Brain Injury and Sports

In October 2019, Experts at Glasgow University found that former professional footballers were over three times more likely to die from dementia than people of the same age range in the general population. 

The research was funded after former England international player Jeff Astle died from dementia at the age of 59, with the inquest into his death noting that him heading heavy leather footballs over the course of his time as a professional player would have caused repeated minor traumas to his brain, which in turn would have contributed to him going on to develop dementia later in life.  

In this podcast, Dawn Astle, founder of The Jeff Astle Foundation, and Dr Michael Grey, from The United Kingdom Acquired Brain Injury Forum, chat with David Preston to discuss what happens next to protect professional sports players from brain injury. 

Join the conversation on Twitter with #BrainInjurySpecialists