The AFL today issued updated guidelines on the management of concussion in Australian Football and announced a rule change to allow the use of a team’s substitute player as a temporary interchange while a player was being assessed for concussion, to further enhance the updated AFL guidelines.
Following last year’s International Conference on Concussion in Sport held in Zurich, the AFL Medical Officers’ Association (AFLMOA) has developed an enhanced set of guidelines for AFL clubs which ensure the management of concussion in the game remains best practice. The AFL has also released community level guidelines, which include a specific section related to children, along with a version for General Practitioners.
The AFL is set to become the first professional sport in the world to implement the new Zurich guidelines in competition.
AFL Medical Commissioner Dr Peter Harcourt said the key features of the updated AFL guidelines were as follows:
- Any player with a medically diagnosed concussion will not be allowed to return to play on the day of injury;
- Sideline video review by team doctors of the relevant on-field incident as a part of the clinical assessment will be used at all major AFL venues
- The extensive SCAT3 assessment to determine whether a player is fit to return to play cannot take place for a minimum of 10 minutes after the on-field incident;
- A player with any neurological symptoms or signs, video features of concussion and/or any evidence of a disturbance of mental state or cognitive function following trauma, can be considered to have concussion and must not return to play;
- Where there is any suspicion of concussion, the player requires further evaluation including video footage review and assessment of symptoms, orientation, balance and cognitive function (SCAT3) prior to a final determination;
- If a player is cleared of a concussion following assessment, they can be allowed to return to play, but should be monitored for the duration of the game as concussion symptoms are dynamic and can evolve over time
- Club Medical Officers may be required to provide full documentation of clinical assessments of concussion to the AFL Medical Directors for review. Full documentation will also be collected as part of ongoing research activities.
- AFL Player Rule 26 (Medical Fitness) amended to make more specific reference to AFL guidelines.
As part of the enhanced guidelines, the AFLMOA recommended to the AFL that a club be able to use its substitute player as an interchange player for a 20-minute period while the concussion assessment is taking place.
This recommendation, also supported by the AFL Players Association, AFL Coaches Association and the Laws of the Game Committee, was yesterday approved by the AFL Commission and a sub player may be activated for a 20-minute period only while a player is being assessed by the club doctor for potential concussion. After that assessment period, the club will then have to either activate its sub player, or return him to being a substitute.
The updated concussion management guidelines for community clubs will be sent to state coaching, umpiring and community development managers for distribution through all the formal networks of affiliated leagues and regions of the game.
The guidelines are designed to further ensure that the welfare of the player at community level is a priority in both the short and long term. No player who has concussion, or is suspected of having concussion, should return to their sporting activity (training or playing) until cleared by a doctor.
