England World Cup winner Nobby Stiles died with severe dementia, which a coroner has ruled was caused by repeatedly heading a football throughout his career. Stiles, a former Manchester United player, passed away in October 2020 at the age of 78.
An inquest at Stockport Coroner’s Court heard that an expert analysis of Stiles' brain showed his severe dementia was linked to Alzheimer's disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition associated with head trauma from heading a ball. Dr. Daniel Du Plessis, a neuro-pathology expert, testified that he was convinced Stiles' extensive heading of the ball led to his CTE.
Stiles’ son, John, estimated his father had headed a football approximately 140,000 times during his playing career. He calculated this figure based on heading the ball around 40 times a day, five days a week, over 17 years. The footballs used during Stiles' playing days weighed approximately 16 ounces and would become heavier when wet.
Stiles, born in 1942, was a defensive midfielder who earned 28 caps for England and played nearly 400 games for Manchester United. He was part of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup. He died in a care home, having been left bed-bound by his severe dementia.
In January 2024, Stiles' family raised the possibility of CTE contributing to his death, prompting Dr. Du Plessis to examine brain tissue samples. The family has been advocating for football authorities to increase support for former players facing injuries sustained during their careers. John Stiles has previously stated that football had contributed to his father's death.
During the inquest, John Stiles described his father as a humble and family-oriented man who prioritized his family over his football achievements. He recounted how his father's mental struggles began in his late 50s and early 60s, with memory loss and repetition. In 2010, Stiles sold his World Cup winner's medal to help fund his care, as his condition progressed and led to anxiety and a sense of dread.
John Stiles is now the head of the Football Families for Justice (FFJ) group, which campaigns for greater support from football authorities for ex-players. He is among many former footballers and their families pursuing legal action against football bodies, alleging negligence and breach of duty of care concerning brain injuries sustained from heading the ball.
Lawyers representing these former players have argued that football organizations knew or should have known about the risks associated with repeated heading and the potential for permanent brain damage for decades. However, in March 2024, lawyers for the Football Association told the High Court that science had not yet definitively established a link between heading the ball or occasional concussion and permanent brain damage.
This ruling follows an inquest into the death of Gordon McQueen, a former Scotland, Manchester United, and Leeds United defender, where it was found that heading the ball likely contributed to a brain injury that was a factor in his death. McQueen was also diagnosed with CTE. His daughter, Hayley McQueen, noted that most of the England 1966 World Cup-winning team had succumbed to neurodegenerative diseases.
A 2019 study, co-funded by the FA and the Professional Footballers' Association, found that footballers were three-and-a-half times more likely to die from neurodegenerative diseases compared to age-matched individuals in the general population. The FA is in the process of phasing out all heading in youth football up to under-11s by 2026.