AS footy season is nearing its end, a new study from Griffith Uni and Uni SA is tackling concussions at the grassroots level to determine how well parents and staff of junior community football players understand head injuries.
Fierce competition in a high-contact sport increases the risk of concussions, and if these injuries aren’t managed appropriately, the impacts can be devastating.
In Australia, about 300,000 young people under the age of 16 play in community football clubs. One in five hospitalised concussions involve sport.
Dr Hunter Bennett says while community football clubs are aware of concussion risks, more needs to be done to protect young players at local levels.
“Concussion is one of the most common injuries in contact sports, with children more vulnerable than adults,” Dr Bennett says.
“Yet while professional football teams have dedicated medical experts to manage concussions, most community football clubs rely on parents or volunteers. That means a child might be treated on game day, but what happens in the days and weeks afterwards is more or less unknown.”
Take part in the survey here: unisa.edu.au/research/research-volunteers/concussion-knowledge-study/