Football legend Alan Shearer is to front a new documentary which will feature the story of Jeff Astle whose death was linked to repeatedly heading the ball during his glittering playing career.

His family, from Measham, have campaigned since his death 15 years ago to highlight the dangers for footballers from heading balls. Jeff died from early on-set dementia caused by heading the ball during his playing days, which included being capped for England like Newcastle United legend Shearer.

Now his daughter has talked about the moment she met retired striker Shearer, who is now a top TV football pundit. she met Shearer during filming for the documentary researching the potentially devastating links between dementia and sport.

Dawn Astle's father, Jeff lived out his retirement years in South Derbyshire and died in 2002 aged 59 from early on-set dementia caused by repeatedly heading the ball during his footballing career, a coroner ruled. Since then his family has been campaigning to raise awareness of brain injury in all forms of sport and to offer much-needed support to those affected.

Dawn, from Measham, met the former Newcastle United star at her dad’s beloved West Bromwich Albion ground where he spent much of his career.

The BBC 1 documentary called 'Alan Shearer: Football, Dementia and Me' looks at the research behind the links between dementia and sport and sees the football star speaking to former players and their families who have been affected by repeatedly heading the ball during their careers.

Speaking to BBC Radio Derby, Shearer, now a TV pundit said; "We learnt that there are very angry people out there who feel they have been ignored for a long time. One of reasons why I wanted to get involved and do the programme was because I was aware that Jeff Astle's death in 2002 was diagnosed as industrial disease and considering we are now in 2017, hardly anything has been done to give these guys support and answers they so badly wanted."

Sheared who clocked up 45 goals from headed balls in his career told the Ian Skye Show that this had worried him.

Jeff Astle had a long football career

Dawn also spoke to BBC Radio Derby ahead of the documentary on Sunday, November 12.
She said: "I was thrilled when the BBC rang me last year to say they wanted to do a documentary and highlight the issue we have been fighting for for all these years. At the time I didn’t know Alan Shearer would be fronting it but he is such a massive name and, of course like dad, a big header of the ball.

"When I met him I didn't know what to expect to be quite honest but he was everything I wanted him to be. He was attentive, stayed the entire time even when the cameras weren’t rolling, asking lots of questions about what we found, asking about players living with consequences of dementia and he was thoroughly decent and caring man.

"I hope dad is proud of us. It has been a real hard slog. Emotionally, we have been on very edge with everything going on.

Dawn Astle, pictured with Laraine Astle, is calling for more to be done to support footballers with dementia.

"We felt that dad's death and subsequent findings by coroner didn’t matter to the game; didn't matter that he died due to repeatedly heading a football. But it does matter, because it not just about dad.

"It is about the hundreds, possibly thousands, of these former players that are dying and we would like to think dad knows we are doing it for the right reasons and just to make sure this research is done and make sure these players are being looked after by the game and to put things in place to prevent anything happening to football’s future."

Shearer told Dawn he became involved in the documentary as he was aware of the campaign group Justice for Jeff but it was after watching the recent film Concussion, starring Will Smith as a young forensic pathologist, that he decided to look into the issue more closely.

Concussion is the true story about the death of a former American footballer Mike Webster who died at the age 50. The story follows the coroner who found Webster had severe brain damage. He ultimately determines that Webster died as a result of the long-term effects of repeated blows to the head.

Ms Astle says: "At one point Will Smith, who plays the doctor, shakes a jar which is half full of water with peach stone in it and every time there was a hit in the NFL during play he shakes the jar and it shows the peach stone being ricocheted backwards and forwards and Alan said as he watched it he thought the same must be happening when you head a ball and that’s when he wanted to find out more.

"He [Shearer] was definitely shocked about my dad. You could see it in his face. Asked if he was worried? And he looked at me and said I really am. When you look into the story about how he died, the implications for football and everything the coroner said about his death it does make you sit and think, is there something in this?

"We always felt the repeated heading of footballs is having a detrimental on the brain in later life when all these players have retired."

Shearer said: "I worry and that's why I did the programme because when you go into football as a youngster, as I did, you know that it is almost certain you will have issues with knees, ankles and back and I’ve got all that but never do you think you could have brain disease because of football and that’s why I wanted to look into a lot more.

"No-one can run away from this problem and we need answers and research and this [documentary] will give it the push that it so badly needs.

"Fans will be very interested in what people have to say and see our findings and research needs to be done. It is an eye opener, it certainly was for me. I enjoyed doing it, going into people’s houses who are suffering from this horrible disease and you realise the guys are suffering but also whole families

"I believe we need to look into and research it because nothing is being done.
"I don’t want to give away too much of our findings but I am really happy with the programme."

Head of machine at the FA, Dr Charlotte Cowie, said: "Player welfare is paramount and it is increasingly important that the football authorities investigate further whether there are any potential risks against associated with heading the ball as this is an unique feature of our game. We are close to appointing an independent research group to investigate degenerative neuro-cognitive disease in ex professional footballers."

Alan Shearer: Football, Dementia and Me airs at 10.30pm on Sunday, November 12, on BBC One.

Jeff Astle and the foundation

Nicknamed the "King" by fans, Astle won five caps for England and played 361 games for West Bromwich Albion.

The family launched The Jeff Astle Foundation in April 2015, after he became the first British professional footballer confirmed to have died from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The coroner ruled that he died from dementia brought on by repeatedly heading a football which had caused trauma similar to that incurred by a boxer taking repeated blows to the head.

The foundation was set up as a lasting legacy to raise awareness of brain injury in all forms of sport and to offer much-needed support to those affected. It aims to establish a care home for former sports people with dementia or chronic neurological impairment, who are often younger at diagnosis and require specialist care.

Since early 2013, West Brom fans make a point at every home game to applaud on the ninth minute of the game for the entire minute in tribute to Jeff Astle. This is because he wore the number nine shirt for the club. During the minute the screens at the Hawthorns would have an image of Jeff Astle with the caption "If in doubt, Sit them out".

10 facts about Jeff Astle

Jeff Astle died in 2002 at the age of 59. He was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, but a re-examination of his brain found he had died from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) – a degeneration caused by repeated head trauma.

Here are some facts about the former footballer:

  • Jeffrey Astle was born on the May 13, 1942, in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire;
  • He had three brothers and three sisters;
  • His father Samuel died when Jeff was four years old;
  • Jeff turned professional with Notts County Football Club when he was 17;
  • In 1964 Jeff signed for West Bromwich Albion for a fee of £25,000, and jumped from the old Division 4 to top flight football in Division 1;
  • Jeff was called up to the England squad for the World Cup finals tournament in Mexico in 1970;
  • Jeff left West Bromwich Albion in 1974 to join the late Bobby Moore at South African team Hellenic;
  • Jeff teamed up with legendary former Manchester United star George Best to play for non-league football team Dunstable Town;
  • He married his childhood sweetheart Laraine on December 12, 1962. They had three daughters Dorice, Dawn and Claire.
  • After retiring from the game in 1977, Jeff started his own window cleaning business in South Derbyshire, with the slogan "Jeff never misses the corners."

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