Como youth teams introduce strict heading curbs in player welfare shake-up

Como have unveiled a new framework across their academy that sharply restricts heading for young players in training and matches, in a move the Italian club says is designed to protect developing brains and teach proper technique only when youngsters are ready.

The policy, announced by the club on Saturday, overhauls how heading is used from the youngest age groups up to Under-13 level. Como say the focus will now be on giving children more time on the ball, encouraging smarter decision-making and reducing “unnecessary head load” before and after games.

Coaching staff have been instructed to limit heading in training and to manage it carefully in match situations, with particular emphasis on avoiding repeated, avoidable contact with the ball by the head around competitive fixtures.

Rafael Varane, who sits on the club’s education board, said: “I have spoken time and time again about the need to take head injuries in football seriously, and the urgent need to protect our children.”

“For young players, the best approach is to set clear rules, provide good coaching, build deep understanding and embed a culture that puts wellbeing and safety first,” he continued. “This approach reduces unnecessary contact in the early age groups, when the brain is still developing, and then teaches the skill correctly, step by step, with proper control.”

Age-specific heading limits

Como have set out detailed rules by age category for their academy sides.

For Under-10s: – Heading is completely banned in both training and matches. – Throw-ins are taken by passing the ball along the ground with the feet. – Corners are effectively treated as ground-level throw-ins, played in from the field rather than delivered aerially.

For Under-11s: – Heading remains prohibited in training and matches as a general rule. – Heading technique is only introduced in the final part of the season. – When it is introduced, a light rubber ball is used. – Corners are again taken as ground-level throw-ins.

For Under-12s: – Heading technique is taught once a month using a light ball. – The maximum frequency is one session per month, with no more than five headers per player in that session. – Matches are played under standard rules set by the Italian Football Federation.

For Under-13s: – Instruction in heading remains tightly controlled in training. – Players are limited to one heading-focused session per week, with a maximum of five headers per player in that session. – Heading is not allowed in matches. – Throw-ins are taken by hand but must be directed below head height.

Across all age groups, Como say coaches will work to cut out repeated and unnecessary heading and will avoid using over-inflated footballs during sessions.

‘Environment we create for the player’

Osian Roberts, head of development at the club, said the changes were central to how Como want to shape their academy environment.

“Development is about the environment we create for the player,” he said. “At these ages, we want more time with the ball, more scanning, more problem-solving and more calm decision-making.”

“Limiting heading in the early age groups supports that,” Roberts added. “Then we introduce it later in a structured way, with clear limits, so that players learn the technique carefully and with confidence.”

Research and global concern over concussion

The club’s new pathway follows growing global concern over the long-term effects of head impacts and concussion in football.

A US study conducted between 2008 and 2016 on children recorded 3,285 concussion injuries over the period, an average of 386 cases per year, with the average age of those affected 13.5 years.

A sub-analysis from that research found that 13% of hospital admissions were linked to contact with the ball, compared with 39% from player-to-player contact and 44% from impacts with the ground.

In 2024, FIFA, in partnership with the World Health Organization, launched a concussion awareness campaign, warning that concussion “poses a risk to every player on the pitch”.

Como’s academy measures place the club among those attempting to translate such evidence and guidance into concrete changes on the training ground, by sharply curbing heading for children and phasing in the skill only under tightly controlled conditions.