Raphaël Varane
The new rules were developed with input from board member, Raphaël Varane
Italian Serie A side, Como have banned heading for players under 11 in their youth academy, citing the need to protect children’s brain development and reduce avoidable head impacts.
Under new academy rules announced last week, headers are now prohibited in training and matches for under-8, under-9 and under-10 teams.
According to the club, corners for those age groups will be taken as throw-ins played on the floor.
From Under-12 level, players can begin heading with a light rubber ball, limited to once a month and a maximum of five headers per session.
Como said the move is part of a new vision to “reduce avoidable head impacts, support player welfare and encourage better long term technical development”.
The policy was developed with input from board member and former France defender, Raphaël Varane, who sits on the Como Board of Education.
In a video shared by the club last Friday, Varane said he suffered two major concussions at age 16 and learned about the risks from medical staff during his career.
“I had the luck during my career to meet some very specific staff; some medical professionals.
“I learned a lot from them. I learned a lot from them about the effect of concussion,” the 33-year-old former Real Madrid and Manchester United defender said.
Similar guidance already exists elsewhere in Europe.
FA began phasing it out for U12s in England in 2024 following a two-year IFAB trial.
Como also issued general guidance at all age levels of its academy, which says coaches “will reduce repetitive and unnecessary heading exposure” and that over-inflated balls would be avoided.
The club said the rule change would not impact the enjoyment of the game, and that training would instead emphasize time on the ball and decision-making.
