Heading the ball

[Heam44]

I think heading could be reduced without affecting the game to much. Eg.

No headers from goal kicks. (I’d imagine those are the headers that do the most damage due to the ball having travelled the furthest. Also who goes to football to see a centre back header a ball back in the direction of the opposition goalie etc). For me this makes sense, could go along way to reduce the damage without effecting the game too much.

Maybe even something along the lines of headers only are only allowed in the final thirds of the pitch or in the middle third if it has bounced first. Something along those lines.

 

[Liamo]

I know that when I was a kid in the 70's and 80's , getting whacked by a wet sodden casey was one of the worst pains imaginable. do the current crop of super light footballs do the same?

While the older footballs certainly did get heavier when wet, it's a bit of a myth that modern footballs are "super light" - at least in terms of their starting weight.

The only change in regard to the permissible weight of a football since this was first specified in 1872 was, in fact a slight increase in 1937.

It's also the case that the average starting weight of footballs has actually increased slightly over the past decades (partly because they don't increase in weight in wet conditions). For instance, while the maximum permissible weight is 445 grams, the infamous Jabulani World Cup ball had an average weight of 440 grams - pretty close to the maximum allowable.