Players from the VFL down to junior grassroots football will now have to wait at least 21 days to return to the field after receiving a concussion following the AFL’s latest guidelines.
The AFL announced their new concussion protocols last week which may also see all players forced to wear helmets in the near future, with a head protection trial being launched this season.
In the previous three seasons, players have had to follow a 12 day return to match play guideline however with further medical research being conducted into the long lasting effects a concussion has on the brain, the AFL has released their landmark decision for the 2024 season and beyond.
The AFL stressed the 12-day protocol was the minimum period a player could return to play should they medically clear the 11 steps.
Under the new community football guidelines, the day where the concussion occurs will be counted as day zero. The return-to-play program consists of three distinct stages – rest, recovery and graded return to training and play.
AFL General Counsel Stephen Meade said the AFL takes very seriously the issue of concussion and the updated community football guidelines reflect the AFL’s ongoing commitment to the health and safety of all present, past and future players.
"The AFL’s concussion guidelines are the most stringent concussion protocols in Australian sport both at a community and elite level and we are committed to continuing to take action to protect the safety of players at all levels of the game," Mr Meade said.
"The updated community guidelines represent a significant step in the AFL’s existing record of ongoing improvements to its concussion management strategy that reflect medical research and other learnings over time.
“We play a contact sport and there is always going to be risk, however over recent years we have continued to take action to strengthen match-day protocols and amend the Laws of the Game to discourage high contact, and we will continue to do so.
"We continue to listen and learn from the medical and scientific professionals and take action to deal with the important topic of concussion and player safety.
"While there are risks of injury in our sport, we will continue to act to reduce and manage those risks, and there are also many very significant physical and mental health benefits of playing our great game."
At an AFL Players’ Association meeting on concussion with player managers and AFL medical staff last Wednesday, it was revealed the league was also looking at trialling new headgear at community level this year.
All junior and senior players in metropolitan and country football leagues could ultimately be required to wear the AFL-endorsed headgear.
Although many medical professionals and sporting entities want to see more safety with head knocks in sport, Concussion expert and neurophysiologist Alan Pearce told the Herald Sun that he was gobsmacked at the notion to endorse helmets as a Monash University study found that “headgear was not associated with any reduced risk of concussion”.
“Wearing a helmet isn’t going to protect from concussion, and we’ve got multiple, multiple studies – including studies from Monash University who are affiliated with the AFL – showing no difference in concussion rates in kids wearing helmets versus non-helmets,” he said.
“What are the ‘AFL concussion experts’ advising the AFL on the evidence about wearing helmets? There’s going to be this false presumption that wearing helmets will stop concussions, and the reality is that it doesn’t.”
Whilst local football leagues will adopt the 21 day return to play, players in the AFL and AFLW will maintain the minimum 12 day return to play protocols.