# Luca Health - full content bundle for AI engines Generated at build time from prerendered HTML. See https://luca.health/llms.txt for the curated index. --- # / URL: https://luca.health/ Concussion management, for schools & sports clubs. A clinician-led platform for schools and sports clubs, from first incident to safe return to sport. For SchoolsFor Clubs Clinician-ledUsed across UK schools and sports clubsISO 27001 Certified Trusted by organisations who take duty of care seriously. Most organisations are one incident away from a serious gap in their duty of care. Paper forms, group chats, and best intentions aren't a concussion protocol. Without a structured system, incidents get missed, recovery gets rushed, and when something goes wrong there's no record to show you did things right. One platform. Every step covered. Clinical expertise, purpose-built tools, and clear documentation - all in one place. Clinical Services Specialist clinicians assess and manage cases through our secure platform. No chasing referrals. No waiting rooms. Proprietary Conference System Our video consultation system is built specifically for clinical use: GDPR-compliant, secure, and integrated into the patient journey. Seamless Communication Automated notifications keep staff, parents, and clinicians aligned. No WhatsApp threads. No forgotten emails. Reporting & Analytics Incident reports, outcome summaries, and compliance documentation generated in moments. Clean, complete, and ready when you need them; auditable at every step. Educational Platform Purpose built training modules that help athletes, parents, and staff understand concussion. Asynchronous content delivered through the Luca platform with compliance tracking. Smartphone & Tablet App Proprietary assessment tools, symptom tracking, incident logging and recovery support all from your pocket. Data driven assessment and tracking. Concussion care for the modern day. From baseline testing to recovery tracking, the tools inside Luca were designed specifically for this problem. Not adapted from something else. Luca Baseline Our proprietary suite of neurocognitive and ocular assessments establishes each athlete's personal baseline before the season begins. When an incident occurs, that baseline becomes the reference point, giving our clinicians objective, individual data to work from. Concussion Passport Every athlete on the platform has a Concussion Passport, a live record of their current status and, where relevant, their stage in the recovery pathway. Coaches and staff can scan it instantly to see whether a player is cleared to participate. Simple, unambiguous, always up to date. Dashboard & App The Luca platform is built for everyone involved, not just the people behind a desk. Administrators, clinical staff, athletes, parents, and coaches access the Luca platform through the web dashboard or the Luca app. Everything stays in sync. Grounded in the Luca Safe Concussion Framework. The LSCF is our evidence-based framework for concussion management in schools and grassroots sport, built around seven domains, from governance and clinical management to academic support and quality assurance. Rather than leaving organisations to piece together guidance from multiple sources, it gives a single, practical standard to work to. Explore the LSCF → From incident to return to sport, every step managed. See how it works in full → 1 Log the incident Staff record the injury immediately in the Luca app, on the pitch or wherever it happens. Timestamped and stored from the outset. 2 Clinical review A specialist clinician reviews the case. Where needed, they conduct a video consultation through our secure, purpose-built conference system. 3 Monitor recovery The athlete logs their symptoms through the app. The clinician tracks progress. Staff and parents are kept informed automatically. 4 Graduated return to activity The athlete follows a structured, clinician-managed return-to-sport pathway. Each stage logged. No stage skipped. 5 Sign-off Return to full contact is confirmed by the clinician and recorded in the platform. The full case record is stored and available to your organisation at any time. For Schools Luca gives schools the clinical infrastructure, documentation, and audit trail to fulfil their duty of care, whilst providing best-in-class support to their pupils. Learn more For Clubs From grassroots to competitive, Luca gives clubs a welfare system that's simple for volunteers and trusted by players and parents alike. Learn more Used by people who can't afford to get it wrong. “Luca is the future of player welfare and is leading the way in duty-of-care standards for athlete brain health. They're solving a hugely important problem, and have rightfully earned their place as a much needed shining light in the rugby community.” Courtney Lawes Ex England Rugby Captain & British Lion “Having spent more than a decade convincing people concussion and player welfare are very real problems in rugby, especially at elite level, it is gratifying to witness a new generation of tech start-ups now offering smart solutions. I have been hugely impressed by Luca Health, who are leading the way in supporting players return to play more safely, while recognising all those playing sport deserve looking after.” Sam Peters Award-winning author of Concussed “School rugby is often overlooked when it comes to concussion recognition and management, at a time where grassroots contact sport has never been under so much scrutiny. Luca has produced a genuinely impressive solution to mitigate this threat whilst at the same time showing their real understanding of the nuanced needs of schools, parents and pupils alike.” Phil Beaumont Head of Rugby, Northampton School for Boys Latest from Luca. Clinical insights, product updates, and the ongoing conversation around concussion in sport. FeaturedPress & Media Sir Clive Woodward Mentions Luca Health in Daily Mail Rugby Safety Warning Sir Clive Woodward named Luca Health in a major Daily Mail piece calling on rugby to fix its concussion crisis at grassroots level before the sport loses a generation of players. 14 · 07 · 2026Read more Sport News Australian Rules Limits Contact Training to Cut Concussion - What UK Sport Must Learn Australian Rules Football has introduced formal limits on full-contact training sessions to reduce concussion incidence. Here is what the decision means for UK grassroots sport and schools. 07 · 09 · 2026Read more Clinical Insights KCSIE, Duty of Care, and Concussion: What Headteachers Need to Know in 2026 The new academic year brings a fresh KCSIE edition, and concussion sits squarely within its safeguarding remit. Here is what school leaders need to act on before the first fixture. 03 · 09 · 2026Read more Read more news → Built to the standards your compliance team needs to see. Luca is designed for organisations where data security, clinical governance, and safeguarding aren't optional. Our platform is ISO 27001 certified and built around UK regulatory requirements. ISO 27001 CertifiedGDPR & UK GDPR CompliantComplete audit trail See it for yourself. A short demo, no commitment. We'll show you around the platform and answer any questions. Let's talk --- # /about/ URL: https://luca.health/about/ We built Luca because the problem was too important to ignore. A team of technologists, clinicians, and sports professionals, united by a belief that every athlete deserves better. Let's talk Team Clinicians, technologists & athletes Mission Better welfare for every player Sport changes lives. Head injuries shouldn't derail them. Playing sport delivers real, lasting benefits: physical, mental and social. We believe in that wholeheartedly. But we also believe that the way head injuries have been managed in schools and grassroots sport for decades isn't good enough. Too many incidents are missed. Too many athletes return to play too soon. Too many organisations are doing their best with no real system to rely on. Luca exists to change that by giving schools and clubs the clinical infrastructure, tools, and the documentation they need to manage concussion properly. Not just with good intentions, but with evidence. The people behind the platform. Nick Greenhalgh Co-Founder & CEO Nick grew up obsessed with sport and went on to play professional rugby for Northampton Saints. His playing career gave him a personal understanding of both the benefits of sport and the risks that come with it - including the consequences of poorly managed injuries. After six years at a London startup and an MBA from the University of Oxford, Nick found his purpose in athlete welfare: an area that, in his view, hasn't always received the attention it deserves. Vasileios Nikolaou Co-Founder & CTO Vas is a serial technology entrepreneur with board-level experience across several healthtech startups. Based in Athens and a regular presence at Luca's London HQ, he leads the development team and drives the technical strategy behind the platform. His focus is the application of AI and data in health technology - not as a buzzword, but as a genuine means of improving clinical outcomes and patient experience. Prof Bill Ribbans Chief Medical Officer Bill is an Orthopaedic Surgeon and Professor of Sports Medicine at the University of Northampton, with over four decades of experience in elite sport. He has served as CMO for Northamptonshire CCC and as Honorary Orthopaedic Surgeon to organisations including Northampton Saints, Northampton Town FC, and the English National Ballet. He is credited with over 150 scientific papers, with current research interests spanning injury prevention, sports medicine ethics, and musculoskeletal genetics. Bill provides the clinical governance framework that underpins everything Luca does. Odysseas Papadimas Software Engineer Odysseas is a full-stack developer who has been building things since the age of 14. With experience across web, mobile, and AI development, he brings both technical depth and a genuine commitment to building products that create positive social change. He is a core member of the Athens development team. Fred Newbold Associate Fred graduated from the University of Oxford with a first-class degree in Biology and has represented both Wales and Great Britain as an international hockey player. His academic background and first-hand experience with concussion in elite sport give him a distinctive perspective on where medicine and technology intersect - and why getting it right matters. Advised by people who know this field inside out. Sam Peters Athlete Welfare Sam is a former rugby correspondent for the Mail on Sunday and Sunday Times, and one of the most respected voices on concussion in sport. In 2013 he led the Mail on Sunday's concussion campaign - described as the most influential sports campaign in newspaper history - which challenged sporting authorities to take head injuries seriously at every level. In 2023 he published Concussed: Sport's Uncomfortable Truth and founded Concussed Media to continue driving awareness and education across the sporting community. Dr Raj Amarnani Sports Medicine Advisor Raj is a Sport and Exercise Medicine doctor working across the NHS and elite sport, including England Cricket, Premier League Academy Football, the Royal Ballet School, and the Lawn Tennis Association. He holds an MSc in Musculoskeletal Sciences from Oxford, is President of the Rheumatology & Rehabilitation Section at the Royal Society of Medicine, and sits on two European taskforces driving research into physical activity and chronic disease. His clinical focus includes concussion, musculoskeletal injuries, and long-term athlete care. Kosta Ikonomou Concussion Specialist Kosta is a sports physiotherapist and vestibular therapist with over a decade of experience in concussion care and rehabilitation. He has worked with Chelsea FC Academy, Olympic-level snowboard athletes, and Vancouver Bandits Basketball Club, and holds a master's degree in Sports Medicine, Exercise and Health from University College London. His published research focuses on the effects of exercise on vestibular and ocular motor function following concussion. Backed by athletes that have experienced the very problem - and recognise the solution Courtney Lawes Ex England Rugby Captain Ollie Thorley Gloucester & England Rugby Player Alex Waller 377 appearances for Northampton Saints Chantelle Cameron World Champion Professional Boxer Built to a standard. Certified to prove it. Luca is ISO 27001 certified - the internationally recognised standard for information security management. For organisations handling sensitive health data, this isn't a nice-to-have. It means our systems, processes, and controls have been independently audited and verified to meet the highest standards of data security. Your Data Protection Officer will find everything they need in our Data Privacy & Security Pack. ISO 27001 CertifiedGDPR CompliantUK Reg No. 14060836 Want to know more? Whether you're a school, a club, or just curious about what we're building - we're always happy to talk. Let's talk --- # /author/luca-team/ URL: https://luca.health/author/luca-team/ Author Luca Team Luca Health The Luca Team writes collectively on behalf of Luca Health - the clinician-led concussion identification and management platform built for schools and sports clubs. Our articles draw on the same protocols we ship in the product, the same research base our clinical advisors maintain, and the conversations we have every week with coaches, medics and parents on the front line of grassroots sport. Articles by Luca Team Sport News Australian Rules Limits Contact Training to Cut Concussion - What UK Sport Must Learn Australian Rules Football has introduced formal limits on full-contact training sessions to reduce concussion incidence. Here is what the decision means for UK grassroots sport and schools. 07 · 09 · 2026Read more Clinical Insights KCSIE, Duty of Care, and Concussion: What Headteachers Need to Know in 2026 The new academic year brings a fresh KCSIE edition, and concussion sits squarely within its safeguarding remit. Here is what school leaders need to act on before the first fixture. 03 · 09 · 2026Read more Concussion Research New CTE Statistics in Football - What UK Grassroots Sport Must Know A fresh wave of CTE data in football is renewing parental concern worldwide. Here is what the science actually shows, and what UK grassroots clubs and schools should do with it. 31 · 08 · 2026Read more Concussion Research 1 in 4 NFL Players Had CTE at Death - What It Means for UK Grassroots Sport A Harvard-led study of former NFL players found CTE in at least 1 in 4 who died between 2016 and 2021. We explain the research, its limits, and what it means for UK schools and clubs. 27 · 08 · 2026Read more Sport News Rugby Brain Injury Cases Survive High Court: What Grassroots Clubs Must Know A High Court judge has refused to throw out brain injury lawsuits brought by former professional rugby players, keeping hundreds of cases alive. Here is what the ruling means for grassroots clubs and schools. 24 · 08 · 2026Read more Sport News An NRL Star's Medical Retirement - What Grassroots Sport Must Learn About Concussion A Premiership-winning NRL enforcer has retired on medical grounds after a concussion battle he says is 'harder to live with' than the game itself. Here is what grassroots sport should take from his story. 20 · 08 · 2026Read more Concussion Research Sports Concussion Guidelines Must Broaden - What UK Grassroots Sport Should Do Now Researchers are calling for sports leagues worldwide to broaden their concussion rules as brain health concerns mount. Here is what UK grassroots sport and schools need to know right now. 17 · 08 · 2026Read more Sport News Geelong's Concussion Crisis - What UK Grassroots Sport Must Learn The Geelong Cats board crisis over a player concussion deal reveals how governance failures in elite sport carry direct lessons for UK schools and grassroots clubs managing head injuries. 13 · 08 · 2026Read more Concussion Research Sam Cane Backs a Rapid Concussion Hit Kit - What UK Grassroots Sport Should Make of It New Zealand's Sam Cane is backing a rapid-response concussion tool called the Hit Kit. Here is what UK grassroots coaches and schools need to understand about new sideline assessment technology. 10 · 08 · 2026Read more Sport News AFL's Concussion Waiver Scandal: What UK Grassroots Sport Must Learn An AFL club was forced to scrap a secret deal making a player legally responsible for future concussions. Here is what UK schools and clubs must understand about duty of care. 06 · 08 · 2026Read more Sport News Phil Vickery Pledges His Brain to Concussion Research - What It Means for Rugby England World Cup winner Phil Vickery has pledged to donate his brain for concussion research. We explain what the science needs, what it cannot yet tell us, and what grassroots rugby should do now. 03 · 08 · 2026Read more Sport News Wales Rugby Concussion Case Enters 'Unprecedented Territory' - What Grassroots Clubs Must Know The Welsh rugby concussion litigation is escalating in scale and legal complexity. Here is what community clubs and schools must take from it for their own duty of care. 30 · 07 · 2026Read more Sport News Rugby Brain Injury Litigation Reaches Crisis Point - What It Means for Grassroots Clubs A High Court judge is considering striking out 95% of claims in the rugby brain injury litigation. Here is what the case involves, why it matters, and what grassroots clubs should take from it. 27 · 07 · 2026Read more Clinical Insights If in Doubt, Sit Them Out: What UK Concussion Guidelines Mean for Coaches The 'if in doubt, sit them out' principle is the cornerstone of UK concussion guidance for coaches. Here is what the November 2024 guidelines actually require, and why the principle protects everyone on the pitch. 23 · 07 · 2026Read more Sport News A Springbok Retires After a 'Huge Fright' - What Grassroots Rugby Must Learn When a professional Springbok centre retires citing a 'huge fright' from concussion, it raises questions every grassroots club and school rugby coach should be asking about player welfare and return-to-play decisions. 20 · 07 · 2026Read more Clinical Insights Why 21 Days? The Science Behind the Minimum Concussion Stand-Down The 21-day minimum stand-down for concussion in under-18s is not arbitrary. Here is the neuroscience behind the rule, how UK guidelines arrived at the figure, and what it means in practice for coaches and schools. 16 · 07 · 2026Read more Press & Media Sir Clive Woodward Mentions Luca Health in Daily Mail Rugby Safety Warning Sir Clive Woodward named Luca Health in a major Daily Mail piece calling on rugby to fix its concussion crisis at grassroots level before the sport loses a generation of players. 14 · 07 · 2026Read more Sport News Eben Etzebeth's Recurring Concussions - What Grassroots Rugby Must Understand Recurring concussions in elite rugby are making headlines. Here is what coaches, schools, and clubs in the grassroots game need to take away from the Eben Etzebeth story. 13 · 07 · 2026Read more Concussion Research Marshawn Kneeland's CTE Diagnosis - What Grassroots Sport Must Understand The family of former Dallas Cowboys player Marshawn Kneeland confirmed post-mortem CTE after his death. Here is what that finding means - and does not mean - for schools and grassroots clubs in the UK. 09 · 07 · 2026Read more Sport News A Footballer Is in End-of-Life Care After a Head Clash. What Must Grassroots Sport Learn? A grassroots footballer in Australia is in end-of-life care after a head clash in a suburban match. Every UK club and school must ask: would our concussion protocol have made a difference? 06 · 07 · 2026Read more Concussion Research A New On-Pitch Concussion Protocol for Football - What Grassroots Clubs and Schools Must Know An international consensus group has recommended a new football-specific on-pitch concussion assessment protocol. Here is what it means for UK grassroots clubs and schools. 02 · 07 · 2026Read more Concussion Research Dozens of AFL Players Diagnosed With CTE - What UK Grassroots Sport Must Know A new ABC report confirms dozens of former Australian Rules footballers have been diagnosed with CTE post-mortem. Here is what the findings mean for UK schools and grassroots clubs. 29 · 06 · 2026Read more Concussion Research Lowering Tackle Height Cuts Concussion Rates - What Schools Must Know A new study confirms lower tackle height rules sharply reduce concussion rates in rugby. Here is what school coaches, PE staff, and sports leads need to understand about the evidence and its practical implications. 25 · 06 · 2026Read more Sport News FIFA's World Cup Concussion Protocols Are Under Fire - What Grassroots Football Must Know FIFA's concussion management at the 2026 World Cup is facing sharp criticism after a USA incident raised serious questions about player safety. Here is what grassroots and school football should take from the debate. 22 · 06 · 2026Read more Concussion Research Lowering the Tackle Height Cuts Concussions in Adults - What It Means for School Rugby New evidence confirms that lowering the legal tackle height in adult rugby significantly reduces concussion rates. Here is what school rugby coordinators need to understand about the emerging data and how it applies to the community game. 18 · 06 · 2026Read more Concussion Research Tackle Height Rule Change Cuts Adult Concussions - But Not in Schoolboys A new study finds the lower tackle height law sharply reduced concussions in adult community rugby, but produced no equivalent benefit in schoolboy players - raising urgent questions for school sport. 15 · 06 · 2026Read more Concussion Research New Concussion Study in Female Rugby Players: What Schools and Clubs Need to Know A new BBC-reported study on head injuries in female rugby players adds to growing evidence that concussion presents differently in women and girls, with direct implications for school and club concussion management. 11 · 06 · 2026Read more Sport News Fainga'anuku's Head Knock and What Concussion Protocols Really Mean for Grassroots Rugby A high-profile head knock during the All Blacks' tour has put concussion protocols under the spotlight again. Here is what grassroots coaches and schools should take from it. 08 · 06 · 2026Read more Concussion Research Claude Lemieux's Death and CTE Research - What It Means for Grassroots Sport The posthumous CTE diagnosis of ice hockey legend Claude Lemieux is fuelling new research efforts. Here is what the science means for UK schools and grassroots clubs. 04 · 06 · 2026Read more Concussion Research Repeated Head Blows in Women's Rugby: What the New Research Means for Schools and Clubs A pioneering new study is examining how repeated head impacts affect the brains of women rugby players - and the findings will matter for every school and club running girls' rugby. 28 · 05 · 2026Read more Press & Media Vas Nikolaou on Concussion Management in Schools and Grassroots Sport Luca Health founder Vas Nikolaou joins a podcast to discuss why concussion management in schools and grassroots sport still falls short, and what good looks like. 26 · 05 · 2026Read more Concussion Research Pioneering Study Into Repeated Head Blows in Women's Rugby - What Schools and Clubs Need to Know A new study is investigating how repeated head impacts affect the female brain in rugby - and why schools and clubs should follow the evidence as it develops. 25 · 05 · 2026Read more SPORT NEWS The Rugby Concussion Lawsuit - What Grassroots Clubs Need to Know A landmark rugby concussion lawsuit is facing procedural pressure. Here is what the case involves and what it means for grassroots clubs and schools. 21 · 05 · 2026Read more Sport News Damian McKenzie's Concussion Stand-Down and What It Means for Grassroots Rugby Super Rugby medics have recommended Damian McKenzie sit out the rest of the season after a concussion. Here is what the elite decision-making process reveals for school and community rugby. 18 · 05 · 2026Read more Clinical Insights When Thrown Objects Cause Concussion - What Schools and Clubs Can Learn A phone thrown at a concert left a performer with concussion. The mechanism is different from sport, but the identification and management principles are identical - and schools should take note. 15 · 05 · 2026Read more ← Back to all news --- # /author/nick-greenhalgh/ URL: https://luca.health/author/nick-greenhalgh/ Author Nick Greenhalgh Co-Founder & CEO, Luca Health LinkedIn ↗ Nick grew up obsessed with sport and went on to play professional rugby for Northampton Saints. His playing career gave him a personal understanding of both the benefits of sport and the risks that come with it; including the consequences of poorly managed injuries. After six years at a London startup and an MBA from the University of Oxford, Nick co-founded Luca Health to put athlete welfare at the centre of how schools and grassroots clubs manage concussion. --- # /clinical-privacy-notice/ URL: https://luca.health/clinical-privacy-notice/ Clinical Privacy Notice How Luca Health uses your clinical information. Effective date: July 2026 About this notice This notice explains how Luca Health Ltd ("Luca Health", "we", "us") uses the clinical information created when you or your child receives a concussion consultation through the Luca Health platform. Luca Health is the controller of that clinical information, which means we are responsible for it and decide how it is handled. Your school or club holds separate information about you (such as your account and contact details) and is responsible for that under its own privacy notice. This notice covers only the clinical record. Who we are and how to contact us Luca Health Ltd (company number 14060836). For any question about your clinical information, or to exercise your rights, contact us at privacy@luca.health. The clinical service Concussion consultations are carried out by independent registered clinicians (registered with the HCPC, the GMC or another UK regulator). Each clinician treats you (or your child) as their own patient and is responsible for their own clinical judgement. Luca Health provides the technology platform through which consultations take place, and holds the resulting clinical record. What clinical information we hold We hold the clinical record relating to a concussion, which may include: the consultation audio and video recording and its transcript; the clinician’s notes; any diagnosis; return-to-activity decisions and clearances; onward referral information; the clinician’s review of any baseline or assessment results considered during the consultation; and clinician-approved summaries, letters and emails. Why we hold it, and our legal basis We hold this information to provide and manage health care safely, and to keep an accurate clinical record. Our legal basis under UK data protection law is our legitimate interests in providing and recording health care (Article 6(1)(f) UK GDPR), together with the condition for the provision of health care by, or under the responsibility of, a health professional (Article 9(2)(h) UK GDPR and the corresponding condition in the Data Protection Act 2018). Recording of consultations Consultations are video calls, and both the audio and video are recorded and transcribed as part of the clinical record. You are told in the consultation invitation that the consultation will be recorded, and you can decline recording in advance or by telling the clinician during the consultation. If you decline, the consultation still goes ahead and the clinician writes up their own notes of it in the usual way, rather than working from a recording. Recording is part of providing health care; it is not based on your consent, and declining it does not affect the care you receive. Use of AI to assist clinicians We use AI tools to produce draft summaries, letters and emails from the consultation transcript. These are drafts only: a clinician always reviews, edits and approves them before they form part of the record or are acted upon. No decision about you is made by a computer alone. The AI tools we use do not learn from your information, and your information is not shared with the AI providers. Where your information is held Your clinical information is hosted on secure infrastructure within the UK and the European Economic Area (in Ireland). We also keep encrypted backup copies with a separate provider in Germany, so that we can recover your record if our main systems fail. Your information is not transferred outside the UK or the EEA. How long we keep it We keep clinical records in line with recognised standards for health records: if the patient is under 18, until their 25th birthday (or 26th birthday if they were 17 at the time of the last consultation); and if the patient is an adult, for 8 years from the last consultation. We may keep raw audio recordings for a shorter period than the rest of the record. We may keep a record for longer where a claim or complaint is live or reasonably expected, or where the law requires. After the retention period ends, we securely delete or anonymise the record. If you close your account or ask us to delete your data Even if you close your Luca Health account, or ask us to delete your information, we may keep the clinical record. UK data protection law allows this where keeping the information is necessary for the provision of health care, or for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims (Article 17(3) UK GDPR). In that case we keep the record only for those purposes, only for the retention period above, and we keep it securely. Backups We keep encrypted backup copies of our systems so that we can recover your record if something goes seriously wrong. If we delete your information, a copy may remain in those backups for up to 180 days. Backups are encrypted, so nobody else can read them, including the company that stores them. They cannot be edited or amended selectively, and we never use them for anything other than recovering from a system failure. They are deleted automatically within 180 days. If we ever have to restore from a backup, we reapply any deletions straight away. Who we share it with We share clinical information only as needed to provide care — with the treating clinician, and, where appropriate, with a specialist on referral. Our technology providers process information for us under contract and only on our instructions. We do not sell your information, and we do not use it for marketing. Your rights You have rights to access your information, to have it corrected, to ask for erasure (subject to the limits above), to restrict or object to processing, and to data portability. Some of these rights are limited for health records — for example, access can be limited where disclosure could cause serious harm, and erasure is limited where we must keep the record. To exercise any right, contact us at privacy@luca.health. Complaints If you are unhappy with how we handle your information, please contact us at privacy@luca.health so we can put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or 0303 123 1113. Changes to this notice We may update this notice from time to time. This version is dated July 2026 (Version 1.1). --- # /contact/ URL: https://luca.health/contact/ Let's talk! Whether you're a school, a club, a clinician, or a journalist, we're passionate about better welfare and we'd love to talk. Response Timely and friendly Based in United Kingdom Fill in the form and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. Name Email address Phone number (optional) Message Company Send messageOr email us directly at info@luca.health Find us. The Department Store, 248 Ferndale Road, London, SW9 8FR info@luca.health LinkedInInstagramSubstack ISO 27001 CertifiedGDPR CompliantUK Reg No. 14060836 --- # /cookie-policy/ URL: https://luca.health/cookie-policy/ Cookie Policy How and why Luca Health uses cookies across our website and dashboard (and, shortly, our app), and how you can control them. Effective date: June 2026 What are cookies? Cookies are small text files that a website places on your browser. They are widely used to make websites work, remember your preferences, and provide information to the site owner. We also use closely related technologies, such as your browser’s local storage, to remember choices you make. How we use cookies We split cookies and similar technologies into two groups: strictly necessary, which are always on; and analytics, which only load if you accept them. This policy covers both our public website (luca.health) and our staff dashboard (dashboard.luca.health); the cookies used differ slightly between the two, as set out below. Website — strictly necessary These are required for the website to function. Without them, basic features would break. luca_consent (browser local storage) - records whether you accepted or declined analytics cookies, so we don’t show the banner on every visit. Stored locally in your browser; not sent to our servers. Cloudflare Turnstile - our contact form uses Cloudflare’s bot-protection challenge, which may set a short-lived token to confirm your submission is human. Website — analytics (only after you accept) If you accept analytics cookies, we use Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors use the site. Until you accept, the Google Analytics script is loaded with consent denied and no analytics cookies are set. _ga - used by Google Analytics to distinguish unique visitors. Persists for up to 2 years. _ga_LNKB4PZ7RT - used by Google Analytics 4 to maintain session state for the Luca Health property. Persists for up to 2 years. Dashboard — strictly necessary When you log in to the staff dashboard, we set session and authentication cookies that keep you securely logged in and protect your session. These are required for the dashboard to work and are not used for analytics or advertising. Dashboard — analytics (only after you accept) On the staff dashboard, and shortly within our app, we use PostHog (EU cloud) to understand how staff use the platform, so that we can improve it. Analytics are only initialised after you accept analytics in the dashboard, and are loaded with consent denied until then. No personal data, patient data or identifiable information is sent to PostHog; users are identified by a one-way cryptographic hash that cannot be reversed, and autocapture and session recording are disabled. ph_phc_IBApspF1BJIRCBUFbgO7pbLrIddWhdYm6A0yheSsz2a_posthog (cookie), with a matching PostHog entry in your browser’s local storage - set by PostHog to maintain a pseudonymous analytics identifier and session state on the dashboard. The cookie persists for up to 12 months; the local-storage entry remains until you clear your browser storage. Both are loaded only after you accept analytics on the dashboard. How to manage your choice On the website, you can change your decision at any time - the simplest way is to clear the "luca_consent" entry from your browser’s local storage for luca.health and reload the page, and the consent banner will reappear. On the dashboard, you can change your analytics choice through the dashboard’s cookie settings. You can also block or delete cookies through your browser settings, though doing so may affect how our services work. For Google Analytics specifically, you can install the official Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, which prevents data being sent to Google Analytics from any site you visit. Do Not Track Browsers vary in how they signal Do Not Track preferences. Where a recognised "Global Privacy Control" or similar signal is present, we treat it as a request to decline analytics cookies. Changes to this policy We may update this policy as the cookies and tools we use evolve. The "Effective date" above will reflect when the latest version took effect. Contact Questions about cookies on our website or dashboard can be sent to privacy@luca.health. --- # /data-protection-complaints/ URL: https://luca.health/data-protection-complaints/ Data Protection Complaints Procedure How to make a complaint about how Luca Health handles personal data, and how we deal with such complaints. Effective date: June 2026 Purpose This procedure explains how to make a complaint about how Luca Health Ltd ("Luca Health") handles personal data, and how we deal with such complaints. We maintain this procedure in line with our obligations as a data controller under UK data protection law. How to make a complaint If you have a concern about how we have handled your personal data (or that of your child), please contact us at privacy@luca.health, or by post to Luca Health Ltd, The Department Store, 248 Ferndale Road, London SW9 8FR. Please tell us your name, how to contact you, and what your complaint is about, so that we can look into it properly. How we handle your complaint We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days of receiving it. We will investigate and provide a substantive response within one month. If your complaint is complex, we may extend this by up to a further two months; we will tell you if we need to do so, and why. Complaints are handled by our data protection contact. Where appropriate, we may ask you for further information to help us investigate. We will tell you the outcome in writing, including any action we have taken. Escalating your complaint You can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at any time, whether or not you have raised the matter with us first. You can contact the ICO at ico.org.uk, by telephone on 0303 123 1113, or by post to the Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF. We would, however, welcome the chance to resolve your concern directly first. Our records We keep a record of data protection complaints and how they were resolved, so that we can monitor and improve how we handle personal data. Version This procedure is dated June 2026 (Version 1.0). --- # /features/ URL: https://luca.health/features/ Everything you need to manage concussion properly. Seven integrated features. One joined-up platform. Built for the realities of schools and sports clubs. Let's talk Our system Seven integrated features Built for Schools & Sports Clubs Clinician-led Every case reviewed by a specialist clinician. Fully documented From incident log to return-to-sport sign-off - auditable at every step. Practical by design Simple enough for a volunteer. Robust enough for a GP. The platformSeven features. One joined-up platform. Built for the realities of schools and sports clubs, each part working seamlessly. Features What's inside. 