RANGERS boss Steven Gerrard has said heading the ball “still has a place” in the grassroots game as a child ban is being taken forward.

The Scottish Football Association is reported to be close to imposing such a ban in training for the under-12s after a study found a strong link between football and dementia. A timescale for introducing it is unclear.

The United States has had a similar ban in place since 2015 but the SFA’s move would make Scotland the first European country to impose such a restriction.

It follows the publication of a study by the University of Glasgow last year which found footballers are three-and-a-half times more likely to die of a neurodegenerative disease than age-matched non-players.

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The SFA said it would finalise the proposals “in early course”.

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard agrees work must continue to establish whether there is a link between playing the game and dementia, but he said he believes heading practice still has a place in grassroots football.

He said: “I used to love heading balls, probably from the age of four.

“So I wouldn’t take it away from them completely because they will be watching their heroes every day on the TV, heading and scoring goals.

“But you can certainly do things; you can help them by making the balls smaller or lighter, or doing heading in a different way, without using the heavy-case balls.”

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It is understood there is consensus between the SFA board, the professional and non-professional game boards and medical representatives to recommend such a ban.

It could be in place for the grassroots season, which runs from March to November.

Giffnock Soccer Centre, one of Scotland’s largest youth football clubs, also welcomed the news.

Henry Simmons, Chief Executive of Alzheimer Scotland, said: “Alzheimer Scotland supports the decision of the Scottish FA to take this proactive measure to avoid any potential and unnecessary risk to young footballers. 

"It is clear to us that this current announcement has been informed by the recent high quality evidence gathered by the FIELD study, which was led by Dr Willie Stewart."