The earliest known action photo of a header, believed to be in the 1887 FA Cup Final between West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa ['Athletics and Football', The Badminton Library]
This article is based on a talk I gave to the British Society of Sports History conference in Edinburgh, on 27 August 2026.
Why do footballers use their head? It might seem a daft question: in association football, the act of heading the ball is an essential part of the game, from defence to attack. Nearly one in five goals at this year's World Cup came from headers, and Spain's winning goal in the final came from a headed knock-down.
It's a universally accepted feature, but that wasn't always the case, as players didn't start heading until nearly a decade after the Laws of the Game were drawn up in 1863.
The origins of heading have had only a cursory examination in academic and sporting literature, so in this article I will outline the story of how and why this particular skill arrived on the scene.
Why do footballers use their head? It might seem a daft question: in association football, the act of heading the ball is an essential part of the game, from defence to attack. Nearly one in five goals at this year's World Cup came from headers, and Spain's winning goal in the final came from a headed knock-down.
It's a universally accepted feature, but that wasn't always the case, as players didn't start heading until nearly a decade after the Laws of the Game were drawn up in 1863.
The origins of heading have had only a cursory examination in academic and sporting literature, so in this article I will outline the story of how and why this particular skill arrived on the scene.
The use of heading in the main football codes
First, it has to be said that heading in association football is an outlier, a quirk. The head is not used to propel a projectile in any other widely-played sport, and more specifically it does not play a part in any other code of football, and never has – the shape of the ball or the heavier weight make it impractical or downright dangerous.
Even in soccer, it is barely mentioned in the Laws of the Game, except tangentially – for example, you can head a pass-back to the goalkeeper without sanction, your head could put you offside in these days of VAR scrutiny, you can be guilty of violent conduct for head-butting, and there are protocols for head injuries. But in the normal course of the game, heading is essentially unregulated.
Even in soccer, it is barely mentioned in the Laws of the Game, except tangentially – for example, you can head a pass-back to the goalkeeper without sanction, your head could put you offside in these days of VAR scrutiny, you can be guilty of violent conduct for head-butting, and there are protocols for head injuries. But in the normal course of the game, heading is essentially unregulated.
A PowerPoint slide showing the dangers of heading, with a variety of news reports
On the other hand, perhaps it should be regulated. It is now generally accepted that heading carries an element of risk, and several high profile players have suffered an early death from neuro-degenerative disease, with heading a ball during their career being an attributable cause. The sad examples of Jeff Astle and Gordon McQueen are illustrated above.
Recent research from Loughborough University even determined that heading a ball creates a pressure wave energy transfer to the brain which is comparable to some military gunshots and blasts.
Consequently the last few years have seen attempts to redesign the ball to make it safer, while new medical protocols have been put in place - for example, the Scottish FA has banned heading in training the day before and after a professional match, and there are moves to exclude heading completely from youth football.
The risks are clear, but there is little prospect of heading being banned completely as it is too deeply ingrained in the game. So the question remains, why do it?
The answer to that requires an analysis of changes in football laws and playing styles that led to its adoption, as it is clear that heading was not a part of the game when the Football Association was founded in 1863.
It did not emerge until the following decade, and only in 1871 do we have the first reports of deliberate heading. So, what happened?
Recent research from Loughborough University even determined that heading a ball creates a pressure wave energy transfer to the brain which is comparable to some military gunshots and blasts.
Consequently the last few years have seen attempts to redesign the ball to make it safer, while new medical protocols have been put in place - for example, the Scottish FA has banned heading in training the day before and after a professional match, and there are moves to exclude heading completely from youth football.
The risks are clear, but there is little prospect of heading being banned completely as it is too deeply ingrained in the game. So the question remains, why do it?
The answer to that requires an analysis of changes in football laws and playing styles that led to its adoption, as it is clear that heading was not a part of the game when the Football Association was founded in 1863.
It did not emerge until the following decade, and only in 1871 do we have the first reports of deliberate heading. So, what happened?
A PowerPoint slide with a summary of regional usage of the 'fair catch' in early association football and related codes
A simplistic answer is that heading was an innovative ploy which was an unintended consequence of the abandonment of the 'fair catch', a feature which survives in other codes of football. But it's not as straightforward as that, as heading was not taken up universally in response to that rule change.