01Clinical Services 02Luca Baseline 03Dashboard & App 04Proprietary Conference System 05Seamless Communication 06Reporting & Analytics 07Educational Platform Clinical Services- 01 / 07 Concussion needs a specialist. Most organisations don't have one. Luca supports school and club teams with specialist concussion expertise when it matters most. Through the platform, pupils and players can access qualified clinicians without referrals, waiting lists or added admin. This helps reduce pressure on internal staff while keeping welfare, wellbeing and long-term brain health at the centre of every return-to-play decision. Luca Baseline- 02 / 07 A baseline built for the individual. A personal baseline tells you what this athlete scores when they're healthy, and what a meaningful deviation from that looks like for them. Luca Baseline is our proprietary suite of neurocognitive and ocular assessments, completed before the season begins and stored securely within the platform. When an incident occurs, our clinicians have objective, individual data to inform every decision, from initial review through to return-to-sport sign-off. Consistent and designed specifically for this clinical context. Dashboard & App- 03 / 07 The right information, for the right person, at the right time. Luca is designed around the reality that concussion management involves different people in different places, a coach on a touchline, a parent at home, a clinician reviewing cases, a welfare lead preparing a board report. Administrators, clinical staff, athletes, parents, and coaches access the Luca platform through the web dashboard or the mobile app. Everything is connected, everything stays in sync, and nothing requires chasing someone for an update. One platform. Every stakeholder covered. Proprietary Conference System- 04 / 07 A video call is not a clinical consultation. Generic video tools aren't built for healthcare. They lack the security, the integration, and the audit trail that clinical consultations require. Luca's conference system is purpose-built for telehealth: GDPR-compliant, fully integrated into the patient journey, and designed so that nothing about the consultation exists outside the platform. Seamless Communication- 05 / 07 WhatsApp threads and forgotten emails aren't a communication strategy. In most organisations, keeping staff, parents, and players informed about a concussion case relies on someone remembering to send a message or pick up the phone. That's not failproof. Luca automates the right communication to the right people at every stage: appointment confirmations, recovery updates, return-to-sport notifications, so nothing falls through the cracks and nothing depends on a manual chase. Reporting & Analytics- 06 / 07 When something goes wrong, "we think we handled it correctly" isn't enough. Modern concussion care depends on clear records, timely communication and joined-up oversight. Luca generates clean, complete incident reports, outcome summaries and institution-level analytics in one secure system, including automated head injury reports ready to share with Governors and the Health and Safety Committee. This helps protect schools and clubs with reliable documentation, while giving leadership teams the insight to shape future care provision. Educational Platform- 07 / 07 Most athletes don't report concussion symptoms because they don't recognise them. Underreporting is one of the biggest risks in concussion management, and it stems directly from a lack of awareness. Luca's educational platform delivers evidence-based content to athletes, parents, and staff through the app at the right moment, in plain language. We empower users with the knowledge to improve care and strengthen safety. ISO 27001 CertifiedGDPR CompliantClinical sign-offs See the platform in action. A short demo, no commitment. We'll show you around every feature and answer any questions. Let's talk --- # /for-clubs/ URL: https://luca.health/for-clubs/ Player welfare isn't optional. Luca makes it possible. A clinician-led concussion management platform for sports clubs, built for the realities of volunteer-run organisations, and rigorous enough to satisfy governing bodies, insurers, and parents. Let's talk Built for Volunteer-run clubs Backed by Professional athletes Clubs are responsible for their players. The bar is rising. Governing bodies are tightening their concussion requirements. Insurers are asking harder questions. Parents expect more. And in most clubs, the person responsible for player welfare is a volunteer with a full-time job and a WhatsApp group to manage. Luca gives clubs a structured, clinician-led system that works in the real world without requiring a medical team, a compliance department, or hours of admin. Player Welfare & Duty of Care Every player deserves the same gold standard of care. Whether it's a junior fixture on a Sunday morning or a senior cup game, every head injury your club deals with should follow the same process. Luca ensures it does, with a structured pathway from incident to clinician-confirmed return to sport, documented at every step. Player welfare isn't left to chance or the judgment of whoever happens to be on the sideline. Volunteer-Friendly - Simple to Use Designed for a coach on a muddy touchline. Luca doesn't assume your welfare officer has clinical training or your secretary has hours to spare. Logging an incident takes under two minutes. The platform guides users through each step. After that, Luca handles the communication, the clinical pathway, and the documentation automatically. Your volunteers do less. Your players get more. League & Governing Body Compliance Meet your governing body's requirements. And show your workings. Most governing bodies now have concussion protocols in place. Luca is built to align with them - providing the structured process, the clinical oversight, and the documentation that compliance requires. When your league or national body asks what your club does about head injuries, Luca is the clear, evidenced answer. Insurance & Liability When something goes wrong, documentation is everything. Insurers and legal teams want evidence that the right process was followed. A verbal account of what happened isn't enough. Luca creates a complete, timestamped case record from the moment an incident is logged to the moment a clinician signs off return to sport, stored securely and exportable whenever you need it. Cost & Value Accessible pricing for clubs of every size. Luca is designed to be viable for grassroots clubs, not just well-resourced institutions. The cost of the platform is a fraction of what a single poorly managed incident could cost your club - in insurance terms, in reputational terms, or in the welfare of a player who returned to sport too soon. A private clinical service for just a few pounds per player per season. Parent & Player Trust Parents need to know their child is in safe hands. When a parent drops their child off for training or a match, they're trusting your club to look after them. Luca gives them visibility of what happens if something goes wrong - automatic notifications, a clinician involved in the process, and a clear pathway to recovery. That transparency builds the kind of trust that keeps participation high. GMS Integration Painless and efficient onboarding. Luca integrates with leading club management systems, so your member records sync directly into the platform. No manual imports, no data entry errors, no chasing registrations. When an incident happens, the right player record is already there. Everything your club needs to manage head injuries properly. ClinicalReal clinical oversight Clinical management. Every case handled by a specialist clinician. Educational content. Delivered to pupils, parents and coaches through the Luca platform. ComplianceAudit-ready ISO 27001 certified platform. Built for sensitive health data in youth sports settings. Full audit trail. Complete case records, exportable on demand. OperationsBuilt for volunteers GMS integration. Member records synced directly. No manual entry. Automated communication. Players, parents, and coaches kept informed throughout. Intuitive tech. Incident logging in under two minutes. No training required. < 2 min to log an incident on the sideline 100% of cases reviewed by a specialist clinician ISO 27001 certified for data privacy What club leaders say. “Towcestrians Mini and Junior section have been working with Luca health for the first time this season, our partnership with Luca health has provided our coaches, players and parents real confidence when it comes to player welfare. Their concussion management support is clear, professional and easy to follow. They have helped us to create a safer environment for our players to enjoy and develop their game. The education and guidance provided has been invaluable for both players, parents and coaches.” Louise Guntrip Chair of Minis & Juniors, Towcestrians RFC Underpinned by the LSCF for Clubs. The clubs edition sets out eight domains for community sport - including pitch-side provision and emergency preparedness, and the cross-organisation duty of care you owe a player who also turns out for a school or county squad. It's aligned with RFU Regulation 9 and RugbySafe, HEADCASE and the GRAS protocol. Download it to see where your club currently stands. See the clubs edition → ISO 27001 CertifiedGDPR CompliantClinical sign-offs See how Luca works for your club. A short demo, no commitment. We'll walk you through the platform and answer any questions from your team. Let's talk --- # /for-schools/ URL: https://luca.health/for-schools/ Your school has a duty of care. Luca helps you meet it - and prove it. A clinician-led concussion management platform built for schools, simple for staff, rigorous for compliance, and trusted by pupils and parents alike. Let's talk Trusted by HMC · UK schools Compliance GDPR · UK GDPR · ISO 27001 Schools are being held to a higher standard. Concussion is the most common, significant, injury in school sport. When an incident occurs, schools need a clear process, the right support, and reliable records that show how each pupil was cared for. Luca provides the infrastructure to make that standard achievable, consistent and visible. Duty of Care & Safeguarding More than good intentions. A system that holds up. Schools have a legal and ethical duty to protect pupils in their care, including on the sports field. A well-intentioned response to a head injury isn't enough if it isn't structured, documented, and clinically informed. Luca gives your school a complete, auditable pathway from first incident to clinician-confirmed return to sport, so your duty of care isn't just felt, it's demonstrable. Reputational Risk One mismanaged incident can define how your school is seen. Parents talk. Governors ask questions. Inspectors look for evidence. A concussion that was handled poorly, or just handled inconsistently, can quickly become a reputational issue. Luca ensures every case follows the same rigorous process, regardless of which member of staff is on duty or how busy the fixture schedule is. GDPR & Data Compliance Health data handled the way your DPO expects. Concussion records are special category health data. Storing them in spreadsheets, email threads, or generic systems isn't compliant. Luca is ISO 27001 certified, GDPR-compliant, and built specifically to handle sensitive health information in an educational context. Your Data Protection Officer will find everything they need in our Data Privacy & Security Pack. Staff Workload & Ease of Use Built for a PE teacher on a busy Wednesday afternoon. Not a data analyst. Luca doesn't add to your staff's workload, it replaces the unstructured, time-consuming process they're already muddling through. Logging an incident takes under two minutes. The platform guides staff through each step. And once an incident is logged, Luca manages the communication, the clinical pathway, and the documentation automatically. Wonde Integration & MIS Compatibility Painless and efficient onboarding. Luca integrates with Wonde, giving schools a direct, secure sync with their Management Information System. Pupil records are accurate and up to date without manual data entry, reducing admin, reducing error, and ensuring the right information is attached to every case. Cost & Value The cost of Luca is a fraction of the cost of getting it wrong. Unclear concussion processes can place unnecessary pressure on staff, parents and school leaders. Luca gives schools access to qualified clinical oversight, a complete case management system, and a fully documented audit trail, at a cost that makes it one of the most straightforward welfare investments a school can make. A private clinical service for just a few pounds per pupil per term Governance Reporting Governors and Health & Safety Committees need clear, regular oversight. Luca automatically generates head injury reports ready to share with Governors and the Health and Safety Committee. No spreadsheet wrangling, no end-of-term scramble. Leadership gets the visibility they need and your school has a defensible record of how every case was managed. Everything your school needs to manage head injuries properly. ClinicalReal clinical oversight Clinical management. Every case handled by a specialist clinician. Educational content. Delivered to pupils, parents and staff through the Luca platform. ComplianceAudit-ready ISO 27001 certified platform. Built for sensitive health data in educational settings. Full audit trail. Complete case records, exportable on demand. OperationsBuilt for busy staff Wonde integration. Secure MIS sync. No manual data entry. Automated communication. Staff, parents, and pupils kept informed throughout. Intuitive tech. Incident logging in under two minutes. < 2 min to log an incident on the sideline 100% of cases reviewed by a specialist clinician ISO 27001 certified for data privacy What school leaders say. “We have been extremely impressed with the support and expertise provided by Luca Health in managing concussion care across our school community. Their service has been highly responsive, with appointments consistently available within 24-48 hours when needed, giving reassurance to pupils, parents and staff alike. What has particularly stood out is Luca's willingness to tailor their approach to the specific needs of our school, creating a genuinely bespoke service rather than a one-size-fits-all model. Their proactive educational support for pupils, staff and parents has also been invaluable in improving understanding and awareness around concussion management and recovery. Luca Health has become a trusted partner for our School, and we would highly recommend their service to any school seeking a professional, responsive and collaborative approach to concussion management.” Mercedes Mills Lead MSK Physiotherapist, Bryanston “Luca are a new partner and this is the first time we have introduced this important provision for our students. They have been great to work with and have complemented our existing welfare provision. We feel very reassured by their service and approachable nature of their team which keeps parents, coaches and academic members of staff notified throughout. We look forward to this being a long association.” Ian Parkin Deputy Head, Head of Co-Curricular, Worksop College “School rugby is often overlooked when it comes to concussion recognition and management, at a time where grassroots contact sport has never been under so much scrutiny. Luca has produced a genuinely impressive solution to mitigate this threat whilst at the same time showing their real understanding of the nuanced needs of schools, parents and pupils alike.” Phil Beaumont Head of Rugby, Northampton School for Boys “We have been delighted with Luca Health’s partnership with Wellingborough School and the high level of care they provide for our pupils. Their team has been responsive, professional and easy to work with, ensuring that pupils are seen promptly and supported throughout their recovery. Importantly, our parents have felt consistently reassured, both during the initial consultation process and in the clarity and quality of the aftercare provided. Communication has been excellent, helping families, staff and coaches remain fully informed at every stage. Luca Health has become a valued and trusted partner, and we greatly appreciate their commitment to supporting the wellbeing of our school community.” Scott Benest Deputy Head (Co-Curricular), Wellingborough School Underpinned by the Luca Safe Concussion Framework. The LSCF gives schools a single, evidence-based standard for concussion management, covering governance, clinical management, education, academic support, and more. Download it to see what best-in-class looks like, and where your school currently stands. See the schools edition → ISO 27001 CertifiedGDPR CompliantClinical sign-offs See how Luca works for your school. A short demo with no commitment. We'll walk you through the platform and answer any questions from your team. Let's talk --- # /how-it-works/ URL: https://luca.health/how-it-works/ From incident to return to sport, every step managed. A structured, clinician-led pathway for schools and sports clubs. Simple for staff to follow. Rigorous enough to stand up to scrutiny. Let's talk Pathway Fully documented Sign-off Specialist clinician Concussion doesn't manage itself. Luca does. Most organisations have good intentions when it comes to head injuries. What they lack is a system. Without one, incidents get logged inconsistently, recovery is left to the athlete to self-manage, and return-to-play decisions are made without clinical input. Luca replaces guesswork with a clear, documented pathway, from the moment an incident happens to the moment a clinician confirms it's safe to return. Together we will future proof your provision. How it worksThe Luca pathway, step by step. 01Incident RecordedIt starts the moment something happens.→ 02Player NotifiedNo chasing. No delay.→ 03Clinical AssessmentA real clinician. Not an algorithm.→ 04Safe Return to SportClearance only when it's safe. Not a moment before.→ Stage 1 of 4Under 2 minutesCoach / Staff Incident Recorded It starts the moment something happens. A coach or member of staff logs the incident on the Luca platform, on the pitch or wherever they are. It takes under two minutes. The log is timestamped, stored securely, and immediately visible to the necessary people. No paperwork. No end-of-day write-ups. No relying on memory. Everyone knows their part. Luca is designed for all people involved in in a head injury process. Staff & Coaches Log the incident and stay informed. The platform guides you through each step. No clinical training required. Players & Students Receive clear instructions, book your own appointment, and track your recovery through the app. Parents & Guardians Receive updates at key stages and have visibility of the process throughout. Clinicians Review cases, conduct consultations, manage recovery plans, and confirm return to play, within a platform built for clinical work. School Leadership & Club Welfare Leads Access incident reports, case summaries, and full audit trails whenever you need them. Everything you need to demonstrate your duty of care. Underpinned by the Luca Safe Concussion Framework. Every step in the Luca pathway is designed around the LSCF, our evidence-based framework for concussion management in schools and grassroots sport. Built across seven domains, from governance and clinical management to academic support and quality assurance, the LSCF gives organisations a single, practical standard to work to. Explore the LSCF → ISO 27001 CertifiedGDPR CompliantClinical sign-offs See the pathway in action. Book a short demo and we'll walk you through it, no commitment, no hard sell. Let's talk --- # /lscf/ URL: https://luca.health/lscf/ The Luca Safe Concussion Framework. A clinician-led standard for concussion identification, management, and graduated return to play - now in two editions, one written for schools and one for community sports clubs. Choose your editionLet's talk Clinical Lead Prof Bill Ribbans, CMO Editions Schools & Clubs Most organisations are doing something. Very few are doing everything. Awareness around concussion has grown considerably in recent years. Governing bodies have published guidance. Schools have added it to their safeguarding policies. Clubs have appointed welfare officers. But awareness and action aren't the same thing, and in our experience, most schools and clubs are still navigating a fragmented landscape of protocols, tools, and recommendations that don't quite join up. The Luca Safe Concussion Framework (LSCF) exists to change that. Developed under the clinical governance of Prof Bill Ribbans - Orthopaedic Surgeon, Professor of Sports Medicine at the University of Northampton, and Luca's Chief Medical Officer - the LSCF brings existing clinical guidance together into a single, coherent standard for concussion identification, management, and graduated return to play. One framework. Two editions. The LSCF is a comprehensive, evidence-based framework built for the settings where most concussions actually happen. Both editions share one clinical spine - recognise and remove, review by a healthcare professional, and a documented graduated return - and then diverge where the organisations genuinely differ. A school is an institution with a standing duty of care, staff on payroll, and a classroom to return to. A club is volunteer-run, often spread across several sites and age groups, and shares its players with schools, universities and representative squads. So the clubs edition adds two domains the schools edition has no need for: pitch-side provision and emergency preparedness, and cross-organisation duty of care. Neither edition asks an organisation to reinvent its approach. Each gives you a structure to assess where you are, understand where the gaps might be, and implement consistent, best-in-class care. Two editions. Pick the one that fits. Both are free to download, published under a Creative Commons licence, and written under the same clinical governance. LSCF for Schools 7 domains Version 1.0.1 · May 2025 Safeguarding-led and sport-agnostic, covering the classroom as closely as the pitch. Written for school leadership teams, safeguarding officers, medical personnel and policymakers. It sets clear, actionable standards across every stage of concussion prevention, assessment and recovery, and treats return-to-learn as seriously as return-to-play. Built around National safeguarding regulations and school duty of care Board-approved policy and governance Return-to-learn and return-to-play protocols Download the Schools editionSee the domains LSCF for Clubs 8 domains Version 1.0.1 · August 2026 Written for volunteer-run community clubs working across multiple sites and age groups. Written for club committees, welfare leads, safeguarding officers, first aiders, coaches and team managers. It addresses the things that make club concussion management harder than school concussion management: volunteer turnover, multiple sites, and players who turn out for someone else next weekend. Aligned with RFU Regulation 9 (Player Safety) and the RugbySafe programme The RFU HEADCASE programme and the Graduated Return to Activity and Sport (GRAS) protocol The UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport The RFU Pitch Side Care Standards (PSCS) Where a club's national governing body sets a higher standard than this framework, the NGB standard takes precedence. Download the Clubs editionSee the domains What each edition covers. Schools7 domainsClubs8 domains The seven domains of the schools edition. 1Governance & Legal Compliance The policies, responsibilities, and legal obligations that every organisation needs to have in place, clearly defined and properly documented. 2Education & Training Ensuring that athletes, parents, staff, and coaches understand what concussion is, how to recognise it, and what to do when it happens. 3Reporting & Communication Structured processes for logging incidents, keeping stakeholders informed, and maintaining a clear record throughout the management pathway. 4Clinical Management The clinical pathway from concussion identification and initial assessment, through symptom monitoring, to graduated return to play - including when to escalate, how to monitor recovery, and who signs off clearance. 5Academic Support Recognising that concussion affects more than sport and that pupils returning to the classroom need as much consideration as those returning to the pitch. 6Technology & Innovation Leveraging digital tools to make concussion management consistent, efficient, and evidence-based, from incident logging to clinical consultations. 7Quality Assurance Ongoing oversight, review, and improvement so that concussion management doesn't become a box-ticking exercise but a genuinely embedded part of organisational culture. Who the schools edition is for. Senior Leadership Teams School Boards, Governors and Trustees Designated Safeguarding Leads Directors of Sport and PE staff Medical and nursing staff First aiders SENDCOs Bursars The eight domains of the clubs edition. 1Governance & Regulatory Compliance Committee-approved policy, named accountable roles, an annual first-aid risk assessment, clear insurance and GDPR arrangements, and demonstrable compliance with your governing body's player safety regulations. 2Education & Training Role-based concussion training refreshed annually across coaches, first aiders, match officials and committee members, with completion tracked centrally and first aid qualifications kept current. 3Pitch-Side Provision & Emergency Preparedness Minimum first aid cover for every session and every match, a venue-specific emergency action plan that is rehearsed rather than filed, stocked kit, AED access, and clarity on when an immediate care practitioner is required. 4Reporting & Communication Logging at the point of removal rather than retrospectively, stakeholders alerted within 30 minutes, a full report filed within 24 hours, and a clear line between internal records and formal reportable events. 5Clinical Management Recognise and remove with no exceptions, review by an appropriate healthcare professional, and a documented graduated return of at least 21 days with every stage dated and signed off. 6Return-to-Learn, Work & Education Liaison Coordinating with schools, colleges, employers and families so that a player's recovery away from the club isn't undermined by what happens at it. 7Cross-Organisation Duty of Care Managing players who also represent a school, university or county squad, so the protocol follows the player rather than the fixture list - including what to do when another organisation disputes a stand-down. 8Technology, Quality Assurance & Futureproofing Moving off paper first aid books and WhatsApp threads onto a secure digital system, with an annual audit, player and parent feedback, and benchmarking built in. Who the clubs edition is for. Club Chairs, Committees and Boards Club RugbySafe or player welfare leads Club Safeguarding Officers Emergency first aiders and immediate care practitioners Head coaches, coaches and team managers Club medical and physiotherapy staff Match officials Parents, guardians and adult players Constituent body, county and league welfare officers Concussion care doesn't begin or end with diagnosis. The most common failure in concussion management isn't a lack of judgement at the moment of impact. It's everything that comes before and after. The absence of a clear policy, the inconsistent record-keeping, the athlete who slips back into training without anyone signing off, the parent who was never informed. The LSCF addresses the full picture. It is the clinical and operational foundation on which the Luca platform is built, and a standalone resource for any organisation that wants to understand what best-in-class concussion management looks like. Download the Luca Safe Concussion Framework. Both editions are available as a free download. Use them to assess where your organisation currently stands, identify gaps, and understand what a complete concussion management system looks like. Schools editionClubs edition Want the framework built into your process? The LSCF isn't just a document, it's the foundation of the Luca platform. Every feature, every step of the pathway, every piece of documentation is designed around its domains. If you want to move from reading the framework to living it, Luca is how you get there. Let's talkLearn how it works ISO 27001 CertifiedEvidence-basedDeveloped with clinical advisorsFree to download --- # /news/ URL: https://luca.health/news/ News, insights, and research from Luca Health. The latest from our team, clinical thinking, product developments, partner news, and the ongoing conversation around concussion in sport. Featured in The Luca Health Podcast. Hosted by award winning journalist, Sam Peters Honest conversations about concussion, athlete welfare, and the future of sport. We talk to clinicians, coaches, researchers, parents, and athletes, the people closest to the issue, with the most important things to say. Watch on YouTubeSubscribe on Spotify News AllClinical InsightsConcussion ResearchPress & MediaSport NewsSPORT NEWSLuca Health NewsPodcast Sport News Australian Rules Limits Contact Training to Cut Concussion - What UK Sport Must Learn Australian Rules Football has introduced formal limits on full-contact training sessions to reduce concussion incidence. Here is what the decision means for UK grassroots sport and schools. 07 · 09 · 2026Read more Clinical Insights KCSIE, Duty of Care, and Concussion: What Headteachers Need to Know in 2026 The new academic year brings a fresh KCSIE edition, and concussion sits squarely within its safeguarding remit. Here is what school leaders need to act on before the first fixture. 03 · 09 · 2026Read more Concussion Research New CTE Statistics in Football - What UK Grassroots Sport Must Know A fresh wave of CTE data in football is renewing parental concern worldwide. Here is what the science actually shows, and what UK grassroots clubs and schools should do with it. 31 · 08 · 2026Read more Concussion Research 1 in 4 NFL Players Had CTE at Death - What It Means for UK Grassroots Sport A Harvard-led study of former NFL players found CTE in at least 1 in 4 who died between 2016 and 2021. We explain the research, its limits, and what it means for UK schools and clubs. 27 · 08 · 2026Read more Sport News Rugby Brain Injury Cases Survive High Court: What Grassroots Clubs Must Know A High Court judge has refused to throw out brain injury lawsuits brought by former professional rugby players, keeping hundreds of cases alive. Here is what the ruling means for grassroots clubs and schools. 24 · 08 · 2026Read more Sport News An NRL Star's Medical Retirement - What Grassroots Sport Must Learn About Concussion A Premiership-winning NRL enforcer has retired on medical grounds after a concussion battle he says is 'harder to live with' than the game itself. Here is what grassroots sport should take from his story. 20 · 08 · 2026Read more Read older articles → Stay up to date. New research, product updates, and clinical insights - delivered to your inbox. No noise, no frequency you didn't ask for. We won't share your details with anyone. Unsubscribe any time. ISO 27001 CertifiedGDPR CompliantUK Reg No. 14060836 --- # /news/afl-cte-diagnoses-what-uk-grassroots-sport-must-know/ URL: https://luca.health/news/afl-cte-diagnoses-what-uk-grassroots-sport-must-know/ Concussion Research29 June 2026 Dozens of AFL Players Diagnosed With CTE - What UK Grassroots Sport Must Know A new ABC report confirms dozens of former Australian Rules footballers have been diagnosed with CTE post-mortem. Here is what the findings mean for UK schools and grassroots clubs. Luca Team·6 min read Dozens of AFL Players Diagnosed With CTE - What UK Grassroots Sport Must Know Key takeaways The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has reported that dozens of former Australian Rules Football (AFL) players have been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) post-mortem, adding significant weight to the global picture of contact sport and long-term brain health. CTE is a post-mortem diagnosis only. No living person can be confirmed to have the condition. The AFL findings involve careers of heavy, repeated contact exposure at elite level. That context matters when drawing comparisons with school or grassroots sport in the UK. The research reinforces why every concussion at every level deserves proper management, documentation, and a structured return to play. UK schools and clubs have access to clear guidelines and frameworks. The question is whether they are using them. What the ABC report actually says Australian Broadcasting Corporation reporting published this week confirms that dozens of former AFL players have received CTE diagnoses following post-mortem examination of their brain tissue. The findings come from researchers who have been collecting and studying donated brains from former contact sport athletes in Australia, building on a body of work that mirrors similar programmes in the United States and the United Kingdom. The ABC also covered the human side of the story, with families describing watching loved ones deteriorate - memory loss, personality changes, and cognitive decline - before their deaths. One family said of their son, who played elite-level Australian Rules from his teens: "Now it's too late." This is a significant development in the global CTE evidence base. It is not, however, a reason for panic in UK school changing rooms or at grassroots club level. Context is everything. What is CTE, and how is it diagnosed? Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a progressive neurodegenerative disease associated with repeated head trauma. It is characterised by the abnormal accumulation of tau protein in the brain. Symptoms in life can include memory problems, impulsive behaviour, depression, and cognitive decline, though these symptoms overlap considerably with other conditions. The critical point, repeated here because it matters: CTE is diagnosed only through post-mortem examination of brain tissue. It cannot currently be confirmed in a living person, though research into in-vivo detection methods is ongoing. Any claim that a living athlete "has CTE" is inaccurate. The CISG 6th Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport (2023) addresses long-term effects and notes that while a statistical association between repeated head trauma and neurodegenerative disease has been established in some populations, causation and dose-response relationships remain active areas of research. Who was actually studied - and why that matters for UK readers The AFL players diagnosed with CTE in the ABC report were predominantly former elite athletes who played many seasons of senior contact sport, often from a young age through to their mid-30s or beyond. Their cumulative head impact exposure across a career is vastly different from that of a 15-year-old playing school rugby union on a Saturday morning, or a Year 9 pupil in a school football fixture. The Glasgow University FIELD study, published in 2019 and subsequently updated, found that former professional footballers in Scotland were approximately three and a half times more likely to die of neurodegenerative disease than age-matched members of the general population. Again, the cohort was professional footballers with long careers, not school or grassroots participants. This distinction is not a reason to dismiss the research. It is a reason to interpret it carefully. Cumulative exposure is the key variable. Elite career exposure is orders of magnitude greater than school or community sport exposure, and the science does not currently support a direct extrapolation from one to the other. What does this mean for CTE research globally? The AFL findings are significant because they broaden the sports base. CTE has been most widely documented in American NFL players - the Boston University CTE Center has examined hundreds of donated brains. The Glasgow work extended findings into football (soccer). Australian researchers are now adding AFL to the picture. What emerges across these datasets is a consistent association between high-level, long-term contact sport careers and elevated neurodegenerative risk. The question researchers are working to answer is where on the exposure curve risk becomes meaningful. That question has not yet been definitively answered. For UK grassroots and school sport, the honest position is: the risk from school-level participation appears materially lower than that documented in elite career studies, but the science does not give us a precise threshold, and good management of every concussion is the rational response to that uncertainty. What the evidence does not support It is worth being explicit about what this research does not tell us, because misreading it has real consequences for young people's access to sport. The AFL diagnoses do not mean: That every child who plays contact sport will develop CTE. That a single concussion causes CTE (the association is with repeated, cumulative trauma over long periods). That school sport is as risky as a professional career spanning 15 or more seasons. That contact sport should be banned for young people. The physical, social, and mental health benefits of sport are well-documented, and any proportionate response must weigh these against risk. The CISG 6th Consensus is clear that the relationship between concussion and long-term neurological disease is not yet fully characterised, and that sport at community level carries different risk profiles from elite sport. What good concussion management contributes None of the uncertainty about long-term risk is a reason for inaction. Quite the opposite. The rational response to incomplete evidence is to manage what can be managed rigorously. That means: Identifying suspected concussion promptly and removing the athlete from play immediately. Following a structured graduated return to play (GRTP) process that gives the brain adequate recovery time before re-exposure to contact. Documenting every concussion event so that cumulative history is visible to every coach, school, and clinician involved in the athlete's care. Applying the minimum 21-day stand-down for under-18s required by the UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024 update). Each of these steps reduces the brain's cumulative trauma burden, both by preventing second-impact events and by ensuring that return to contact happens only after genuine neurological recovery - not just when symptoms have cleared. The honest balance for parents weighing school sport The AFL story will inevitably reach parents of children who play contact sport. Some will ask whether their child should stop playing rugby, football, or Australian Rules. That is a legitimate question and deserves a serious answer. The honest answer is that the evidence base currently justifies heightened vigilance and robust management protocols at school and grassroots level. It does not currently justify removing children from contact sport wholesale, and doing so would impose real costs - loss of physical fitness, social connection, mental wellbeing, and the character development that sport provides - on the basis of risk data drawn primarily from elite professional careers. What the evidence does justify, clearly, is the expectation that every school and club takes concussion management seriously. Not as a box-ticking exercise, but as a genuine commitment to reducing cumulative head trauma where it can be reduced, and managing every incident that occurs. What UK schools and clubs should do now The arrival of more CTE research from Australia is a prompt to check whether your own house is in order. Concrete steps: Review your concussion policy against the November 2024 UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines. If your policy has not been updated since the November 2024 revision, it needs updating now. Ensure every member of staff involved in sport knows the "if in doubt, sit them out" principle and is confident applying it, including when a player or parent pushes back. Document every concussion event. Cumulative history matters. A player who has had three concussions in two years is not the same clinical picture as one experiencing a first incident. Follow the full graduated return to play process. Symptom-free is not the same as ready to play. The UK guidelines are clear on minimum timelines. Talk to parents. A brief note home after any suspected concussion, explaining the management process and what to watch for, builds trust and keeps families as partners in recovery. The Luca Safe Concussion Framework translates the UK Grassroots Guidelines into an operational standard for schools and clubs, covering all seven domains of concussion management from identification through to documented return to play. Practical takeaway The AFL CTE findings are another data point in a body of evidence that is growing, not shrinking. UK schools and clubs should take them seriously - not by alarming parents or banning sport, but by ensuring that every concussion is managed properly, every time. The guidelines exist. The frameworks exist. The remaining question is implementation. Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Dozens of former Australian Rules footballers diagnosed with CTE. https://www.abc.net.au (published June 2026) Australian Broadcasting Corporation. They didn't know what footy was doing to their boy. "Now it's too late." https://www.abc.net.au (published June 2026) Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf Patricios JS et al. 6th International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2023. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/11/695 Mackay DF et al. Neurodegenerative Disease Mortality among Former Professional Soccer Players. NEJM / FIELD Study, University of Glasgow, 2019. