A new report about the severity of repeated head trauma will surely shock the football community from youth to NFL players and cause them to rethink the dangers of concussions on the field.

According to clinical researchers at Boston University School of Medicine’s Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, the brain of a recently deceased 18-year-old high school football player showed the earliest signs of an incurable brain disease caused by the kind of repetitive head trauma he experienced on the football field.

Surprising researchers was the age of the player and the level of brain damage. “The findings are very shocking because we never thought anybody that young could already be started down the path to this disease,” said Dr. Robert Cantu, a clinical professor of neurosurgery at BU Medical Center and a co-director of the brain study institute. “It should send a very powerful message to people at every level of football that they need to care about this issue and treat concussions with respect.”

In the same study, postmortem exams of the brains of seven former NFL players who died between the ages of 36 and 50 showed that six of the men suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease caused by multiple head injuries. It afflicts individuals similarly to early-onset Alzheimer’s.

The 18-year-old high school student, whose identity was withheld at his family’s request, had suffered numerous concussions playing football and other contact sports.

Dr. Ann McKee, a neurologist and director of BU’s brain bank and co-director of the study center, said she has conducted postmortem exams of thousands of brains. “I have never seen this disease in the general population, only in these athletes. It’s a crisis, and anyone who doesn’t recognize the severity of the problem is in tremendous denial.”

CTE is known to generally show symptoms only many years after a football player leaves the sport. Had the teen lived, neurologists said, he eventually would have developed early-onset dementia that would have advanced until his death.

Athletic administrators, coaches, athletes and parents need to be aware of the long-term dangers of repeated concussions in football and other contact sports and take action to encourage safer helmet design, stronger rule enforcement and immediate medical treatment following head trauma.

Supporting one’s favourite team by wearing the team’s football shirt is in vogue. The fans show their enthusiasm and also encourage the football players. Football nuts always crave to own authentic football shirts of the various players and teams. If you have the same desire then get it fulfilled by considering signed football shirts.

Signed football shirts are rare and available in limited edition. You can find shirts of many legendary players from different clubs of England. The shirts are unique as they carry the signatures of the celebrated players. Players personally mark their signature with pen because of their tenderness towards their fans. All these football signed shirts are presented beautifully in frames and comes with certificate of authenticity. The shirts are classy, exceptional and ideal gift for a football fanatic.

Many signed football shirts are best sellers. You can find shirts of renowned player who have a large fanbase. For example: Cristiano Ronaldo Signed Manchester United Shirt Number 7 is an unbeatable gift item. This shirt is individually signed by the great football hero Ronaldo. This product comes with a black plate frame and a certificate of authenticity. This football shirts signed are categorised as memorabilia and available at a high price.

As the shirts are genuine, so they are not easily available in any sports store. The virtual way of finding them is using the internet. The signed football shirts come with the provision to mount or exhibit on desktop. You can also make your friends envy by owning of this item. The football signed shirts are dignified and relives the glorious moments of the leagues or matches. You can personalise the gift item to make it more attractive.

For some people, fantasy football is not just a game but is more of an addiction or a great way to supplement their incomes. The whole goal behind fantasy football is to build a winning team, and this can be done through fantasy football player rankings.

Weeks before the draft is even near, there are fantasy football player rankings that start making their way into the public. These rankings are based off last year’s performances, any injuries a player may have, and what the future for a player and his team looks like for the coming season. These rankings are a great way to start developing your winning team.

Now, most amateurs are going to strictly look at the big names and the players that were at the top of the list last season, but this is not always the perfect way to pick your team. Remember that things change and if someone had an awesome season last year does not guarantee that they are going to have another awesome season this year.

Look over all the player rankings before you start choosing your team. In fact, you should really look over several rankings by different gurus before you make your choices. The more information and predictions you have, the better informed your decisions can be. Now, no matter how much information you have, there are always going to be accidents or injuries that may happen during the season that may knock your team off track. There is nothing you can do about these, and you just need to try to get back in the game.

Fantasy football player rankings make a great start to building your winning team. If you are really dedicated to the sport, then you will read several reports on the rankings to come up with your best predictions for the season.

There are many reasons to look for information on football players. Perhaps you are just a fan or maybe you participate in a fantasy soccer league. Regardless of your reason, there is certainly no shortage of information on the Internet relating to football players. In fact, you are likely to find more information than you know what to do with. You can consult respected sources such as World Soccer or look for insight into football players in hundreds of blogs and commercial sites. There are sites by prominent sports book groups, sites by pundits and sites by everyday people who research football players as a hobby.

