble-in is awarded
- The kicker that takes the pass-in/dribble-in may touch the ball again before it is touched by another player
- At the moment of delivering the ball:
- The ball must be stationary on the touchline at the point where it left the pitch; only the kicker may be off the pitch
- All opponents must stand at least five yards from the point on the touchline where the pass-in or /dribble-in is to be taken from
- A goal cannot be scored directly from a pass-in
- The ball is in play when it is kicked and clearly moves
From the start of the 2024-25 season, there will be no disciplinary sanctions applied for a deliberate header in a match, unless the action is considered a persistent deliberate offence, which could then result in a caution.