The son of former Carlisle United star Mike Sutton has issued a cautious welcome to the "historic" decision to limit heading in training.
Chris Sutton, the broadcaster and former Premier League striker, said he was "80 per cent delighted and 20 per cent dubious" about the new measures.
Chris's dad Mike, who played for the Blues from 1970-2, died last year after suffering from dementia for 10 years.
Sutton junior has long criticised football, including the Professional Footballers' Association, for the way it has approached the links between heading footballs and neurodegenerative diseases.
A landmark decision was this week announced which set out new guidance for heading the ball in training.
The joint statement from the EFL, PFA, Premier League and League Managers' Association recommended that a maximum of 10 "higher force headers" are allowed in one training week.
A higher-force header is deemed to be a header following a long pass of more than 35 metres, or from crosses, corners and free-kicks.
Clubs are also urged to modify practice techniques so that heading techniques can still be the subject of training sessions.
It is also recommended that clubs "develop player profiles that consider gender, age, playing position, the number of headers per match and the nature of these headers" in a bid to protect players.
Recovery periods after heading are also the subject of the statement.
Sutton, writing in the Mail, said it was a "relief" that there are now adult heading restrictions in English football and that they could protect future generations of players.
But he also said that giving clubs, coaches and players the responsibility to adhere to the restrictions was a case of "marking your own homework".
"What if a manager sees his side concede from a corner at the weekend and demands his players practise that in training?" Sutton asked.
"Is a defender going to say ‘Boss, I can’t head any more crosses, I’ve done my 10 for the week’? I doubt it.
"Sometimes guidelines can be printed out in good faith but then forgotten about. I’d feel more comfortable knowing this is being policed by the authorities."
New guidance is being introduced across every level of the professional and amateur game from the start of the 2021/22 season.
It will apply to clubs in the Premier League, EFL, Barclays Women’s Super League, FA Women’s Championship, the National League System, the Women’s Football Pyramid Tiers 3 and below, all grassroots football, and across the England national teams.
Clubs in the National League System Steps 1-4 and Women’s Championship are encouraged to follow the guidance "where practicable".
"The guidance has been developed using a precautionary approach to protect player welfare where scientific evidence is limited and will be kept under review," the statement added.
There is also guidance for amateur grassroots football up to and including Step 5 of the National League System and Tiers 3 and below of the Women’s Football Pyramid.
"It is recommended that heading practice is limited to 10 headers per session and only one session a week where heading practice is included," the statement says.
"Players should be responsible for monitoring their own heading activity."
EFL chief executive Trevor Birch said: “Maintaining the health of players, both in the short and long-term remains of paramount importance for the EFL, and it is vital that English football continues to innovate and act upon the latest research and insight available.
“Collectively we must do all we can to make sure heading is practiced safely and these protocols will provide us with a foundation upon which we can develop the game’s collective work in this area.
“As always, we will continue to monitor any developments based on the advice of medical experts and will work with the football bodies and clubs to ensure the protocols are implemented effectively.”
The News & Star has invited Carlisle United to comment on the new guidance and how it will be overseen at Brunton Park.
The full joint statement can be read here
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