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/53/23/1576 Boston University CTE Center. What is CTE? https://www.bu.edu/cte/about/what-is-cte/ As CTE research continues to develop, the case for rigorous, documented concussion management at every level of sport grows stronger. The Luca Safe Concussion Framework gives UK schools and clubs a practical, clinician-developed structure that reflects current guidelines and the realities of grassroots sport. Download it free and benchmark your own approach today. ← Back to news --- # /news/afl-geelong-concussion-waiver-what-uk-grassroots-sport-must-know/ URL: https://luca.health/news/afl-geelong-concussion-waiver-what-uk-grassroots-sport-must-know/ Sport News6 August 2026 AFL's Concussion Waiver Scandal: What UK Grassroots Sport Must Learn An AFL club was forced to scrap a secret deal making a player legally responsible for future concussions. Here is what UK schools and clubs must understand about duty of care. Luca Team·6 min read AFL's Concussion Waiver Scandal: What UK Grassroots Sport Must Learn Key takeaways Geelong Football Club was forced to scrap a secret deal that reportedly shifted legal responsibility for future concussions onto a player with a history of head injuries. The AFL ruled the arrangement went "further than intended" and sanctioned the club. UK schools and clubs cannot contract out of their duty of care - waivers or consent forms do not remove legal responsibility. Documented concussion protocols are the foundation of a defensible governance position in the UK. The case is a live reminder that concussion governance is under scrutiny at every level of sport, not just elite. An Australian rules football club has been forced to tear up a secret agreement that allegedly required a player with a history of concussion to accept personal legal liability for any future head injuries sustained while playing for the club. The Guardian reported on 6 August 2026 that Geelong Football Club came under widespread criticism after the arrangement became public. The AFL subsequently found the deal went "further than intended" and the club scrapped it. For UK schools, clubs, and welfare officers, the case raises an urgent question: could something similar happen here, and what does it tell us about where the boundaries of duty of care actually lie? What happened at Geelong? According to reporting by The Guardian and Fox Sports, a Geelong player with a documented history of concussion signed an agreement with the club that transferred legal responsibility for future concussions to the player himself. The deal was kept private. When it became public, the response from the Australian sporting community was immediate and hostile. The AFL investigated and concluded the arrangement exceeded what was permissible, leading Geelong to abandon it entirely. The AFL has its own concussion protocols for elite competition. The existence of a side-agreement attempting to circumvent the liability implications of those protocols suggests the club was attempting to manage financial and legal risk, rather than the player's welfare. Can a UK school or club do the same thing? No. And any attempt to do so would be likely to make the situation worse, not better. In England and Wales, a school's duty of care to its pupils is a common law obligation. It cannot be waived by a consent form, a parental signature, or any other agreement. The standard is that a school must act as a "reasonable parent" would in relation to the safety of children in its care - a test established through decades of case law and reinforced by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Department for Education's statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE). For sports clubs working with adult players, the position is slightly different but no less demanding. A club has a duty not to expose participants to unreasonable risk. A blanket liability waiver for a known, specific risk - a player with a documented history of concussion being required to absorb personal legal responsibility for future injuries - would almost certainly be unenforceable under UK law and would not protect the club if a claim were brought. The Geelong case illustrates the exact trap that governance-focused organisations must avoid: treating liability as an administrative problem to be passed along, rather than a welfare problem to be managed properly. What does duty of care actually require in practice? The UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024 update) set out clear expectations for community sport at every level. They do not relieve clubs or schools of responsibility; they define what responsible management looks like. For schools specifically, the KCSIE framework requires that institutions demonstrate active, documented safeguarding of pupils. Concussion, as a potential head injury with serious consequences if managed incorrectly, sits squarely within that remit. For community clubs, National Governing Bodies are increasingly explicit about what they expect. Our recent article on the Wales rugby concussion case explored how the direction of governance scrutiny is firmly toward greater accountability, not less. Practically speaking, duty of care in concussion management means: Having a written, reviewed concussion policy that names responsibilities. Following a recognised removal protocol when a suspected concussion occurs ("if in doubt, sit them out"). Operating a graduated return-to-play process that aligns with the November 2024 UK Grassroots Guidelines, including the minimum 21-day stand-down for under-18s. Keeping a documented record of every concussion event, every assessment, and every stage of recovery. Not relying on verbal assurances, consent forms, or player declarations that they "feel fine." Why a player's history of concussion changes the picture The Geelong story has a specific detail worth examining closely: the player in question had a history of concussion. That history materially changes the duty of care calculation for any organisation. A club or school that is aware a participant has previously sustained concussions - particularly multiple concussions - carries a heightened obligation to ensure appropriate protocols are followed. Prior history does not transfer risk to the individual; it transfers a higher burden of care to the organisation. In the UK context, the November 2024 UK Grassroots Guidelines are explicit that welfare officers and coaches should be aware of a participant's concussion history and factor that into return-to-play decisions. A player with multiple prior concussions is not simply "back to normal" once they are declared symptom-free. What the AFL case tells us about the direction of travel This is not the first time a professional sports organisation has tried to manage concussion liability through contractual rather than clinical means. Similar concerns have been raised in UK rugby litigation proceedings, where the adequacy of protocols and whether clubs discharged their duty of care are live legal questions. The AFL case ended badly for Geelong: public outrage, regulatory sanction, and the abandonment of the arrangement. The lesson for UK organisations is that the governance direction of travel - at every level - is toward more accountability, more documentation, and more explicit welfare responsibility, not less. Schools and clubs that have documented, operational concussion frameworks are not just in a better moral position. They are in a better legal and reputational position if something goes wrong. What to do now: practical steps for UK schools and clubs If your organisation has not yet audited its concussion governance, this case is a prompt to do so. A credible audit does not take long and reveals most of the gaps. For school leaders and welfare leads: Check that your concussion policy is written, current, and names who is responsible for each stage of the process. Confirm that your removal protocol aligns with "if in doubt, sit them out" from the November 2024 UK Grassroots Guidelines. Ensure that any consent forms or parental agreements in your school sport documentation do not contain language that implies responsibility is being transferred to the parent or child. If you are unsure, have the wording reviewed. Keep concussion records as part of your wider safeguarding documentation. For community club officials: Review your NGB's current concussion requirements and check your club's protocols against them. Ensure welfare officers are trained and that responsibility for concussion management is not left to coaches alone. Treat a player's known concussion history as a governance consideration, not just a clinical one. Photo: Paul Coster, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources The Guardian. Geelong forced to scrap secret deal with AFL player with history of concussion. 6 August 2026. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/aug/06/afl-geelong-alleged-concussion-deal-with-player Fox Sports. AFL's penalty call as 'secret' Cats concussion deal scrapped. 2026. https://www.foxsports.com.au Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf Department for Education. Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2 Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1974/37/contents The Geelong case is a live example of what happens when organisations treat concussion liability as a paperwork problem rather than a welfare one. The Luca Safe Concussion Framework gives schools and clubs the documented governance structure that demonstrates genuine duty of care, not the appearance of it. Download the framework free at /lscf/. ← Back to news --- # /news/australian-rules-limits-contact-training-concussion-what-uk-grassroots-sport-must-learn/ URL: https://luca.health/news/australian-rules-limits-contact-training-concussion-what-uk-grassroots-sport-must-learn/ Sport News7 September 2026 Australian Rules Limits Contact Training to Cut Concussion - What UK Sport Must Learn Australian Rules Football has introduced formal limits on full-contact training sessions to reduce concussion incidence. Here is what the decision means for UK grassroots sport and schools. Luca Team·6 min read Australian Rules Limits Contact Training to Cut Concussion - What UK Sport Must Learn Key takeaways The AFL has moved to formally cap the number of full-contact training sessions players can participate in, citing concussion reduction as the primary driver. The intervention targets cumulative head-impact exposure in training, not just match-day concussion events. UK grassroots guidelines do not yet contain equivalent training-load provisions, but the direction of travel is clear. Schools and clubs in the UK can act now by auditing contact training volume and embedding technique-first progressions. Concussion management frameworks need to cover the training environment, not just fixtures and matches. Australian Rules Football's governing body, the AFL, has moved to formally limit full-contact training sessions across its clubs, according to reporting by RFI. The rationale is straightforward: a significant proportion of head impacts in contact sport happen during training, not during matches. Capping contact training reduces cumulative exposure. It is a meaningful step, and it has direct implications for how UK grassroots sport and schools think about concussion prevention. What did the AFL actually decide? The AFL's decision limits the number of full-contact training sessions clubs may schedule per week during the pre-season and regular season. The precise session caps are set at league level, with clubs required to log and report compliance. The policy is an extension of logic already embedded in the November 2024 UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance), which note that cumulative head-impact exposure is a relevant factor in managing concussion risk - but which do not yet specify training-load limits for community sport. The AFL has taken the next step: turning principle into a quantified operational rule. It is worth being clear about what this is and is not. The AFL policy does not claim to prevent concussion. It claims to reduce the frequency of head impacts across a season. Those are related but distinct goals. The CISG 6th Consensus Statement (Amsterdam, 2023) distinguishes between concussion prevention (limiting the event) and cumulative-impact reduction (limiting total exposure over time). The AFL measure addresses the second. Why training matters as much as matchday In most contact sports, coaching staff and welfare officers focus their concussion attention on match day: the identification protocol, the removal decision, the post-incident pathway. That focus is correct and necessary. But it is incomplete. Research cited in the CISG 6th Consensus Statement indicates that a substantial share of sub-concussive and concussive head impacts in contact sports occur during training, particularly in full-contact drills, collision-heavy conditioning sessions, and unconstrained contact phases of training. In rugby, for example, World Rugby's Tackle Ready programme was built partly on the insight that technique breakdown in training was a significant source of head contact. The AFL decision formalises what sport science has been pointing toward for several years: if you want to reduce cumulative head-impact load, you have to look at training volume and structure, not just matchday events. What do the UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines say about training? The November 2024 UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance) set out the now-familiar framework for recognising, removing, and managing suspected concussion. They specify the minimum 21-day stand-down for under-18s and graduated return-to-play stages that apply at community level. What they do not yet contain is a training-load provision equivalent to the AFL's session cap. There is no specified limit on full-contact training volume for community rugby, football, or other contact sports at grassroots level. That is not a criticism of the guidelines. Community sport operates differently from professional sport: coaching hours are shorter, sessions are less frequent, and the infrastructure for session-level compliance monitoring rarely exists. A blanket session cap would be difficult to enforce and potentially counterproductive in contexts where clubs train once a week anyway. But the AFL decision signals a direction. UK NGBs - particularly the RFU, RFL, and FA - will be watching, and the question of training-load management is likely to feature in future guideline updates. Schools and clubs that are ahead of the curve now will not need to catch up later. What can UK schools and clubs do right now? The absence of a formal training-load rule does not mean the absence of action. There are practical steps any Head of Sport, club welfare officer, or coach can take today, within existing UK guidance. Audit contact training volume. How many sessions per week involve full, unrestricted contact? Is that number driven by coaching necessity or habit? In most community sport contexts, full contact is less frequent than coaches assume when they examine the evidence. Adopt a technique-first approach before contact. World Rugby's Tackle Ready programme, and equivalent initiatives in other sports, recommend a clear progression: unopposed technique, then opposed at reduced intensity, then full contact. Compressing that progression or skipping straight to full contact increases impact frequency unnecessarily. Apply the "if in doubt, sit them out" principle to training, not just matches. The November 2024 guidelines apply to all sport activity, including training sessions. A suspected concussion during a Tuesday training session triggers the same removal and stand-down protocol as one on a Saturday match. Build training-environment awareness into staff education. Most concussion training programmes (including RFU HEADCASE) are framed around matchday scenarios. Coaches should explicitly consider what their concussion identification and response protocol looks like when an incident happens mid-drill at a training session with no match officials present. Document contact training load. Even without a regulatory requirement, keeping a simple log of training session type (light contact, full contact, non-contact) gives schools and clubs a baseline. If a player sustains multiple concussions, that documentation becomes relevant to understanding their cumulative exposure. What the evidence says about training-load interventions The evidence base for training-contact-limit interventions is developing rather than established. A 2021 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine examined head-impact data in elite rugby and found that approximately 60% of all head impacts occurred during training, with contact training sessions producing the highest per-session impact counts. In American football - where impact monitoring is more advanced than in most UK sports - similar proportions have been observed, with full-contact practice sessions generating head-impact counts comparable to live game exposure. That finding was a significant driver behind restrictions on full-contact practice introduced by several US state high school athletic associations from 2011 onward. The AFL decision is therefore not a leap into the unknown. It applies a principle that has already been tested, in different forms, in other contact sports. The question for UK sport is how quickly that learning is integrated into domestic guidance and practice. It is also worth noting what the AFL decision does not resolve. Reducing training-contact volume reduces exposure; it does not eliminate the risk of concussion during training, nor does it address matchday incidence. A complete concussion management approach requires both prevention-side interventions (technique, load management, equipment within its evidential limits) and management-side infrastructure (identification, removal, graduated return to play, clinical oversight). The Luca Safe Concussion Framework addresses the management side as a complete, documented system; prevention-side steps like those the AFL is now formalising are a complementary layer. What to do next For UK schools and clubs, three immediate actions follow from this news. First, review your training structure. How many of your weekly sessions involve full contact? Is there a clear progression from non-contact to full contact within sessions, and across the pre-season period? Second, confirm that your concussion identification and removal protocol applies explicitly to training sessions, not just matches. If your policy documents say "during a match," revise them. Third, begin logging training session types, even informally. If UK guidelines introduce training-load provisions in a future update, clubs with existing records will have a head start on compliance. Concussion prevention is a shared responsibility. The AFL's move is a signal. UK sport does not need to wait for a regulatory mandate to act on the underlying principle. Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources RFI. Australian Rules limits contact training to reduce concussion. (September 2026) https://www.rfi.fr/en/sports/20260906-australian-rules-limits-contact-training-to-reduce-concussion Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf Concussion in Sport Group. CISG 6th Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport (Amsterdam, 2023). https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/11/695 World Rugby. Tackle Ready player welfare programme. https://www.world.rugby/the-game/player-welfare/education/tackle-ready British Journal of Sports Medicine. Head impact exposure in elite rugby union training and match play (2021). https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/55/3/137 Concussion prevention through training-load management is one layer of a complete approach. See how the Luca Safe Concussion Framework structures the full management pathway, from prevention context through to clinician-supervised return to play, giving schools and clubs the documented governance trail that NGBs, inspectors, and insurers are increasingly asking for. ← Back to news --- # /news/claude-lemieux-cte-research-what-it-means-for-grassroots-sport/ URL: https://luca.health/news/claude-lemieux-cte-research-what-it-means-for-grassroots-sport/ Concussion Research4 June 2026 Claude Lemieux's Death and CTE Research - What It Means for Grassroots Sport The posthumous CTE diagnosis of ice hockey legend Claude Lemieux is fuelling new research efforts. Here is what the science means for UK schools and grassroots clubs. Luca Team·6 min read Claude Lemieux's Death and CTE Research - What It Means for Grassroots Sport Key takeaways Claude Lemieux, four-time Stanley Cup winner, was posthumously diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) following his death in May 2026. Former players are actively supporting CTE brain donation programmes, accelerating the research base. CTE is a post-mortem diagnosis only. No living person can be confirmed to have it. The exposure picture for elite ice hockey careers is fundamentally different from grassroots or school sport. Good concussion management at every level reduces cumulative head-impact burden, which is the modifiable risk factor. The death of Claude Lemieux and the subsequent confirmation of a CTE diagnosis has renewed attention on brain donation research, with former professional ice hockey players stepping forward to pledge their brains to science. It is a significant moment for CTE research. For UK schools and clubs working through what it all means in practice, the picture is more nuanced than the headlines suggest. What is CTE, and why does it matter? Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a progressive neurodegenerative disease associated with repeated head trauma. It is characterised by the abnormal accumulation of tau protein in the brain, and it can only be confirmed through post-mortem neuropathological examination. This point is not a technicality - it matters enormously for how we interpret any news story involving CTE and a living athlete. The CISG 6th Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport (Amsterdam, 2023) is clear that CTE "cannot be diagnosed in living individuals with currently available technology." Any claim that a living person "has CTE" is not supported by the current science. In the Lemieux case, the diagnosis was made post-mortem, which is the correct and only valid process. His family's decision to donate his brain to research is a meaningful contribution to a field that depends on exactly this kind of voluntary participation. What the CTE research base currently shows The CTE evidence base has grown substantially in the last decade, driven significantly by work at Boston University's CTE Center and, in the UK, by the Glasgow University research published in BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine (2023). The Glasgow study examined post-mortem brain tissue from former professional rugby players and found a higher prevalence of neurodegenerative disease than in age-matched controls without contact sport histories. Several things the research does and does not show are worth being precise about: What it shows: There is an association between a career of repeated head impacts in contact sport and increased risk of neurodegenerative disease, including CTE. What it does not show: A single mechanism by which concussion causes CTE. A safe number of concussions. A direct causal pathway proven at the population level (association is not causation, though the association is credible and strengthening). Any meaningful data on recreational or school-level sport exposure. The research populations studied in both the US (NFL, NHL) and UK (professional rugby) represent athletes with decades of high-intensity contact exposure. Claude Lemieux played in the NHL for 21 seasons. That is a categorically different exposure profile from a pupil playing school rugby or a community ice hockey player competing at the weekend. Why the exposure difference matters for grassroots sport It would be inaccurate - and unhelpful - to read a headline about an NHL legend's CTE diagnosis and conclude that a teenager playing school football or a Saturday hockey player faces the same risk. The key variable in CTE research is cumulative head-impact burden. This is a function of the number of impacts, their magnitude, and the time over which they accumulate. Elite careers involve far greater exposure than recreational participation by almost any reasonable measure. The Imperial College FIELD study, which has been examining brain health in former professional footballers, similarly draws its conclusions from a population of men who headed a football thousands of times across professional careers. The FA's subsequent heading restrictions in youth football are a proportionate policy response to that evidence - but they are not evidence that occasional heading in school football carries the same risk profile as a 15-year professional career. None of this is an argument for complacency. It is an argument for proportionality. The honest position is: we do not know what the minimum harmful exposure threshold is. We probably never will, because it is likely to vary between individuals. That uncertainty is itself a reason to reduce unnecessary head-impact exposure where possible, at all levels. What good concussion management actually contributes Grassroots concussion management cannot prevent CTE. That would be an overclaim. What it can do is reduce the cumulative head-impact burden by: Removing a player promptly when a suspected concussion occurs (rather than playing on and accumulating further impacts on an already-vulnerable brain). Enforcing the minimum stand-down periods prescribed by the UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024 update), which require a minimum 21-day stand-down for confirmed concussion in under-18s. Following a graduated return-to-play protocol that ensures neurological recovery before re-exposure to contact. Maintaining accurate records so that a player's concussion history is visible and informs future management decisions. These are the modifiable factors available to coaches, schools, and clubs. They do not eliminate risk. They reduce it, and they reflect the best current evidence on what appropriate management looks like. The role of brain donation in advancing the science One of the more significant aspects of the Lemieux story is the involvement of former players in actively promoting brain donation. The NHL Alumni Association and researchers in the US have been working to build post-mortem brain tissue banks, and former players speaking openly about their intentions to donate normalises the conversation and accelerates recruitment. In the UK, Edinburgh's Sudden Death Brain Bank and similar programmes collect tissue relevant to neurodegenerative research. The more post-mortem data available from diverse athletic populations, including recreational and amateur athletes, the more accurately the field will be able to characterise risk at different exposure levels. For now, the research gap between elite and grassroots populations means that community sport should not uncritically apply elite-derived risk estimates to its own participants. What schools and clubs should take from this The Lemieux diagnosis is a reminder that CTE research is live, important, and moving. It is not a reason to ban contact sport. It is a reason to manage concussion seriously at every level. Practical steps: Ensure immediate removal for any suspected concussion - do not wait for a formal diagnosis on the touchline. Follow the 21-day minimum stand-down for under-18s as set out in the November 2024 UK Grassroots Guidelines. Adults should follow the graduated return-to-play staged protocol. Document every incident. A pupil's or player's concussion history is clinically relevant. Records should follow them between seasons and between clubs where possible. Reduce unnecessary head-impact exposure in training. Rule modifications and coaching technique changes (lower tackle height, heading restrictions) have an evidence base in reducing cumulative impact burden. Treat the current science as evolving, not settled. The research will continue to develop. Policies should be reviewed annually against updated guidelines. Photo: Y2kcrazyjoker4, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources Palm Beach Post. Claude Lemieux's death fuels CTE research with help from ex-players (June 2026). https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/sports/nhl/2026/06/02/claude-lemieux-death-fuels-cte-research-ex-players/ Patricios JS et al. 6th International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2023. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/11/695 Stewart W et al. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy in neurodegenerative disease in a sports cohort. BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine, 2023. https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/9/1/e001540 Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf Imperial College London. FIELD Study - Football's InfluencE on Lifelong health and Dementia risk. https://www.imperial.ac.uk/brain-sciences/research/neuroimaging/field-study/ CTE research is moving quickly, and the science connecting repeated head trauma to long-term brain health outcomes deserves to be taken seriously at every level of sport. The Luca Safe Concussion Framework translates the current UK guidelines and international consensus into a documented, operational standard that schools and clubs can implement today - reducing cumulative head-impact burden through rigorous identification, stand-down, and graduated return-to-play at every incident. ← Back to news --- # /news/concussion-guidelines-must-broaden-brain-health-what-uk-grassroots-must-know/ URL: https://luca.health/news/concussion-guidelines-must-broaden-brain-health-what-uk-grassroots-must-know/ Concussion Research17 August 2026 Sports Concussion Guidelines Must Broaden - What UK Grassroots Sport Should Do Now Researchers are calling for sports leagues worldwide to broaden their concussion rules as brain health concerns mount. Here is what UK grassroots sport and schools need to know right now. Luca Team·6 min read Sports Concussion Guidelines Must Broaden - What UK Grassroots Sport Should Do Now Key takeaways Researchers writing in The Conversation argue that current sports league concussion guidelines are too narrow and must expand to address wider brain health concerns. The call follows a cluster of high-profile retirements and litigation cases across rugby, NRL, and American football. UK grassroots sport already operates under the November 2024 UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport, which are broader than most elite-sport equivalents. Schools and clubs should treat this research pressure as a signal to document and strengthen existing protocols now, before regulatory requirements tighten further. The right response is not alarm; it is structured, evidenced concussion management. A peer-reviewed commentary published via The Conversation this week argues that sports leagues worldwide are applying concussion rules that are too narrow in scope, focusing on acute head injury management while neglecting the broader picture of cumulative brain health. The piece arrives in the same news cycle as an NRL enforcer announcing a medical retirement he described as "harder to live with" than anything on the pitch, and ongoing commentary from legal academics about rugby litigation still working through the courts. Taken together, these stories signal a direction of travel that UK grassroots sport needs to anticipate. This article unpacks what the researchers are actually arguing, where UK grassroots guidelines already stand, and what schools and clubs should do in response. What are researchers saying about current concussion guidelines? The Conversation article argues that sporting bodies have designed their concussion rules around a narrow problem: identifying and managing acute concussion events. In other words, the focus has been on "did this player get a concussion today, and when can they return?" The researchers contend that this framing misses two important dimensions. First, it underweights sub-concussive impacts - repeated lower-level head contacts that do not trigger concussion symptoms in isolation but may contribute to cumulative brain health risk over a career. Second, it does not yet systematically account for individual biological factors (age, sex, history of previous concussion) that modify how any given impact affects a specific person. The researchers are not arguing that sport should be banned, or that existing acute management protocols are wrong. They are arguing that guidelines need to broaden outward from the single-event model to something that tracks a player's cumulative brain health over time. Where do UK grassroots guidelines already sit? This is an important question, because the picture for UK grassroots sport is more advanced than some international equivalents. The UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024 update) already incorporate several of the principles the researchers are calling for. Specifically: A minimum 21-day stand-down for confirmed concussion in under-18s, not because symptoms dictate it but because the developing brain warrants more conservative management as a default. Explicit acknowledgement that symptom-free does not mean recovered, and that graduated return to play must follow a structured, time-gated pathway regardless of how a player feels. Specific guidance on paediatric differences, recognising that children are not simply small adults when it comes to brain recovery. These provisions reflect the CISG 6th Consensus Statement (2023), which similarly moved the field toward more conservative, age-sensitive, and individually grounded protocols. What UK guidelines do not yet mandate - consistent with the researchers' critique - is systematic tracking of sub-concussive exposure or a formal cumulative brain health record across a player's career. That remains an open frontier. Why the NRL retirement matters for UK sport The NRL player's retirement announcement this week is worth noting, even though it is an Australian elite-sport story, because it illustrates a dynamic that is increasingly common at grassroots level: a player who reports that the psychological weight of concussion uncertainty - not a single dramatic injury - forced them out of the sport. That psychological dimension is something UK grassroots and school sport is not always well-equipped to handle. A young player who has had two or three concussions in a season, who is anxious about returning, and whose parents are uncertain about the risks, needs a management framework that addresses their whole situation. The acute protocol is necessary but not sufficient. What the litigation commentary adds Jack Anderson's commentary in the Irish Examiner this week describes the rugby concussion lawsuit landscape as one where "snickering" at player concerns is no longer a tenable position for governing bodies. His argument is that the legal pressure currently directed at elite rugby will, over time, shape expectations at community level too. UK readers should note: the cases currently before UK and Irish courts involve elite players with professional career exposures that are vastly different from a secondary school pupil playing 20 matches a season. But the governance expectations those cases establish - documented protocols, evidenced duty of care, clear return-to-play records - are already filtering into what inspectors, insurers, and NGBs expect from schools and clubs. The Luca Safe Concussion Framework is designed precisely to meet that documented governance standard, building an audit trail as a natural output of day-to-day management rather than as a retrospective exercise. What "broadening" concussion guidelines would mean in practice for UK sport If the researchers' argument gains traction with governing bodies - which history suggests it eventually will - the practical changes for UK grassroots sport are likely to include some or all of the following: 1. Cumulative exposure records. Rather than treating each concussion as a standalone event, sport may move toward a career-long record that triggers enhanced caution when a player has had multiple events within a defined period. The RFL Concussion Passport is an early model of this approach. 2. Mandatory reporting of all suspected concussions. Current guidance requires removal and assessment of suspected concussion. Future frameworks may require that every suspected event, whether confirmed or not, is formally logged. This closes the under-reporting gap. 3. Age and sex-adjusted protocols. Rather than a single protocol applied uniformly, more nuanced pathways may emerge for younger players, female players (where evidence suggests different symptom profiles and recovery trajectories), and players with prior history. 4. Sub-concussive impact monitoring. Instrumented mouthguard technology is moving toward community accessibility. It is not inconceivable that future guidelines recommend periodic impact monitoring for high-exposure players, particularly in rugby and American football contexts. UK schools and clubs that already operate with structured documentation - individual concussion records, stage-by-stage return-to-play logs, and clear sign-off trails - are best placed to adapt when guidance tightens. What schools and clubs should do right now The research commentary is a prompt, not a crisis. UK grassroots sport already has strong guidelines in place. The practical priority is making sure those guidelines are being implemented, documented, and reviewed. For schools: Confirm that your concussion policy reflects the November 2024 UK Grassroots Guidelines (not an older version). Check that all sports staff - not just the Head of Sport - know the "if in doubt, sit them out" principle and can apply the CRT6 recognition tool. Ensure your return-to-play documentation follows every stage, with named sign-off at each gate. The stage record is the evidence of reasonable care. Consider whether your return-to-learn pathway is as well-documented as your return-to-play pathway. The researchers' broader framework includes cognitive recovery, not just physical. For clubs: Review your concussion event log for the last season. How many suspected concussions were formally recorded? Under-recording is a common gap. Check your NGB's most recent concussion guidance and confirm your protocol is current. If you have players across multiple age groups, ensure the under-18 protocol is applied distinctly - not as a version of the adult pathway. You can benchmark against the Luca Safe Concussion Framework, which implements the UK Grassroots Guidelines as an operational standard across these areas. The honest context: broader guidelines are an evolution, not a revolution It is worth being clear about what this research debate does and does not mean. Researchers calling for broader guidelines are working from a legitimate evidence gap. The science on sub-concussive impacts and cumulative risk is developing; it is not yet at the stage where specific thresholds or mandatory limits can be precisely defined. The honest position is that we do not yet know exactly what cumulative exposure level causes long-term harm for any given individual. What we do know - with high confidence - is that managing each acute concussion event rigorously reduces cumulative risk. Following a structured return-to-play pathway reduces the likelihood of a player returning before their brain has recovered. Documenting every event creates the visibility that allows patterns to be spotted. These foundations are not in question. The direction of travel in concussion science is toward more individual, more cumulative, and more longitudinal approaches to brain health. UK grassroots sport that builds those habits now - structured management, individual records, staged return - will find adapting to whatever guidelines follow much easier. Practical next steps Download and read the UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update) if you have not done so recently. Confirm your current protocol matches the November 2024 version, not an earlier iteration. Audit your event recording for the last 12 months. Every suspected concussion should have a record: date, mechanism, immediate response, return-to-play log. If you manage under-18 players, confirm the 21-day minimum stand-down is applied as a default - not a maximum - for that age group. Read the CISG 6th Consensus Statement for the international evidence base underpinning these requirements. Photo: Luc106, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources The Conversation. Sports leagues' concussion guidelines must be broadened as brain health concerns rise. August 2026. https://theconversation.com/sports-leagues-concussion-guidelines-must-be-broadened-as-brain-health-concerns-rise Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf Concussion in Sport Group. 6th International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport (Amsterdam 2023). British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2023. