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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Long before he became boss of the Australian players\u2019 union, Beau Busch was a centre-back \u2013 which means one of his primary responsibilities as a player was to strategically position his head to intercept an object travelling at high speed. Repeatedly.<\/p>\n As with many former footballers, but particularly those who were strong in the air, Busch sometimes wonders if by clearing danger for his teams so often, he will one day find himself in it, like former Socceroos captain Paul Wade<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI played in a position where my strength really was heading and tackling. It certainly wasn\u2019t ball-playing,\u201d said Busch, the chief executive of Professional Footballers Australia, which helped manage Wade\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving played in the UK for a couple of years, and the amount of time the ball spent in the air in Scotland \u2026 it\u2019s absolutely a concern. It\u2019s something of huge concern to all players.\u201d<\/p>\n The discussion around the progressive degenerative brain disease CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) in soccer, and its links with the fundamental skill of heading, is far from new.<\/p>\n After every new piece of research from abroad<\/a>, every innovation around equipment designed to reduce the dangers<\/a>, every high-profile English player\u2019s death and the discovery of CTE, the subject is raised in Australia, the relevant authorities are questioned, a generic, non-committal response is provided, and everyone moves on until the next time it pops up. This has been the cycle for the past five or six years.<\/p>\n But this time, it\u2019s different. What could once be dismissed as an abstract problem that only happened in other countries is no longer the case. Wade\u2019s diagnosis of probable CTE \u2013 the disease can only be confirmed with a post-mortem examination \u2013 brings the discussion not only to Australian soccer\u2019s doorstep, but inside the house. It\u2019s here now. What are we going to do about it?<\/p>\n Wade, a long-time former Socceroos captain and a face of the sport for so many Australians because of his post-retirement media career, did not go public with his story for sympathy. He wants action.<\/p>\n He has seen what other countries have done. In 2015, the United States became the first nation to impose restrictions on heading in training and matches for children up to the age of 12 after a legal settlement. England has since followed suit; from the 2026-27 season, deliberate heading is being phased out at under-11s level across all leagues, clubs and any affiliated school matches, and throw-ins have been replaced by pass-ins \u2013 rules that have been phased in for younger ages during recent years.<\/p>\n In both nations, in line with a successful trial by lawmakers the International Football Association Board (IFAB), deliberate headers are punished with a free kick. From under-12s onwards, heading is gradually introduced into the game, but in England, at professional level, there is also formal guidance that players should be exposed to a maximum of 10 high-force headers at training a week, although it\u2019s questionable how many teams actually adhere to that.<\/p>\n Since the evidence indicates that prolonged exposure to repetitive heading increases the risk of CTE, the logical response is to simply reduce the window of exposure, and hopefully reduce the risk.<\/p>\n Nobody wants to see the header eradicated entirely; especially us as Australians, given how many of our greatest moments in the game have come off the head of players such as Sam Kerr, Tim Cahill and others. But for now, these are seen as the best available measures, and several countries have adopted them.<\/p>\n But not yet Australia, for reasons unknown.<\/p>\n Wade, like Rowena Mobbs, the neurologist who diagnosed him, wants Football Australia to fall in line.<\/p>\n \u201cFor those who are making the rules, or should be applying the protocols, do it \u2013 do it now,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Those words may be Wade\u2019s lasting legacy \u2013 but only if they are heeded.<\/p>\n FA does not want to be part of the latest round of discussions, at least not publicly. FA did not make any of its executives available for interview to discuss Wade\u2019s diagnosis and its position on heading. Nor would it answer this masthead\u2019s specific questions on those matters. It has never publicly explained what additional evidence it is waiting for, or if it is waiting for anything, before adopting the restrictions that have been implemented elsewhere.<\/p>\n The national governing body only provided a brief statement, attributed to a spokesperson. It described Wade as a \u201ctrue icon of Australian football\u201d and said FA had reached out to him directly, but otherwise, it repeated the same things it has said previously.<\/p>\n \u201cWe continue to work closely with medical and other experts on policies to protect and improve players\u2019 health and safety, and to ensure that our game is safe to play,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cAdditionally, we will continue working closely with PFA and other key stakeholders to ensure our sport remains safe, healthy, and accessible for future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n But the experts, and the PFA, are unequivocal. They say there is already enough evidence to act. What they cannot get their heads around is the delay.<\/p>\n Neuroscientist Alan Pearce, one of Australia\u2019s leading concussion researchers, says there is no scientific, practical or logical reason for FA to wait any longer.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s absolutely no reason why they can\u2019t apply the precautionary principle and then enforce this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are seeing cases across the United Kingdom … I don\u2019t understand why we have to have a study to make sure it\u2019s not different here in Australia. It\u2019s the same sport. Repetitive impacts to the brain, it doesn\u2019t matter where they come from \u2013 what we are seeing in the science is that they are a risk factor for CTE and other neurodegenerative diseases as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Pearce said scientists had spent close to two decades warning sporting bodies about the possible consequences of repeated sub-concussive impacts to the brain, often without any meaningful response.<\/p>\n \u201cWe feel like we\u2019re screaming into the void,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt does seem to take a high-profile athlete for people to actually sit up and go, \u2018Oh, this must be serious.\u2019 But for every one professional or elite player, there are thousands and thousands of club players doing everything the same that no one hears about.\u201d<\/p>\n FA\u2019s concussion guidelines for community soccer make no reference to heading. Instead, they deal with the management of diagnosed concussions. It\u2019s important guidance, but does not address what doctors believe caused Wade\u2019s likely condition: the cumulative effect of thousands of sub-concussive blows from heading the ball. They don\u2019t hurt, which is what is so insidious about them, but they all add up.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s part of the strategy \u2013 not just from Football Australia, but this is from the AFL, the NRL, World Rugby, whatever,\u201d Pearce said.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery time that we talk about or reveal a case of CTE, they always pivot back to concussion. This is why there\u2019s so much confusion because people think that concussion is CTE. That\u2019s got nothing to do with Paul\u2019s case.\u201d<\/p>\n Busch said FA was viewing the problem from the wrong angle.<\/p>\n![\"Paul](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/0fedce322eab70239d1980b2113fba1b8912d14d.jpeg\")
Paul Wade heads the ball in a match for South Melbourne against Marconi in Sydney in 1987.Ian Cugley<\/p>\n![\"Sam](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/faa45074c84cf0e5400337c186379bd1501e7f43.jpeg\")
Sam Kerr is one of Australia\u2019s best headers of the ball.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5bbf6cca017dfb1dac4f3ed0e59789626217dc39.jpeg\")
Former Socceroos skipper Paul Wade has revealed he is likely suffering from the degenerative brain disease CTE.Wolter Peeters<\/p>\n![\"Brain](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/0891cbc8b3b421970a69c00802aac44db3d244c9.jpeg\")
Brain injury expert Dr Alan Pearce.Simon Schluter<\/p>\n![\"Chief](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/23f595539e1aa98d08dee30a5148ee6bbfde6046.jpeg\")
Chief executive of Professional Footballers Australia Beau Busch.Jason South<\/p>\n
![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1784874976_498_d908b86ebc3fd339409f7fa60dee1ee7f2e1e398.jpeg\")
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