The AFL has today released the first ever Australian Football Headgear Standards designed to support the development and manufacturing of headgear suitable for Australian Football.
The AFL healthcare team, in collaboration with independent biomechanics expert Dr Andrew McIntosh, has rigorously developed the standards over the past several years.
Prior to Thursday's release, there have been no formal performance standards for headgear in Australian Football.
Players who choose to wear headgear during training or matches are encouraged to wear headgear that complies with the minimum requirements of the Australian Football Headgear Standards.
New certified headgear is set to be released shortly and will be labelled with a certification mark to provide consumers an easy way to identify a qualified product.
“There is no higher priority for the AFL than the health and safety of players at all levels, with concussion continuing to be an extremely complex and evolving subject,” AFL Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael Makdissi said.
“The release of the Australian Football Headgear Standards is another important step in our ongoing work in the prevention and treatment of concussion.
“Reaching certification of compliance with minimum requirements of the standards provides evidence that the headgear demonstrates a potential to reduce head impacts in the laboratory. An important follow up step is to assess how headgear then performs on the field of play.
“While the medical research suggests headgear could assist with minimising head impact severity, there still much more work and research to be conducted, and the AFL has no current plans to mandate headgear.
“The AFL is committed to supporting future research that evaluates the effectiveness of headgear meeting these standards in reducing the severity of head trauma and the risk of concussion, and we will continue to partner with medical and research experts in the evolution of concussion prevention and treatment.”
It follows the AFL introducing a 21-day minimum return-to-play period for community footballers who suffer concussion, while AFL players have a minimum 12-day, three-stage break.
Several AFL players have been medically retired due to concussion in recent years, including Angus Brayshaw, Nathan Murphy and Aiden O'Driscoll.