Sites dedicated to all things football are not limited to professional football. If you are interested in developing data on football players you have just as many choices. You can, of course, visit the website of your favorite league or club or you can join any one of hundred of sports forums. Though not as prevalent as league or club, you can even find sites that specialize on information regarding the world’s top youth prospects. Regardless of which team is your favorite or what your purpose for collecting information is, you can find more data of football players than you can even imagine.

Not only do we find a plethora of sites dedicated to the technical side of the football players’ lives, such as statistics on performance, we can find information on football players as celebrities as well. You might not think of People Magazine as a stop on your search for trivia on football players but think again. Almost weekly this popular magazine features tidbits on the love life and times of players like Ronaldo and David Beckham.

For pure statistics on football players you will want to turn to more traditional information sources like Soccernet.com and ESPN.com. These publications offer comprehensive databases of electronic information that can help you learn more about your favorite football players regardless of whether you are just satisfying your curiosity or creating a database on which to base your fantasy football picks.

While there is plenty of information available on football players, it is not all free. Many sites, particularly those that focus on information for the sports betters, are fee-based. The particular pitch of paid sites is often that its data is more accurate and more timely. Only you can determine if your needs for information on football players merits the need to pay for it since for most people the information that is available in the public domain is probably sufficient.

Regardless of the type of information you are looking for: professional, college, or high school football players, you are certain to be able to find what you are looking for by doing a simple Internet search. Someone somewhere is keeping track of just about any statistic you can think of. Your challenge will be weeding through all of the data you find.

Our online poll in 2008 indicated Australian players wanted to trial and play their football in Europe, in particular the English Premier League. We did some research to locate where Australian football players were based. The results may surprise you. Our results are based on findings for the 2008 season.

Scotland : 10 players : Ireland : 3 players : England : 50 players : Spain : 1 player : Norway : 3 players : Denmark : 3 players : Holland : 6 players : Poland : 1 player : Germany : 9 players : Switzerland : 2 players : Croatia : 2 players : Hungary : 2 players : Italy : 7 players: Servia : 1 player : Macedonia : 1 player: Greece : 3 players : Cyprus : 1 player : Turkey : 3 players : Romania : 1 player : Georgia : 1 player: Japan : 4 players : China : 1 player : Malaysia : 1 player : USA : 6 players.

It is worth noting that of the 50 Australian football players, playing in England, only 23 of the players were involved in the English Premier League, 27 playing in the lower tiers and 5 of the 50 players were playing in the sixth tier in England.

For many young Australian born players the “rest of the world”  may be their only way of playing in the English Premier League due to new FA (Football Association) and FIFA regualtions regarding foreign players signing contracts in England coming from Australia.

Australian Football Players (AFP) is pleased to announce the signing of a Consulting Agreement with sports management company Hartwell Intergrated Business International (HiBi). This agreement will expose players represented by the HiBi company to Australian and asian clubs and expose AFP players to clubs in Europe and the MLS (USA). This new partnership places AFP in a position to continue building lasting business relationships and exchange important information with HiBi. HARTWELL Integrated Business International (HiBi) Sports Division operates a world wide agency with a network of global contacts supported by first-rate professionals. HiBi benefits from the use of satellite offices to service is clients worldwide. HiBi is grounded in principle and integrity with a vision to make a difference. We have been serving the Sports World since 2000.

The Goal of HiBi is to manage, assist, and advise athletes, football (soccer) players, coaches and to provided clubs with personalized services to help them reach the next level of success.

At HiBi Sports Division, our goal is to provide you with courteous and expedient professional service with a high caliber. Whether you need a club, an athlete, a spoke person or marketing program HiBi have what you need.Browsing our Web site can help you learn more about Hartwell Integrated Business International Sports Division. Do read our Informative section “Ask the Agent” for more exciting information. 

MIchael HARTWELLEntrepreneur and Founder of HiBi ,FIFA Player Agent. 

 Michael studied International and Corporate Law, and obtain knowledge of International Trade and working as a certified FIFA Players’ agent (www.FIFA.com). He has a solid track record in offering a top quality results and is always been active in the Business World of Sports, Marketing and Event management. After his sports career was curtailed by a severe injury he moves into Sports Business Marketing. Having an extensive international knowledge of contract negotiation, equipment deals and vast international contacts. HiBi Sports Division carried a worldwide representation for Sports Personalities, Sports Marketing, and Event management. He is fluent in English and speaks French and Spanish and presently learning Mandarin. HiBi Values. 

