9 April

Have been waiting to see when the reality of concussion and brain damage would start to really bite in football. From May 1 professional footballers will apparently no longer be able to get insurance for head injury. Many parents are also buying new helmets, but there's no science that says a helmet will protect against concussion. American football, which is where the concussion and brain injury problems were first noticed, has always used helmets - it made no difference. The concussion comes from the brain itself moving around inside the skull, slamming into it in collisions. Helmets don't stop the collisions, or the brain moving inside the skull.