Football and dementia: Dawn Astle to work with PFA on neurodegenerative care provision

Former England international Astle developed dementia and died in 2002 at the age of 59

Campaigner Dawn Astle will work with the Professional Footballers' Association to help shape the way they care for former players with dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Dawn Astle is the daughter of former England and West Brom striker Jeff Astle, who died in 2002.

A neuropathologist said he died of a brain condition normally linked to boxers and caused by heading footballs.

Dawn Astle will work with the PFA on an initial six-month advisory basis.

She will help "shape the longer-term neurodegenerative care provision for former members and their families".

"I will help them tackle this growing crisis within the game, not just by being there for the former players who are affected by neurodegenerative diseases, the support for their families, but also for getting stakeholders within the game to accept that there's a real problem here and that it needs addressing," she told BBC Sport.

Former Portsmouth, Gillingham and Bournemouth wing-half Rod Taylor, like Jeff Astle, died from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and his daughter, Rachel Walden, will also be working with the PFA on the issue.

In 2015, Astle's family launched the Jeff Astle Foundation, which promotes care of others affected by the condition, as well as education about it and research into it.

"I've been probably one of their [PFA's] biggest critics with regarding this particular issue," said Dawn Astle.

"It would be very easy for me to turn around and say no because I am angry with them. People say forgive and forget and I know I can't do that but it's not about me. It's about the families and the players.

"The heart of everything we've tried to do with the Jeff Astle Foundation is keep the players and the families at the heart of everything we do by working alongside them, and helping them as much as we can to improve what is the best thing for the families in our society."

'It doesn't mean that they're going to silence us'

The family of Nobby Stiles are among those to have criticised the PFA over the way it has dealt with the issue of dementia, arguing there has been a lack of support for players.

John Stiles, the England World Cup winner's son, recently said he has "no doubt" heading balls contributed to his father's death, with a post-mortem finding his brain was affected by a dementia believed to be caused by repeated blows.

The ex-Manchester United midfielder, who died in October aged 78, was the fifth member of England's 1966 World Cup-winning squad to have been diagnosed with dementia.

"Just because Rachel and I will be working alongside them [the PFA], it doesn't mean that we won't be critical," said Dawn Astle.

"It doesn't mean that they're going to silence us, you know, because that really won't be the case.

"If we find that it's words, instead of actions, then the both of us will just walk away; it will be a waste of time."