Ex-England captain David Watson continues legal fight for recognition of football’s toll on his health

David is now living with what doctors have described as “probable Alzheimer’s” and “probable CTE” (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). Recognition of the link between injuries he received during the course of his employment and his current circumstances should entitle him to industrial injury benefits, says his wife, Penny.  

David spent more than a decade at the top of English football in the 1970s and 80s. It is believed that his condition is the direct result of countless collisions, headers and impacts suffered in training and matches. 

The issue of brain injury in footballers has received increasing attention in recent years, with growing recognition that many former players are living with dementia and related conditions linked to head trauma. The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) are supporting David and others in a similar position. 

David, whose lawyers are helping with his claim for industrial benefits for head injuries linked to football, has already had his case heard before the First-tier Tribunal (FTT). It accepted that he suffered 10 documented head injuries that could properly be described as accidents in the course of his employment. The FTT also accepted Penny’s evidence that these were only a fraction of the injuries David sustained across his long career. 

Despite this, the FTT dismissed David’s appeal to overturn the DWP's previous decision not to award industrial injuries benefits, as it could not be satisfied that the 10 incidents directly contributed to David's loss of faculty.  

Instead, it concluded the “process” of playing football routinely for many years, and the numerous undocumented injuries David would have therefore sustained, meant that he would have had the same neurological decline had none of the highlighted accidents occurred. 

David’s appeal will now be heard by the Upper Tribunal on 1 October 2025.  

The tribunal will consider whether the FTT made legal errors in reaching its original decision. The appeal will argue that the FTT misunderstood the law by: 

• Wrongly treating repeated head injuries as a “process” rather than accidents. 
• Failing to provide proper reasons for its conclusions. 
• Drawing inadequate and flawed inferences from limited evidence about family history. 

If successful, David’s appeal could see the case returned to the FTT to be reconsidered under the correct legal approach.  

David is represented by Ryan Bradshaw, human rights solicitor at law firm Leigh Day. 

David’s wife Penny said: 

“David has always been proud of what he achieved in football, but the reality is that the game has left him with a devastating illness. What matters now is that his injuries are recognised for what they were - real accidents that caused lasting damage. We want to make sure his case is treated fairly, and that other families in the same position see that their experiences are being taken seriously too.” 

Dr Adam White, Director of Brain Health at the PFA, said: 

“David and Penny have shown remarkable strength in speaking out about the challenges they face, and real resilience in continuing to pursue this through the legal process. Their experience underlines why it is so important that there is formal recognition of the long-term consequences of head injuries. The PFA will continue to stand alongside them, and work to ensure that all former members and their families receive the care and support they deserve.” 

Ryan Bradshaw said: 

“The tribunal accepted that David suffered multiple head injuries while playing professional football. The mistake it made was to treat many of them as an ongoing ‘process’ rather than specific accidents. The law makes clear that repeated accidents can amount to an industrial injury, David was disabled by the job he loved and ought to benefit from all available assistance. We hope the Upper Tribunal will find in our favour so David’s case can be properly reconsidered.”