The FA release new concussion guidelines, outlining a clear message!
If in doubt, sit them out!
Footballers who sustain a suspected concussion, either during training or in a game, should immediately be removed from the pitch and not allowed to return, until the appropriate treatment has been administered.
That is the message at the heart of new guidelines launched today by The FA for managing head injuries at all levels of the game.
Available as both a free-to-download digital document and online resource via The FA and County FA websites, the guidance is based on evidence and best practice from around the world, and includes key information on how a concussion should be managed from the time of injury through to a player’s safe return to football.
The advisory guidelines have been designed for those who manage head injuries in professional and grassroots football – from clubs and schools, to parents and doctors.
The guidelines were developed in consultation with The FA’s Expert Panel on Concussion and Head Injury, which was set-up in April 2015, and tasked with advising the organisation on issues surrounding concussion.
The guidelines have also been produced with support from some of the game’s other stakeholders including the LMA.
As well as producing the concussion guidelines, the expert panel have also been working on devising appropriate research into the long-term effects of head injury or repeated concussion episodes on the brain. The FA plan to take the appropriate research questions they have identified to FIFA in due course.
To download The FA’s Concussion Guidelines document in full, please click the attached document link below or alternatively, please visit http://www.thefa.com/my-football/coach/concussion to access the online resource.