The Reading / Listening - Soccer Players - Level 0

Heading a soccer ball can damage mental health. Researchers found that ex-football players are three and a half times more likely to die of dementia. They looked at the deaths of over 7,600 ex-players and the deaths of 23,000 people who did not play football. They found that the ex-players had a lot more brain injuries.

Football associations in the UK requested the research after a player died in 2002. Doctors said he died after "repeated minor brain traumas". A researcher said ex-players were more likely to suffer from diseases like Alzheimer's. He said they were less likely to die of diseases like heart disease and lung cancer.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Soccer Players - Level 1,  Soccer Players - Level 2   or  Soccer Players - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/50124102
  • https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/dementia-football-heading-study-2019-the-fa-pfa-a9164861.html
  • https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2019/10/21/calls-ban-young-players-heading-footballs-brain-injury-expert/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. heading a
  2. damage mental
  3. three and a
  4. more likely to die
  5. the deaths of over 7,600 ex-
  6. the deaths of 23,000
  7. did not
  8. a lot more brain
  1. players
  2. play football
  3. injuries
  4. half times
  5. health
  6. soccer ball
  7. of dementia
  8. people

Paragraph 2

  1. football associations in
  2. a player
  3. repeated minor brain
  4. ex-players were more
  5. suffer from diseases
  6. He said they
  7. less likely to die
  8. lung
  1. like Alzheimer's
  2. of diseases
  3. died in 2002
  4. cancer
  5. traumas
  6. likely to
  7. were
  8. the UK

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Heading a soccer (1) ___________________ mental health. Researchers (2) ___________________-football players are three and a half times (3) ___________________ die of dementia. They looked at (4) ___________________ over 7,600 ex-players and the deaths of 23,000 people who (5) ___________________ football. They found that the ex-players had (6) ___________________ brain injuries.

Football associations (7) ___________________ requested (8) ___________________ a player died in 2002. Doctors said he (9) ___________________ minor brain traumas. A researcher said ex-players (10) ___________________ to suffer from diseases like Alzheimer's. He said (11) ___________________ likely to die of diseases like heart (12) ___________________ cancer.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Headingasoccerballcandamagementalhealth.Researchersfoundthat
ex-footballplayersarethreeandahalftimesmorelikelytodieofdement
ia.Theylookedatthedeathsofover7,600ex-playersandthedeathsof2
3,000peoplewhodidnotplayfootball.Theyfoundthattheex-player
shadalotmorebraininjuries.FootballassociationsintheUKrequestedt
heresearchafteraplayerdiedin2002.Doctorssaidhediedafter"repeat
edminorbraintraumas".Aresearchersaidex-playersweremorelikelyt
osufferfromdiseaseslikeAlzheimer's.Hesaidtheywerelesslikelytodie
ofdiseaseslikeheartdiseaseandlungcancer.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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