{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,4]],"date-time":"2026-11-04T04:01:05Z","timestamp":1793764865578,"version":"4.6.1"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"23","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,23]],"date-time":"2025-12-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1766448000000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":22,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Br J Sports Med"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,9]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>To describe the frequency, rates and contextual features of heading in matches across the English men\u2019s elite football pathway.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This prospective observational cohort study coded purposeful heading events in English Premier League First Team (senior), Category 1 and Category 2 Academy matches played between April 2021 and June 2024. Using video analysis and predefined heading and match descriptors, the study focused on heading frequency, rates, preceding events and unintended head impacts occurring during heading events.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A total of 687 matches were included in the analysis, yielding 26\u2009510 purposeful heading events across 49\u2009703 match minutes. Heading rates\/min increased by 13% per age group, from U9s to senior levels, rising from 0.167 to 0.875 headers\/min. Central defenders exhibited the highest heading frequency, accounting for 34.2%\u201336.3% of all heading events. The most common preceding event leading to a header was a long pass. Unintended head impacts during heading events were infrequent (31 occasions, &lt;1% of all purposeful heading events), with the highest incidence (1 per 971 match minutes) observed in senior players and the lowest incidence (1 per 1852 match minutes) observed in foundation (under 9s to under 11s) players. Six players were removed from play following medical assessment.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This is the first published study to report heading rates across an entire elite, men\u2019s football pathway. The findings support data-informed decisions regarding heading exposure in elite male footballers and provide valuable insights for those preparing players for the demands of the elite game at different age levels. Unintended head impacts during heading events occurred more frequently in senior players. Further research is needed to understand the variability in heading exposure throughout an individual player\u2019s development pathway and any potential clinical ramifications.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/bjsports-2025-110804","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,24]],"date-time":"2025-12-24T05:45:21Z","timestamp":1766555121000},"page":"1670-1677","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Heading in football matches: descriptive analysis of heading events from 687 matches across age groups in English Academy and First Team men\u2019s professional football"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"59","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-7708-4032","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michael","family":"Brownlow","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Football Association Premier League, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0242-3213","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dominic Charles","family":"Townsend","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Football Association Premier League, London, UK"},{"name":"University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust Wessex Neurological Centre, Southampton, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3607-8921","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ian","family":"Varley","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3655-2478","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bradley","family":"Sprouse","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mike","family":"Hughes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Red Zone Analysis Limited, Bath, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Arron","family":"Ackerman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Red Zone Analysis Limited, Bath, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"David","family":"Taylor","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Red Zone Analysis Limited, Bath, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gill","family":"Myburgh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Football Association Premier League, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Paddy","family":"Riley","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Football Association Premier League, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sameer","family":"Patel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"FIFA, Z\u00fcrich, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3211-9933","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Antonio","family":"Belli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Matthew","family":"Green","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Football Association Premier League, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"2025122907000636000_59.23.1670.1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"233","DOI":"10.1080\/24733938.2024.2362191","article-title":"Heading in football: a systematic review of descriptors, definitions, and reporting methods used in heading incidence studies","volume":"9","author":"Peek","year":"2025","journal-title":"Sci Med Footb"},{"key":"2025122907000636000_59.23.1670.2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"875","DOI":"10.1111\/sms.13900","article-title":"The incidence and mechanism of heading in European professional football players over three seasons","volume":"31","author":"Tierney","year":"2021","journal-title":"Scand J Med Sci Sports"},{"key":"2025122907000636000_59.23.1670.3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"307","DOI":"10.1080\/24733938.2022.2114602","article-title":"Heading and risk of injury situations for the head in professional German football: a video analysis of over 150,000 headers in 110,000 match minutes","volume":"7","author":"Weber","year":"2023","journal-title":"Sci Med Footb"},{"key":"2025122907000636000_59.23.1670.4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1459","DOI":"10.1249\/MSS.0000000000002945","article-title":"Heading Exposure in Elite Football (Soccer): A Study in Adolescent, Young Adult, and Adult Male and Female Players","volume":"54","author":"Langdon","year":"2022","journal-title":"Med Sci Sports Exerc"},{"key":"2025122907000636000_59.23.1670.5","unstructured":"Premier League . 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