Cricket Gold Coast: Possibility of legal action drove association to mandate helmets across senior grades

Cricket Gold Coast has mandated the wearing of helmets for all senior players this season. Now the reasoning behind the decision can be revealed.

All players must wear helmets in the 2024/25 Cricket Gold Coast after a ‘no helmet, no play’ policy was introduced.

Cricket Gold Coast’s decision to mandate the wearing of helmets across all senior grades may not have pleased everyone, but the association believes it was a step that had to be taken.

It can be revealed that the decision was made to future-proof Cricket Gold Coast from any possible legal action, were there to be a “serious incident” where a player not wearing a helmet was struck in the head, as well as to ensure player safety.

Cricket Gold Coast vice president Mark Middleton said that it was a policy being introduced across a number of cricket associations around Australia, as the need to protect the head in sport at all levels continues to grow in prevalence.

“We needed to seriously consider our position, which in the past has been that a helmet is strongly recommended (in senior cricket),” Middleton said.

“We met with a sports lawyer to get some advice around the helmet policy and other policies that we had in place.

“The advice we received was that it was probably in our best interest to put the policy in place for ‘no helmet no play’.

“Otherwise, if there was an incident that became a serious incident, we could be questioned as to why we weren’t following the path of other associations around Australia, so we’ve taken that position for all grades from first grade through to sixth grade, including masters.”

If a player refuses to wear a helmet, they will be reported, and that report will result in a minimum two-week suspension.

The suspensions can be as hefty as six weeks if a player “makes a scene”.

“We have umpires in grades one to three who are very much aware of this policy,” Middleton said.

“We don’t have umpires in fourth grade through to sixth grade, so we’ve spoken to the delegates and presidents of all the clubs to make them very clear of this position and the captains of each side will be made very clear of this position.

“If someone refuses to wear a helmet but they walk out to play, play won’t continue until the player is timed out for not adhering to the conditions of the play. That’s the position we’re holding.”

Cricket helmet.

It’s understood there has been some pushback to the decision, particularly from more experienced players and lower-grade players.

“95 per cent of people are accepting that this was a condition that would eventually come in and it’s come in as of this season,” Middleton said.

“We have had some negative feedback, particularly from more mature players … who feel that they don’t like wearing a helmet and it’s going to affect their performance on the field.”

Middleton noted that from his own experience, helmets had been mandated in masters cricket two years ago and those that were against the decision adjusted accordingly after a few games.

“They got over it pretty quick,” he said.

“It’s in the playing conditions (that you have to wear a helmet), if you want to play cricket on the Gold Coast you have to play in accordance with the playing conditions.”