Football “heading” leads to industrial disease

The finding of South Staffordshire Coroner Andrew Haigh, that former England footballer Jeff Astle died from dementia brought on by his (famous) repeated heading of heavy (and even heavier when wet) leather football in the 1960s. This the first ruling of its kind to recognise this injury as an “industrial disease”. Four years ago Celtic player Billy McPhail failed in court to prove his dementia was similarly caused.