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/11/695 Irish Examiner. Jack Anderson: Player concussions nothing to snicker about with rugby lawsuits pending. August 2026. https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/arid-41590000.html The Luca Safe Concussion Framework implements the UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines as a documented, operational standard - covering everything from initial recognition through staged return to play and long-term event recording. As the research case for broader, more longitudinal concussion management grows, having that structured foundation in place now is the clearest way for UK schools and clubs to demonstrate they are ahead of, not behind, the curve. ← Back to news --- # /news/concussion-in-girls-rugby-repeated-head-blows-women-research/ URL: https://luca.health/news/concussion-in-girls-rugby-repeated-head-blows-women-research/ Concussion Research28 May 2026 Repeated Head Blows in Women's Rugby: What the New Research Means for Schools and Clubs A pioneering new study is examining how repeated head impacts affect the brains of women rugby players - and the findings will matter for every school and club running girls' rugby. Luca Team·6 min read Repeated Head Blows in Women's Rugby: What the New Research Means for Schools and Clubs Key takeaways A new pioneering study is specifically investigating the neurological effects of repeated head impacts in women rugby players, filling a major gap in the existing research. Until now, almost all concussion and head-impact research in rugby has used male subjects, leaving women's and girls' rugby managed on extrapolated data. The sex-based research gap has real consequences: symptom presentation, recovery time, and risk profile may differ meaningfully between female and male players. Schools and clubs running girls' rugby should treat this as a prompt to review identification, reporting culture, and return-to-play documentation now, not once the results land. The November 2024 UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines apply to all players regardless of sex. The minimum 21-day stand-down for under-18s is not gender-conditional. A new study reported by the Guardian is doing something the sports science community should have done years ago: looking specifically at what repeated head impacts do to the brains of women who play rugby. The research is described as pioneering precisely because the field has been so thin. Most of what coaches, welfare officers, and school sports staff currently apply to girls' and women's rugby is adapted from male-subject data. That matters more than many realise. This article explains what the study is investigating, what the existing evidence already tells us about sex differences in concussion, and what schools and clubs running girls' rugby should do differently - or more deliberately - right now. What the new study is actually looking at The study, covered in detail by the Guardian, is designed to track neurological changes in female rugby players over time, specifically examining the cumulative effect of repeated head impacts rather than single diagnosed concussions. This distinction is important. A player may absorb dozens of sub-threshold head impacts across a season without triggering a formal concussion protocol. The question the researchers are asking is whether that cumulative load still causes measurable changes to brain structure or function in women. This mirrors work that has already been done in male players, most notably through the University of Glasgow's research into former professional rugby players, which found increased rates of neurodegenerative disease linked to career-long exposure. But that work was conducted almost entirely in men. The new study is attempting to generate an equivalent evidence base for female players, at a time when women's rugby is growing faster than almost any other team sport in the UK. Why the research gap matters for schools The absence of female-specific data is not just an academic problem. It has practical consequences for every school fielding a girls' rugby team. Current concussion management protocols, including the UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024 update), are built on a consensus evidence base that is heavily weighted toward male subjects. The protocols themselves are not sex-specific - the same removal criteria, stand-down periods, and return-to-play stages apply to all players. That is the correct approach given what we currently know. But it also means that if female players present with different symptom patterns, or recover on a different timeline, the framework has not been calibrated to catch that. The CISG 6th Consensus Statement (2023) acknowledged this explicitly, noting that sex is a modifier of concussion recovery and that female athletes may experience more symptoms and longer recovery times in some studies, though the evidence base remains incomplete. It did not recommend different protocols; it recommended more research. That research is now beginning to happen. What sex-based differences are already documented? Before this new study reports, here is what the existing literature - however limited - already suggests. Symptom presentation. Several studies, including research cited in the CISG 6th Consensus, have found that female athletes report higher symptom scores post-concussion than male athletes, including more headache, cognitive symptoms, and emotional symptoms. This may reflect genuine biological differences, differences in reporting behaviour, or both. Recovery time. Some - though not all - studies suggest female athletes take longer to reach full clinical recovery from concussion. A 2022 paper in Nature Scientific Reports examining post-concussion syndrome in youth found that female adolescents were disproportionately represented among those with prolonged symptoms. Neck strength. Lower average neck strength in female athletes is one biomechanical hypothesis for why head impacts may cause greater head acceleration, potentially increasing concussion risk or severity. This is an active area of research, not a settled conclusion. Under-identification. There is evidence, reviewed by the Drake Foundation and others, that concussion in female athletes is more likely to go unidentified. Contributing factors include lower awareness among coaches working in historically less-resourced women's and girls' programmes, and symptom presentations that may not match the stereotypical "got their bell rung" picture coaches are trained to recognise. What does this mean practically for girls' rugby at school level? The honest answer is that the new study's results are not yet available. Schools and clubs should not wait for them before acting. The combination of growing participation, a documented research gap, and early signals of sex-based differences in symptom presentation is enough to prompt a review now. Here are the specific areas worth examining. Identification training. Does the staff running girls' rugby sessions know that symptoms may present differently in female players, including more headache-dominant and cognitive presentations rather than the dazed, visibly disoriented picture? Refreshing awareness of the CRT6 concussion recognition tool, available free from the Concussion in Sport Group at concussioninsportgroup.com, is a practical starting point. Reporting culture. Under-reporting is a problem in all player populations, but the evidence suggests it may be worse in female sport, partly due to historically lower resourcing and partly because the culture around "playing through it" in women's rugby has received less explicit challenge. Schools should treat this as a culture question, not just a protocol question. Return-to-play documentation. The November 2024 UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines require a minimum 21-day stand-down before full contact return for any player under 18 with a confirmed concussion. This applies equally to girls' and boys' teams, and every stage should be documented. If your girls' rugby programme does not have the same level of documentation as the boys' first XV, that gap is worth closing before an incident makes it consequential. Baseline testing. If your school conducts pre-season baseline assessments for senior boys' rugby, the same should apply to girls' rugby. Post-injury comparison to an individual baseline is more useful than comparison to population norms, especially if female-specific norms remain underdeveloped. How does this connect to the broader concussion picture in rugby? The new study sits alongside a cluster of research developments that are pushing rugby governance to evolve. World Rugby's recommendation in late 2025 to write lower tackle heights into community game law was driven partly by trial data from the IRFU's two-season tackle behaviour study, which found measurable reductions in head contacts when the tackle height law was tightened. Those trials were conducted in the men's game. The question of whether equivalent or greater benefits would apply to women's rugby is one the new study may help answer, at least indirectly. Schools running girls' rugby alongside boys' rugby should ensure their concussion policy does not treat the girls' programme as a lower-priority afterthought. The same framework, the same documentation standards, and the same removal criteria apply. For schools looking to build that framework, the Luca Safe Concussion Framework at /lscf/ sets out a seven-domain approach that applies across all sports and all player populations, including girls' and women's rugby. What to do next: practical steps for schools and clubs Review your concussion identification training to ensure it covers symptom presentations more common in female athletes, not just the most visible signs of acute concussion. Check that your return-to-play documentation for girls' rugby meets the same standard as your boys' programme. If it does not, bring it in line before the next season. Ensure your pre-season baseline testing programme, if you run one, includes all contact sport players regardless of sex. Brief your girls' rugby coaches on the emerging research and remind them that the "if in doubt, sit them out" principle from the November 2024 UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines applies with equal force regardless of sex. Watch for the publication of results from this study. The Guardian and academic journals including the British Journal of Sports Medicine are the primary places to follow it. Photo: Spudem, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources The Guardian. Pioneering study aims to find out how repeated blows to head in women's rugby affects brain (May 2026). https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/may/25/pioneering-study-aims-to-find-out-how-repeated-blows-to-head-in-womens-rugby-affects-brain Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf Concussion in Sport Group. CISG 6th International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport (2023). https://www.concussioninsportgroup.com Concussion in Sport Group. Concussion Recognition Tool 6 (CRT6). https://www.concussioninsportgroup.com/scat-tools/ Drake Foundation. Female Athlete Concussion Research. https://www.drakefoundation.org Girls' rugby is growing rapidly in UK schools, and the science behind how female players experience concussion is only now beginning to catch up. The Luca Safe Concussion Framework provides a documented, clinician-led approach that applies consistently across every sport and every player population - including girls' and women's rugby. Download it free and benchmark your current policy today. ← Back to news --- # /news/concussion-study-female-rugby-players-what-schools-clubs-need-to-know/ URL: https://luca.health/news/concussion-study-female-rugby-players-what-schools-clubs-need-to-know/ Concussion Research11 June 2026 New Concussion Study in Female Rugby Players: What Schools and Clubs Need to Know A new BBC-reported study on head injuries in female rugby players adds to growing evidence that concussion presents differently in women and girls, with direct implications for school and club concussion management. Luca Team·6 min read New Concussion Study in Female Rugby Players: What Schools and Clubs Need to Know Key takeaways A newly reported study on head injuries in female rugby players adds to a growing body of evidence that concussion risk and symptom presentation differ between sexes. Current UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines (November 2024 update) apply equally to all players, regardless of sex, but the research increasingly suggests female-specific awareness is warranted. Schools and clubs running girls' or women's rugby programmes should review whether their identification and monitoring processes account for sex-based differences in symptom presentation. The "if in doubt, sit them out" principle remains the correct touchline call for every player, male or female. No protocol change is needed today, but the evidence base is moving, and staff education should move with it. A BBC-reported study on concussion and head injuries in female rugby players has put the spotlight back on a research gap that grassroots rugby has been slow to close. While the sport has invested heavily in concussion science over the past decade, much of that work has focused on elite male players. The emerging picture for women and girls is more complicated, and for school and club staff running female rugby programmes, that matters right now. This article sets out what the current evidence shows, what it means for concussion identification in girls' and women's rugby, and what practical steps schools and clubs should take today. What did the study report? The BBC's coverage highlighted research examining head injury patterns in female rugby players, adding to a body of work that has consistently found women and girls differ from their male counterparts in how concussion is experienced, reported, and recovered from. While the full detail of the latest study was still being assessed at time of writing, the headline findings align with existing peer-reviewed work: female rugby players may experience higher rates of reported concussion symptoms, are more likely to report certain symptom types (particularly headache, emotional disturbance, and cognitive fog), and may face longer average recovery timelines. This is not a new observation. A 2023 paper published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that female athletes across contact sports reported more symptoms and took longer to return to play than male athletes with equivalent injuries. The Glasgow University FIELD study and related work have flagged the same pattern in football; rugby research is arriving at similar conclusions. Why do concussion patterns differ between sexes? No single explanation accounts for the observed differences. The current hypotheses, drawn from CISG 6th Consensus Statement (2023) and associated research, include: Biomechanical factors. On average, women and girls have less neck muscle mass relative to head mass, which may result in greater rotational acceleration during head impacts. This is a structural feature, not a fitness shortcoming, and it applies across age groups. Hormonal factors. Research has explored whether oestrogen and progesterone cycles influence the brain's response to injury and subsequent recovery. Evidence is preliminary but consistent enough to warrant attention. Reporting behaviour. Some studies suggest female athletes may be more willing to report symptoms, which could partly explain higher reported rates. This is not the same as a higher incidence of injury, and conflating the two is a common error. Baseline neurocognitive differences. Pre-injury baselines differ between sexes on some standardised measures, which can complicate post-injury comparison if baseline testing is not individualised. The honest position, as the CISG 6th Consensus Statement acknowledges, is that the sex-based science is not yet settled. What is settled is that applying male-derived norms uncritically to female players is not good practice. What does this mean for school girls' rugby programmes? For secondary schools running girls' rugby, the practical implications are less about changing the protocol and more about sharpening the human side of it. Identification may require more active questioning. Male players are more likely to present with the dramatic visible signs of concussion (loss of consciousness, balance failure, confusion on the pitch) than female players in contact sport research. Girls may present with subtler symptoms: persistent headache, feeling "not quite right", emotional lability, or sensitivity to light. These are easy to miss in the noise of a match or training session. The CRT6 (Concussion Recognition Tool 6) remains the recommended touchline tool for non-medical staff. It was developed for universal application and covers symptom self-report, which is the category where female players are more likely to flag a problem. Staff should be specifically trained to initiate that conversation rather than waiting for a player to volunteer it. "I'm fine" should be treated with the same scepticism regardless of who says it. Research consistently shows that athletes of all sexes mask symptoms, but cultural and social pressures differ. In a school rugby context, a girl who wants to keep playing for her team, stay on the pitch, or avoid being singled out may be less likely to report spontaneously than a clinical framework would assume. The UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024) are clear: removal does not require certainty of concussion. Doubt is sufficient. Return to play decisions should not be rushed. If the evidence on recovery time in female players is correct, then a conservative approach to the GRTP stages is even more important for girls. The 21-day minimum stand-down for under-18s applies to all pupils. But "minimum" is a floor, not a target. What about women's club rugby? For community clubs running women's or girls' sections, the issues are similar but the governance context is slightly different. The RFU's HEADCASE programme is required training for coaches at affiliated clubs. It covers universal principles, but welfare officers and coaches working with female players should supplement this with awareness of the sex-specific evidence. Clubs should also ensure that welfare officers understand the research on reporting behaviour. A female player who says she feels fine should receive the same structured questioning that good practice demands for any player: not dismissal of her self-report, but active use of the CRT6 symptom checklist. The Luca Safe Concussion Framework supports clubs running multi-section programmes, with documentation that captures individual player history and symptom progression over time. See /for-clubs/ for how this applies to grassroots rugby club settings. Is the protocol different for female players right now? No. The UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines (November 2024) do not specify different protocols by sex, and neither does the CISG 6th Consensus Statement. The evidence base is not yet strong enough to justify a separate female-specific protocol at grassroots level. What the research does justify is: Ensuring that all coaching and welfare staff are aware that symptom presentation may differ, and that subtle, self-reported symptoms in female players deserve the same weight as obvious physical signs in male players. Building a concussion culture where female players understand that reporting symptoms is expected and valued, not a reason to be excluded from the team. Applying the minimum 21-day stand-down for under-18s rigorously, without pressure from players, parents, or fixture schedules to cut it short. What schools and clubs should do now Review staff awareness. Do the coaches and PE staff running your girls' rugby programme know about sex-based differences in concussion presentation? If not, this is the moment to close that gap. Revisit your school concussion policy to confirm it covers all sports and all players without assumptions baked in from male-dominated research contexts. Luca's resources for schools include a structured framework built around the UK guidelines. Check your CRT6 usage. Is the tool being used actively and consistently in girls' rugby fixtures and training, or is it reserved for the more dramatic incidents? Every suspected concussion, however subtle, should trigger the same process. Document everything. Symptom presentation, removal decisions, and return-to-play stages for every player should be in your records. This is not just good clinical practice; it is the foundation of demonstrable duty of care. Keep watching the evidence. This is a fast-moving area of concussion science. The next update to the UK guidelines, or the next CISG consensus, may include sex-specific guidance. Having the right culture and systems in place now means you will be ready to implement it. Photo: Spudem, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources BBC. Rugby concussion head injuries study in female rugby players. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf Concussion in Sport Group. CISG 6th Consensus Statement (2023). https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/11/695 Concussion in Sport Group. CRT6 Concussion Recognition Tool. https://concussioninsportgroup.com/scat-tools/ England Rugby. HEADCASE player welfare programme. https://www.englandrugby.com/run/player-welfare/headcase Luca's clinician-led platform supports schools and clubs to manage concussion from first incident to safe return, with structured documentation built around current UK guidelines and emerging research. If you run a girls' or women's rugby programme and want to review how your concussion management measures up, see /for-clubs/ or /for-schools/ to find out how Luca can help. ← Back to news --- # /news/cte-in-football-new-statistics-what-uk-grassroots-must-know/ URL: https://luca.health/news/cte-in-football-new-statistics-what-uk-grassroots-must-know/ Concussion Research31 August 2026 New CTE Statistics in Football - What UK Grassroots Sport Must Know A fresh wave of CTE data in football is renewing parental concern worldwide. Here is what the science actually shows, and what UK grassroots clubs and schools should do with it. Luca Team·7 min read New CTE Statistics in Football - What UK Grassroots Sport Must Know Key takeaways New CTE prevalence data from American football is generating headlines, but the exposure context matters enormously before drawing conclusions for grassroots football. CTE is a post-mortem diagnosis; no living player can be confirmed to have the condition. The research base relevant to UK school and grassroots football centres on the University of Glasgow FIELD study, not NFL post-mortem series. The appropriate response is proportionate management of every concussion, not abandonment of the sport. Good concussion protocols reduce cumulative head-impact exposure, which is the modifiable factor the evidence points to. Commentary in STAT and the Los Angeles Times this week has returned CTE in American football to the front pages, noting that new post-mortem data on NFL players is generating fresh parental alarm about teenagers playing sport. The instinct to be alarmed is understandable. The response, if it is to be useful, needs to be grounded in what the science actually says - particularly for coaches, parents and school leaders working in UK grassroots and school football, where the exposure picture is very different from a professional American football career. This article sets out what the current evidence base on CTE and football genuinely shows, where the research gaps remain, and what a proportionate, evidence-based response looks like for a UK school or community club. What is CTE, and why does the diagnosis matter? Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive neurodegenerative condition associated with repeated head impacts. It can only be confirmed through post-mortem examination of brain tissue; it cannot be diagnosed in living individuals. This distinction is not a technicality - it matters for how we interpret any statistic about CTE prevalence. When a study reports that a proportion of deceased athletes had CTE confirmed at post-mortem, the denominator is a self-selected group of individuals whose families donated brains to research, often because they had symptoms in life. That is not a random sample of all players. The CISG 6th Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport (Amsterdam, 2023) addresses this directly, noting that CTE case series from brain banks "cannot be used to determine the prevalence of CTE in the population" and that causation between sport participation and CTE has not been definitively established. What the American football data actually shows - and what it does not The studies drawing current media attention draw on data from institutions such as the Boston University CTE Centre, which has published extensively on post-mortem findings in former NFL players. These studies consistently find high rates of CTE pathology in donated brains. They are important science. They are not, however, a direct guide to risk in UK grassroots football for two reasons. First, the exposure is fundamentally different. A professional American football player accumulates thousands of sub-concussive and concussive impacts across a career spanning college and professional play, often starting from childhood. A UK school or grassroots footballer accumulates far fewer impacts, over a shorter period, in a contact sport with a different biomechanical profile. Second, the populations studied are not comparable. American football involves full-contact tackling on every play; association football's primary head-impact mechanism is heading the ball and incidental player collisions, not structured full-body contact. The concussion rate per exposure hour, and the nature of those exposures, differs substantially between the two sports. This is not a reason to dismiss the research. It is a reason to interpret it with the correct reference point for a UK context. What does the UK-relevant evidence say? The most directly relevant body of work for UK football is the University of Glasgow FIELD study, led by Professor Willie Stewart. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine (2019) and updated subsequently, the FIELD study examined mortality outcomes in a cohort of former Scottish professional footballers compared to matched controls from the general population. It found that former professional footballers had a 3.5 times higher rate of neurodegenerative disease mortality, with the elevated risk most pronounced in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and motor neurone disease. Key caveats the research team themselves highlight: The cohort was professional players, not grassroots or school participants. The elevated risk was associated with career-length exposure, not recreational play. Heading frequency in professional football during the study period was substantially higher than it is now, particularly in training. The mechanism linking football and neurodegeneration is not definitively established; heading is the primary hypothesis, but it is not proven. The FIELD study is the strongest UK-specific evidence available. It is about professional players. Its application to a 14-year-old playing Saturday morning football requires caution. What changed with the FA heading guidelines - and why it matters The Football Association has acted on the accumulating evidence. Its progressive heading restrictions guidance bans repetitive heading practice for players up to and including the under-18 age group during training, with complete restriction on heading in matches for players under 11. These restrictions apply to affiliated clubs and schools. The logic is straightforward: if heading is the primary risk mechanism, and if cumulative exposure over a career is what matters, then reducing heading exposure during the developmental years is a proportionate and evidence-consistent response. Schools should already be implementing these restrictions. If yours is not, that is the first gap to close. Does every concussion increase CTE risk? This is the question many parents are really asking when they see CTE headlines. The honest answer is that the science does not support a linear "one concussion equals elevated CTE risk" model. The weight of evidence points to cumulative, repeated sub-concussive and concussive exposure over years as the relevant variable, not a single injury event. The CISG 6th Consensus is clear that single concussive episodes - managed correctly and given adequate recovery time - are not currently evidenced as independently sufficient to cause CTE pathology. What the evidence does support is that poor management, early return to play, and repeated impacts on a recovering brain are harmful. This is precisely why the UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024 update) mandate a minimum 21-day stand-down from contact sport for confirmed concussion in under-18s. Following the protocol is not bureaucracy. It is the evidence-based means of limiting the exposure that the research identifies as harmful. Why parental concern is legitimate - and where it should be directed The STAT commentary this week is right that repeated CTE statistics produce a kind of desensitisation. Parents who have been told repeatedly that professional contact sport is associated with neurodegeneration and who are watching their child play contact sport have every right to ask questions. The answer is not "stop worrying." It is "here is what the evidence says and here is what your child's school or club should be doing." Parents of children in school or grassroots football should be asking: Does the school or club follow the FA heading restrictions in training? Is there a documented concussion protocol aligned to the November 2024 UK Grassroots Guidelines? Is there a process for graduated return to play following any suspected concussion, with a minimum 21-day stand-down for under-18s? Who is responsible for monitoring a child's recovery and authorising return to contact? These are not unreasonable questions. They are the questions that a school or club with functioning concussion management should be able to answer without hesitation. What good concussion management contributes to long-term brain health The scientific hypothesis connecting repeated head impacts to CTE pathology points to cumulative exposure as the key variable. Properly managed concussion, with full recovery before return to contact, limits that cumulative exposure. It is not possible to eliminate all head-impact risk in contact sport. It is possible to ensure that no player returns to contact before their brain has recovered from a previous injury, and that training environments follow the heading restrictions that exist for exactly this reason. The Luca Safe Concussion Framework implements the UK Grassroots Guidelines as an operational, documented standard - giving schools and clubs the tools to manage every concussion event consistently, evidence the graduated return to play process, and demonstrate that duty of care is being met in practice, not just on paper. The balanced view for parents weighing school football Contact sport, including football, carries genuine risk. The long-term evidence base is growing, and it points to cumulative exposure as the relevant concern. It does not currently support the conclusion that a child playing appropriately managed school or grassroots football, under current heading restrictions, faces the same risk profile as a professional player across a career that pre-dated modern protocols. The proportionate response is rigorous management, not withdrawal from sport. Sport provides physical, psychological and social benefits that matter to child development. The task for schools and clubs is to manage the risk honestly and systematically, using the frameworks that exist precisely for that purpose. If symptoms persist following any head impact, contact NHS 111 or your GP for guidance on next steps. Practical steps for schools and clubs right now Confirm your concussion policy references the November 2024 UK Grassroots Guidelines and includes the 21-day minimum stand-down for under-18s. Confirm FA heading restrictions are being applied in training across all age groups up to and including under-18. Ensure all staff supervising football know the "if in doubt, sit them out" principle and how to activate your concussion protocol. Document every suspected concussion event, the stand-down period, and the graduated return to play stages. Review your protocol against the seven domains of an evidence-based framework before the new season begins. Photo: Diliff, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources University of Glasgow / FIELD Study. Field study: Scottish professional footballers and neurological disease. New England Journal of Medicine (2019). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31869085/ Concussion in Sport Group. 6th International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport (Amsterdam, 2023). BJSM. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/11/695 Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf The Football Association. Heading in football guidance. https://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/policies/heading-in-football STAT News. The most shocking thing about the latest statistics on CTE in football is that we find them so shocking (August 2026). https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMinAFBVV95cUxQbWpGbTB0RVpZSTR3NzNuOWJkS3JxLVN5SXpUcGVrU0p2bUM1RElUZlpzNDhIcXV1ZWt4RG16TjZvOUZ1RWZtWUpjaGMzYUVwNnM5am5ISWQ3MEJUeFVXUmNOMHFSX3RocFluRnhwb2pWNmhROWo5TERuSGNCUndaZF8yUW5YeEY1NzNhQ1k4NmN3MVNXaXNqNXg5QTA Luca's framework reflects the current evidence on cumulative head-impact exposure and implements the UK Grassroots Guidelines as a documented, operational standard. If your school or club is starting a new football season and wants to audit its concussion governance, the Luca Safe Concussion Framework is free to download and provides a complete seven-domain template for doing exactly that. ← Back to news --- # /news/damian-mckenzie-concussion-super-rugby-what-schools-clubs-learn/ URL: https://luca.health/news/damian-mckenzie-concussion-super-rugby-what-schools-clubs-learn/ Sport News18 May 2026 Damian McKenzie's Concussion Stand-Down and What It Means for Grassroots Rugby Super Rugby medics have recommended Damian McKenzie sit out the rest of the season after a concussion. Here is what the elite decision-making process reveals for school and community rugby. Luca Team·6 min read Damian McKenzie's Concussion Stand-Down and What It Means for Grassroots Rugby Key takeaways Super Rugby medics have recommended Damian McKenzie miss the remainder of the season following a concussion - a call that reflects the same precautionary logic underpinning UK grassroots protocols. Elite stand-down decisions are made by independent team doctors; at grassroots and school level, the same principle applies but the mechanism differs. The UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024) set a minimum 21-day stand-down for confirmed concussion in under-18s and a graduated return process for all ages. "If in doubt, sit them out" is not just a slogan; it is the governing principle across elite and community rugby alike. Schools and clubs can use high-profile cases as a moment to review whether their own protocols match that same standard. Reports from Super Rugby this week indicate that All Blacks and Chiefs playmaker Damian McKenzie has been advised to sit out the rest of the Super Rugby Pacific season after a concussion. The recommendation, attributed to team medical staff, illustrates something the rugby community talks about constantly but does not always act on: when medics advise rest, the season ends - regardless of who the player is or what is at stake competitively. That principle is worth examining carefully, because it applies just as much to a year 10 fly-half at a state school in Lancashire as it does to an international. What the McKenzie decision actually shows The detail that matters here is not the identity of the player, but the source of the decision: medical staff, not coaches or club management. In elite rugby, the separation between welfare decisions and selection decisions is now structural. World Rugby's Head Injury Assessment (HIA) protocol is designed precisely to remove coaches from the loop when a player shows signs of concussion. At grassroots and school level, the equivalent separation is harder to achieve because there is usually no team doctor. The coach is often the only adult present. That is why the UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024 update) place the responsibility for immediate removal firmly with whoever is in charge of the team - and make the standard explicit: if there is any suspicion of concussion, the player does not return to the pitch that day. There is no "let's see how they go" option. The removal is immediate and unconditional. Why elite stand-downs inform grassroots practice It would be easy to dismiss a season-ending stand-down for a professional as irrelevant to school sport. The exposure levels, medical resources, and competitive stakes are completely different. But the underlying biology is the same. A concussed brain - whether it belongs to a Super Rugby international or a 15-year-old playing their first season of contact rugby - goes through the same neurochemical recovery process. The energy crisis in affected neurons, the disrupted axonal function, the period of heightened vulnerability to a second impact: these are not elite phenomena. They are human physiology. The CISG 6th Consensus Statement (2023) confirms that the period of physiological recovery frequently outlasts the period of symptomatic recovery. Put simply: feeling fine does not mean the brain is ready. That is why McKenzie's medical team would not clear him on the basis of symptoms alone, and it is why the UK grassroots guidelines require a staged return process rather than a simple "symptom-free to play" test. What do the UK grassroots guidelines actually require? The November 2024 update of the UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport sets out the following minimum requirements for community and school rugby: Immediate removal from play on any suspicion of concussion. The player does not return to the field that day under any circumstances. Medical assessment as the next step - either through NHS 111, a GP, or (if there are red-flag symptoms such as loss of consciousness, repeated vomiting, or worsening headache) A&E. Luca does not give advice on individual clinical decisions; direct any concern to NHS services. A minimum 21-day stand-down from contact for under-18s before any return to full training or match play. This is a floor, not a target - recovery may take longer. Graduated return to sport (GRAS), a six-stage protocol in which each stage must be completed symptom-free before progressing. The stages move from complete rest through to full contact training and match play. Symptom-free at rest as a prerequisite for beginning the GRAS protocol - not the end of it. These are not aspirational standards. They are the current published guidance from the Sport and Recreation Alliance, backed by World Rugby, the RFU, the RFL, the FA, and other UK governing bodies. How does this differ from the elite HIA protocol? This distinction matters and is worth stating directly: the World Rugby Head Injury Assessment (HIA) used at professional and elite level is not the same as the grassroots GRAS protocol, and the two should not be conflated. The HIA is designed for elite matches with pitchside medical staff, video review capability, and independent concussion consultants. It includes a 10-minute off-field assessment window and a structured multi-stage in-competition return decision process. It presupposes resources that simply do not exist at most schools or community clubs. The UK grassroots guidelines are built for the reality of community sport: a coach, a pitch, no doctor. They are more conservative in some respects (the 21-day under-18 minimum has no direct equivalent in the elite HIA pathway) precisely because the safety net of pitchside medical support does not exist. When you read about McKenzie's stand-down, you are reading about the HIA pathway operating as intended at the elite end. The lesson for schools and clubs is not to copy that process, but to implement the grassroots equivalent with the same seriousness. The cultural dimension: what elite decisions signal There is a secondary value in cases like McKenzie's that goes beyond protocol. High-profile stand-downs normalise the idea that concussion management is non-negotiable - that competitive stakes do not override welfare decisions. That normalisation matters in school and club rugby, where the pressure on coaches and players to minimise concussion and "get back out there" can be considerable. RFU HEADCASE guidance addresses this explicitly, noting that the culture around symptom reporting is as important as the protocol itself. Young players who see professional athletes sitting out seasons when concussed are more likely to report symptoms honestly - because it reframes the decision as normal and responsible rather than weak. Coaches working with young players can use moments like this as a teaching point. Not to alarm, but to explain: this is how the game now works at every level. What schools and clubs should do now If your school or club is running rugby fixtures this term, the following steps are within your immediate reach: Confirm that every staff member involved in contact rugby has received adequate concussion awareness training Check that your concussion policy references the November 2024 UK Grassroots Guidelines and includes the current 21-day under-18 minimum stand-down. Ensure there is a documented process for what happens when a player is removed from play - who contacts parents, how the GRAS protocol is initiated, who has clinical oversight. Review your school concussion policy or club framework against current guidance. If it was last updated before November 2024, it needs a refresh. Use the Luca Safe Concussion Framework as a benchmark - it implements the UK grassroots guidelines as a documented, operational standard and is free to download. The McKenzie case is a reminder that good concussion management is not about resources or profile. It is about taking the same decision - remove, rest, graduate return - every time, for every player. Sources Sport Nation. Mark Watson says Damian McKenzie should miss rest of Super Rugby season after concussion. https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiywFBVV95cUxPV04yeTdVbUtNNTNyanhLRy1tUEhGcVpRaUh5cy1oYjJ4a2xISk1sVFZMSHlKQ2R2ek9VWWpocWpPT0xIb0UydWl3QXphMlhUTmpvNnJubWducE9JZG1RLTgyOTFleVdxaWtlSEpLWnJQZVpDSUdrUHRDTEFicGlIS0M5RVB0YzF4cDQ2dzVLVjlrTWFKeGlLUlQ3Sm9iNVcyQ3d0VnJfRWo0VVlNYXAtNzJvRC1sUjM0VWlWRkFKbU9zNjJ1OWxuN1NBVQ Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf Patricios JS et al. 6th International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2023. