Add Category
Children and adults who suffer a concussion playing community football will have to sit out for at least three weeks, under changes to the AFL's guidelines.
However, the return-to-play protocols for elite or professional players in the AFL and AFLW will remain at a minimum of 12 days, with the league resisting calls from experts to introduce more stringent measures.
The new rules for grassroots football follow recommendations from a landmark government report written by the Australian Sports Commission (ASC).
The ASC's Concussion and Brain Health Position Statement was produced in concert with sports physiotherapists and doctors around the country.
It urged major sporting codes, such as the AFL and NRL, to adopt a 21-day rest period for community sport — an increase from the 12 days currently recommended in the AFL — recognising that local competitions lack resources and 95 per cent of concussions occur at community level.
The ASC also recommended professional athletes not return to contact sport until they have been free of symptoms for at least 10 days, a small but significant increase on the recovery phase the AFL currently mandates for its athletes.
The AFL has stuck with the 12-day minimum rest period, arguing the decision is based on the level of medical expertise offered at the top level.
The league said 29 per cent of AFL players missed more than one match following a concussion under the protocols in 2023.
In the AFLW, 24 per cent of players missed more than one match.
AFL general counsel Stephen Meade said the updated community guidelines "represent a significant step" in the league's concussion management strategy.
"We play a contact sport and there is always going to be risk," he said in an AFL statement.
"However, over recent years we have continued to take action to strengthen match-day protocols and amend the laws of the game to discourage high contact, and we will continue to do so.
"We continue to listen and learn from the medical and scientific professionals and take action to deal with the important topic of concussion and player safety."
The new protocols will apply to the VFL and VFLW, and elite pathway competitions.
The AFL said it would work with all leagues and football bodies, including the Western Australian Football Commission and the South Australian National Football League, to encourage the "universal adoption" of the guidelines.
The revised guidelines come at a crucial juncture for the sport. The management of concussion is widely believed to be the biggest problem facing football.
The AFL's response to head knocks has been under scrutiny before the men's season has begun, with St Kilda's Jimmy Webster copping a seven-match ban for an ugly bump on North Melbourne captain Jy Simpkin.
The ban is one of the longest sanctions imposed in years.
The AFL's lawyer told the tribunal hearing the league's new guidelines have acknowledged a shift in community standards towards protecting a player's head.
New tribunal rules mean previous bans are no longer taken into account.
The sad and premature retirement of Melbourne premiership player Angus Brayshaw on medical advice has also put the issue of concussion into sharp focus.