“I Suffered Migraines”: Middlesbrough Legend Gary Pallister Shares Concerns About Dementia

One of Gary Pallister’s earliest memories of Ayresome Park was attending Bill Gates’s testimonial match against Leeds United in May 1984, just before his ninth birthday. Little did he know then that he would one day play on that same turf, later transitioning to the Riverside Stadium, with a notable stint at Manchester United in between.

Pallister’s career was illustrious, marked by four Premier League titles, three FA Cups, and numerous other accolades. However, 23 years after retiring from his second spell at Middlesbrough, he acknowledges the potential long-term costs of his football career.

In an interview with Teesside Live at Ferryhill’s Workingman’s Club—a venue chosen by Judith Gates, Bill’s widow, for the book launch of *No-Brainer*—Pallister discusses the impact of football on players’ health. The book highlights Bill Gates’s journey from Ferryhill to playing for Middlesbrough and the severe health consequences he faced later in life.

Bill Gates suffered from dementia-like symptoms, later confirmed to be chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which led to his death at 79. He had battled the disease for over a decade. Pallister reflects on this, recalling that Gates retired at 30 due to migraines caused by playing. These migraines ceased after his career ended, and Gates lived healthily for three decades before dementia symptoms emerged.

Pallister, who witnessed Gates’s testimonial match as a child, now feels a personal connection to Gates’s story. He supports the book launch, having lost two former colleagues, Nobby Stiles and Gordon McQueen, to dementia—illnesses linked to heading footballs. The potential dangers of heading in football resonate deeply with Pallister.

“I absolutely worry about it,” Pallister admits, reflecting on his own career. He recounts suffering from debilitating migraines, which he suspects were caused by heading footballs. “I used to wonder then if it was anything to do with heading a football, but there was no real research into that. You were just left to your own devices in terms of figuring out what it was. As soon as I finished playing football, I don’t think I had another migraine for another ten years.”

Pallister’s current good health at 58 contrasts sharply with Bill’s fate, highlighting the uncertainty and potential risks he faces. He acknowledges this but refuses to let it overshadow the joy and fulfillment his football career brought him. However, he emphasizes the need for change to protect future players.

Judith Gates has founded the charity Head Safe Football in her husband’s memory, aiming to make football safer. Despite her efforts, support from football authorities is often lacking. However, there have been some positive steps. The FA recently decided to phase out heading footballs for under-11s at grassroots level and suggested limiting heading in professional practice to ten per player per week. In Scotland, heading is banned altogether in training the day before and after a game. But Pallister believes more can and should be done.

“They’ve done enough to realize now that heading can cause these problems, and it’s something we’ve got to put out there and educate people about,” Pallister asserts. He stresses the importance of supporting not just current and future players but also those from earlier eras who might not have the financial means to cope with related health issues.

“It’s the guys who weren’t able to make their money from football – lower division guys as well – they need our help. Even Nobby Stiles, a World Cup winner who played for Man United, he couldn’t afford to pay for his care. The powers that be in our game need to be more proactive in dealing with this problem.”

Reflecting on his own career and the moral implications, Pallister says, “Players coming into the game need to be aware of the danger and having all of the information they need, while I’m sure there is still more we can do to protect them. If I had the information, would I have still played football? That’s such a tough call. It gave me so much enjoyment, a job and a lifestyle. I’ve always considered myself very fortunate to have a job that I loved. It’s a difficult thing to consider, but you’ve got to at least inform players of the risk.”

Pallister acknowledges the positive steps being taken but urges for more openness from football authorities. “They are taking some positive steps. What else can be done remains to be seen. That we are more aware of the damage it can do should be a positive step towards making the required changes. The powers that be just need to be more open about it and not stick their head in the sand hoping it goes away because it’s not.”

Regarding his personal concerns, Pallister notes that while CTE can be suspected before death, it can only be confirmed post-mortem. At nearly 59, he takes measures to reduce his risk, but the possibility that damage might already be done, as with Bill Gates, is ever-present.

“I try to keep my mind active,” Pallister explains. “I was reading something just recently on the importance of social activity and meeting people as you get older. That’s great for preventing dementia. I try to take care of myself. The food you eat, drinking, smoking, it can all have an effect. Unfortunately, whether it matters after all the footballs I headed, I’m not so sure. At the moment, apart from the odd moment of forgetfulness, I think I’m okay. In the future, I just don’t know.”