Football bodies could be forced to cover care costs for ex-players with dementia | OneFootball

Football organisations could be forced to pay towards the care costs of ex-players who have suffered brain conditions caused by heading balls under proposals to be tabled in Parliament.

Campaigners are drafting amendments to the Football Governance Bill with the aim of treating it as an “industrial injuries issue” and overseeing a scheme to provide care and support for those affected.

The proposals seek to require the industry, including the Football Association and Professional Footballers’ Association, to provide the necessary financial support amid concerns existing arrangements are not fit for purpose.

The Brain Health Fund, set up with an initial £1 million in 2023 by the PFA union with support from the Premier League, has been criticised by campaigners. The Premier League said the fund has supported 121 families with at-home adaptations and care home fees.

Labour MP Chris Evans is among those who are pushing for the football authorities to contribute towards the high care costs faced by players who have gone on to develop Alzheimer’s, dementia and other neurological illnesses after they have retired.

From the 1966 World Cup-winning England team, both Jack and Bobby Charlton died with dementia, as did Martin Peters, Ray Wilson and Nobby Stiles.

The Football Governance Bill would create an independent regulator for the top five tiers of the men’s game in England to ensure clubs are run sustainably and are accountable to their fans.

Mr Evans, the MP for Caerphilly, hopes to amend the Bill to establish a financial scheme to provide care and support for ex-footballers.

He said he believed it was “absolutely disgraceful the way the PFA has treated these players” and a recent event in Parliament heard successive stories of families who felt let down by the union.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, who has helped draft the amendment alongside Liverpool city region mayor Steve Rotheram, told the meeting: “It’s like the game is in denial about the whole thing and that just cannot continue.”

He added: “The game should fix it. Any industry should fix it. And I do think we need to see this as an industrial injuries issue in the same way with mining, where Parliament had to step in and create the Coal Health Compensation Scheme.”

Evans agreed the illnesses should be treated the same as others regularly suffered in the workplace.

He said: “I think it’s really important that when people have paid in, they should be able to claim against industrial injury or anything happening to them while they were on the pitch, they deserve to be compensated and ensured they have that insurance premium paid out.”

According to a draft amendment, the proposed change would see a clause added in that would “supervise an industry financial scheme to provide care and support for those affected”.

A second amendment says: “It is appropriate that the industry rather than the public should bear the financial burden,” with a third saying money should come from competition organisers, with funds drawn from broadcast revenue.

The 2019 FIELD Study, co-funded by the PFA and the FA, found footballers were three-and-a-half times more likely to die of neurodegenerative disease than age-matched members of the population.

Further FIELD Study research published last December found the increased risk was not driven by general health or lifestyle factors.

John Stiles, whose father Nobby died in 2020 aged 78, chaired the event in Parliament last week.

He said: “How can it be right that heroes alive today like Tony Parkes, hundreds of others, don’t get the cash for the care they deserve from an industry rolling with cash?”

The PFA and Premier League declined to comment.

An FA spokesperson said: “We continue to take a leading role in reviewing and improving the safety of our game. This includes investing in and supporting multiple projects in order to gain a greater understanding of this area through objective, robust and thorough research.

“We have already taken many proactive steps to review and address potential risk factors which may be associated with football whilst ongoing research continues in this area including liaising with the international governing bodies.”

An EFL spokesperson said: “The EFL is working closely with other football bodies to ensure that playing the game at both a professional and grassroots level is as safe as it can be.

“This work includes ongoing research, education programmes for professional players and changes to the game itself, such as the use of concussion substitutes and training protocols for professional players.

“We are also continuing to actively engage in discussions to ensure that those who have been impacted by this issue receive support.”