League backs standards to ensure helmets effective

THE AFL will soon release minimum standards for helmets as testing begins in a three-year study into their use.

The effectiveness of helmets remains contentious, with the league not recommending them because of insufficient data on whether they reduce the impact of head knocks.

Angus Brayshaw has made a strong return to football from concussions wearing a helmet, while Patrick McCartin played 13 games last year but suffered a concussion in the recent JLT Series which has sidelined him.

Both players use soft-padded N-Pro helmets. While it is claimed they reduce the force of blows, no helmets are recommended or sanctioned by the league.

The AFL confirmed yesterday it was preparing design specifications for helmet makers. After extensive testing it will announce standards for two helmets — basic and advanced — which manufacturers must meet to be endorsed. Only those models would be permitted in AFL games.

No helmet can stop concussions but former St Kilda star Nathan Burke believes wearing one saved his career after repeated concussions.

There is also the prospect they minimise the sub-concussions — repeated lower-level knocks — some researchers say damages brains.

The league has not recommended helmets because of the belief players using them can be more reckless with their attack on the ball.

The league has teamed with Monash University to conduct a three-year study to test the effectiveness of helmets and the conduct of players using them.

The study will compare concussion rates of players in local leagues using helmets to those who do not.

The AFL hopes to eventually make a binding call on the use of helmets in football for junior and senior players.