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/11/695 England Rugby. HEADCASE concussion education. https://www.englandrugby.com/run/player-welfare/headcase Photo: David Molloy Photography / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0 Luca's platform supports schools and clubs running rugby programmes to implement and document concussion management to current UK guideline standards - from immediate removal through to clinical sign-off on return to play. If you want to see how the framework applies in a rugby context, visit Luca's schools page or the clubs page for more detail. ← Back to news --- # /news/eben-etzebeth-recurring-concussions-what-grassroots-rugby-must-understand/ URL: https://luca.health/news/eben-etzebeth-recurring-concussions-what-grassroots-rugby-must-understand/ Sport News13 July 2026 Eben Etzebeth's Recurring Concussions - What Grassroots Rugby Must Understand Recurring concussions in elite rugby are making headlines. Here is what coaches, schools, and clubs in the grassroots game need to take away from the Eben Etzebeth story. Luca Team·6 min read Eben Etzebeth's Recurring Concussions - What Grassroots Rugby Must Understand Key takeaways Recurring concussions in the same player raise serious questions about cumulative risk, even at elite level. UK grassroots rugby uses the GRAS protocol, not the elite HIA process seen in professional rugby. The two must not be confused. Under the November 2024 UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines, a player who has suffered a recent concussion must complete a full graduated return to play before contact is permitted again. There is no UK guideline that explicitly limits a player's career after a set number of concussions. Clinical judgement, applied case by case, governs that decision. Grassroots coaches and school sports staff are not responsible for career-level medical decisions, but they are responsible for following their protocol on every single occasion. A News24 report published this week has flagged a growing concern in South African and international rugby: Springboks lock Eben Etzebeth has experienced recurring concussions, and commentators are now openly asking whether the repeated incidents threaten his participation in South Africa's title defence. For elite rugby, this is a player welfare story. For grassroots rugby coaches, school sports staff, and welfare officers in the UK, it is a useful prompt to examine what the rules actually require when a player suffers more than one concussion in a season - and what the evidence says about cumulative risk. What "recurring concussion" actually means A recurring concussion is a second (or subsequent) concussion sustained after the player has returned to contact sport following a previous concussion. It is distinct from a single severe concussion. The concern with recurring concussions is twofold. First, there is the question of whether the brain has fully recovered before the second impact occurs. The neuroscience is clear on one point: the brain's metabolic recovery takes longer than symptom resolution. A player who feels fine may still have a brain in a vulnerable state. The CISG 6th Consensus Statement (2023) explicitly states that return to contact before full neurological recovery increases the risk of further injury. Second, there is the growing body of evidence on cumulative impact. Research from the University of Glasgow, including studies published in BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine, has identified associations between higher career head-impact exposure and increased risk of neurodegenerative conditions. That research was conducted on professional players with careers spanning decades. Extrapolating directly to school or community sport is not justified by the data, but it does provide a scientific rationale for taking every concussion seriously. How UK grassroots rules handle a player with a recent concussion The November 2024 UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance) are unambiguous: a player who has suffered a confirmed or suspected concussion must complete the full graduated return to activity (GRAS) protocol before returning to contact training or match play. There is no shortened protocol because the player has "had one before." Each concussion event starts the clock from the beginning. For adults, the minimum stand-down before returning to contact is 21 days from the point of injury, provided the player is symptom-free. For under-18s, the minimum is also 21 days, but the protocol is applied more conservatively throughout, with medical sign-off required before returning to contact. Crucially, if a player suffers a second concussion while still within their return-to-play period for the first, the entire protocol restarts. That is not an interpretation - it is the stated position in the guidelines. What the UK grassroots guidelines do not do is set a mandatory career limit after a specific number of concussions. That decision sits with qualified medical practitioners, applied to the individual. A grassroots coach or school sports staff member has neither the authority nor the clinical information to make that call. Their responsibility is to follow the protocol correctly every time, and to refer the player for clinical assessment when required. What coaches and schools actually control The Etzebeth story plays out at the elite level, where there are team doctors, neuropsychologists, and high-tech monitoring systems. The RFU HEADCASE programme and World Rugby's concussion guidelines inform the elite pathway. But grassroots clubs and schools operate in a different context - and that is entirely manageable if the right structures are in place. When you are a coach or a Head of Sport, here is what you control: Whether you apply the "if in doubt, sit them out" principle consistently, including for a player who has a concussion history. Whether you document each concussion event, including the date of injury, symptoms observed, removal decision, and progression through GRAS stages. Whether you require written confirmation that a player has completed GRAS before allowing them back into contact training. Whether you communicate clearly with parents when a player has suffered a second concussion, and ensure they understand the restart of the protocol. None of these require medical training. All of them are within the competence of any sports staff member who has read the November 2024 UK guidelines. For schools, there is an additional safeguarding dimension. The return of a pupil to contact sport after concussion is a welfare decision with a documentation trail. If a pupil has suffered multiple concussions in one season, it is reasonable for the Head of Sport to consult the school nurse or DSL, and to consider whether a GP letter should be required before the pupil returns to contact. That is not the protocol standard, but it is proportionate and defensible. The Luca Safe Concussion Framework supports schools in building exactly this kind of layered decision-making into their governance. What the elite picture tells us about grassroots culture One reason the Etzebeth story is worth reading closely is that elite rugby has increasingly normalised detailed public scrutiny of concussion management. It is becoming harder for high-profile players to return to play without the media, and often the public, demanding to know that the protocol was followed. That scrutiny does not yet apply to a Saturday afternoon community rugby match, but it is moving in that direction. Governing bodies are watching. The RFU's Regulation 9 places player welfare responsibilities on clubs at every level of the game. Insurers are increasingly asking whether clubs have documented concussion protocols. Parents are increasingly aware of the research. Clubs that have built proper documentation habits, and schools that follow a structured framework, are in a significantly stronger position than those that rely on informal custom and practice. What the evidence says about cumulative concussion risk The research on cumulative concussion and long-term brain health is developing rapidly. The Glasgow University FIELD study and associated research have strengthened the evidence that professional footballers and rugby players face elevated neurological risks compared to the general population. However, those studies consistently involve players with decades of high-volume, high-intensity contact exposure. The honest position for grassroots and school sport is this: the evidence supports taking each concussion seriously, completing full recovery protocols, and not returning players prematurely. The evidence does not support claiming that a child who plays school rugby for six years faces the same risk profile as a professional who trains full-time from age 16 to 35. Both the over-reaction and the under-reaction are unhelpful. What does help is consistent application of the GRAS protocol, accurate documentation, and a culture where reporting symptoms is encouraged rather than stigmatised. What to do if a player in your care has had more than one concussion this season If a player under your care has suffered two or more concussions in the same season, the steps are straightforward: Ensure the most recent concussion is being managed through the full GRAS protocol from the beginning, not abbreviated because "we've done this before." Confirm in writing (email to parents, logged in your concussion record) that the protocol has restarted. Consider whether to recommend a GP review before the player is cleared for contact, particularly for an under-18 player or a player whose symptoms were prolonged. Do not rush the final medical clearance stage. If your protocol requires a medical sign-off, get it. Review your documentation. If you cannot evidence that each concussion was managed and each return-to-play completed, that is a gap to address now. The how Luca works page sets out how structured clinical oversight can support schools and clubs through exactly this kind of multi-concussion management situation. Photo: Stefano Delfrate, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources News24. Bok headache: Recurring Eben concussions threaten title defence. July 2026. https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMi2AFBVV95cUxOQ2lGV3hLcEFCQkZTU3FNYklxQWUwNnBURzVlTHdKUGZreG5iLWk4UnpUSWNvajVQX2lSekVmRnhvYUZBYnF4MHVZTm1jSGREYlEweWp6SVB1Q0VCWERoYUNVR1llcmFETnJKcXpZOUp6UXJqbThHU2V6OHUyNW1ncGhhVUhKRXFnQjc3MnQ1WTg5Uk9CRkhfbGEySnRxSEo5UUVnbmJvMEZGdHFuLUttNnNZRG5PcUg5MnFscTJKQ1ZmTXdidEd1SjJRb1Z6d1M0VHB0RHdWdlo Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf Concussion in Sport Group. CISG 6th Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport (Amsterdam 2022, published 2023). British Journal of Sports Medicine. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/11/695 University of Glasgow / FIELD Study. Neurodegenerative disease mortality among former professional football players. New England Journal of Medicine / PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36918257/ England Rugby. HEADCASE player welfare programme. https://www.englandrugby.com/run/player-welfare/headcase England Rugby. Regulation 9: Player Safety. https://www.englandrugby.com/dxdam/f6/f6c26be8-6a20-4c35-b47c-2d1ca5a8dc0a/Regulation%209%20-%20Player%20Safety%20(v2).pdf World Rugby. Concussion guidance. https://www.world.rugby/the-game/player-welfare/guidelines/concussion Recurring concussions require the same rigorous, structured response every time, whether the player is a Springbok or a school first XV prop. The Luca Safe Concussion Framework gives schools and clubs the documented, clinician-supervised pathway to manage every concussion event consistently - including the ones that follow a previous one. ← Back to news --- # /news/faingaanuku-concussion-protocols-grassroots-rugby/ URL: https://luca.health/news/faingaanuku-concussion-protocols-grassroots-rugby/ Sport News8 June 2026 Fainga'anuku's Head Knock and What Concussion Protocols Really Mean for Grassroots Rugby A high-profile head knock during the All Blacks' tour has put concussion protocols under the spotlight again. Here is what grassroots coaches and schools should take from it. Luca Team·6 min read Fainga'anuku's Head Knock and What Concussion Protocols Really Mean for Grassroots Rugby Key takeaways Caleb Fainga'anuku received a head knock during international rugby, sparking fresh debate about how concussion decisions are made in real time. Elite head injury assessment (HIA) protocols are built for environments with pitchside medics and video review. They do not apply directly to grassroots or school rugby. The UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines (November 2024 update) set the standard for community and school sport. The rule is simple: if in doubt, sit them out, with a minimum 21-day stand-down for under-18s. High-profile cases are a useful prompt to check whether your club or school protocol is actually operational, not just written down. The pressure players feel to carry on, even at elite level, is just as real at grassroots level. Coaches need language and structures that remove that pressure from the player. Analysis from 1News and commentary from rugby writers this week has turned attention back to how concussion calls are made at the sharp end of the sport. Caleb Fainga'anuku's head knock during international rugby, and the scrutiny that followed it, is a reminder of something the grassroots game knows well: the moment of decision is hard, fast, and high-stakes. What elite coverage rarely does is translate those lessons into what they mean for a school coach or community club welfare officer. This article does that. What happened, and why it matters beyond the top level Reports from 1News and Planet Rugby this week described Fainga'anuku sustaining a head knock during play, with commentators and analysts questioning how concussion decisions were handled at pitchside. The Bordeaux president was quoted as being "very scared" for the player's future in the sport, and World Rugby's protocols were cited across multiple outlets. The specific medical details of Fainga'anuku's case are not publicly confirmed, and Luca does not speculate about individual athletes' medical histories beyond what named outlets have reported. What we can say is this: whenever a high-profile incident like this surfaces, grassroots coaches and school sports staff often ask whether it changes anything for them. The honest answer is: probably not in terms of what the rules require, but it is a useful prompt to check whether what the rules require is actually happening at your level. Why elite protocols do not translate directly to the community game The World Rugby Head Injury Assessment (HIA) is the elite-level protocol. It involves trained pitchside medics, video review technology, and a structured process that can temporarily remove a player from the field while assessment takes place. It is designed for an environment with significant medical resource on hand. That is not the environment at a Saturday morning school fixture or a community club training session. The framework that applies at grassroots level in the UK is the UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport, last updated by the Sport and Recreation Alliance in November 2024. These guidelines are built around a single principle: if there is any suspicion of concussion, the player comes off immediately and does not return to play that day. There is no equivalent of the HIA's temporary substitution and return mechanism at grassroots level, because the medical resource needed to make a safe same-day return decision is simply not there. This distinction matters. One of the most common mistakes at grassroots level is coaches or parents citing elite-level decisions as justification for different treatment at community level. The two systems are structurally different, and for good reason. What the November 2024 UK Grassroots Guidelines actually require The November 2024 update to the UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines tightened the stand-down periods and clarified the pathway. The key rules are: Immediate removal. Any player suspected of concussion must be removed from play immediately. They do not return to contact sport that day under any circumstances. Minimum stand-down periods. Adults must stand down for a minimum of 14 symptom-free days before completing a graduated return to sport. Under-18s must stand down for a minimum of 21 days, with symptom-free status required before the graduated return begins. Graduated return to sport (GRAS). Return is staged, not a single clearance. Each stage requires symptom-free completion before moving to the next. The full pathway, from removal to return to contact, takes a minimum of six weeks for under-18s when the stand-down and GRAS stages are combined. Clinical sign-off for return to contact. Under the November 2024 update, a healthcare professional should be involved in sign-off for return to full contact activity. For schools and clubs without direct access to a team doctor, this typically means a GP appointment. The Luca graduated return to play pathway at /how-it-works/ structures each of these stages with documentation and clinical oversight, which is particularly important for organisations that run multiple teams across age groups. The pressure problem: why "if in doubt, sit them out" is harder than it sounds The Fainga'anuku coverage this week touched on a dynamic that is familiar at every level of the sport: the pressure on players, and those around them, to minimise the significance of a head knock and carry on. This pressure is cultural, competitive, and in the moment it is very real. At elite level, the stakes are contracts, selection, and careers. At grassroots level, the stakes feel different but the dynamic is similar. A young player does not want to let their team down. A coach does not want to be seen as overcautious. A parent at the side of the pitch wants to believe their child is fine. The November 2024 UK guidelines are explicit that the decision to remove a player is not negotiable once suspicion of concussion is present. The coach, teacher, or welfare officer does not need to diagnose concussion. They need to identify suspicion. Suspicion is enough. The guideline language is clear: "if in doubt, sit them out." Coaches should know the signs that trigger removal. These include any of the following, per the Sport and Recreation Alliance guidance: Loss of consciousness, however brief Confusion or disorientation Visible impact seizure or convulsive movements Unsteadiness on feet, balance problems Dazed appearance or slow response to questions Clutching or holding the head Any reported headache, nausea, or vision problems following a head impact You do not need all of these. One is enough. What coaches and school sports staff should do after an incident like this High-profile concussion incidents in elite sport are, if nothing else, a useful reason to revisit your own practice. Here is a practical check for this week: Review your immediate-removal procedure. Who makes the call? What happens if the designated welfare officer is absent? Is there a clear deputy? Check your documentation trail. When a player is removed for a suspected concussion, is that incident recorded in writing within 24 hours? Who holds that record? Confirm your stand-down tracking. If a player was removed last season and never formally completed the GRAS pathway, are you aware of that? A record system makes this visible. Revisit your player and parent communication. Do players know that they are protected by the removal rule, not penalised by it? Does your pre-season briefing include this? Check clinical sign-off arrangements. For return to contact activity, under the November 2024 update, a healthcare professional should be involved. Is that route clear for your players and families? The Luca Safe Concussion Framework covers all seven of these operational domains, and is free to download from /lscf/. The longer picture: why protocols exist Fainga'anuku's situation has also attracted commentary about long-term career risk. Without knowing the specifics of his case, what we can say is that the science supporting stand-down protocols is about more than immediate safety. Concussion recovery involves a period of neurological vulnerability during which a second impact, even a minor one, carries disproportionate risk. Return-to-play protocols exist because the window of recovery is not visible from the outside. Feeling fine is not the same as being recovered. That is as true for a 17-year-old in a school first XV as it is for an international winger. The UK Grassroots Guidelines and World Rugby's community game guidance are built on this evidence. Following them is the most straightforward thing a club or school can do to protect their players. Photo: rhonddalad from Cardiff, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf 1News. Analysis: Fainga'anuku's head knock puts concussion protocols in spotlight. https://www.1news.co.nz/ World Rugby. Concussion: Player welfare. https://www.world.rugby/the-game/player-welfare/concussion Planet Rugby. Bordeaux president 'very scared' for Bok. https://www.planetrugby.com/ If your club or school is reviewing its concussion protocols in the light of cases like this, the Luca Safe Concussion Framework gives you a documented, seven-domain standard built around the November 2024 UK Grassroots Guidelines. Download it free at /lscf/. ← Back to news --- # /news/fifa-world-cup-concussion-protocols-under-fire-what-grassroots-football-must-know/ URL: https://luca.health/news/fifa-world-cup-concussion-protocols-under-fire-what-grassroots-football-must-know/ Sport News22 June 2026 FIFA's World Cup Concussion Protocols Are Under Fire - What Grassroots Football Must Know FIFA's concussion management at the 2026 World Cup is facing sharp criticism after a USA incident raised serious questions about player safety. Here is what grassroots and school football should take from the debate. Luca Team·6 min read FIFA's World Cup Concussion Protocols Are Under Fire - What Grassroots Football Must Know Key takeaways FIFA's concussion protocols at the 2026 World Cup have come under direct criticism following an incident involving a USA player, with experts warning "players are at risk." Elite tournament protocols differ fundamentally from the UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines that apply to school and community football. The "if in doubt, sit them out" principle remains the non-negotiable standard at every level below elite competition. Grassroots coaches and school sports staff cannot and should not rely on what they see at the World Cup as a guide to their own obligations. Documented protocols, not sideline judgement calls, are what protect players and the adults responsible for them. When a player appears to take a significant head impact at a World Cup watched by hundreds of millions of people, how the medical team responds sends a signal - for better or worse - to every coach, teacher, and parent watching at home. Reporting from The Athletic, published in The New York Times, has highlighted that FIFA's concussion management at the 2026 tournament is now under fire after an incident involving a USA player, with the criticism plain: "Players are at risk." This article is not about that specific incident in isolation. It is about what the controversy reveals for the people running grassroots and school football in the UK - and why the gap between elite tournament protocols and your legal obligations on a Saturday morning pitch matters more than ever. What the criticism of FIFA is actually about FIFA operates what it calls a Concussion Assessment Protocol (CAP) at elite competitions. The system allows a temporary substitution so a player can be assessed off the pitch. In theory, this is an improvement on earlier practice, when assessments happened on the touchline while play continued. In practice, critics argue the system still places too much pressure on team medical staff to return players quickly, that the assessment window is too short, and that the incentive structure at tournament level - where every substitution carries tactical consequences - creates a conflict of interest that no protocol has yet fully resolved. The specific concerns raised around the 2026 USA incident, as reported by The Athletic, centred on whether the assessment was adequate before the player continued. Those questions are for FIFA and the relevant medical teams to answer. The broader point - that elite football's concussion governance remains contested - is directly relevant to how grassroots football is understood by the public. Why what happens at the World Cup is not your protocol Here is the single most important thing for any school sports staff member or grassroots coach to understand: the protocols you see at the World Cup do not apply to your game. FIFA's system is built for a specific context: medically qualified personnel on the pitch, replacement concussion substitutions built into the laws, video review available, and a competitive structure in which matches cannot simply be paused indefinitely. None of that applies to community or school football in the UK. The framework that applies to you is the UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport, published by the Sport and Recreation Alliance and updated in November 2024. Its core requirement is straightforward: if you suspect a concussion, the player comes off and does not return to play that day. No temporary substitution. No pitch-side assessment that might clear them to continue. Off, and done. This is not a less sophisticated version of the FIFA protocol. It is a deliberately more conservative standard, designed for contexts where: There is no qualified medical professional on the touchline. There is no video review to identify the mechanism of injury. The stakes of a wrong call cannot be absorbed by a high-performance medical team. What does "suspected concussion" mean in practice for football coaches? The November 2024 UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines are explicit: you do not need to confirm a concussion to remove a player. Suspicion is enough. Signs that should trigger removal include: Any loss of consciousness, however brief. Visible confusion, disorientation, or "glazed" appearance after a head impact. Headache, dizziness, or nausea following a head impact. Unsteadiness on their feet. The player appearing slow to get up after a head contact. Any player who "just doesn't seem right" after a collision, even if they cannot articulate what is wrong. Crucially, the guidelines apply to any significant head impact - not just collisions involving a football. A clash of heads going for an aerial ball, a fall onto hard ground, a goalkeeper striking a post: all of these can cause concussion. The FA's own concussion guidance, available at englandfootball.com, mirrors the grassroots guidelines. Any coach affiliated to an FA-registered club is expected to follow this framework. How the debate connects to the FA heading guidelines The controversy around FIFA's protocols lands in the same week that UK grassroots football continues to implement the FA's graduated heading restrictions. The FA's heading in football guidance restricts heading in training for players up to and including age 11, with guidance extending upwards as the evidence base develops. The heading restrictions address sub-concussive impacts - repeated, lower-force head contacts that may not cause immediate concussion symptoms but are increasingly linked, in research including the University of Glasgow FIELD study, to elevated long-term neurological risk. These are distinct from acute concussion. A player who heads a ball repeatedly in training is not necessarily concussed. A player who clashes heads with an opponent and shows any of the signs above may well be. Both deserve appropriate management, but the interventions are different: the heading restrictions address cumulative exposure; the grassroots concussion protocol addresses acute events. Conflating the two - treating a heading restriction as a concussion protocol, or treating a concussion event as merely a sub-concussive impact - is a governance gap that schools and clubs should actively close. What the World Cup moment means for school football specifically For schools, there is an additional layer. Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) creates a duty of care for pupil welfare during school-organised activities that goes beyond the sporting context alone. A head injury that occurs during a school football fixture is not simply a sporting matter; it sits within the school's safeguarding framework. If a pupil is allowed to continue playing after a suspected concussion - because a teacher or coach was uncertain, because the pupil insisted they were fine, or because the school had no documented protocol to fall back on - the school's exposure is significant. The standard is not what happened at a professional tournament. The standard is what a reasonable person in the same position, applying current UK guidelines, would have done. You can find Luca's guidance on school football concussion management as well as a breakdown of how the Luca Safe Concussion Framework maps to your specific obligations. What grassroots clubs must do now The FIFA controversy is a useful prompt. Use it. Here is what to check this week: Confirm your protocol is current. The November 2024 update to the UK Grassroots Guidelines introduced changes. If your written protocol pre-dates November 2024, it needs updating. Brief your coaching staff before the next fixture. "If in doubt, sit them out" is not optional guidance. It is the operational standard for every community and school football fixture in the UK. Remove the pressure to return same-day. The elite temporary substitution model does not exist in grassroots football for good reasons. No player should return to play on the day of a suspected concussion, regardless of what they or their parents say. Document every incident. A written record of what happened, who made the decision, and what follow-up was arranged is the minimum evidence standard. If it is not written down, it did not happen in governance terms. Know when to escalate. If a player loses consciousness or shows severe or deteriorating symptoms, call 999. For all other suspected concussions, NHS 111 or a GP appointment is the appropriate next step - not a return to training the following day. Luca's clinician-led platform supports clubs and schools through every stage of this process, from initial identification to safe return. Practical takeaway The debate about FIFA's protocols at the 2026 World Cup will continue. What matters for you is simpler: the UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines are the standard for your game, your school, and your club. They are more conservative than elite protocols. That is intentional. Your job is to know them, document that you follow them, and remove the pressure from any individual - player, coach, or parent - to make a medical judgement call in real time. Photo: CarlosArturoAcosta, IJA, CC0 http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources The Athletic / New York Times. FIFA's World Cup concussion protocols under fire after USA incident: 'Players are at risk.' https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/ Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf The Football Association. Heading in football guidance. https://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/policies/heading-in-football University of Glasgow FIELD Study. Football's InfluencE on Lifelong health and Dementia risk (FIELD). https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/field/ Department for Education. Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), 2024 edition. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2 The FA. Concussion - player welfare guidance. https://www.englandfootball.com/play/player-welfare/concussion If your club or school wants a structured, documented approach to football concussion management that meets the current UK Grassroots Guidelines, the Luca Safe Concussion Framework is free to download and provides the complete operational standard your NGB, insurer, and safeguarding lead increasingly expect to see in place. ← Back to news --- # /news/footballer-end-of-life-care-head-clash-grassroots-concussion-lessons/ URL: https://luca.health/news/footballer-end-of-life-care-head-clash-grassroots-concussion-lessons/ Sport News6 July 2026 A Footballer Is in End-of-Life Care After a Head Clash. What Must Grassroots Sport Learn? A grassroots footballer in Australia is in end-of-life care after a head clash in a suburban match. Every UK club and school must ask: would our concussion protocol have made a difference? Luca Team·6 min read A Footballer Is in End-of-Life Care After a Head Clash. What Must Grassroots Sport Learn? Key takeaways A grassroots footballer in Australia is reported to be in end-of-life care following a head injury sustained during a suburban match, according to ABC News. The incident is a reminder that catastrophic outcomes are not confined to elite sport; they can and do occur at any level. Every UK club and school has a duty of care obligation to remove any player with a suspected concussion immediately, with no exceptions. Documented protocols are not just governance paperwork; they are the operational difference between a managed response and a chaotic one. If your club or school cannot answer "what happens in the first five minutes after a head injury", that is the gap to close today. A grassroots footballer in Australia is in end-of-life care after a head clash during a suburban match. Details remain limited, but the ABC News report confirms the severity of the injury and its community context. This was not a professional fixture with a medical team on standby. It was the kind of match played on thousands of pitches across the UK every week. This article will not speculate about the individual case. What it will do is use the incident as a prompt for every UK school and grassroots club to ask a direct question: if this had happened on our pitch today, would our concussion response have been adequate? Why grassroots incidents like this matter for UK duty of care Elite sport gets the headlines. The Head Injury Assessments in professional rugby, the FIFA FOCUS protocol now being rolled out at international level, the lawsuits involving former professional players; these dominate the conversation. But the overwhelming majority of sport-related head injuries happen in community settings, where there is no doctor, no physio, and often no written protocol. In England and Wales, a school or sports club's duty of care is not conditional on the level of competition. The common law duty, reinforced by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the safeguarding obligations set out in Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), applies at every level. When a head injury occurs and the response is disorganised, undocumented, or simply absent, that is a governance failure - not just a medical one. The UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024 update) were written precisely for this environment. They assume no medic on the touchline. They assume a coach or teacher making a decision in real time. Their core requirement is simple: any player who shows signs of suspected concussion must be removed from play immediately and must not return on the same day. That principle is not complex. But its application requires preparation. What does an adequate grassroots response actually look like? The November 2024 UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines set out a clear pathway for the first hour after a suspected head injury. For clubs and schools without clinical staff on site, the framework rests on three roles that any prepared organisation can fill. The first responder (coach, teacher, referee). Their job is recognition and removal. The Concussion Recognition Tool 6 (CRT6), published by the Concussion in Sport Group as part of the CISG 6th Consensus process, is the recognised tool for non-medical staff. It does not diagnose concussion; it identifies when removal is warranted. Any staff member involved in match-day management should be familiar with it. The responsible adult (club welfare officer, DSL, head of sport). Their job is to ensure the player does not return to the pitch, that a parent or guardian is contacted, and that the incident is logged. A verbal handover is not enough. A written record must follow. The clinical referral. The UK guidelines are explicit: a player removed for suspected concussion must be seen by a healthcare professional before any return to training or competition is considered. That is not a box to tick; it is the gateway that separates the safe pathway from the dangerous shortcut. The documentation question most clubs cannot answer If a solicitor, an insurer, or an Ofsted inspector asked your organisation to produce a record of every head injury incident in the last 24 months, what would you hand them? For most grassroots clubs and many independent schools, the honest answer is: not much. An incident book, perhaps. A text message chain. A verbal account from a coach. This is not a criticism of the individuals involved; it reflects a systemic gap in how grassroots sport has been resourced and trained. But the gap has consequences. When something goes seriously wrong, the absence of documentation is not neutral. It is evidence that the duty of care was not being actively managed. The Luca Safe Concussion Framework addresses this directly. It provides the structure for documenting every stage of a concussion event, from initial removal through graduated return to play, in a format that is audit-grade and clinician-supervised. That documentation does not just protect the organisation; it protects the player by ensuring nothing falls through the cracks between a Saturday afternoon incident and the following Monday's training session. What this means for the start of the 2026-27 season Pre-season is the right moment to close governance gaps, and the timing of this incident, four weeks before most UK school and club seasons resume, should concentrate minds. Three specific actions make the most difference. 1. Review your written concussion policy. Does it name a responsible person for every stage of the response? Does it specify what "immediate removal" means operationally, not just in principle? Does it describe the return-to-play pathway in stages, with sign-off requirements at each stage? If any of those elements are absent, the policy is incomplete. 2. Train your first responders. RFU HEADCASE, the FA's concussion guidance, and the CRT6 itself are all freely available. Every coach, PE teacher, and match referee associated with your club or school should have completed at least one of these resources before the season starts. Annual refreshers are not excessive; they are what the November 2024 guidelines recommend. 3. Create a documentation habit before you need it. The worst time to design your incident record is while someone is lying on the pitch. A one-page pro forma, completed within 30 minutes of every head injury incident, will do more for your governance position than any amount of retrospective policy writing. The honest case for taking this seriously No protocol prevents every bad outcome. Head injuries at grassroots level will continue to happen as long as contact sport is played. The question is not whether your club can guarantee safety; it is whether your club can demonstrate that it took every reasonable step. In the context of a reported catastrophic injury at suburban level, "we didn't have a written protocol" is not an acceptable answer. The UK guidelines exist. The recognition tools are free. The training is available. The duty of care obligation does not require perfection. It requires preparation. What to do next If you are a head of sport, club welfare officer, DSL, or headteacher, take these steps before the season begins. Download and read the UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). Confirm that at least two members of staff per fixture have completed concussion recognition training and can use the CRT6. Check that your concussion policy names a responsible individual for each stage of the response pathway. Ensure your documentation process produces a written record within 30 minutes of any head injury incident. Review your insurer's requirements around concussion protocols; many are now asking for evidence of documented management as standard. Photo: Jorge Láscar from Australia, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources ABC News Australia. Footballer in end-of-life care after head clash in suburban game. 2026. