Plan to tackle concussion in sport published by UK government
A 10-point action plan to confront the issue of concussion in sport has been published by the government, with the aim of introducing new “technological advancements” to help against injury by autumn of next year.
Also included among the recommendations are plans to develop concussion protocols that will apply across UK sport, a new approach to training protocols for professional sport, and asking the Premier League to look at new forms of governance that would put player welfare on a higher footing.
The proposals have been made in response to an inquiry into concussion in sport conducted by the digital, culture, media and sport committee of backbench MPs earlier this year. At the time the committee expressed “concern” over failures to act in the area. It called on government to take a “proactive” role in devising “a precautionary approach to risk management”.
In its response the government said the inquiry had been a “very welcome addition to this important topic”. It went on to say: “Concussion and the risks posed by head injury represents a cross-sport issue and the Government believes it is necessary to bring the sport, health, education and technology sectors together to address the issue collaboratively.”
Collaboration is a consistent theme throughout the government’s recommendations. It has worked with Oxford University and the charity Podium Analytics to commission new research into concussion. It will ask individual sports to convene with player associations on training protocols.
It also promises “a roundtable of tech companies with an interest in finding technological innovations and solutions designed to mitigate the effects and instances of concussion in sport”, with the aim of introducing “practical improvements for players by autumn 2022”.
The Guardian understands that the collaboration with the Premier League, “on a pilot scheme for clubs to embed player welfare as part of the governance of their organisations”, was first in a call raised this week, with details of the proposal yet to be determined.
On announcing the measures, the sports minister, Nigel Huddleston, said: “Working with the sports industry, it is right that we do all we can to ensure that people are as protected as possible and the risk of head injuries is minimised.
“That’s why we’re taking steps to reduce this risk and developing new, gold-standard industry protocols and focusing on emerging tech that can help build a fuller picture of the risks involved.”
Peter McCabe, the chief executive of the head injury charity Headway, said: “The DCMS committee’s criticism of sport was clear, accusing it of ‘marking its own homework’ due to a lack of scrutiny from government. We are pleased to see the government has accepted most of the committee’s recommendations and that its involvement is needed to ensure sport adopts a cohesive, consistent approach to concussion in sport.
“Nonetheless, this response is a little underwhelming in terms of the urgency and level of government involvement. Immediate action is required to build on the progress we’ve made to date – particularly at grassroots level where we need an evolution of attitude when it comes to head injuries in sport.”