Ex-footballers show high depression rates and brain volume loss
A new study reveals former professional footballers suffer significantly higher rates of depression, anxiety and reduced brain volume, piling pressure on European leagues to tighten rules on heading.
Former professional footballers aged 30 to 60 are far more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety than the general population, according to a major study by Imperial College London. Brain imaging of 124 former players, including alumni of the Premier League, Championship and Women's Super League, revealed noticeably lower grey-matter volumes in areas controlling memory, attention and emotional regulation.
The data, presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference, found 31% of former players scored in the range for clinically significant depression. That was 22% higher than a control group of healthy adults with no history of contact sports. Furthermore, 42% of the footballers reached the threshold for clinically significant anxiety, compared with 25% of non-footballers.
These findings escalate the regulatory and financial dilemmas facing European football authorities. The sport is grappling with the legacy of head impacts, as conditions like chronic traumatic encephalopathy can currently only be diagnosed post-mortem. Heather Snyder of the Alzheimer's Association noted the study detects brain changes before clinical symptoms appear. "Findings like those in this study and others are going to inform players, clinicians, sports organisations, and parents, so that they really understand what may be a risk in contact sports and enable them to make decisions," she said.
Governing bodies have already begun reacting. Heading is restricted in children's football in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The English Football Association has issued guidelines limiting high-force headers in training, while the Scottish Football Association has banned heading the day before and after matches. In 2023, the Professional Footballers' Association and Premier League set up a brain health fund to assist former players impacted by dementia.
The new research reinforces a 2019 study that found former professional footballers were 3.5 times more likely to suffer neurodegenerative disorders. Professor Willie Stewart, a consultant neuropathologist at the University of Glasgow, has previously stated: "Former professional footballers are at much higher risk of degenerative brain diseases, dementias and related disorders." The deaths of several former players, including Jeff Astle and Gordon McQueen, have been formally linked to the sport.
Researchers now plan to continue monitoring the participants to understand the underlying biology and long-term consequences of these brain changes. As the scientific evidence hardens, European football faces a long-term reckoning over how to balance the physical demands of the game with player welfare. "When we're thinking about our brain health, one of the best things you can do is to protect your head from injury as best you can when you're playing sports," Snyder added.
