What are the new heading limits for professional soccer players?

Professional soccer players are now recommended to have no more than 10 headers per week, including during practice sessions.

What is the guideline for children regarding heading the soccer ball?

Children under 12 years old are advised not to head the soccer ball at all as part of the new CTE prevention protocol.

How does the new soccer protocol aim to prevent CTE?

The protocol seeks to prevent CTE by reducing head impacts through limits on heading frequency, force, and by encouraging heading later in life.

Home / Sports / Soccer's CTE Protocol: Heading Limits Revealed

Soccer's CTE Protocol: Heading Limits Revealed

3 Feb

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Summary

New guidelines limit professional soccer players to 10 headers weekly.
Children under 12 are advised not to head the ball at all.
The protocol aims to reduce subconcussive blows and prevent CTE.

Soccer's CTE Protocol: Heading Limits Revealed

The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) has announced a groundbreaking protocol to prevent Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) in soccer players. This comprehensive plan, effective from February 3, 2026, introduces weekly heading limits for professionals, restricting them to a maximum of 10 headers per week, including during practice.

Crucially, the PFA's guidelines state that children under 12 should not head the ball at all. The protocol's core principle is to reduce head impacts throughout a player's career, addressing both direct concussions and the cumulative damage from less forceful blows.

Dr. Adam White, Director of Brain Health at the PFA, emphasized that CTE is preventable by focusing on "less heading, less force, less often, and later in life." This approach is seen as vital for protecting current and future generations of athletes from the disease, which has been linked to former players across various contact sports.