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-06/footballer-end-of-life-care-head-injury-suburban-game/104141234 Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf Concussion in Sport Group. CRT6 - Concussion Recognition Tool. https://concussioninsportgroup.com/scat-tools/ UK Government. Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE). https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2 Health and Safety Executive. Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. https://www.hse.gov.uk/legislation/hswa.htm A documented framework is the foundation of demonstrable duty of care. Audit your club or school's current concussion governance against the seven domains of the Luca Safe Concussion Framework, and understand exactly where the gaps are before the new season starts. ← Back to news --- # /news/former-dallas-cowboys-player-marshawn-kneeland-cte-grassroots-sport/ URL: https://luca.health/news/former-dallas-cowboys-player-marshawn-kneeland-cte-grassroots-sport/ Concussion Research9 July 2026 Marshawn Kneeland's CTE Diagnosis - What Grassroots Sport Must Understand The family of former Dallas Cowboys player Marshawn Kneeland confirmed post-mortem CTE after his death. Here is what that finding means - and does not mean - for schools and grassroots clubs in the UK. Luca Team·6 min read Marshawn Kneeland's CTE Diagnosis - What Grassroots Sport Must Understand Key takeaways Post-mortem examination of former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland identified CTE, according to NBC News reporting on 9 July 2026. CTE can only be diagnosed after death - no test exists to confirm it in a living person. The finding relates to elite American football exposure; direct extrapolation to UK grassroots and school sport requires careful framing. The case reinforces why every concussion - at every level - deserves structured management and documentation. UK grassroots and school sport follows the November 2024 UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport, not NFL protocols, but the underlying science is shared. The family of Marshawn Kneeland, a defensive end who played for the Dallas Cowboys, has confirmed that post-mortem examination identified chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), according to NBC News. The case has prompted fresh commentary on head impact exposure in contact sport. For UK schools and clubs, the question is not whether this changes everything - it does not - but what it adds to an already clear picture, and what proportionate action looks like. What is CTE, and what does this finding actually confirm? Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a progressive neurodegenerative disease associated with repeated head trauma. It is characterised by an abnormal accumulation of tau protein in the brain. Critically, CTE is a post-mortem diagnosis: it cannot currently be confirmed in a living person through any clinical or imaging test. The Kneeland finding confirms that post-mortem examination of his brain identified CTE pathology. It does not tell us how severe his symptoms were during life, how many concussions he sustained, or how his case compares statistically to the wider population of contact sport athletes. That distinction matters, because accurate framing protects both the integrity of the science and the decision-making of coaches, parents and school leaders reading the headlines. Research from Glasgow University's landmark 2023 study published in BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine found that former professional rugby players in Scotland had significantly elevated rates of neurodegenerative disease compared with matched controls. That study - focused on elite, career-length exposure - remains one of the most cited pieces of UK-relevant evidence on cumulative head impact and long-term brain health. Why elite American football exposure is not the same as UK school or grassroots sport NFL players sustain thousands of sub-concussive head impacts over careers spanning years of professional play, in addition to any diagnosed concussions. The exposure profile is categorically different from a pupil playing rugby or football for a school first XV or a grassroots club. The Imperial College London FIELD study, which examined Scottish professional footballers, found elevated risk of neurodegenerative disease compared with the general population - but again, the cohort was composed of professional players with career-length exposure. This does not mean grassroots or school sport carries no risk. It means the risk profile is different, and that risk management must be calibrated accordingly. Using elite-exposure data to frighten parents of children playing recreational sport misrepresents the science. Using it to argue that concussion management does not matter would be equally wrong. The honest position is this: cumulative head impact exposure matters, the evidence for long-term harm at elite exposure levels is growing, and the appropriate response for grassroots and school sport is rigorous management of every concussion event rather than catastrophising or dismissing. What does this mean for how schools and clubs should respond? The Kneeland case does not change UK guidelines. The November 2024 UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport, published by the Sport and Recreation Alliance, remain the applicable standard for community and school sport in England. Those guidelines require immediate removal of any player with suspected concussion, a minimum 21-day stand-down for confirmed concussion in under-18s before return to contact, and a staged graduated return to play. What the growing body of CTE research - including this latest case - does reinforce is why those protocols are not bureaucratic box-ticking. They exist because: The developing brain is more vulnerable than a mature adult brain, and repeated insults during development carry unknown long-term consequences. Cumulative impact exposure is the relevant variable, not individual events in isolation. Every concussion that is mismanaged or rushed through return-to-play potentially adds to lifetime exposure. Documentation of every concussion event creates the record that protects both the athlete and the organisation. What CTE research does not tell us - the honest limits The science on CTE has advanced considerably since the early Boston University studies, but significant gaps remain. As the CISG 6th Consensus Statement (Amsterdam, 2022) makes clear, causation between sport participation and CTE has not been definitively established at the population level, and selection bias in post-mortem studies remains a methodological challenge (brains are donated by families who suspect a problem, not randomly sampled). CTE pathology exists on a spectrum. Not every person with post-mortem CTE features experienced significant clinical symptoms during life. The relationship between CTE pathology and specific clinical outcomes is still being mapped. None of this undermines the case for careful concussion management. It does mean that responsible communication about CTE avoids overstating what a single case confirms or what it implies for a pupil playing school football on a Saturday morning. What should schools and clubs do following this kind of news? News of a high-profile CTE diagnosis predictably prompts questions from parents, governors and club members. Here is a practical response framework for school leaders and club officials: Acknowledge the research landscape honestly. CTE is a real condition associated with repeated head trauma in elite sport. The science is developing. UK grassroots and school sport operates under a different exposure profile. Point to your framework. If your school or club has a documented concussion policy aligned to the November 2024 UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines, say so. If you do not, treat this as a prompt to get one in place. Reinforce the "if in doubt, sit them out" principle. Every suspected concussion results in immediate removal. No exceptions, no pressure from coaches or players to continue. Follow the graduated return to play protocol. The 21-day minimum for under-18s is not arbitrary; it reflects the best available evidence on neurological recovery time. Document every incident. The audit trail matters - for safeguarding, for duty of care, and for longitudinal awareness of any individual athlete's concussion history. For parents with specific concerns about their child's long-term risk, the appropriate referral is to their GP for a conversation grounded in that child's individual history - not a generalised headline about an NFL player's post-mortem findings. The broader picture: why each case matters for the culture of sport What high-profile CTE cases like Marshawn Kneeland's do achieve is keeping the conversation visible. In the UK context, that conversation has already driven meaningful change: the November 2024 guideline update, the tackle height trials in community rugby, the FA's heading restrictions in youth football. None of those changes would have happened without sustained public and scientific attention to brain health in contact sport. The right response from schools and clubs is not alarm. It is continued, rigorous implementation of the frameworks that already exist - and honest communication with players, parents and governors about why those frameworks matter. If your school or club's concussion governance needs reviewing, the Luca Safe Concussion Framework provides a seven-domain structure that implements the UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines as an operational, documented standard. What to do next If you are a school leader or Head of Sport: Review your current concussion policy against the November 2024 UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines. Confirm that return-to-play timelines, documentation requirements and staff training are all in place. If you are a coach: Reinforce the "if in doubt, sit them out" principle with your squad at the start of every season. Make sure removal from play is automatic and unconditional. If you are a parent: Ask your child's school or club what concussion protocol they follow. Expect a specific, documented answer. If a player in your care has a current or recent concussion: Follow the graduated return-to-play pathway. Do not abbreviate it on the basis of the athlete feeling fine. Symptom resolution is not the same as neurological recovery. Photo: Scott Ellis from Dallas, US, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources NBC News. Former Dallas Cowboys player Marshawn Kneeland had CTE when he died. (9 July 2026) https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/former-dallas-cowboys-player-marshawn-kneeland-had-cte-when-he-died Glasgow University / Mackay et al. Neurodegenerative disease mortality among former professional rugby union players. BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine, 2023. https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/9/1/e001475 Imperial College London / FIELD Study. Professional footballers at higher risk of some causes of death, including neurodegenerative disease. https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/235449/professional-footballers-higher-risk-some-causes/ Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf Concussion in Sport Group. Consensus statement on concussion in sport: the 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport (Amsterdam, 2022). British Journal of Sports Medicine. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/11/695 The Luca Safe Concussion Framework translates the current evidence and the November 2024 UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines into a documented, operational standard for schools and clubs. It covers identification, graduated return to play, documentation and governance - everything a school or club needs to demonstrate rigorous, defensible concussion management. Download it free at /lscf/. ← Back to news --- # /news/geelong-cats-concussion-crisis-what-uk-grassroots-sport-must-learn/ URL: https://luca.health/news/geelong-cats-concussion-crisis-what-uk-grassroots-sport-must-learn/ Sport News13 August 2026 Geelong's Concussion Crisis - What UK Grassroots Sport Must Learn The Geelong Cats board crisis over a player concussion deal reveals how governance failures in elite sport carry direct lessons for UK schools and grassroots clubs managing head injuries. Luca Team·6 min read Geelong's Concussion Crisis - What UK Grassroots Sport Must Learn Key takeaways The Geelong Cats board held emergency crisis talks over how the club handled a player's concussion-related agreement, reported by ABC News Australia on 13 August 2026. The saga illustrates how poor concussion governance - at any level - creates institutional risk, not just player welfare risk. UK grassroots clubs and schools are not insulated from similar failures; the same governance gaps exist here. Documented concussion protocols are the practical difference between a defensible decision trail and a crisis meeting. UK schools and clubs should audit their concussion governance now, before an incident forces the conversation. The Geelong Cats board convening crisis talks over a concussion-related deal is not just an Australian story. It is a governance story - and the governance failure at its core is one that UK grassroots clubs and schools are repeating every weekend. The details from ABC News Australia are still emerging, but the pattern is familiar: a concussion incident, a decision made without a clear documented framework, and an institution scrambling to account for how that decision was reached. That pattern is exactly what proper concussion governance is designed to prevent. And in the UK, where the November 2024 UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance) have been in place for nine months, too many clubs and schools still cannot point to a documented protocol if asked. What Is the Geelong Crisis Actually About? ABC News Australia reported that the Geelong Football Club board held emergency meetings over a concussion-related agreement reached with a player. The specific terms of that agreement have not been fully disclosed publicly at the time of writing, but the reports make clear that board-level governance of the concussion matter became a crisis point. A second ABC report described the situation as an ongoing "saga," suggesting the issue involves multiple decision-making failures, not a single moment. Whatever the precise details, the institutional consequences are visible: board-level intervention, public scrutiny, and reputational damage. These are the hallmarks of a governance failure that has moved beyond the clinical domain into organisational accountability. Why Governance, Not Just Welfare, Is the Frame That Matters It is easy to frame concussion stories as welfare stories: a player was hurt, they deserved better care. That framing is correct - but incomplete. When concussion incidents generate board-level crises, they have crossed from the medical into the governance domain. The question stops being "did the player receive appropriate care?" and becomes "who decided what, when, on what documented basis, and under what institutional authority?" Those are governance questions. They are the questions an insurer, a regulator, an NGB, or a solicitor asks after something has gone wrong. UK grassroots clubs and schools face exactly the same questions. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, organisations that oversee sport have a duty of care toward participants. The KCSIE (Keeping Children Safe in Education) framework places equivalent obligations on schools for their pupils. Neither document mandates a specific concussion protocol by name - but both establish that reasonable care must be exercised and, critically, that the exercise of that care must be demonstrable. "Demonstrable" is the operative word. A verbal instruction to "sit them out if they look groggy" is not demonstrable. A documented, reviewed, implemented concussion protocol is. What UK Clubs and Schools Can Learn From This The Geelong situation is an elite-level case in a professional sport with full-time medical staff, lawyers, and governance officers. The UK grassroots equivalent will not generate ABC News headlines - but it will generate an insurance dispute, a parent complaint to a governing body, or an Ofsted safeguarding concern. The scale is different; the governance principle is identical. Three lessons apply directly to UK schools and clubs. First, decisions need a documented basis. When a player is removed from a game, cleared to return, or placed on a graduated return-to-play pathway, those decisions should be logged at the time. Who made the decision? On what information? Under which protocol? If a dispute arises three months later, that log is the difference between a defensible position and an exposure. Second, authority needs to be clear before an incident, not during one. The Geelong saga appears to involve uncertainty about who had authority over the concussion-related agreement. In a UK school context, this maps to the question: who has clinical authority over a pupil's return to contact training - the PE teacher, the Head of Sport, the school nurse, or an external clinician? The answer needs to be in the protocol before the incident, not negotiated in the car park afterwards. Third, the board (or governors) should not be the first people to hear about a governance gap. Geelong's board discovered the problem after the fact. UK school governors and club boards should be reviewing concussion governance as a standing item, not as a crisis response. The November 2024 UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance) are explicit that governance oversight - who owns the protocol, how it is reviewed, how incidents are escalated - sits at institutional level, not just with the first-aider on the touchline. What the UK Framework Actually Requires The UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport, updated in November 2024, require that any club or school operating sport for participants of any age applies a concussion recognition protocol, an immediate-removal policy, a stand-down period (minimum 21 days before return to contact for under-18s), and a graduated return-to-play pathway. They apply to all sports, not just contact sports, and to recreational as well as competitive contexts. The guidelines are not legally binding in themselves - they are guidance, not legislation. But they establish the standard of reasonable care that the legal duty of care framework references. A club or school that follows them and documents that it has followed them is in a defensible position. One that cannot demonstrate either is not. Luca's concussion governance documentation covers exactly what the Geelong case highlights: who made which decision, when, on what basis, and how it was escalated. That is the audit trail that governance requires. For UK schools, the Luca Safe Concussion Framework translates the November 2024 guidelines into an operational standard - the kind of document a governor, an NGB inspector, or an insurer can read and verify. What Schools and Clubs Should Do This Week Governance failures rarely announce themselves in advance. The Geelong board did not convene a crisis meeting because someone planned a governance failure; they convened one because nobody had built the systems that prevent them. For UK schools and clubs, the practical steps are straightforward. Identify who holds institutional authority over concussion decisions in your organisation - the person whose name is on the protocol. Confirm your protocol aligns with the November 2024 UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport. Check that every concussion incident in the last 12 months has a written record: what happened, what decision was made, by whom, and what the outcome was. Schedule a governor or board-level review of concussion governance in the next full cycle. This is not a sporting matter that sits with the Head of Sport alone; it is a duty-of-care matter that sits with institutional leadership. The Geelong situation will resolve in the coming weeks or months, as these crises usually do. The UK clubs and schools that take the wrong lesson - that this is an elite-sport problem, remote from their own touchlines - are the ones most likely to find themselves in an equivalent position, at their own scale, when the next incident occurs. Photo: Paul Coster, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources ABC News Australia. Geelong Cats board holds crisis meeting over concussion deal. 13 August 2026. https://www.abc.net.au ABC News Australia. Geelong in crisis talks over concussion saga. 13 August 2026. https://www.abc.net.au Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf Health and Safety Executive. Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. https://www.hse.gov.uk/legislation/hswa.htm Department for Education. Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2024. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2 If the Geelong saga has prompted your school or club to review its own concussion governance, the Luca Safe Concussion Framework gives you a documented, seven-domain standard to audit against - and to show your governors, your NGB, and your insurer. Download it free at /lscf/. ← Back to news --- # /news/harvard-nfl-cte-study-one-in-four-what-uk-grassroots-sport-must-know/ URL: https://luca.health/news/harvard-nfl-cte-study-one-in-four-what-uk-grassroots-sport-must-know/ Concussion Research27 August 2026 1 in 4 NFL Players Had CTE at Death - What It Means for UK Grassroots Sport A Harvard-led study of former NFL players found CTE in at least 1 in 4 who died between 2016 and 2021. We explain the research, its limits, and what it means for UK schools and clubs. Luca Team·7 min read # 1 in 4 NFL Players Had CTE at Death - What It Means for UK Grassroots Sport **TL;DR - Key takeaways** - A new Harvard Medical School study found that at least 1 in 4 former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 showed signs of CTE at post-mortem. - CTE is a post-mortem diagnosis only. No living person can be confirmed to have the condition. - The study population is professional American football players with careers measured in decades of high-frequency contact. That exposure profile is categorically different from school rugby, community football, or grassroots sport in the UK. - The research strengthens the case for managing every concussion rigorously - but it does not mean grassroots sport causes CTE. - Good concussion management, including proper graduated return to play, remains the most practical protective step available to UK schools and clubs right now. --- A [Harvard Medical School study published this week](https://hms.harvard.edu/) has found that at least 1 in 4 former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) identified post-mortem. The finding has generated substantial coverage - and, predictably, a lot of alarm. For anyone running school sport or a grassroots club in the UK, the right response is neither panic nor dismissal. This article sets out what the research actually found, why the headlines need careful reading, and what UK sports staff should do with the information. --- ## What the Harvard study actually found The study, reported by [Harvard Medical School](https://hms.harvard.edu/news) and covered by [The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com), [ABC News](https://abcnews.go.com), [PBS](https://www.pbs.org), and the [CBC](https://www.cbc.ca), examined a sample of former NFL players who died in the period 2016 to 2021. Researchers found that at least 25% of those individuals had neuropathological evidence of CTE identified at post-mortem examination. The study builds on earlier work from the Boston University CTE Center and is among the largest attempts to estimate CTE prevalence in a defined population of former professional American football players rather than a purely self-selected donor sample. Earlier research had been criticised because families who donate brains to CTE research are disproportionately those who noticed cognitive or behavioural changes during the player's life - creating a strong selection bias toward positive findings. This study attempted to account for that, making its headline figure more significant than some earlier estimates. The finding does not mean that 1 in 4 NFL players alive today has CTE. It is a prevalence estimate among those who died, not a population-wide diagnosis. --- ## What is CTE, and why does the diagnosis process matter? CTE is a progressive neurodegenerative disease associated with repeated head trauma. It is characterised by the accumulation of abnormal tau protein in the brain and can only be confirmed through post-mortem examination of brain tissue. There is currently no validated diagnostic test for CTE in living people. Symptoms attributed to CTE - including memory loss, mood changes, and cognitive impairment - overlap substantially with other conditions, which is why researchers and clinicians are careful to distinguish between "suspected CTE" in a living person and "confirmed CTE" identified post-mortem by a neuropathologist. The [Concussion in Sport Group (CISG) 6th Consensus Statement](https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/11/695), published in 2023, noted that while the link between repetitive head trauma and CTE neuropathology is established, the causal relationship between CTE and clinical symptoms remains under active investigation. That is the honest scientific position. --- ## Why the NFL data does not translate directly to UK grassroots sport This is the most important point for UK coaches, school staff, and parents to understand. NFL players sustain a volume and frequency of head impacts that is not comparable to any UK grassroots or school sport context. A professional American football career can involve hundreds of high-speed collisions per season across 10 to 15 years of play, plus years of contact practice. Linemen, in particular, experience thousands of sub-concussive impacts per season - impacts that do not cause acute concussion symptoms but may contribute to cumulative neurological load. The exposure profile of a schoolboy playing 30 games of rugby over four seasons, or a recreational footballer heading the ball in Saturday league for 10 years, is categorically different. The [University of Glasgow FIELD study](https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/fieldstudyoffootballers/), which examined Scottish professional footballers rather than amateurs, found elevated rates of neurodegenerative disease compared to the general population - but those players also had career-length professional exposure. Using elite American football data to conclude that community rugby or school sport causes CTE is a logical step that the evidence does not support. What the research does support is that cumulative head-impact exposure is a risk factor, and that reducing unnecessary exposure at every level is a reasonable precaution. --- ## What the research does mean for schools and clubs None of the above is an argument for complacency. The Harvard study, alongside the FIELD study and the University of Glasgow's rugby-specific research, consistently reinforces the same principle: head impacts accumulate over a career, and managing each concussion event properly reduces the cumulative load. The practical implications for UK schools and clubs are the same as they have always been, but the evidence base behind them is now considerably stronger. **1. Every suspected concussion must result in immediate removal.** The [November 2024 UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport](https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf) (Sport and Recreation Alliance) are clear: any player with suspected concussion must be removed from activity immediately and must not return to contact activity for a minimum of 21 days. There is no "shake it off" allowance. **2. The minimum 21-day stand-down is a floor, not a target.** A player who is symptom-free at day 10 is not ready to return to contact. The minimum stand-down exists because the recovering brain remains vulnerable even when symptoms have resolved. The Harvard study is a reminder of why this matters. **3. Graduated return to play must be followed in full.** The staged protocol - from cognitive rest through light aerobic exercise, sport-specific activity, non-contact training, full-contact practice, and finally return to competition - exists precisely because the brain needs time to recover beyond symptomatic resolution. Compressing the stages increases cumulative risk. **4. Documentation is not bureaucracy - it is evidence of care.** When a concussion event is properly recorded, the recovery pathway is tracked, and the return-to-play stages are signed off, schools and clubs are doing two things at once: protecting the player, and building a record that demonstrates duty of care. Research like the Harvard study will put this under increasing scrutiny from insurers, governing bodies, and parents. --- ## What about the World Rugby and RFU response? The wider litigation context in UK rugby - with the High Court declining to dismiss concussion lawsuits against World Rugby, as reported this week by [Inside The Games](https://www.insidethegames.biz) - means that governing bodies are under pressure to demonstrate that their protocols respond to the science. Steve Hansen's comments, cited by [Planet Rugby](https://www.planetrugby.com), calling for duty of care to start at the tackle, reflect the direction of travel: prevention and protocol compliance are no longer optional extras. For grassroots rugby clubs, and for schools running contact rugby, the message is consistent with the grassroots guidelines: apply the [RFU HEADCASE framework](https://www.englandrugby.com/run/player-welfare/headcase), follow the November 2024 UK Grassroots Guidelines, and ensure every coach, teacher, and welfare officer knows what to do when a head impact happens. --- ## What parents should take from this The Harvard study will inevitably prompt worried conversations at school gates. The honest parental answer is this: the research involves professional American football players whose career-long exposure to head impact is fundamentally different from school sport. It is not a reason to stop children playing rugby or football. It is a reason to ask whether the school or club has a clear, documented concussion protocol - and to expect a clear, confident answer. If a school cannot explain what it does when a player sustains a head injury, what the return-to-play process looks like, or who is responsible for signing off that a pupil is safe to return to contact sport, those are legitimate concerns worth raising with the head teacher or Head of Sport. --- ## Practical steps for school and club staff this week 1. Check that your concussion policy references the November 2024 UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines and includes the 21-day minimum stand-down for under-18s. 2. Confirm that all coaching and PE staff have completed the relevant governing body training (RFU HEADCASE for rugby; FA Concussion guidelines for football). 3. Ensure you have a documented graduated return-to-play record for any pupil currently in recovery. 4. If a parent raises concerns in the wake of this story, respond with the specific steps your school takes - not with reassurance that concussion "isn't that common." 5. Review your documentation process. If a concussion event happened last season, is there a record of removal, symptom monitoring, and staged return? If not, fix that now. For a complete framework covering all seven domains of concussion management, [the Luca Safe Concussion Framework](/lscf/) is free to download and maps directly to the UK Grassroots Guidelines. --- Photo: https://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/obf_images/2f/9b/6078a3bbf6994d16041cce055c1c.jpg Gallery: https://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/image/V0049885.html Wellcome Collection gallery (2018-03-29): https://wellcomecollection.org/works/wyzym4wn CC-BY-4.0, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons. ## Sources 1. Harvard Medical School. *At Least 1 in 4 Former NFL Players Who Died in 2016-2021 Had CTE at Death, Study Finds.* https://hms.harvard.edu/news 2. The New York Times. *Study's Alarming Finding: At Least 1 in 4 N.F.L. Players Gets Brain Disease.* https://www.nytimes.com 3. Concussion in Sport Group. *Amsterdam Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport: the 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport (CISG), Amsterdam, October 2022.* British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2023. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/11/695 4. Sport and Recreation Alliance. *UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update).* https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf 5. University of Glasgow. *FIELD Study of Footballers.* https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/fieldstudyoffootballers/ 6. Inside The Games. *World Rugby loses bid to dismiss concussion lawsuits.* https://www.insidethegames.biz --- The Harvard CTE study is a significant piece of research - but it is research about elite American football, not about UK grassroots or school sport. The proportionate response is to manage every concussion rigorously and document every stage. The [Luca Safe Concussion Framework](/lscf/) gives schools and clubs the structure to do exactly that, aligned to the November 2024 UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines and the CISG 6th Consensus Statement. ← Back to news --- # /news/if-in-doubt-sit-them-out-uk-concussion-guidelines-coaches/ URL: https://luca.health/news/if-in-doubt-sit-them-out-uk-concussion-guidelines-coaches/ Clinical Insights Clinical Insights23 July 2026 If in Doubt, Sit Them Out: What UK Concussion Guidelines Mean for Coaches The 'if in doubt, sit them out' principle is the cornerstone of UK concussion guidance for coaches. Here is what the November 2024 guidelines actually require, and why the principle protects everyone on the pitch. Luca Team·6 min read If in Doubt, Sit Them Out: What UK Concussion Guidelines Mean for Coaches Key takeaways "If in doubt, sit them out" is a formal principle embedded in the November 2024 UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport, not an informal motto. Any sign or symptom of concussion - even a single one - is enough to remove a player immediately, regardless of the sport or the stakes of the match. A player who insists they are fine must still be removed; a coach cannot override removal on the basis of the player's own assessment. The decision to remove is not a diagnosis; it is a precautionary step within every non-clinical adult's competence. Documentation of removal, observation, and follow-up is part of the same duty of care as the removal itself. A player takes a knock to the head. They get up, say they are fine, and want to carry on. You are not a doctor. You are not sure. What do you do? The answer is straightforward. If there is any doubt, they come off. This is not just a sensible instinct; it is what the UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport require of every coach, teacher, and official working with community sport. This article explains where the principle comes from, what "doubt" actually means in practice, and how to handle the difficult conversations that follow. The principle in one sentence The November 2024 update to the UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance) states that any player suspected of having a concussion must be immediately and permanently removed from play for that day. "Immediately" means now, not at the next break in play. "Permanently" means they do not return that same day under any circumstances. Where it comes from: UK guidelines and World Rugby The "if in doubt, sit them out" principle is not unique to the UK. World Rugby's concussion guidance uses the same language and has done so for over a decade. What the November 2024 UK Grassroots update did was consolidate the principle across all sports - not just rugby - and clarify the standard that applies to every coach, PE teacher, and match official in community sport, regardless of whether a medic is present. The guidelines were produced in collaboration between the Sport and Recreation Alliance and the major national governing bodies. They apply to football, rugby union and league, hockey, netball, basketball, and every other sport played in UK schools and clubs. The important distinction is that these are the grassroots guidelines, not the elite Head Injury Assessment (HIA) protocol used in professional rugby. The HIA involves qualified doctors and a structured return-to-play window within a match. That pathway does not exist at community level. The grassroots principle is simpler and more conservative: remove immediately, do not return that day, and begin the graduated return-to-play process the following day at the earliest. What "doubt" means in practice - the signs to remove Doubt does not mean certainty of concussion. It means the presence of any feature that could indicate a concussion. The Concussion Recognition Tool 6 (CRT6), produced by the Concussion in Sport Group, gives coaches a structured checklist of signs and symptoms. Remove a player immediately if you observe any of the following: Loss of consciousness, even briefly Confusion, disorientation, or blank staring Unsteady on their feet or slow to get up after a head knock Clumsy movements or stumbling Facial expression that looks dazed or vacant Visible seizure or convulsive activity Or if the player reports any of the following: Headache or pressure in the head Blurred or double vision Nausea or vomiting Dizziness Feeling slowed down, foggy, or not themselves Sensitivity to light or noise Memory problems, including not recalling the incident You do not need to see all of these. One is enough. You do not need to diagnose concussion. You need to act on suspicion. A useful practical test is the Maddocks Questions, which are included in the CRT6. Asking a player where they are, what the score is, or who they played last week is a quick check for disorientation - though a correct answer does not rule out concussion, and a wrong answer is a clear trigger for removal. The conversation with the player who wants to keep playing Young athletes in particular have strong motivation to stay on the pitch. Culture, team pressure, fear of letting people down, and a genuine belief that they are fine all work against removal. Research cited in the CISG 6th Consensus Statement notes that under-reporting of symptoms by athletes is one of the most significant barriers to safe concussion management. Some practical language that works in the moment: "I'm not saying you have a concussion. I'm saying I'm not sure, and that's enough. You're off for today." "The rules say I remove you when there's any doubt. That is what I am doing." "The decision is mine to make, not yours. That is how it works." Keep it short. This is not the moment for a detailed medical explanation. The player can be frustrated. That is manageable. A second impact during the same event is not. If the player is an adult, they have more autonomy in theory - but the guidelines are clear that the coach's duty of care does not dissolve because the player consents to return. The liability and the professional responsibility remain with the person running the session. The conversation with the parent Parents at youth sport fixtures can be a different challenge. Some will push back, especially if they have driven a long distance or if it is a cup final. The same principle applies. Explain what you observed, not what you diagnosed. "I saw your child look disoriented after that challenge. The guidelines require me to take them off." Most parents, once the word "guidelines" or "duty of care" appears in the conversation, will accept the decision even if they are unhappy about it. If a parent insists on removing their child from your care to return them to play, document that you advised against it and that the parent took responsibility. This does not release the club or school from liability if a coach then facilitates the return, so the position must be firm. What happens after immediate removal Once a player is removed: Move them to a quiet area away from the pitch. Loud environments make symptoms worse. Do not leave them alone. A responsible adult should stay with them until they are with a parent or carer. Use the CRT6 to make a structured observation record. Note what you saw, what time it happened, and what symptoms the player reported. Contact the parent or carer if they are not present, and communicate what occurred clearly. If you observe any red flags - repeated vomiting, worsening headache, one pupil larger than the other, seizure, or deteriorating consciousness - call 999 or direct to A&E immediately. For less urgent situations, NHS 111 can advise. Do not allow the player to drive home. The graduated return-to-play process, which takes a minimum of 21 days for under-18s under the November 2024 UK Grassroots Guidelines, begins after a period of symptom-free rest. It does not begin on the day of the incident. Luca's clinician-led platform supports coaches and schools from the moment of sideline removal through each stage of the graduated return, with structured documentation at every step. Why erring on the side of caution is the right call every time Two concerns come up regularly among coaches about over-removing players. The first is: what if I remove someone who doesn't actually have a concussion? The answer is that a brief, precautionary stand-down for a player who turns out not to be concussed costs almost nothing. A missed concussion followed by return to play during the same session carries risks that are serious and in some cases irreversible. The second is: what about the team, the match, the result? The guidelines are not balanced against match results. They exist because the risk of harm is real, the consequences can be severe, and the person making the decision in the moment has a legal and ethical duty of care to the player - not to the scoreline. The standard the guidelines set is not "remove if you are certain." It is "remove if you are not certain." That is a deliberately low bar, because uncertainty on a noisy sideline without medical equipment is the normal condition every grassroots coach operates in. What to do next If you have not already, download the CRT6 from the Concussion in Sport Group and keep it accessible on your phone or in your kit bag. Read the UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines. Make sure every member of your coaching staff has done the same. If you are responsible for sport in a school or club, make sure your concussion policy names these guidelines, assigns responsibilities clearly, and covers documentation. The Luca Safe Concussion Framework includes structured protocols for sideline identification, graduated return to play, and record-keeping. See how it works at /how-it-works/. Sources Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf Concussion in Sport Group. Concussion Recognition Tool 6 (CRT6). https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/11/692 World Rugby. Concussion guidance and the "if in doubt, sit them out" principle. https://www.world.rugby/the-game/player-welfare/health/concussion Concussion in Sport Group. 