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In a show of solidarity, former football star and England captain, David Beckham, has lent his support to a campaign urging football’s governing bodies to take immediate action in support of retired players affected by dementia. The now president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and Salford City is backing Football Families for Justice (FFJ), a volunteer group calling for a more comprehensive approach to helping ex-footballers suffering with dementia, a condition that is increasingly linked to heading the ball, and their families.
Advocacy is focused on addressing the growing evidence of a link between football and an increased risk of dementia. Studies have shown that professional footballers are 3.46 times more likely to develop dementia than the general population, with the risk amplified by the repetitive heading of the ball over the course of their careers. Researchers at the University of Glasgow also found that professional footballers are up to five times more likely to develop dementia or a neurodegenerative disease throughout their lifetime.
Beckham, who has previously shown support for dementia-related causes, voiced his commitment to the cause through a video message at the Dementia in Football event in Manchester last week. The event was hosted by Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, and Liverpool City Region mayor, Steve Rotheram. Beckham’s former Manchester United teammates Gary Pallister and David May, former Everton player and manager Peter Reid, former Leeds star, Gary McAllister and former Liverpool FC stand out Jan Molby have also lent their voices to the cause.
In a video, Beckham shared personal memories of his own experiences with players who have passed away from neurodegenerative diseases, including Nobby Stiles and Sir Bobby Charlton, both of whom were influential mentors during his early days at United. “We need the football family to come together and allocate resources to help address the tragedy of these devastating diseases. Let’s ensure that victims and their families are treated with kindness, respect and best in class support,” he states.
FFJ is led by John Stiles, the son of England World Cup winner Nobby Stiles who died in 2020. A postmortem examination found he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive neurodegenerative disease associated with repeated blows to the head. FFJ is calling on the UK Government to amend the Football Governance Bill to place a statutory duty on football authorities and the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) to establish a financial support scheme for affected players and their families.
Beckham’s support comes after his backing of Daily Mail Sport’s 2020 campaign, led by columnist Chris Sutton and John Stiles. The effort pushed for football to recognize the link between the sport and dementia and called for greater action from the game’s leaders to provide support to affected families. Although the campaign achieved some victories, the fight is far from over and FFJ is hoping the involvement of influential football stars can bring crucial visibility to the issue and push authorities to produce meaningful support programs.
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