Soccer Heading Rules by Age Group: US Soccer and FA Guidelines 2026

If you coach youth soccer or have a child who plays, heading rules have changed significantly over the last decade. Here is the current guidance from the two most influential federations.

US Soccer

US Soccer updated its heading policy in 2015 and has kept it in place since:

• U11 and under: No deliberate heading in matches or training.
• U12 and U13: Heading banned in matches. Training limited to 30 minutes per week with no more than 15–20 headers per player per week.
• U14 and above: Heading permitted. Volume monitoring is encouraged but not mandated.

English FA

The FA issued updated guidance in 2020 following research into long-term neurological effects of repeated heading:

• U7–U11: No deliberate heading in training.
• U12: Maximum one heading session per week. Maximum 5 headers per player per session.
• U13–U16: Graduated increase — no more than one heading session per week.
• U18+: Recommended cap of 10 higher-force headers per week in training.

What counts as deliberate heading?

A deliberate header is any coached, intentional contact of the ball with the head — toss-and-head drills, jump headers, corner routines. Incidental contact during play is not penalised and is not what these rules target. The concern is repeated, coached impacts during the developmental years.

Practical implications for coaches

If you run a U12 or U13 session in the US:

• You can introduce heading, but keep it to one block per week
• Volume cap is 15–20 touches per player — that is roughly one focused 10-minute block
• Prioritise neck strength and forehead contact mechanics before adding any jumping

For a step-by-step introduction framework, see our youth heading guidelines. For age-appropriate drills that stay within these limits, see our drills library.