by Matt Slater
THE former Welsh international, Iwan Roberts, demands that the FA and PFA provide former players with more support and increase funding to charities.
Roberts appeared for the likes of Watford, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City, and became somewhat of a cult hero at Norwich. These fans remember all six feet three of the striker, towering above defenders and thumping the ball into the back of the net.
Of Roberts’ 239 goals in his career, almost half of those came from his head. So, there’s little surprise that the striker calls for more action, considering the rising cases of former footballers announcing they have dementia.
“I think the FA and PFA could do a lot more,” Roberts said.
“People think that we want to point the finger of blame, but it was my decision to play football, I’m just looking for help further down the line.
“The PFA could do a lot more, if you add all the finances they have given to charities, it’s about £300,000. Do not get me wrong, that is a lot of money, but from the money the PFA make from the FA, the Premier League, and the professionals – that is just a drop in the ocean.
“I think both the FA and the PFA could do a lot more for former professionals who didn’t earn the living footballers do now.”
Research has shown that former footballers are three and a half times more likely to die of dementia than people of the same age range in the general population. Manchester United legend, Sir Bobby Charlton, recently became the fifth member of England’s 1996 Word Cup winning team to be diagnosed with the disorder, with the other four including his brother, Jack, and Nobby Stiles, sadly passing away.
It has been proven that concussions increase the risk of dementia. For Roberts, he can only remember one concussion during his 19-year career.
“I can definitely remember one concussion, when I was playing for Norwich,” Roberts continued.
“I went off with about 10 minutes to go. I went back on and I cannot remember what happened after I had the bang to the head.
“I am forgetful, maybe that’s due to a lack of concentration, but it’s something that I think the people that run the game, could do a lot more with.”
There have been calls by some of the biggest names in football to ban heading the ball in youth football. Frank Lampard has said that he would back further restrictions of heading of the ball, if it is supported by science, whereas Wayne Rooney believes that youngsters should be banned from heading altogether.
For Roberts, restrictions should be placed on heading in training sessions. He believes that it would limit the risk of dementia in later life, whilst developing better players simultaneously.
“If you look at football in America, a few years ago, they banned children for the ages of 11 and under from heading a football,” Roberts added.
“I don’t think that’s a bad idea – I think we should go down the same route here.
“By doing that, we would also develop better players because they would practice other skills: their awareness, their touch with both feet, and their passing range.
“But maybe limit heading in training. I am not a hypocrite, I would not want to see heading completely banned, because I think it has a part to play – it is part of the game.
“Realistically, I would not have made the living, played as many games and played for 6 clubs had heading been banned. But we must limit the damage on a daily basis.”
“People think that, when they see you heading a ball in a 90-minute game, that’s it, they don’t see the repetition work you do on a daily basis in training.
“It wasn’t until I got to a professional club with Watford, that it was something I worked on tirelessly, day in and day out. Balls were a lot heavier; I understand they are a lot lighter now, but they travel quicker, and they arrive at your forehead quicker.
“I think a lot more could be done to help the families of these ex-professionals who have been legends of the game, because it’s not easy for them.”
The Welshman has taken it upon himself to help battle the disorder through raising awareness and assisting with academic research. Roberts is helping with a study at the University of East Anglia, which tests his memory, attention, and spatial awareness every three months. The project assesses both male and female former footballers who are aged 40 and over. Along with the tests, the subjects brain health’s are monitored.
Roberts has also appeared in a documentary for the Welsh language channel, S4C, where he looked at whether there was a connection between heading a football, and early onset dementia. In the programme, the former Welsh international interviewed Dr Michael Grey, the leader of the University of East Anglia study.
The full interview, where Roberts reflects on his career, and delves into the topic of dementia further, can be found here.