Let's have a closer look at the fair catch, which was a relic of various school codes of football, and which equates to the 'mark' in rugby. The fair catch survived the drawing up of the Laws of the Game in 1863 but the FA soon realised their mistake and, as part of their drive to distinguish the association game from rugby, they dropped it in February 1866. The pioneers at Cambridge University did not even go that far, and having had it in their 1856 rules, it was gone in 1863.
Despite that, in London and Cambridge there is no known evidence of a player using those changes to start heading the ball. Was it because the idea simply did not occur to anyone? I think it is more likely that they were in thrall to their old school games, where the ball must be kicked and dribbling was king.
Further north, however, the story is different. When we talk of Sheffield Rules, that means a changing landscape. First, we had Sheffield FC who published theirs in 1858, and they went with the fair catch. Then the Sheffield Football Association redrafted those laws when it was founded in 1867 and dropped the fair catch to align with London. But a year later, due to popular local demand, they brought it back again, and it survived until 1871.
As for Glasgow, the other early hotbed of football, they never had a fair catch rule. When Queen's Park were founded in 1867 they adopted the FA's laws of the game, then took it a step further by formally joining the FA in 1870.
What Glasgow and Sheffield had in common, and set them apart from London, was an expansive style of football that encouraged passing, facilitated by a more liberal interpretation of offside. This essentially meant that the ball was more likely to be kicked in the air, to travel a distance, and that appears to be the genesis of heading when catching was no longer an option.
Let's have a closer look at the fair catch, which was a relic of various school codes of football, and which equates to the 'mark' in rugby. The fair catch survived the drawing up of the Laws of the Game in 1863 but the FA soon realised their mistake and, as part of their drive to distinguish the association game from rugby, they dropped it in February 1866. The pioneers at Cambridge University did not even go that far, and having had it in their 1856 rules, it was gone in 1863.
Despite that, in London and Cambridge there is no known evidence of a player using those changes to start heading the ball. Was it because the idea simply did not occur to anyone? I think it is more likely that they were in thrall to their old school games, where the ball must be kicked and dribbling was king.
Further north, however, the story is different. When we talk of Sheffield Rules, that means a changing landscape. First, we had Sheffield FC who published theirs in 1858, and they went with the fair catch. Then the Sheffield Football Association redrafted those laws when it was founded in 1867 and dropped the fair catch to align with London. But a year later, due to popular local demand, they brought it back again, and it survived until 1871.
As for Glasgow, the other early hotbed of football, they never had a fair catch rule. When Queen's Park were founded in 1867 they adopted the FA's laws of the game, then took it a step further by formally joining the FA in 1870.
What Glasgow and Sheffield had in common, and set them apart from London, was an expansive style of football that encouraged passing, facilitated by a more liberal interpretation of offside. This essentially meant that the ball was more likely to be kicked in the air, to travel a distance, and that appears to be the genesis of heading when catching was no longer an option.
An accidental headed goal for Broomhall v Mackenzie [Sheffield Independent, 18 October 1870; British Newspaper Archive]
It was in Sheffield that we have the first record of a headed goal, but it was a lucky accident. In October 1870, a Mackenzie player whacked the ball clear only for it to rebound back into goal from the head of William Booker of Broomhall. It wasn't a deliberate act, so the only thing that can be taken from this is that it shows there was no problem in the laws with the ball hitting the head.
I should point out that match reports in Sheffield were often more comprehensive than elsewhere at this time, making details such as this accessible to researchers.
I should point out that match reports in Sheffield were often more comprehensive than elsewhere at this time, making details such as this accessible to researchers.
Catching was disallowed in Derby St Andrews v Sheffield Wednesday [Sheffield Independent, 9 January 1871; BNA]
Staying with Sheffield for now, a key event came on 7 January 1871 when Sheffield Wednesday travelled to play Derby St Andrews. The Derby team had their own hybrid rules and, being the home team, insisted that there should be no catching that day. This appears to have caught the Sheffield men on the hop and the match report shows that instead of using their hands they let the ball hit them on various parts of the body – headed, breasted or armed. Perhaps it was from this that the germ of an idea came about.
