The Premier League has announced two new studies to measure the impact and assess the dangers of players heading footballs.

Liverpool and Manchester City have both announced their respective women’s and youth teams will use PROTECHT mouthguards in training to measure the impact of heading the ball as part of one study.

The other study will be completed in partnership with the league’s official tracking and analytics provider, Second Spectrum.

Speaking on the studies, Premier League chief executive, Richard Masters, said the focus is to make football “as safe as possible for all players”.

“We are working with our partners across football to achieve this and the research studies we are undertaking are just one example of our commitment to this important issue,” Masters said.

“We hope the results of this project will contribute to the development of practical guidelines for the professional and adult game in this country,” he said.

The studies come after several Premier League managers and the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) expressed concerns over heading in training after the death of former England player Nobby Stiles, who it is believed suffered dementia as a result of his playing career.

The studies will work to inform guidelines for heading in training at professional and adult football levels ahead of the 2021/22 seasons, with the guidelines to be agreed upon in consultation with clubs, players, managers, and medics.

Alongside the studies, the Premier League has also announced it has joined Alzheimer’s Society’s Sport United Against Dementia campaign, in an effort to generate funds and awareness of dementia across research, community and support.

The Premier League’s executive director, Bill Bush, will join the board of executives of the campaign as part of the partnership.