Keith Pontin.

[the other bob wilson]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-wale...fe-to-the-club

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-44253664

It needs to be remembered that, if football did cause his dementia, Keith Pontin retired from the full time game at the age of just 27 - he did play on for a while at non league level though.

[Lawnmower]

Personally I think it’s a real issue, even now.

I used to head the ball time and time again from it being kicked 50ft in the air, sometimes I’d get a nudge from the guy I was marking and take on the top or side of my head, quite often I’d be on my knees.

Regularly had migraines after games. Don’t regret stopping playing by in my early 30s and playing 5s, although my biggest strengths were slide tackling and heading and I can’t do either.

It’s a major worry that I may have caused some damage, my father had pre senile dementure and died at the age of 61 after 3 horrific years for him and my family. I’d hate to put my wife and kids through that.

Football with all the money put into it seriously needs to do a proper in depth study into this.

[Pearcey3]

Personally I think it’s a real issue, even now.

I used to head the ball time and time again from it being kicked 50ft in the air, sometimes I’d get a nudge from the guy I was marking and take on the top or side of my head, quite often I’d be on my knees.

Regularly had migraines after games. Don’t regret stopping playing by in my early 30s and playing 5s, although my biggest strengths were slide tackling and heading and I can’t do either.

It’s a major worry that I may have caused some damage, my father had pre senile dementure and died at the age of 61 after 3 horrific years for him and my family. I’d hate to put my wife and kids through that.

Football with all the money put into it seriously needs to do a proper in depth study into this.

Totally agree Tim and sorry to hear about your dad. That was dreadful for your family.. I have a big issue with this. I manage my son’s under 15 team in Cheltenham youth football and have had to regularly pump the balls up so that the refs were happy with them. They have been close to rock hard.
Llke you my lad would head anything irrespective of what height the ball was dropping from. Last season he headed a ball thirty yards forward and unbeknown to me suffered double vision. He came off at the end of the game in tears.
He was numb down the side of his body for a week and suffered dizziness. The hospital believed it was concussion. I didn’t let him play again for nearly two months.
He plays centre back and it is a worry because he is always heading the ball.

It cannot be healthy to be regularly heading a ball that is nearly rock hard. The authorities have been very slow to react but it needs to be reviewed as I believe there is a link with dementia.

[life on mars]

These reports are very sad to hear .

I played center half up to 45 years of age with impacts to my head ,to all things, I have wondered though in particular at local or amateur football level where the correct techniques and protection are not applied with regards to continuous head impacts, could have an adverse effect upon one .

A mate of mine played alongside Keith at Barry , and he played all his life inn that posting at a semi professional level , thankfully he's fine, and in his late 50 's now , it has not had an adverse effect on him or me , I played for 25 years without any problem so far
( fingers crossed ) do you think perhaps some folks just have a weakness anyway ?

[Lawnmower]

These reports are very sad to hear .

I played center half up to 45 years of age with impacts to my head ,to all things, I have wondered though in particular at local or amateur football level where the correct techniques and protection are not applied with regards to continuous head impacts, could have an adverse effect upon one .

A mate of mine played alongside Keith at Barry , and he played all his life inn that posting at a semi professional level , thankfully he's fine, and in his late 50 's now , it has not had an adverse effect on him or me , I played for 25 years without any problem so far
( fingers crossed ) do you think perhaps some folks just have a weakness anyway ?

Quite probably as some guys seem to have heads like rocks 😂


By the way, my dad didn’t play football, he boxed for years in the army so that could have been an issue.

It could also have been smoking, but the point is it’s a horrendous thing which takes no prisoners and football should be looking into it.

Even if is just to give kids sifter balls to use, or ban heading or over head height ball until a certain age.

Might improve their skills as well

[life on mars]

Quite probably as some guys seem to have heads like rocks ��


By the way, my dad didn’t play football, he boxed for years in the army so that could have been an issue.

It could also have been smoking, but the point is it’s a horrendous thing which takes no prisoners and football should be looking into it.

Even if is just to give kids sifter balls to use, or ban heading or over head height ball until a certain age.

Might improve their skills as well

It cant be healthy your brain moves inside the skull it is bound to cause bruising and some damage , its the same with the organs like the heart they are sort of suspend and even jogging can cause problems.

On a lighter note I do sometimes wonder about ladies and their jogging , there is a hell of lot of bobbing about going one under that lycra , cant be healthy ,doesn't do my heart any good.

[soulsurfer3]

It cant be healthy your brain moves inside the skull it is bound to cause bruising and some damage , its the same with the organs like the heart they are sort of suspend and even jogging can cause problems.

On a lighter note I do sometimes wonder about ladies and their jogging , there is a hell of lot of bobbing about going one under that lycra , cant be healthy ,doesn't do my heart any good.

I think we all are aware nowadays of the risks pro. sports players take in numerous sports and the varying types of injuries and illnesses they risk, many later in life. It`s a terrible price to pay for doing what they love. I remember watching Concussion ( Good Drama, based on real events) with Wil Smith and the battle with the NFL who tried every trick in the book to deny the root causes of the many brain injuries and deaths suffered in their game / industry.

[Badly Ironed Shirt]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-wale...fe-to-the-club

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-44253664

It needs to be remembered that, if football did cause his dementia, Keith Pontin retired from the full time game at the age of just 27 - he did play on for a while at non league level though.

There is lots of research in America about the correlation between participation and dementia in American Football. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...ollege-players is one study (although I am a little skeptical about the quality of the study, it hasn't been peer-reviewed).

If football causes dementia, then football clubs need to pay compensation (I see it as similar to asbestos related illnesses that affected people working with asbestos - including my grandfather) to victims and families. Some of these players were not well paid during their careers. OK, Football Clubs would not have known about the risks - but they have a duty of care to former employees.

[lardy]

It cant be healthy your brain moves inside the skull it is bound to cause bruising and some damage , its the same with the organs like the heart they are sort of suspend and even jogging can cause problems.

On a lighter note I do sometimes wonder about ladies and their jogging , there is a hell of lot of bobbing about going one under that lycra , cant be healthy ,doesn't do my heart any good.

There's been times when I've been centre half and got my positioning wrong and felt my brain rattle around my head. If that's happening regularly, there's got to be problems.

I always remember this Ruddock goal at about 11 minutes (header liverpool V man 3-3). He is clearly in pain.

https://youtu.be/MxCx1oDEoZs