A PowerPoint slide giving examples of the earliest known attempts at heading in inter-club matches, February 1871
Two weeks later, on 23 January, the Sheffield FA changed their rules so that the fair catch was deleted, on a trial basis to the end of the season.
It was not universally welcomed locally but almost immediately you read of Sheffield players attempting to deliberately head the ball, albeit not with much success. What is interesting is that the examples illustrated were games against non-Sheffield teams, from Nottingham and Manchester, whereas in games involving Sheffield clubs only, there are no such reports of heading around that time.
The fair catch rule was scrapped definitively by the Sheffield FA on 10 October 1871, but only by a 44-36 majority, after a fiercely contested debate among the member clubs.
It was not universally welcomed locally but almost immediately you read of Sheffield players attempting to deliberately head the ball, albeit not with much success. What is interesting is that the examples illustrated were games against non-Sheffield teams, from Nottingham and Manchester, whereas in games involving Sheffield clubs only, there are no such reports of heading around that time.
The fair catch rule was scrapped definitively by the Sheffield FA on 10 October 1871, but only by a 44-36 majority, after a fiercely contested debate among the member clubs.
Report of the Sheffield FA practice match on 5 November 1871 describes the first intentionally headed goal [Sheffield Independent, 7 November 1871; BNA]
It took until almost the end of the year, on 5 November 1871, for the first report anywhere of a deliberately headed goal begins scored. In a practice match to choose the Sheffield select to face London, Henry Ash, an Attercliffe player, 'judiciously headed the ball through'. But while the potential was now recognised, it still does not appear to be widely practised as there was no mention at all of heading when the Sheffield faced London in December, under Sheffield rules.
However, a few weeks later, on 27 January 1872, Henry Ash was in the Sheffield team to face London in the return at The Oval, under Association rules, and by now, Sheffield players were clearly becoming more used to the idea of heading.
However, a few weeks later, on 27 January 1872, Henry Ash was in the Sheffield team to face London in the return at The Oval, under Association rules, and by now, Sheffield players were clearly becoming more used to the idea of heading.
A PowerPoint slide with some of the press coverage of heading in London v Sheffield, played at The Oval on 27 January 1872.
It caused a minor sensation – the Londoners thought this was hilarious, not football as they knew it. The press described heading as 'ingenious' and it was such a novelty that they even had to describe the act as 'stopping the ball with the head, so placed as to make the ball rebound in the direction it came from'.
I've seen it said that this proves that Sheffield invented heading. But how about this: just five weeks later, Queen's Park travelled outside Scotland for the first time to play Wanderers in the FA Cup semi-final, at the Oval on 5 March 1872. There had been no prior contact between the footballers of Glasgow and Sheffield but the Scots were also well versed in heading. The Field reporter wrote that 'their method of driving the ball with the head is precisely the same as that adopted in Sheffield'.
So by early 1872, Sheffield and Glasgow footballers were adept at heading, whereas it was unknown in London.
The start point for Sheffield is reasonably clear, related to their abandonment of the fair catch, but the genesis for Queen's Park is harder to pin down. Although the club was founded in 1867, this was the first time there was any kind of detailed newspaper report on their style of play. I would argue that Queen's Park had probably adopted heading early on, because they never had the fair catch rule, nor did they have the inherited baggage of public school rules and etiquette. However, the lack of reports makes it impossible to prove.
I've seen it said that this proves that Sheffield invented heading. But how about this: just five weeks later, Queen's Park travelled outside Scotland for the first time to play Wanderers in the FA Cup semi-final, at the Oval on 5 March 1872. There had been no prior contact between the footballers of Glasgow and Sheffield but the Scots were also well versed in heading. The Field reporter wrote that 'their method of driving the ball with the head is precisely the same as that adopted in Sheffield'.
So by early 1872, Sheffield and Glasgow footballers were adept at heading, whereas it was unknown in London.
The start point for Sheffield is reasonably clear, related to their abandonment of the fair catch, but the genesis for Queen's Park is harder to pin down. Although the club was founded in 1867, this was the first time there was any kind of detailed newspaper report on their style of play. I would argue that Queen's Park had probably adopted heading early on, because they never had the fair catch rule, nor did they have the inherited baggage of public school rules and etiquette. However, the lack of reports makes it impossible to prove.
