Northern Irish football unites to change how the game tackles dementia

Players Against Dementia: Disrupting Football Culture has received over £10,000 from the Dementia Trust Disruption Awards to tackle brain health education within football in Northern Ireland.

The project comes as increasing research examines the long term health of former footballers including a major study of more than 7,600 former Scottish professional footballers which found a higher rate of death from neurodegenerative disease than in a matched general population.*

While dementia can have multiple causes and research does not establish that playing football directly causes an individual case of dementia, recent research findings have prompted growing discussions about the long term support available to former players across impact sports.

Led by Queen’s University Belfast in partnership with Players Against Dementia, the new project is bringing together the Irish Football Association, the Northern Ireland Football League and the PFA Northern Ireland, alongside current and former players and families affected by dementia.

Together, they are shaping a programme of digital learning that is designed specifically for the Northern Ireland football community. The tools will cover dementia awareness, brain health, repeated head impacts, recognising when something may be wrong, seeking help and supporting players and their families.

Dr Stephanie Craig of Queen’s University Belfast said:

“Football is woven into communities right across Northern Ireland making it a powerful place to start talking about dementia and brain health.

“Too often conversations begin only when someone receives a diagnosis or when a family member is already struggling. We want to give players, clubs and families the knowledge and confidence to talk about brain health much earlier and before a diagnosis.”

Players Against Dementia is already working across Northern Ireland to raise awareness and support former footballers and their families. This new project is taking that work a step further by creating practical resources that can be used throughout the local game.

Frankie Moffatt of Players Against Dementia said:

“Football doesn't stop being part of your life when you hang up your boots. The sense of belonging can last a lifetime, and that football family should be there for people when they need it most.

“We want Northern Ireland to become a place where a former player experiencing changes to their memory or thinking feels able to talk about it. This funding gives us the opportunity to put the experiences of players and families right at the centre and create something that genuinely belongs to Northern Irish football.

It is also about looking ahead, using what we learn to help protect and support current and future generations of players, and ensuring that brain health and wellbeing remain part of the conversation across the game”.

Dylan Harper, Chair at The Dementia Trust, said:

“We know that changing the conversation around dementia starts with giving people the knowledge and confidence to talk about it openly. Football reaches deep into local communities, making the sport a powerful platform for changing the conversation around dementia and brain health. 

The Disruption Awards exist to support new approaches that challenge the status quo, and we are delighted to help Players Against Dementia and Queen’s University Belfast turn this ambition into action.”

The Dementia Trust is a UK-based charity that for nearly 40 years has improved the lives of people with dementia, their carers, and those who support them.