Adelaide Footy League research shows paid players lie about concussion symptoms

The Adelaide Footy League has made an alarming discovery about its players as local leagues consider concussion protocol changes ahead of season 2024.

Shocking new research has revealed lucrative match payments in local football are encouraging players to downplay, or in some cases altogether deny, concussion symptoms for fear of missing out on income.

Adelaide Footy League chief John Kernahan said the league surveyed six clubs through 2022 and 2023 and found 70 percent of players who said they were paid to play also admitted to lying about concussion.

The revelation comes as the Victorian Amateur Football Association considers implementing a new 21-day rest period and 28-day return to action protocol for seasons 2024.

“The league conducted an anonymous survey of six randomly selected clubs and their players across all levels of our competition in the 2022 and 2023 seasons,” Kernahan said.

Adelaide Footy League chief John Kernahan has revealed some of the competition’s paid players lied about concussion symptoms in seasons 2022 and 2023. Picture: Emma Brasier

“One question offered a clear delineation for the motivations to play the game, being whether they were paid to play or not.

“According to the survey, 70 percent of those respondents who indicated they were in some way remunerated to play conceded they had either downplayed, or worse denied, any symptoms of concussion for fear of diluting their income.

“Of those respondents who indicated they played for the love of the game, which represented 75 percent of respondents, 65 percent indicated a willingness to recognise concussion symptoms and pleasingly had been supported by their club as per the existing policy prescribed by the AFL.”

Three weeks ago, the Australian Institute of Sport recommended new concussion protocols for community and junior sport across Australia which included a 21-day rest period.

Local SA leagues await directives from the AFL and SANFL on concussion policy for 2024. Picture: AAP Image/Julian Smith

While a number of major sporting bodies will implement the new protocols, other sports, including football, are yet to agree.

Kernahan said the AdFL would take directive from the AFL but stressed players also needed to remain honest.

“The game has evolved over a century of playing it, but we all accept there are acceptable risks in playing,” he said.

“The Adelaide Footy League readily accepts its role in how concussion is addressed and managed at whatever parameters are determined by the peak body.

“Whilst the responsibility of compliance to the concussion policy rests with associations and clubs of all codes, the crucial stakeholder is the player themselves.

“The data does not lie. Respondents openly conceded they placed a high priority to ensuring they continued to play so as not to disrupt their earnings regardless of the symptoms.”

Kernahan said the league’s clubs would continue to be made aware of the AFL’s concussion policy, guidelines, strategic plan as well as the impacts of concussion.

“We will continue to drive home the need for compliance to the protocols that to be fair, aren’t new. What is relatively new is a heightened awareness of the long-term dangers of concussion but that is not exclusive to community sport.

“Professional sports are only just picking up the ball so to speak. But we will not have our clubs and volunteers unfairly ladened with a responsibility that must be shared, and crucially by the players themselves.”