FA and PFA Field Research Study Findings
In 2017, The FA and the PFA appointed Dr William Stewart and colleagues at the University of Glasgow and the Hampden Sports Clinic to lead an independent research study into the incidence of degenerative neurocognitive disease in ex-professional footballers.
This is one of the most comprehensive studies ever commissioned globally into the long-term health of former professional footballers.
The FIELD study assessed the National Health Service records for 7,676 men who played professional football in Scotland, of which 1,180 have since passed away. The players studied were born between 1900 and 1976, with two thirds of those who had passed away born between 1926 and 1951.
The FIELD study was only possible to do now due to the recent availability of crucial NHS Scotland data for independent analysis.
We would like to divert your attention to the full field study findings on the FA's website. The article outlines the study process from start to finish and recommendations that have been made .