William Ralston's drawing of a Scotland player deftly heading the ball against England on 30 November 1872 [The Graphic, 15 December 1872]
Later that year, on 30 November 1872, we have the first illustration of a player heading the ball, an unidentified Scotland player against England in the first international, described rather incongruously by The Graphic as 'making good kicks off his head'. For me, that drawing is a clear indication that heading was now a well-practised skill – a skill that the English players did not possess, with the possible exception of their one player from Sheffield. Combined with the Scots' ability to pass the ball as a team, this momentous occasion really did bring two very different ways of playing football face to face.
You might think that was that, and heading swiftly became a universal part of the game, with everyone following the example of Glasgow and Sheffield, and that is demonstrably true in Scotland and the North of England.
However in London, where the public school amateurs still dominated and clung on to football's dribbling roots, heading was perceived as a dark art, somehow against the spirit of the game. There was a marked reluctance to learn and to change, which remained in place for a generation and I found a couple of examples from over a decade later.
Norman Coles Bailey, a Westminster School old boy who captained England 15 times, suggested in the Football Annual for 1885 that heading (or butting, as he called it) was taken to excess, and wondered whether it might be better for the game if it was outlawed, on the same lines as handling the ball. He went on to describe heading in front of goal by a forward as 'detrimental' and a waste of time. Try telling that to Erling Haaland.
You might think that was that, and heading swiftly became a universal part of the game, with everyone following the example of Glasgow and Sheffield, and that is demonstrably true in Scotland and the North of England.
However in London, where the public school amateurs still dominated and clung on to football's dribbling roots, heading was perceived as a dark art, somehow against the spirit of the game. There was a marked reluctance to learn and to change, which remained in place for a generation and I found a couple of examples from over a decade later.
Norman Coles Bailey, a Westminster School old boy who captained England 15 times, suggested in the Football Annual for 1885 that heading (or butting, as he called it) was taken to excess, and wondered whether it might be better for the game if it was outlawed, on the same lines as handling the ball. He went on to describe heading in front of goal by a forward as 'detrimental' and a waste of time. Try telling that to Erling Haaland.
Charles Alcock writes disparagingly of heading in 'Football, A Popular Handbook of the Game' (1887)
And Bailey was not alone. In 1887 Charles Alcock, Secretary of the FA, so often an innovator, wrote disparagingly of 'half a dozen men hitting up the ball like so many goats'. He was firmly of the opinion that the foot was made for kicking and the head was made for thinking. Not a fan!
But in essence, Norman Bailey and Charles Alcock were swimming against the tide, and with the decline of the amateur influence and the rise of the professionals came the recognition that heading was here to stay.
To conclude, heading was a late starter in football, an unintended consequence of a law change, but only where it fitted with the local style of play. It was not invented by any one player or in any one place, although patchy newspaper reporting makes it difficult to see the full picture. Heading spread from Sheffield and Glasgow around the country but was derided by some as being unsporting.
Today, having been part of the game for 150 years, the wheel has now gone full circle, and this universally admired skill is also recognised as a potential health hazard. So this may not be the end of the story, and there may be restrictions ahead.
But in essence, Norman Bailey and Charles Alcock were swimming against the tide, and with the decline of the amateur influence and the rise of the professionals came the recognition that heading was here to stay.
To conclude, heading was a late starter in football, an unintended consequence of a law change, but only where it fitted with the local style of play. It was not invented by any one player or in any one place, although patchy newspaper reporting makes it difficult to see the full picture. Heading spread from Sheffield and Glasgow around the country but was derided by some as being unsporting.
Today, having been part of the game for 150 years, the wheel has now gone full circle, and this universally admired skill is also recognised as a potential health hazard. So this may not be the end of the story, and there may be restrictions ahead.
I will leave you with this lovely 1882 cartoon of Charles Campbell, a Queen's Park and Scotland star, described as 'a handy man with his head at football'. It was one of a series of humorous drawings in the book 'Free Kicks at Football'.
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