THE Scot who has studied the potential link between brain injuries and dementia for more than a decade is leading a major UK research study into dementia into ex-professional footballers.
Dr William Stewart, who has previously warned that modern day footballers could be just at risk as their predecessors had previously called for increased funding for research.
Now the English Football Association and the Professional Footballers’ Association have appointed Dr Stewart and colleagues at the University of Glasgow and the Scottish Football Association-founded Hampden Sports Clinic to lead the probe into the long term effects of participation in football.
The study will examine the health of approximately 15,000 former professional footballers including Scots players.
The family of Billy McNeill, the former Celtic captain and manager, revealed earlier this year that the legendary defender had been suffering from the degenerative brain disorder for the past seven years.
They believe that repeatedly heading the old-style leather footballs during his playing days has contributed to his condition and would like to see more extensive studies carried out.
Amanda Kopel, the widow of a former Dundee United footballer who has campaigned for free dementia support welcomed the move.
Her late husband Frank Kopel, was also part of the Manchester United European Cup-winning squad in 1968, and died in 2014 after being diagnosed with dementia.
“Thank God – at long last something is being done,” said Mrs Kopel.
“I mentioned at least nine years ago when Frankie was first diagnosed my fears about Frankie heading those hard leather balls and no one listened.
“Because others more famous than Frankie are now being diagnosed, suddenly people are listening."
Dr Stewart, was the Scottish neuropathologist who diagnosed the first case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in a British footballer when he examined Jeff Astle’s brain in post-mortem in 2002.
The failure to conduct a study into the risks of playing football prompted protests from the Astle family and other former players who suffered from dementia and calls for a parliamentary inquiry.
Premier League record goalscorer Alan Shearer, who notched 46 headed goals during his career in the top flight, fronted a recent documentary in which he expressed concerns about the impact of heading a ball.
In the US earlier this year, a report found alarming evidence of a link between playing American football and a brain disease linked to repeated blows to the head - chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
Dr Stewart, the lead neuropathologist at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow and an internationally renowned expert in his field, has been examining the link between heading the ball and dementia for the past 10 years.
The new study, titled ‘Football’s Influence on Lifelong Health and Dementia Risk’ (FIELD), is scheduled to start in January 2018.
Pleased to announce support from @FA and @PFA to take forward studies on 'Football’s InfluencE on Lifelong health and Dementia risk (FIELD)'.
— Dr Willie Stewart (@WillStewNeuro) November 23, 2017
A lot of hard work to come. #ukscr17 @UofGlasgow @UofGMVLS https://t.co/MTQG7etZ79 pic.twitter.com/Xi1XFQgbjS
The Football Association said Dr Stewart and colleagues in Glasgow have "extensive research expertise" in brain injury, public health and sports medicine.
They have been tasked with conducting studies to find out if the incidence of dementia in ex-professional footballers more common than in the normal population.
"In the past decade there have been growing concerns around perceived increased risk of dementia through participation in contact sports, however, research data to support and quantify this risk have been lacking,” said Dr Stewart, consultant neuropathologist at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
"Through the FIELD study we hope to be able to provide some understanding of the long-term health impact of football within the next two to three years."
Dr Stewart was one of the founder members of The FA Expert Panel in Concussion, which was established in 2015 to share expertise and knowledge in this area.
FA chief executive Martin Glenn added: "This new research will be one of the most comprehensive studies ever commissioned into the long-term health of former footballers.
“Dementia can have a devastating effect and, as the governing body of English football, we felt compelled to commission a significant new study in order to fully understand if there are any potential risks associated with playing the game."
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