AFL exploring new headgear, stand down time in landmark concussion crackdown in community football

The AFL’s concussion crackdown could extend to community football with a landmark change being explored to make every player wear a helmet as well as a new stand down time.

Highett Football Club junior players wearing helmets during matches. Under 9 and 10 players left to right are Xavier, Mason, Lenny, Fletcher, Healey and Phoenix. Picture: Ian Currie

All community footballers will stand down for a minimum 21 days in a landmark decision by the AFL to help combat concussion.

The elite level will retain its minimum 12-day stand down, but with a raft of improved monitoring.

“This new (21-day) protocol will apply for state football competitions (including the VFL and VFLW), elite pathway competitions (including the Coates Talent Leagues for boys and girls) and all community football competitions,’’ the AFL said.

It comes as community footballers might be required to wear helmets in the future in what would be another major play by the AFL.

Australian rules football had close to 530,000 registered participants in 2023.

At an AFLPA meeting about concussion with player managers and AFL medical staff on Wednesday, it was revealed the AFL was looking at trialling new headgear at community level this year.

If eventually adopted, all junior and senior players in metropolitan and country football leagues could be required to wear the AFL-endorsed headgear.

Highett Football Club junior players wearing helmets. Under 9 and 10 players Xavier, Mason, Lenny, Fletcher, Healey and Phoenix. Picture: Ian Currie

It would be a significant rule change because for 150 years players have played without helmets.

Concussion expert Alan Pearce was gobsmacked at the suggestion to endorse helmets.

“I’m just dismayed that they want to even try and explore this,” Pearce, a neurophysiologist, told this masthead.

“Having an AFL-endorsed helmet does that mean there’s a bit of a revenue source for them? I don’t know.

“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.

“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.”

Pearce said a Monash University study, co-authored by the AFL’s chief medical officer Michael Makdissi, found that “headgear was not associated with any reduced risk of concussion”.

In a day of announcements, the AFL’s general counsel Stephen Meade: “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.”

The AFL stressed the 12-day protocol was the minimum days a player could return to play should they medically clear the 11 steps.

The league claimed 29 per cent of AFLW players and 24 per cent of AFL players who entered concussion protocols missed more than one match in 2023.

Meade said the Laws of the Game would continue to evolve to discourage high contact.

“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,” Meade said.

“We play a contact sport and there is always going to be risk … (but) 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.”

The 2024 concussion guidelines will take effect from Thursday night’s clash between Sydney and Melbourne at the SCG.

The day where a concussion occurs will be counted as day zero under the protocols.

The return-to-play program consists of three distinct stages – rest, recovery and graded return to training and play.

The AFL’s document states: “The updated guidelines insist on a minimum period of 24 hours (or longer) for each step of the progression and, if any symptoms recur during the graded return to training and play stage, the player athlete must go back to the previous symptom-free step.

Angus Brayshaw recently retired from the AFL after multiple concussions. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

“The guidelines also insist on an individualised approach to return to play where factors such as young age (i.e. 18 years or younger), where there is a history of learning disorders or mood disturbance that may impact on monitoring of recovery, or a history of multiple concussions, may necessitate a more cautious and conservative approach.

“The player must have medical assessment prior to being cleared to return to full contact training with the group and then a further medical assessment before being cleared to return to play.”

The South Australian Football Commission will quickly meet to discuss whether it adopts the league’s 21-day stand down period for every competition outside the AFL.

The AFL has urged the SANFL and WAFL to adopt its “important benchmark position” of requiring all players outside of the elite level to be bound to the 21-day protocol.

AFL and AFLW-listed players who suffer a concussion at state-league level will enter the AFL’s 12-day concussion protocols because they can be managed under the “Advanced Care Settings” of an AFL club.

Originally published as AFL exploring new headgear, stand down time in landmark concussion crackdown in community football