Leadership: At HARTWELL Integrated Business Int’l Sports Division, you will get the quality and service you expect from a Leader. Our company is vigilant in our clients’ needs and satisfies them through new opportunities created in the market. You can rest assured that, HIBI Sports Division will be a driving force behind you.Teamwork: The Athletes career is being handed in a high stake and a fast pace of progress. One mistake or injury can ruin their careers. The odds to make it after their career is over is very little. That’s where HiBi Sports Division comes into play! We are here to stand next to our athletes. HiBi is ready to fight, work day and night and go to war for every single one of his clients. In return, HiBi ask for there loyalty. HiBi can give everything to bring you to the next level of success. We make it our responsibility to know you. We work closely with you to ensure that the solutions we provide are tailored to meet your unique needs and challenges. We are committed to your success. 

 Customer Relations: At HARTWELL Integrated Business Int’l Sports Division, prioritize the satisfaction of their Clients. We’re grounded in our principle, integrity and a vision to make a difference. You are important to us and you can expect us to go an extra mile for you. We will be negotiating the best possible contracts and place you in a setting that are not only comfortable, but will enable you to excel at your craft.

We are pleased to announce our new partnership. Train and Play the Italian Way

Australian Football Players is pleased to announce a unique partnership with Italy’s Ascoli Soccer Academy. This partnership will not only forge relationships between Australian Football Players and Italian football clubs like Ascoli Calcio 1898 but we are now able to offer Australian players and teams the opportunity to travel to Italy and participate in Camps, Trials and Year Long Soccer Courses. Ascoli Soccer Academy and Ascoli Calcio 1898 technical staff conduct trials both in Italy and abroad. We hope to bring both Academy and Club to Australia in the near future to conduct trials. 

The Italian Football Academy (IFA)- Ascoli Soccer Academy has brought together the experience of its’ own technical staff and the experience acquired from the Perugia Football Club’s coaching staff to create a unique developmental institution. Australian Football Players has now joined Ascoli Soccer Academy in a consolidated effort to bring advanced player and coach education to local Australian clubs. Australian Football Players and Ascoli Soccer Academy have identical philosophies which clearly put an emphasis on structured and methodical football education. Australian Football Players, as the Australian based affiliate, will work closely on a yearly basis with the academy to identify quality players and possibly fill its’ ranks in the Italian professional league. Australian Football Players will also provide learning opportunities for youth coaches as the demand for “higher learning” continuous to increase. The Ascoli Soccer Academy technical organization chart consists of 80 observers and 20 supervisors distributed along the national territory, all of them coming from multi-year professional experiences.  

Every football season Ascoli Soccer Academy staff are required to attend affiliated team games and try-outs as part of a monitoring process impacting over 16000 young players per year. The goal is to identify and assess qualified players to possibly join other professional youth players in the Italian 1st Division (Serie “A”, “B” or C).  

The Italian Football Academy (IFA) has consolidated the experience developed by its own technical staff and the experience acquired from the Perugia Football Club’s technical staff in the nearly 10 year long co-operation.In IFA we like to stress the idea of making football scouting, education and player’s improvement as a unique and whole concept of the company mission. Further to this we have created a wide network of affiliated teams, both national and international, plus many observers coordinated by local areas and all coming from direct past experiences in the world of soccer.The results of this complex and organized activity takes us to identifying the best players who can then be selected to join professional youth players of Italian Serie A, B or C championships. Moreover, at the end of each sport season, players chosen by IFA are primarily selected to join IFA’s junior national teams main partner such as Ascoli Calcio 1898.The IFA project was born on the wake of Perugia soccer Club which, even if excluded last 2005 from the professional chanpionship, have left talented sport managers heritage to increase new teams fortunes. And this is what our staff does right today.IFA and Ascoli Calcio 1898 co-share the mentality and carried out the idea of Ascoli Soccer Academy. Ascoli Soccer Academy unique target is to enrich Ascoli’s youth teams and, possibly after a while, the main professional team.Inside Ascoli Soccer Academy project a great importance is given to international aspects. In fact our management is continuously “on the road” monitoring and analyzing the practise of the game even in those countries where football is still not very popular. Activities such as Camps or Year Long Soccer Course normally host multi-cultural applicants, but we invite you to take a look to the proper web section for these.IFA has its main headquarter in Perugia, where we benefit of qualified and experienced structures such as the Convitto Nazionale “Principe di Napoli” in Assisi, the prestigious “University for Foreigners of Perugia” and all the sport partners we work with since many years so far. Since last year we have settled also into Ascoli Calcio’s main headquarter in Ascoli. This new branch and the IFA’s staff operating by there work in order to facilitate co-operation and fulfil any technical and organizational requirement. By creating this new branch we will also be able to maximize the co-operation with all national and international affiliated clubs.  

For further information for Australian players, clubs and teams, please contact Australian Football Players through our website www.australianfootballplayers.com.au or call Sergio Garcia direct on +61 2 414 997 205.