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport: Consensus Statement 2023. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/11/695 Luca's clinician-led platform supports coaches and staff from the moment of sideline removal through to safe return. See how the full pathway works at /how-it-works/. ← Back to news --- # /news/irish-rugby-football-union-irfu-announce-the-results-of-its-2-season-tackle-behaviour-trial/ URL: https://luca.health/news/irish-rugby-football-union-irfu-announce-the-results-of-its-2-season-tackle-behaviour-trial/ Sport News6 November 2025 Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) announce the results of its 2-season tackle behaviour trial Following World Rugby guidance, the IRFU introduced, at the start of the 2023-2024 season, a lowering of the legal tackle height in the community game to below the line of the sternum. Luca Health·2 min read Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) announce the results of its 2-season tackle behaviour trial Irish Rugby | IRFU Announces Strong Player Welfare Gains from Two-Season Tackle Behaviours Trial Following World Rugby guidance, the IRFU introduced, at the start of the 2023-2024 season, a lowering of the legal tackle height in the community game to below the line of the sternum. The IRFU has been auditing outcomes for both concussion rates specifically and injuries in general and comparing them to five seasons’ rates pre-introduction of the new law The results indicate that overall injury rates in community male, female and schools’ rugby fell significantly. Similarly, concussion rates in senior community rugby also fell. However, concussion rates did not fall in schools’ matches. The IRFU has stated that they ‘are committed to continuing to work with their schools to enhance education, tackle technique and player behaviours in our schools’ game’. ← Back to news --- # /news/kcsie-concussion-2026-what-headteachers-need-to-know/ URL: https://luca.health/news/kcsie-concussion-2026-what-headteachers-need-to-know/ Clinical Insights3 September 2026 KCSIE, Duty of Care, and Concussion: What Headteachers Need to Know in 2026 The new academic year brings a fresh KCSIE edition, and concussion sits squarely within its safeguarding remit. Here is what school leaders need to act on before the first fixture. Luca Team·7 min read KCSIE, Duty of Care, and Concussion: What Headteachers Need to Know in 2026 Key takeaways KCSIE does not mention concussion by name, but head injury during school sport falls squarely within its safeguarding and duty-of-care framework. The current 2026 edition of Keeping Children Safe in Education, effective September 2026, reinforces the expectation that schools have documented, operable safeguarding procedures for all foreseeable physical risks. The UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024 update) set the clinical standard; KCSIE sets the governance expectation that the standard is actually followed. Governors have a specific oversight responsibility, and most have not been briefed on concussion governance as a safeguarding matter. A documented concussion framework is the practical bridge between legal duty and demonstrable practice. The start of a new academic year is when safeguarding procedures get reviewed, updated, and signed off. For most schools, that means reading the latest edition of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) and updating policies accordingly. What many headteachers do not realise is that concussion sits inside this conversation, not alongside it. Getting this wrong is no longer a theoretical risk; it is an increasingly scrutinised gap. This article explains exactly where concussion sits within the KCSIE framework, what the 2026 edition adds, and what a headteacher needs to have in place before the first rugby or football fixture of the year. Does KCSIE actually mention concussion? Not directly. The 2026 edition of Keeping Children Safe in Education does not include the word concussion. What it does do, in detail, is establish that schools must safeguard children from all foreseeable harm, including physical harm arising from school activities, and that this duty requires documented procedures, trained staff, and evidence of implementation. Sport is a school activity. Head injury during sport is foreseeable. The logical chain is not difficult to follow, and it is the chain that inspectors follow too. The KCSIE 2026 edition retains the emphasis on: The designated safeguarding lead (DSL) having oversight of all safeguarding procedures. Governing bodies and proprietors having strategic responsibility for safeguarding effectiveness. Schools being able to demonstrate that procedures are not just written but practiced. Each of those requirements applies to concussion management as directly as it applies to any other safeguarding domain. What does "duty of care" actually mean for concussion? The legal basis for a school's duty of care in sport arises from common law (the neighbour principle established in Donoghue v Stevenson and its descendants) and from the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, which applies to employees and extends to pupils in school settings. This is not abstract: it means a school must take reasonable steps to prevent foreseeable harm. The courts have generally interpreted "reasonable steps" by reference to the standard that a reasonable professional in that role would follow. For concussion, the benchmark is now clearly set by the UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024 update). A school that does not follow this standard - or cannot demonstrate that it does - is exposed. The important word is "demonstrate." Having a policy buried in a shared drive that no staff member has read is not the same as demonstrable duty of care. KCSIE's emphasis on evidence of practice, not just policy, directly mirrors what the civil courts ask about when these cases arise. What the 2026 KCSIE edition means in practice for concussion The 2026 edition continues the trajectory of recent editions: moving from a compliance mindset (have you got a policy?) to a practice mindset (can you show it works?). Three specific expectations matter here. Training and awareness. KCSIE expects staff who work with children to have appropriate safeguarding training for their role. A PE teacher or games coach who has not received concussion identification training is an identifiable gap. The CRT6 concussion recognition tool, endorsed by the Concussion in Sport Group and referenced in the UK Grassroots Guidelines, takes around fifteen minutes to learn. There is no reasonable case for omitting it from induction or annual safeguarding training for sports staff. The DSL's oversight. The DSL is not expected to manage every concussion; that sits with sports staff and, where available, school nurses or first aiders. But the DSL is expected to have oversight of procedures in domains where children face foreseeable harm. Concussion is that domain. Most DSLs have not been briefed on concussion management as part of their safeguarding remit. Rectifying that is a straightforward conversation, and it should happen at the start of this term. Governor scrutiny. KCSIE is explicit that governors and trustees have strategic oversight of safeguarding effectiveness. They are entitled, and in some readings obliged, to ask whether the school has a documented, reviewed concussion procedure. If that question was asked at your last governor meeting and no one had a confident answer, that is the gap to close first. Section 7 below sets out the questions governors should put to the headteacher. Where most schools fall short After reviewing concussion governance across UK schools, the same gaps surface repeatedly. A policy exists but no one can find it. The policy is written, perhaps well-written, but staff cannot locate it in the moment they need it. A sideline protocol that lives in a staff handbook nobody reads is not a working protocol. Training has not reached non-PE staff. The school nurse, form tutors, and cover supervisors will interact with a concussed child during the recovery period. They need to know what to watch for and who to tell. Most have had no briefing. Return to sport is treated as a medical sign-off, not a documented process. Many schools treat concussion as a matter of "GP says fit to return, job done." The UK Grassroots Guidelines require a six-stage graduated return-to-sport (GRAS) process with a minimum 21-day stand-down for confirmed concussion in under-18s. A GP letter does not replace this; it supplements it. Documentation is absent or sparse. When the question arises about what the school did after a head injury incident, the answer needs to be on paper. Date and time of incident, symptoms observed, action taken, parent contacted, clinical referral, return-to-sport stages completed. The absence of this record is a problem in both safeguarding reviews and, potentially, legal proceedings. Fixture and away-game protocols have not been considered. A child sustains a suspected concussion on an away fixture at another school's ground. Who is responsible for following the protocol? Who has the CRT6? Who contacts the parents? Most schools have not written this scenario into their procedure. What a headteacher needs to have in place The practical checklist below is not exhaustive, but it covers the minimum an inspector or insurer would expect to find. A written concussion policy, reviewed within the last twelve months, covering identification, immediate management, return to school, and return to sport. It should name the roles responsible at each stage, not just describe the stages. Evidence of staff training, at a minimum for all coaches, PE staff, and the school nurse. Training records, dated and signed, filed alongside the policy. A documented return-to-sport process, aligned to the UK Grassroots Guidelines' GRAS protocol. This is not discretionary; it is the standard a reasonable professional would follow. A concussion log, recording every suspected or confirmed concussion incident, including the steps taken and the dates of each GRAS stage. Governor sign-off, recorded in governor meeting minutes, that the policy has been reviewed and the above elements are in place. Schools using the Luca Safe Concussion Framework have this structure built into an operational system rather than having to construct it from scratch. The framework maps directly onto the UK Grassroots Guidelines and the KCSIE governance expectations, which is why it is the tool of choice for an increasing number of UK independent and maintained schools. Questions governors should ask the headteacher These five questions will surface any meaningful gap within a single agenda item. Can you show me our current written concussion policy and confirm when it was last reviewed? Which staff members have received concussion identification training, and when was it last updated? Can you describe the return-to-sport process we follow after a confirmed concussion, and where it is documented? How many concussion incidents have we recorded in the last twelve months, and can you show me the records? Does our concussion procedure cover away fixtures and external coaching providers? A confident, specific answer to all five suggests the school is in a defensible position. Hesitation or vague answers on any of them identifies where to focus before the first match. Concussion as a safeguarding matter, not just a medical one The most important mindset shift for school leadership is this: concussion is not a sporting inconvenience or a purely clinical matter. It is a safeguarding issue. A child who sustains a head injury at school, is returned to play too early, and goes on to suffer harm has been failed by the school's safeguarding procedures, not just by a medical protocol. KCSIE's framework exists precisely for this kind of gap, and the 2026 edition makes the evidence-of-practice standard clearer than ever. The good news is that the clinical standard is published, free, and not complex. The UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024 update) set out clearly what good looks like. The job for school leadership is to embed it, train to it, document it, and be able to show the evidence when asked. What to do before the first fixture Pull your current concussion policy. If it is more than twelve months old or does not reference the November 2024 UK Grassroots Guidelines, update it now. Book a thirty-minute briefing for your DSL on concussion as a safeguarding domain. Confirm that all sports staff have completed the CRT6 training (available free via the Concussion in Sport Group website). Check that your policy covers away fixtures and external coaching providers. Set up a concussion log if you do not already have one, even a simple spreadsheet will do for now. Put concussion governance on the next governor agenda as a standing item, not a one-off. Practical takeaway The new academic year is the right moment to close this gap. The clinical guidance is clear, the governance expectation is established, and the cost of not acting is rising. Start with your policy, move to your training records, and make sure your governors have been briefed. If you want a structured starting point, the Luca Safe Concussion Framework is free to download and covers every element above. Photo: Ian S, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources Department for Education. Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2 Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf Concussion in Sport Group. CRT6 and SCAT6 Tools. https://concussioninsportgroup.com/scat-tools/ Health and Safety Executive. Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. https://www.hse.gov.uk/legislation/hswa.htm Audit your current concussion policy against the seven domains of the Luca Safe Concussion Framework, free to download at /lscf/. It is built around the UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines and the KCSIE governance expectations, giving your school the documented, operational standard that inspectors, insurers, and governors are increasingly asking to see. ← Back to news --- # /news/lowering-tackle-height-concussion-rates-what-schools-must-know/ URL: https://luca.health/news/lowering-tackle-height-concussion-rates-what-schools-must-know/ Concussion Research25 June 2026 Lowering Tackle Height Cuts Concussion Rates - What Schools Must Know A new study confirms lower tackle height rules sharply reduce concussion rates in rugby. Here is what school coaches, PE staff, and sports leads need to understand about the evidence and its practical implications. Luca Team·6 min read Lowering Tackle Height Cuts Concussion Rates - What Schools Must Know Key takeaways A new study published this week confirms that lowering the legal tackle height in rugby produces a sharp decline in concussion rates. The research adds to a growing body of evidence from the IRFU two-season trial and World Rugby's 2025 community game recommendation. The findings apply most clearly to adult community rugby; the picture for schoolboy rugby is more nuanced and contested. Schools do not yet face a mandatory rule change, but the direction of travel in grassroots guidance is clear. Good concussion management, including identification, graduated return to play, and documented protocols, remains essential regardless of rule changes. A new study, covered this week by The Conversation, reports that lowering the permitted tackle height in rugby led to a sharp decline in concussion rates among players. The finding matters for anyone running rugby at school or club level in the UK, not because it mandates an immediate rule change at grassroots level, but because it strengthens the evidence base that is already pushing World Rugby and national unions toward reform. Here is what school sports staff need to understand about the research, the current rules, and what practical steps make sense right now. What did the new study actually find? The study examined the effect of lowering the legal tackle height on concussion incidence. The central finding is that when players are required to tackle below the sternum or armpit line, concussion rates fall significantly compared to periods when higher contact was permitted. This is not an isolated result. It aligns with the IRFU two-season tackle behaviour trial, whose results were reported in November 2025 and showed a meaningful reduction in head contacts when lower tackle technique was adopted consistently at community level. World Rugby followed in December 2025 by recommending that a lower tackle height be written into community game law across its member unions. The mechanism is straightforward: most concussions in rugby occur through contact to the head, either directly or through the tackled player's falling motion. When tacklers target lower on the body, the probability of incidental head contact drops. Does this apply to school rugby in England? This is where precision matters, because the evidence picture is not uniform across age groups. The new study, like the IRFU trial before it, is primarily drawn from adult community rugby. An earlier piece of research - covered on this site in June 2026 - found that lowering the tackle height reduced concussion rates in adult matches but produced a more complex picture in schoolboy rugby, with some evidence of a compensatory increase in other injury types as younger players adjusted technique. The RFU's current position, based on the evidence available to date, is that mandatory lower tackle height rules for school rugby in England have not been introduced. What has changed is the guidance around coaching technique. The RFU's HEADCASE programme and its affiliated coaching resources increasingly emphasise lower body position and reduced head exposure as a training principle, even where the formal law has not yet shifted. School sports leads should therefore distinguish between two things: the coaching of technique (where lower contact is already encouraged) and the formal law change (which has not yet reached compulsory school level in England). The two are moving in the same direction; they are just not yet at the same point. Why is the evidence particularly relevant for schools right now? The new study matters for schools for three reasons beyond the immediate finding. First, it adds weight to a regulatory direction of travel that school rugby programmes should anticipate. World Rugby's December 2025 recommendation to national unions is a signal, not a final instruction. National unions typically take 12 to 24 months to translate such recommendations into law changes at community and school level. Schools that wait for the law to change before adjusting coaching practice will be behind the curve. Second, the research reinforces why concussion identification and management protocols cannot be treated as a fallback for inadequate prevention. Rule changes may reduce concussion incidence; they will not eliminate it. A player sustaining a head impact under a lower tackle regime still needs to be identified, removed, and managed through the graduated return to play pathway correctly. Third, parents are increasingly aware of this research. School sports staff can expect more questions about rugby concussion this autumn than in previous seasons. Having a clear, evidence-informed position is both a safeguarding and a communications necessity. What does "lower tackle height" actually mean in practice for coaches? The precise definition varies between the trial context and coaching guidance, but the consistent principle is that the tackler's head and shoulders should target below the ball carrier's hip or upper thigh, with the head going to the side of the body rather than in front of it. World Rugby's Tackle Ready coaching framework sets out the progressions in detail. The key coaching cues are: Eyes up and on the target zone (lower body). Drive from the legs, not the upper body. Cheek to cheek contact (tackler's face against the side of the ball carrier's body, not in the chest or head path). Wrap low and drive through. For school coaches, the practical implication is to audit training sessions now. If contact drills routinely involve upright tackle technique that targets the chest or shoulder of the ball carrier, that is the area to address. This does not require waiting for a law change. What should school sports leads do now? The evidence is moving faster than the formal rules. The proportionate response for school sports leads is not to ban higher tackles immediately (the law has not changed) but to take three practical steps. Review coaching technique across all year groups. Use the RFU HEADCASE resources and World Rugby Tackle Ready as reference points. Lower body targeting should already be the coaching norm; if it is not, this is the moment to correct that. Ensure your concussion protocol is current and documented. Rule changes reduce risk; they do not remove the need for a robust response when a head impact does occur. The UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024 update) set the standard for removal, stand-down, and return to play. If your school's documented protocol does not reflect those guidelines, that gap needs addressing before next season. Prepare communications for parents. The new study will generate media coverage and parent questions. A brief, factual summary of what your school already does, grounded in the current guidelines and coaching approach, is better preparation than a reactive response to an anxious email. Where does rule change sit relative to broader concussion management? The tackle height evidence is genuinely encouraging. A structural reduction in head contacts during play is a meaningful step, and schools should welcome the direction of travel. But it is worth being clear about what rule change does and does not do. It is one layer of a layered system. Players will still fall awkwardly. Accidental head contacts will still occur. The graduated return to play pathway, baseline testing, symptom recognition, and documentation of every concussion event remain as necessary as they were before the new research. Luca's clinician-led platform supports schools through that full pathway, from sideline identification to clinical clearance, and produces the documented record that school governors, inspectors, and insurers are increasingly asking for. The science on prevention is improving; the case for rigorous management of every incident that does occur is unchanged. Photo: Christophe95, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources The Conversation. Lowering tackle height in rugby led to sharp decline in concussion rates - new study. (June 2026) https://theconversation.com/lowering-tackle-height-in-rugby-led-to-sharp-decline-in-concussion-rates-new-study IRFU. IRFU Tackle Behaviour Trial Results. (November 2025) https://www.irishrugby.ie/ World Rugby. Player Welfare - Concussion and Tackle Ready. https://www.world.rugby/the-game/player-welfare/concussion Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf England Rugby. HEADCASE Concussion Programme. https://www.englandrugby.com/run/player-welfare/headcase If you run rugby at school level, now is the time to benchmark your concussion protocol against a documented, clinician-led standard. The Luca Safe Concussion Framework is free to download and implements the UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines across seven operational domains, giving school sports leads, governors, and parents a clear picture of where your school stands. ← Back to news --- # /news/luca-health-national-school-report-2025/ URL: https://luca.health/news/luca-health-national-school-report-2025/ Luca Health News14 November 2025 UK Schools Concussion Survey 2025 - New Report from Luca Health Luca Health's national survey of UK schools on how concussion is being managed today - encouraging progress, clear gaps, and practical guidance for senior leaders. Luca Health·5 min read UK Schools Concussion Survey 2025 - New Report from Luca Health https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/assets.luca.health/pdf/Luca+Health+-+National+UK+Schools+Concussion+Survey+2025.pdf Concussion in school-aged children is an increasingly important issue for teachers, coaches and parents alike. To better understand how schools are currently managing concussion - from awareness and identification through to support and return-to-learn - Luca Health has conducted a national survey of schools across the UK. The results highlight both encouraging progress and clear gaps where further guidance, training and resources are needed. Our new report, UK Schools Concussion Survey 2025, shares key findings and practical insights to help schools strengthen their approach to concussion safety and support. It is designed for use by senior leaders, safeguarding and pastoral teams, and staff involved in sport and physical activity.See the full report [ Download the report ](https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/assets.luca.health/pdf/Luca+Health+-+National+UK+Schools+Concussion+Survey+2025.pdf) ← Back to news --- # /news/musician-concussion-object-throwing-what-sport-can-teach-us/ URL: https://luca.health/news/musician-concussion-object-throwing-what-sport-can-teach-us/ Clinical Insights15 May 2026 When Thrown Objects Cause Concussion - What Schools and Clubs Can Learn A phone thrown at a concert left a performer with concussion. The mechanism is different from sport, but the identification and management principles are identical - and schools should take note. Luca Team·6 min read When Thrown Objects Cause Concussion - What Schools and Clubs Can Learn Key takeaways Bring Me the Horizon frontman Oli Sykes suffered a confirmed concussion after being struck on the head by a thrown phone during a live performance - a high-profile reminder that concussion can follow any significant head impact, not only tackles and falls. The identification principles that apply on a rugby pitch apply in any setting: a witnessed head impact followed by symptoms means suspected concussion until assessed otherwise. "If in doubt, sit them out" has no sport exemption - and schools should use this moment to reinforce that concussion identification is a whole-school responsibility, not just a PE department one. The November 2024 UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport apply to sport and physical activity; separate clinical guidance covers non-sport head injury, but the immediate management steps overlap significantly. Documented concussion management - who acted, when, what was observed - matters whether the incident happens on a pitch or anywhere else a school has duty of care. Oli Sykes, frontman of Bring Me the Horizon, suffered a concussion after being struck on the head by a thrown phone during a concert - the latest in a spate of similar incidents facing performers. The mechanism here is not a rugby tackle or a football collision, but the clinical picture that follows a blow to the head is the same. And for anyone responsible for young people in a school or club setting, this story surfaces a question worth sitting with: do your staff know what to do when the concussion does not happen on a pitch? Why this incident matters beyond the concert venue Concussion happens whenever the brain is subjected to a biomechanical force sufficient to disrupt normal function. That force can come from a tackle, a fall, a collision with another player, or a hard object striking the skull. The cause is different; the brain's response is not. Schools and clubs spend considerable effort building concussion protocols around sport. That is right and necessary. But a pupil can sustain a significant head impact in a corridor, a drama studio, a canteen, or on a school trip. Staff outside the PE department are less likely to have had any concussion training, and far less likely to have a protocol to hand. This is not a hypothetical risk. The UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024 update) apply specifically to sport and physical activity. For non-sport head injury, the NHS and clinical pathways apply. But in the critical first minutes after a head impact, the person in the room - teacher, coach, event steward - needs to know the same basic things regardless of context: recognise the signs, remove from the activity, refer for assessment. What concussion identification actually requires Concussion identification is a skill, not a medical degree. The Concussion Recognition Tool 6 (CRT6), developed by the Concussion in Sport Group (CISG), is designed specifically for non-medical people to use at the point of incident. It does not diagnose concussion - that requires clinical assessment. What it does is give a structured way to observe whether something is wrong. The signs the CRT6 prompts observers to look for include: Visible clues: lying motionless, grabbing the head, dazed or blank expression, balance problems, slow or incoherent speech, facial injury. Red flags requiring immediate emergency care: neck pain, increasing confusion, repeated vomiting, seizures, weakness in limbs, deteriorating consciousness. Reported symptoms: headache, feeling slowed down, dizziness, visual disturbance, nausea, memory problems. None of these requires sport to be happening. A pupil struck on the head in any school setting could present with any of them. A staff member who has never coached sport should still be able to work through this list. Luca's concussion identification and management pathway is built around exactly this kind of structured recognition, connecting it to clinical oversight and a documented record. The "if in doubt, sit them out" principle applies everywhere The guiding principle of UK concussion management is simple: if you suspect a concussion, the person does not continue the activity. In sport, that means leaving the pitch immediately and not returning that day under any circumstances. The November 2024 UK Grassroots Guidelines are explicit that a player removed on suspicion of concussion cannot return to play in the same session even if a subsequent assessment finds nothing definitive. The same logic applies outside sport. If a pupil is struck on the head and shows any of the signs above, they should not continue with whatever they were doing. They should sit down, be observed, and a parent or guardian should be contacted. NHS 111 is the right route for guidance on whether further clinical assessment is needed if there is any doubt. What this principle resists is the pressure to carry on - the performer finishing the show, the player insisting they are fine, the pupil who does not want to miss a lesson. That pressure is real in every setting. The correct response is the same: remove first, assess after. Why the first witness matters so much In sport, the coach or teacher on the pitch is often the first and only person who can act. The same is true in a school corridor or on a trip. The CISG's research base, which underpins the CRT6 and the wider 6th International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport, is clear that timely removal after a suspected concussion reduces the risk of a worse outcome. Delayed removal, even by minutes, removes the protective effect. This is not about turning every teacher into a concussion clinician. It is about making sure that the first responsible adult who witnesses a head impact knows three things: what to look for, what to do, and who to tell. That knowledge should not sit only with the Head of Sport. What schools should do with this The Oli Sykes incident is a useful prompt for a conversation that most schools have not yet had. Here are concrete steps that sit within any school leader's competence. 1. Audit who has had concussion awareness training. In most schools, this is a small group of PE staff. It should extend to form tutors, cover supervisors, trip leaders, and anyone with regular unsupervised contact with pupils. The CRT6 is free to download and takes minutes to read. 2. Check that your concussion policy covers non-sport incidents. Most school concussion policies are written around PE and fixtures. A policy that only triggers in sport settings leaves a gap. The Luca Safe Concussion Framework provides a seven-domain structure that covers the full range of settings in which a concussion might occur. 3. Confirm your reporting chain. When a non-PE staff member witnesses a head impact, do they know who to call? Is there a clear record-keeping step? A concussion incident that is not documented is a safeguarding gap as much as a clinical one. 4. Brief support staff before trips and events. School trips, theatre productions, and sports days all carry head-impact risk. A five-minute briefing before a trip - what to look for, what to do, who to contact - costs almost nothing. 5. Remind pupils that reporting is the right thing to do. Young people mask symptoms for many reasons: not wanting to miss out, not wanting to seem weak, not wanting to worry parents. A culture where reporting is normal and respected has to be built deliberately. It does not emerge on its own. What happens after the immediate incident Immediate removal is step one. What follows matters equally. The UK Grassroots Guidelines set a minimum 21-day stand-down before return to contact sport for under-18s with a confirmed concussion, with a graduated return-to-play protocol in place before any contact. Return to school and return to learning are separate processes that should be coordinated, not assumed to happen automatically once a pupil is physically back in the building. For non-sport concussion, the same clinical caution about cognitive rest in the first 24 to 48 hours applies. The NHS Healthier Together guidance on concussion in children is the appropriate reference for the return-to-school piece. If symptoms persist beyond two to four weeks, GP referral is the right step. Post-concussion syndrome in children is real and can affect school performance for months. Schools that document the initial incident and track symptom progression are in a far better position to support those pupils - and to make the case for exam accommodations or pastoral adjustments if recovery is prolonged. The practical takeaway A phone thrown at a concert is not the same as a rugby tackle. But the brain does not distinguish the source of the force. Schools that build concussion awareness only around sport are leaving a gap that this kind of incident exposes. The fix is not complicated: broader training, a policy that covers all settings, a clear reporting chain, and a culture where any witnessed head impact prompts the same disciplined response. Sources The Guardian. Bring Me the Horizon and Eric Clapton struck by objects thrown by audience members (13 May 2026). https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/may/13/bring-me-the-horizon-and-eric-clapton-struck-by-objects-thrown-by-audience-members Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf Concussion in Sport Group. Concussion Recognition Tool 6 (CRT6). https://concussioninsportgroup.com/scat-tools/ Patricios JS et al. 6th International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2023. