AFLW players could be exposed to ‘catastrophic’ injury according to Peter Jess
CONCUSSION campaigner Peter Jess has warned of the potential for “catastrophic” injury in the AFLW unless the league invests more money into research.
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CONCUSSION campaigner Peter Jess has warned of the potential for a “catastrophic” injury in the new women’s league unless the AFL invests more money into concussion research.
Jess says the peer-reviewed international research showing women are more prone to serious concussion should be of immediate concern for the AFLW league.
The NCCA’s latest survey in American college sport showed women had nearly double the concussions in soccer, had more severe symptoms and were slower to recover.
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But there is very little Australian research into concussion in men’s or women’s football.
Jess, whose client Greg Williams was diagnosed with brain damage after repeated head knocks, says there is the risk a woman would suffer paraplegia and other serious structural injuries.
He has also written to the AFL urging them to appoint a concussion management facilitator to oversee AFL return-to-play protocols and concussion management by clubs.
“I am concerned that as women in the AFL become stronger, faster and collisions increase in impact, a catastrophic event will occur on the field unless urgent changes are made to the rules to protect the players from this outcome,’’ he writes to the AFL.
“The (US) research indicates that there is conclusive evidence, especially in certain contract sports that females are at higher risk than males and women’s AFL is likely to be one of those sports.
“A key contributing factor appears to be the skeletal muscular structure of women compared to men.”
The AFL has committed to conducting baseline brain testing of its women’s players in the new league and will this summer announce some new funding for research projects.
But the Australian Athletes Alliance, which recently formed a concussion working group with AFL representatives, believes far more money should be poured into concussion research.
International goalkeeper Joey Didulica, who suffered 20 concussions through his career, said in August: “I think governing bodies protect their own interests”.
The recent women’s exhibition matches highlighted a serious of jarring collisions despite only 16 players on the field in a recent Western Bulldogs-Melbourne contest.
Jess said yesterday there were too many warning signs to start a women’s league without adequate concussion research.
“There is so much that hasn’t been done. I am not saying death but I am saying there could be a catastrophic injury where someone becomes paralysed or someone had a major problem orthapedically,’’ he said.
“I think we have got to understand the biomechanical outcomes.
“There has got to be some real research done about where the danger points are. What type of tackles are dangerous, whether it’s full on tackles or slinging tackles?
“There has been no research, there is no comparative analysis. This is where they are risk. If you get a clinical concussion you are a much larger chance of having a major traumatic outcome within the next 12 months.
“That is a fact. What does that mean to women?”
Originally published as AFLW players could be exposed to ‘catastrophic’ injury according to Peter Jess
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