The Premier League "is to introduce new rules on how to deal with head injuries" from the start of the '14-15 season, according to Richard Conway of the BBC. A player suffering a head injury "must now leave the pitch and the club doctor must decide if a player is capable of continuing, not the team management." New concussion measures at a glance:
- A player suffering a head injury must now leave the pitch.
- Team managers or coaching staff will no longer decide if a player continues to play and the final decision will be with the club doctor.
- Home teams in the Premier League must now have a third "tunnel" doctor on matchdays to support the work of the doctors for both sides.
- The "tunnel" doctor will serve as an extra pair of eyes to spot potential concussions and watch TV replays to see the severity of incidents.
- The FA, in conjunction with the Football League, Professional Footballers' Association and League Managers Association, is to launch a campaign aimed at making players and managers at all levels aware of the dangers of head injuries.
- The Premier League is to employ its own doctor to conduct research and liaise with all 20 club doctors in the league on key medical matters.
- All Premier League players are to undergo baseline neurological assessments as part of their annual medical check-up to help doctors measure their recovery time if they suffer a concussion (BBC, 8/5).
In London, Jeremy Wilson wrote medics and doctors will also all carry a "concussion recognition tool" that will be provided to all clubs and contains key advice and guidance on assessing concussion. Arsenal club doctor and chairman of the Premier League club doctors’ group Gary O’Driscoll said, “We must overcome the idea that it is brave or heroic to play on and accept that this is an injury that cannot be run off” (
TELEGRAPH, 8/5). Also in London, Teddy Cutler wrote perhaps "the most significant move is the recommendation of annual baseline testing." In American football and rugby union, "players undergo a series of tests prior to the start of each season designed to test the sharpness of their mental faculties." Concussed players "are then tested again, to check if their brain is functioning at the same level as before the injury" (
INDEPENDENT, 8/5). REUTERS' Martyn Herman reported the new guidelines, designed to clarify the club's responsibilities, "were welcomed by brain injury association Headway." Headway CEO Peter McCabe said, "We are pleased to see the football authorities have addressed the serious issue of concussion. The measures announced today are a significant step forward in the protection of footballers at all levels and therefore are warmly welcomed" (
REUTERS, 8/5).