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/11/695 NHS Healthier Together. Head injuries in children. https://www.what0-18.nhs.uk/professionals/gp-nurse-primary-care-professionals/clinical-pathways/safeguarding/head-injuries-children Luca's clinician-led platform supports schools and clubs from first incident to safe return - whether that incident happens on a pitch, in a corridor, or anywhere else. See how the pathway works at /how-it-works/. ← Back to news --- # /news/new-football-concussion-protocol-what-grassroots-must-know/ URL: https://luca.health/news/new-football-concussion-protocol-what-grassroots-must-know/ Concussion Research2 July 2026 A New On-Pitch Concussion Protocol for Football - What Grassroots Clubs and Schools Must Know An international consensus group has recommended a new football-specific on-pitch concussion assessment protocol. Here is what it means for UK grassroots clubs and schools. Luca Team·6 min read A New On-Pitch Concussion Protocol for Football - What Grassroots Clubs and Schools Must Know Key takeaways An international consensus group has recommended a new football-specific on-pitch concussion assessment protocol, published in mid-2026. The protocol is designed for trained medical personnel at organised matches, not as a replacement for the non-medical CRT6 tool used at grassroots level. The UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024 update) remain the primary framework for community football and school sport. Schools and clubs must not conflate elite assessment tools with their own duty of care obligations under grassroots guidelines. The "if in doubt, sit them out" principle still applies the moment any concern arises, regardless of which protocol a competition uses. A new football-specific on-pitch concussion assessment protocol has been recommended by an international consensus group, according to reporting from Mirage News and Bioengineer.org. The recommendation reflects years of criticism that football's previous approach - adapted from rugby's Head Injury Assessment (HIA) process - did not suit football's specific match conditions, substitution rules, and injury patterns. For UK grassroots clubs and schools, the development matters. But understanding what it does and does not change is essential before anything else. What has actually been recommended? The international consensus panel has proposed a football-specific assessment tool intended for use by qualified medical personnel during organised matches. The protocol is tailored to the realities of football: different substitution rules compared to rugby, a high-speed game where a player may be assessed on the touchline within minutes of a head impact, and a sport where the clinical picture can be complicated by the physical demands of running at match intensity. The new protocol is designed to improve the accuracy and speed of clinical decision-making at the point of injury, in settings where a trained medic is present. It is not a tool for coaches, teachers, or parents. It is not a grassroots protocol. And it does not replace the CRT6 (Concussion Recognition Tool 6), which remains the appropriate first-response instrument for non-medical staff at community and school level. Why does football need its own protocol? Football's concussion management has attracted sustained criticism, most visibly around the 2022 and 2026 World Cups and throughout the professional game in England. Critics, including the Drake Foundation and the Jeff Astle Foundation, have argued that football's governing bodies have been slower to act than rugby union, despite growing evidence about heading, sub-concussive impacts, and neurological risk in former professional players. The football-specific protocol responds to two genuine structural problems with applying rugby-derived tools in football: Substitution rules differ. In rugby union's elite HIA system, a player can be temporarily removed and a replacement used while the assessment takes place. Football's permanent substitution rules make this process more complex and have historically created pressure to keep players on the pitch rather than remove them for assessment. Assessment conditions differ. The physical demands and injury mechanisms in football require a protocol calibrated to football's specific movement patterns and neurological demands during exertion. The consensus group's work attempts to resolve these structural mismatches with a tool designed from the ground up for football. What do UK grassroots guidelines say right now? The UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024 update) apply to community football in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. These guidelines apply regardless of what protocols are used at professional or elite international level. The key requirements for a grassroots football club or school remain: Any player with a suspected concussion is removed from play immediately. There is no return to play on the same day. For players under 18, a minimum 21-day stand-down from contact or competitive activity applies before return to full training or match play. For adults, a minimum 14-day stand-down is required. The CRT6 is the appropriate recognition tool for non-medical staff. Medical clearance is required before return to full participation. These rules have not changed as a result of the new international consensus recommendation. The consensus panel's work is targeted at elite and organised match-day settings with qualified medical staff present - a very different environment from a Sunday league pitch or a school football fixture. What does the consensus recommendation mean for schools? For a school football coordinator or a PE teacher running fixtures, the honest answer is: very little changes operationally, but the direction of travel matters. The growing body of football-specific concussion science - from the University of Glasgow's FIELD study on former professional players and dementia risk, to the FA's continuing rollout of heading restrictions in youth football - points consistently in one direction. Football is taking concussion more seriously, and the tools available to manage it are becoming more precise. For schools, the implications are: Heading restrictions still apply in youth football. The FA's phased ban on heading in training for under-11s remains in force, with progressive restrictions extending into older age groups. This is unaffected by the new protocol. The CRT6 remains the right tool for school staff. Trained teachers and coaches use the CRT6 as a recognition tool, not a diagnostic one. They remove players with suspected concussion and refer for clinical assessment. That process does not change. Documentation still matters. Every concussion incident, suspected or confirmed, should be recorded. The new consensus protocol strengthens the case for thorough documentation at every level of the game. For schools looking to align their football concussion management with current best practice, Luca's concussion management resources for schools set out the framework that maps directly to UK grassroots requirements. Why does conflating elite and grassroots protocols cause problems? This is a persistent issue in grassroots and school sport, and worth addressing directly. When professional football or rugby adopts a new protocol, coaches, parents, and school sports staff often assume it sets the standard they must follow. In practice, elite protocols are designed for environments with pitch-side medics, video replay systems, and substitution rules that allow temporary removal. Community sport has none of these. Grassroots protocols, including the UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport, are built around the reality of community sport: a coach with a first aid certificate, no medic on the touchline, no video replay, and players who may be managing other commitments alongside their sport. The standard is "if in doubt, sit them out" - because the tools and expertise to do anything more sophisticated are not reliably present. The new football-specific protocol does not lower the grassroots bar. It raises the elite standard to better match football's specific conditions. These are different things, and conflating them creates dangerous confusion about what is expected of coaches and teachers managing a school fixture. What the sub-concussive evidence is adding to this picture Alongside the new protocol recommendation, a separate strand of evidence continues to build around sub-concussive impacts in football. The Conversation reported this week on growing research suggesting that repeated low-level head impacts - below the threshold of a diagnosable concussion - may carry meaningful neurological risk over time. This is distinct from the acute concussion management question. Sub-concussive impacts are not addressed by any return-to-play protocol, because by definition they do not produce symptoms that trigger removal. The FA's heading restrictions in youth football are partly a response to this evidence, reducing cumulative exposure rather than managing discrete concussion events. For schools, the practical implication is that concussion management and heading restrictions are complementary rather than competing concerns. Both deserve serious, documented attention. Practical steps for schools and clubs right now Confirm your primary framework. The UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update) are the governing document for community and school football. Ensure your concussion policy references them explicitly. Check your recognition tool. School sports staff should be familiar with the CRT6, available free from the Concussion in Sport Group website. It is designed for use by non-medical staff. Review your heading restrictions compliance. The FA's current restrictions for under-11s in training apply across school football. Confirm that your coaching staff are aware and compliant. Document every incident. Whether or not a concussion is confirmed, any head impact that prompts concern should be recorded. The record should include the mechanism, the response, and the outcome. Ensure your return-to-play sign-off process is clear. For under-18s, the 21-day minimum stand-down and medical clearance requirement must be built into your protocol, not left to informal decision-making. Photo: Hayden Schiff from Cincinnati, USA, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources Mirage News. New Protocol for On-Pitch Concussion in Football. https://miragenews.com/new-protocol-for-on-pitch-concussion-in-football/ Bioengineer.org. International Consensus Recommends New Football-Specific On-Pitch Concussion Assessment Protocol. https://bioengineer.org/international-consensus-recommends-new-football-specific-on-pitch-concussion-assessment-protocol/ Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf The FA. Heading in Football. https://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/policy/heading-in-football University of Glasgow / FIELD Study. FIELD study: neurodegenerative disease mortality in former professional footballers. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/53/23/1520 Concussion in Sport Group. CRT6 / SCAT6 tools. https://concussioninsportgroup.com/scat-tools/ Keeping pace with evolving football concussion science requires a framework that is built to update. The Luca concussion management platform for schools maps every element of your football concussion protocol to the UK Grassroots Guidelines, covering identification, documentation, return-to-play staging, and return to learning - so your school is ready for every incident, on every pitch. ← Back to news --- # /news/nick-the-people-and-planet-podcast/ URL: https://luca.health/news/nick-the-people-and-planet-podcast/ Press & Media7 December 2023 Nick @ The people and planet podcast Big thanks to Lee Watton and the People & Planet podcast for having our co-founder, Nick Greenhalgh, on to talk all things Luca and how we’re changing the game in athlete mental health. Apple - https://lnkd.in/eSSYb7KQS Luca Health·2 min read Big thanks to Lee Watton and the People & Planet podcast for having our co-founder, Nick Greenhalgh, on to talk all things Luca and how we’re changing the game in athlete mental health. Apple - https://lnkd.in/eSSYb7KQ Spotify - https://lnkd.in/eDuK43yE Google - https://lnkd.in/e7hcWyuS YouTube - https://lnkd.in/ebFfJEhM ← Back to news --- # /news/nrl-medical-retirement-concussion-what-grassroots-sport-must-learn/ URL: https://luca.health/news/nrl-medical-retirement-concussion-what-grassroots-sport-must-learn/ Sport News20 August 2026 An NRL Star's Medical Retirement - What Grassroots Sport Must Learn About Concussion A Premiership-winning NRL enforcer has retired on medical grounds after a concussion battle he says is 'harder to live with' than the game itself. Here is what grassroots sport should take from his story. Luca Team·6 min read An NRL Star's Medical Retirement: What Grassroots Sport Must Learn About Concussion Key takeaways A Premiership-winning NRL forward has retired on medical grounds after an ongoing battle with concussion, describing it as "harder to live with" than anything he faced on the pitch. Medical retirement due to concussion is not confined to elite sport; the same mechanisms affect amateur, school, and junior players. Persistent or worsening symptoms after repeated concussions are a clinical signal that the brain needs prolonged rest, not a "toughen up" response. The UK's November 2024 Grassroots Concussion Guidelines set clear minimum stand-downs precisely to reduce cumulative risk. Clubs and schools can act now: structured, documented management from first incident to safe return is not optional welfare. A Premiership-winning NRL enforcer has announced he is retiring from professional rugby league on medical grounds, citing an ongoing concussion battle that he says is "harder to live with" than anything he experienced in the game. Reporting from Fox Sports and Nine.com.au confirms the retirement follows a sustained struggle with post-concussion symptoms that has worsened over time rather than resolved. The story is an elite one. But the lesson it carries goes well beyond professional sport. Why a professional retirement matters for grassroots coaches It is easy to read news of an NRL medical retirement and conclude it has nothing to do with a Saturday morning junior rugby league fixture in Wigan or a school touch rugby session in Leeds. That conclusion is wrong. The brain does not care about the level of competition. The mechanisms of concussion, and the risks of returning too soon or accumulating repeated head impacts without adequate recovery, are the same at 15 as they are at 25. The difference is that professional athletes have medical staff, contractual safeguards, and institutional pressure to manage their welfare carefully. Most grassroots players have a well-meaning coach with a first aid certificate. The NRL player's own description, that the condition is "harder to live with" than the game itself, points to something the clinical literature has documented clearly: cumulative concussion load, and insufficient recovery between injuries, can extend and worsen the trajectory of symptoms. The CISG 6th Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport (2023) identifies prolonged and repeated concussion as a significant risk factor for persistent symptoms. What does "medical retirement" actually mean? A medical retirement from concussion means a clinician has assessed that the player cannot safely return to contact sport. That decision is made when symptoms are persistent, when imaging or clinical tests reveal ongoing dysfunction, or when the risk of further injury is judged to outweigh any benefit of continuing. It is not a decision made lightly, and it is not a decision made after a single incident. In almost every documented case of concussion-related medical retirement, there is a history of multiple concussions managed inconsistently, symptoms masked or dismissed, or return-to-play timelines that were too short. This is the preventable part. Not the initial concussion, but the management that follows it. What UK guidelines say about cumulative concussion risk The UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024 update) set a minimum 21-day stand-down for confirmed concussion in under-18s. That is not an arbitrary number; it reflects the neuroscience of brain recovery, which consistently shows that symptom resolution and physiological recovery are not the same thing. A player can feel fine while the brain is still vulnerable. For young people specifically, the guidelines are more conservative than for adults, because a developing brain takes longer to recover and may be more susceptible to repeated injury. The CISG 6th Consensus Statement reinforces this, identifying age as a modifier of recovery and risk. The guidelines do not address the cumulative picture directly with a "three strikes" type rule, because the evidence does not support a clean threshold. What they do make clear is that each concussion requires its own full recovery before return to contact. The implication for clubs and schools is straightforward: cutting the stand-down short on any single incident compounds the risk for the next one. The rugby league context Rugby league carries a meaningful concussion burden. The collision patterns, particularly in the defensive line, create regular head contact opportunities. The RFL's grassroots concussion guidance aligns with the UK Grassroots Guidelines and requires immediate removal of any player with suspected concussion, a documented stand-down, and a structured return-to-play process before resuming contact training. Community rugby league, concentrated in Northern England and operating in schools as well as clubs, does not always have the welfare infrastructure of professional teams. That is not a criticism; it is a structural reality. It means that coaches, teachers, and club volunteers carry a disproportionate share of the responsibility for doing this correctly. Documented, step-by-step management is not optional. What grassroots clubs and schools should do now The NRL retirement is a useful moment to take stock. Three concrete actions every rugby league club and school should take before the next training session: Check your stand-down records. Is every concussion this season documented? Are all players currently in the GRTP pathway completing each stage before returning to contact? Brief your coaches on the "if in doubt, sit them out" principle. The November 2024 UK guidelines are explicit: suspected concussion is enough to remove a player. A confirmed diagnosis is not required for immediate removal. Escalate persistent cases. If any player in your programme is still reporting symptoms beyond four weeks of a concussion incident, they need a GP referral. Do not manage persistent symptoms through watchful waiting alone. The NHS Healthier Together guidance for head injuries is available for reference by parents and school staff, and the Children's Trust provides clear guidance on managing prolonged recovery in young people. The honest wider picture One medical retirement is not evidence of a sport-wide emergency. Rugby league at grassroots and school level provides significant physical, social, and developmental benefits to hundreds of thousands of young people. The point is not to frighten anyone away from the game; it is to make the case that the protocols exist for a reason, and that following them correctly is what keeps the game sustainable. The player who described his condition as "harder to live with" than the sport itself is describing something preventable, at least in part, through consistent, documented, clinician-supported concussion management from the first incident onwards. Photo: Storm machine, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources Fox Sports. 'Harder to live with': Premiership-winning enforcer announces medical NRL retirement. https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMixAJBVV95cUxNQlc1OHNyNzBwbnRMVFpVb1E4MEtvNmpmLTRlRkVFZXQwNkp3QnAxWGJFcGRha05YekR2XzQtMWhERzA1Q3BSOVd2aGoxZTFnZXhkZnBFTXRuSEVPTFJZVDVNSmFROGswVXNPNmZjekRvbjY2QlYyZ0xKVWZzN19FWjdjT3EzWVJ6a2ZKT0VFUDlkSGhxcVdwdHd1U2VwYmV1LU9JTzdwMWpDQU9LVXhXWmwxbWo5SjQ2OS1CUmpQSDRkWFZ3bTYwbmZaUjZ4S3dCSS1IZTgxMzI2LWx2ZG5UT3hXbHotWGEyb3NXc1owX3FrZldJazNZalpWZUJ1a1hsS2FJMzlRNGJtZjBIYnBRcU5uN1VwOUtxbG9qVHhHX2ZmRk1MSnlXZXlOZUJRckpxSFVCdnlEbFBjS1NLbnVYNEV2dUw Nine.com.au. 'Harder to live with': Former Origin forward retires amid concussion battle. https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMitwFBVV95cUxNRnJ4VVc2MTJZQWV6VWZtMzhaaWVrOEl1S1dKb09OOUg4cVhsMTlRNExyR2tERE9JdnJjODZSbUVZX3BZWUhXd0RhVjBSdXZ6WmRROVNra0dDdzdFQXIzd1prLWJWS3paX05UMlo4Q3dQTktnS3pUYk5KM1NndFBKMmZIYnFxQTZ4QVpCemFTUWVBbG96QW9TTm80aFhSY2xfQlBHNWVuQzZpRW5GbGFtLTdFRTNYdms Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf Concussion in Sport Group. CISG 6th Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport (2023). https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/11/695 Rugby Football League. Concussion guidance for community rugby league. https://www.rugby-league.com/governance/medical/concussion The Children's Trust. Concussion information for professionals. https://www.thechildrenstrust.org.uk/brain-injury-information/information-for-professionals/concussion Every concussion in junior and community sport deserves the same structured response that elite teams provide as standard. Luca's platform for clubs gives community rugby league the documented, clinician-supported concussion pathway that keeps players on the pitch long term, by protecting them properly when they are off it. ← Back to news --- # /news/phil-vickery-brain-donation-concussion-research-what-it-means/ URL: https://luca.health/news/phil-vickery-brain-donation-concussion-research-what-it-means/ Sport News3 August 2026 Phil Vickery Pledges His Brain to Concussion Research - What It Means for Rugby England World Cup winner Phil Vickery has pledged to donate his brain for concussion research. We explain what the science needs, what it cannot yet tell us, and what grassroots rugby should do now. Luca Team·6 min read Phil Vickery Pledges His Brain to Concussion Research - What It Means for Rugby Key takeaways England World Cup winner Phil Vickery has publicly pledged to donate his brain for CTE and concussion research after his playing career. CTE can only be diagnosed post-mortem, so brain donations from former professional players are scientifically critical. The pledge adds to growing pressure on governing bodies to treat cumulative head-impact exposure as a welfare priority. Research on elite careers does not map directly onto school or grassroots rugby, but it informs the protocols that protect all players. Good concussion management at every level, from international to school fixtures, remains the most practical response clubs and schools can take today. Phil Vickery, England's World Cup-winning prop, has publicly pledged to donate his brain for concussion research after he dies, telling journalists he wants to help scientists understand the long-term effects of a professional rugby career. The news, reported this week by The Telegraph and The Independent, lands at a moment when the relationship between contact sport and brain health is under more scrutiny than at any point in the sport's history. For parents, coaches, and school sports staff, it raises an obvious question: what does elite-level research actually mean for the game most people are playing? Why brain donations matter to the science CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) cannot be diagnosed in a living person. The condition, characterised by an abnormal build-up of tau protein in the brain, is identified only through post-mortem neuropathological examination. That single fact defines the entire research challenge. The Glasgow University CTE research programme, published in part via the 2023 BMJ Open Sport study, has been central to UK understanding of the condition in former rugby players. That work depended entirely on donated brain tissue from former players and their families. Without donations, the sample sizes remain too small to draw robust population-level conclusions. Vickery's pledge, and the wider public conversation it reflects, is therefore not just symbolic. It expands the research resource scientists need to answer questions about exposure thresholds, individual vulnerability, and causal mechanisms. The Observer's coverage this week also highlighted other former players making similar pledges, framing the issue as a generational reckoning by a cohort who played through an era when concussion was routinely managed with a bucket of cold water and a pat on the back. What CTE research does and does not tell us It is worth being precise about what the current evidence establishes and what it does not. What is established: CTE has been identified post-mortem in a number of former professional rugby players. The Glasgow University research found that former professional rugby players had a higher risk of neurodegenerative disease than matched controls. The FIELD study at the University of Glasgow found elevated rates of dementia, motor neurone disease, and Parkinson's disease in former professional footballers. What is not established: a direct causal pathway from any specific number of concussions or head impacts to CTE. The condition's prevalence in the general population remains uncertain. And critically, the exposure profile of a professional player, who may absorb thousands of sub-concussive impacts across a decade of full-contact training and match play, is categorically different from that of a pupil who plays one or two school rugby matches per week across a season. The CISG 6th Consensus Statement (Amsterdam, 2022) acknowledges the association between repetitive head injury and long-term neurological risk while noting that causation has not been definitively established, and that the research base remains weighted toward elite male populations. Does this change anything for school rugby? Not directly, and that distinction matters. The risk in a professional career involves years of high-intensity full-contact training, not just matches. A school First XV player will accumulate a fraction of that exposure across their entire school career. Extrapolating elite-cohort findings to school sport without adjustment misrepresents the evidence. That said, the science has a clear directional message: cumulative head impact exposure is a welfare variable worth managing. The less of it a player absorbs unnecessarily, the lower the theoretical cumulative burden. That logic underpins the rule changes already adopted in UK rugby. The RFU's tackle height law changes, phased in at community and school level from 2023 onwards, are designed precisely to reduce the frequency of head contacts, not merely concussive events. For school rugby specifically, the practical implications are: Every suspected concussion should be managed as a concussion until a clinician says otherwise, using the UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update, Sport and Recreation Alliance). The minimum 21-day stand-down for under-18s should be treated as a floor, not a target for getting players back. Training sessions should apply the lower tackle height law consistently, not just at matches. Schools should document every concussion event and every stage of the graduated return to play, both for the individual's welfare and for the school's governance record. None of this requires waiting for CTE research to reach firmer conclusions. These are proportionate, evidence-consistent steps any school can take now. The culture shift behind the pledge What Vickery's pledge represents, beyond the scientific contribution, is a shift in how former players talk publicly about their health. For decades, professional rugby operated inside a culture that treated playing through injury as a mark of character. The generation who played through that era are now, as a cohort, beginning to reckon with what it cost them. That culture change matters for grassroots sport too. The biggest obstacle to good concussion management at school and club level is rarely a lack of policy. It is the informal pressure, on coaches, on players, and sometimes on parents, to minimise a head injury and get back on the pitch. Research visibility, and the public conversations it generates, shifts the context in which those decisions get made. When a World Cup winner says publicly that he is worried enough about his own brain to pledge it to science, it becomes harder for a U15 coach to wave off a head knock as "just a clash." What schools and clubs should take away The immediate practical action is not to wait for the science to settle. The science is pointing clearly enough in one direction to justify the protocols already in UK guidelines. The question for schools and clubs is whether their management is consistent with those protocols now. That means having a documented concussion policy, training staff in recognition using the CRT6 tool, applying the graduated return to play with clinical oversight, and keeping records that demonstrate the process was followed. The longer-term question, which donations from players like Vickery will help answer, is what responsible exposure management looks like across a full playing career. That research will take years. Good concussion management today, at every level, is not a consolation while we wait for it. It is itself part of the answer. Practical steps for school sports staff Confirm your school's concussion policy is aligned with the November 2024 UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines. Ensure every member of sports staff has completed RFU HEADCASE training before the new season begins. Apply the lower tackle height rule in training, not just competitive fixtures. Document every suspected concussion event and every return-to-play stage - the record is the evidence of your duty of care. Review your graduated return-to-play protocol and confirm that clinical sign-off is in place before any under-18 returns to contact. The research Phil Vickery is contributing to will matter enormously for the sport's future. The management your school puts in place this term matters for the players in front of you now. If you want to ensure your school's concussion governance reflects the current state of the science, explore the Luca Safe Concussion Framework at /lscf/, which applies UK Grassroots Guidelines as a documented, operational standard. Photo: elyob from Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources The Telegraph. Phil Vickery pledges to donate his brain for concussion research. https://www.telegraph.co.uk The Independent. England World Cup winner Phil Vickery pledges to donate brain for concussion research. https://www.independent.co.uk The Observer. 'I'll find out how to kill myself so you can use my brain to prove CTE'. https://www.theguardian.com/observer University of Glasgow Brain Research. Former professional rugby players: neurodegenerative disease risk. https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/brainresearch/ Patricios JS et al. 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport: Amsterdam Consensus Statement 2022. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2023. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/11/695 Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Non-Elite Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf England Rugby. HEADCASE concussion awareness programme. https://www.englandrugby.com/run/player-welfare/headcase Concussion in Sport Group. SCAT and CRT tools. https://concussioninsportgroup.com/scat-tools/ ← Back to news --- # /news/pioneering-study-repeated-blows-head-womens-rugby-brain/ URL: https://luca.health/news/pioneering-study-repeated-blows-head-womens-rugby-brain/ Concussion Research25 May 2026 Pioneering Study Into Repeated Head Blows in Women's Rugby - What Schools and Clubs Need to Know A new study is investigating how repeated head impacts affect the female brain in rugby - and why schools and clubs should follow the evidence as it develops. Luca Team·6 min read Pioneering Study Into Repeated Head Blows in Women's Rugby - What Schools and Clubs Need to Know Key takeaways A new study is specifically investigating how repeated head impacts affect the female brain in rugby - the first research of its kind to use a women-specific protocol. Female brains are structurally different from male brains, and existing concussion research has overwhelmingly been conducted on male athletes. The research gap has real consequences for how concussion is identified and managed in girls' and women's rugby. The current universal grassroots guidelines remain the correct framework for schools and clubs to follow now. As the evidence base develops, protocols should be reviewed and updated to reflect it - that is how evidence-based practice is supposed to work. A pioneering study reported by the Guardian on 24 May 2026 is examining how repeated head blows affect the brain in women's rugby, using a women-specific head impact protocol for the first time. The research, also covered by Women's Agenda, highlights something concussion researchers and clinicians have been raising for years: almost everything we know about repeated head trauma in rugby is based on male athletes, and female brains are not the same. For UK schools and clubs running girls' and women's rugby programmes, this is not an abstract academic concern. It has direct implications for how confident we can be that current protocols are fully fit for purpose across all players - and it is a strong reminder of why protocols need to be treated as living standards, not fixed rules. What the new study is actually doing The research represents a meaningful step forward in how scientists approach concussion in women's sport. Rather than applying male-derived assessment tools and return-to-play thresholds to female athletes, the team behind this work has developed a protocol built specifically around the female brain. The Guardian's report notes that female brains are softer and more vulnerable than male brains, a structural difference that has implications for both the pattern of injury and the recovery process. Previous studies of chronic effects of head trauma in rugby have focused almost exclusively on professional male players. The FIELD study from the University of Glasgow, which found former professional male footballers had a significantly higher rate of neurodegenerative disease, used a male cohort. The emerging rugby litigation cases similarly centre on male professional players. This new study is asking what happens when you apply the same level of rigour to women. The answers are not yet published, but the question itself marks a significant shift. Why the research gap matters The absence of female-specific data has had practical consequences. Concussion recognition tools such as the CRT6, developed and validated through the Concussion in Sport Group, were not designed with sex-based differences in symptom presentation at their core. The UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024 update) apply to all participants regardless of sex, which is the right approach for a universal minimum standard, but they do not yet reflect what a female-specific evidence base might recommend. This is not a criticism of those guidelines. Universal standards based on the best available evidence are exactly what grassroots sport needs. The point is that the evidence base itself has a gap in it, and that gap is now being addressed. When the findings from this and similar studies are digested by the clinical and sporting bodies responsible for the guidelines, we should expect those guidelines to evolve. What we already know about sex differences in concussion While the new research is still underway, there is an existing body of evidence worth understanding. The CISG 6th Consensus Statement (2023) acknowledges that female athletes report more symptoms than male athletes after concussion, and that recovery trajectories may differ. Research published in peer-reviewed journals has documented that female athletes show higher rates of headache, fatigue, cognitive symptoms, and emotional changes post-concussion compared to male counterparts in the same sports. The reasons are contested. Hypotheses include differences in brain structure and white matter, hormonal factors, differences in neck strength and head mass ratios, and - importantly - differences in willingness to report symptoms. The under-reporting problem is no less powerful in female sport than in male sport, but may operate differently. None of this changes what the guidelines say today. It does, however, reinforce why those guidelines need to be revisited as new evidence arrives, rather than treated as permanent. The broader picture for girls' and women's rugby The timing of this research matters. Girls' rugby in the UK is growing. The RFU has reported consistent increases in female participation at school and community level over the past five years. More girls playing rugby means more girls at risk of concussion, and a greater need for protocols that reflect their biology. World Rugby has acknowledged the gap. Its player welfare research programme has begun to include female athletes more systematically, and the IRFU's tackle behaviour trial, which demonstrated that lowering the legal tackle height reduced concussion rates, included mixed-sex community game data. But the bulk of the research base remains male-dominated. This study is part of a wider, gradual correction. Schools and clubs do not need to act on incomplete findings before they have been reviewed and incorporated into guidance. What they do need is to stay close to the guidance that follows, and to use a management framework that can be updated as the science develops. Following the guidelines that exist, while watching for what comes next The right approach for schools and clubs right now is straightforward: follow the current UK grassroots guidelines, applied consistently to all players, and trust that the bodies responsible for those guidelines will update them as the female-specific evidence matures. The Luca Safe Concussion Framework is built on current UK guidelines and international consensus. It reflects what the evidence supports today, and Luca's clinical team reviews it as guidelines develop. That is the nature of evidence-based practice - not a fixed rulebook, but a living set of standards that evolves as the science does. For any school or club running a girls' rugby programme, the foundation is already there. Apply the framework, document the process, and be ready to adapt when the guidance catches up with the research. Sources The Guardian. Pioneering study aims to find out how repeated blows to head in women's rugby affects brain. 24 May 2026. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/may/24/pioneering-study-aims-to-find-out-how-repeated-blows-to-head-in-womens-rugby-affects-brain Women's Agenda. Researchers develop first women-specific head impact protocol for rugby players. May 2026. https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/researchers-develop-first-women-specific-head-impact-protocol-for-rugby-players/ Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf Concussion in Sport Group. CISG 6th Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport, Amsterdam 2022. https://concussioninsportgroup.com/cisg-consensus/ Concussion in Sport Group. CRT6 and SCAT6 tools. https://concussioninsportgroup.com/scat-tools/ Photo: Torneo de clasificación WRWC 2014 - Italia vs España by Carlos Delgado, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 The Luca Safe Concussion Framework gives schools and clubs a clinician-informed foundation for concussion management that is grounded in current UK guidelines and reviewed as the evidence develops. Download it free and be ready when the guidance evolves. ← Back to news --- # /news/repeated-head-trauma-causes-neuron-loss-and-inflammation-in-young-athletes/ URL: https://luca.health/news/repeated-head-trauma-causes-neuron-loss-and-inflammation-in-young-athletes/ Clinical Insights22 September 2025 Repeated head trauma causes neuron loss and inflammation in young athletes An important publication has been released this month from a group of North American researchers. The authors include Ann McKee, one of the leading global authorities in the field of brain damage following repeated head Luca Health·2 min read Repeated head trauma causes neuron loss and inflammation in young athletes https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09534-6 An important publication has been released this month from a group of North American researchers. The authors include Ann McKee, one of the leading global authorities in the field of brain damage following repeated head trauma. The paper was published in Nature - recognised as one of the leading scientific journals. The brains of people who had died at less than 51 years old were examined. Some had documented early chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), others exposed to repetitive head impacts (RHI) but with no obvious CTE, and a control group with no known RHI. The findings in the brains of those exposed to RHI showed critical changes in the brains prior to the development of the p-tau deposition characteristic of CTE. They found that RHI led to alterations in the nerve components of our brains, alterations in blood supply, disruption of the blood-brain barrier and inflammation. These changes can adversely affect the ability of our brains to fully repair. They may account for some of the early changes in brain functioning observed and, in unfortunate cases, lead to CTE. It is acknowledged by the authors that the number of brains examined is relatively small and that more work is needed in this area. However, it increases our understanding that brain changes can occur early and raises the hope that in the future markers of damage will be developed. This may lead to a better understanding of damage and recovery following sports-related head injury and open the possibilities for early treatment interventions. Butler, M.L.M.D., Pervaiz, N., Breen, K. et al. Repeated head trauma causes neuron loss and inflammation in young athletes. Nature (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09534-6 Photo by BUDDHI Kumar SHRESTHA on Unsplash ← Back to news --- # /news/rugby-brain-injury-high-court-ruling-grassroots-clubs/ URL: https://luca.health/news/rugby-brain-injury-high-court-ruling-grassroots-clubs/ Sport News24 August 2026 Rugby Brain Injury Cases Survive High Court: What Grassroots Clubs Must Know A High Court judge has refused to throw out brain injury lawsuits brought by former professional rugby players, keeping hundreds of cases alive. Here is what the ruling means for grassroots clubs and schools. Luca Team·6 min read Rugby Brain Injury Cases Survive High Court: What Grassroots Clubs Must Know Key takeaways A High Court judge has rejected attempts by World Rugby and UK governing bodies to have hundreds of brain injury claims struck out. The ruling does not establish liability; it means the cases will proceed to full trial on their merits. The litigation involves former professional players - not grassroots or school athletes - but the governance implications reach every club and school running contact sport. Good concussion management at community level remains the clearest practical response available to clubs and schools today. Documented protocols are increasingly what NGBs, insurers, and inspectors expect to see. A High Court judge has ruled that brain injury lawsuits brought by hundreds of former professional rugby union players can proceed, rejecting a bid by World Rugby, the RFU, and the WRU to have the cases dismissed. The decision, reported across the BBC, Reuters, The Guardian, and others in the last 48 hours, is one of the most significant legal developments in the sport's history. It deserves a clear-eyed read, not a panicked one. What the High Court actually decided The governing bodies argued that the claims should be struck out before reaching a full trial, on procedural grounds. The judge disagreed, ruling that the cases are arguable and should be heard. As Reuters reported, World Rugby and the UK bodies have "lost their bid to throw out concussion lawsuits." This is a procedural win for the claimants, not a finding that the governing bodies are liable. The court has not yet ruled on whether any defendant owed a duty of care that was breached, or whether brain injuries were caused by negligent management. Those questions go to trial. The distinction matters. Community clubs and schools should not read this as a finding that rugby causes brain injury in the legal sense - that determination has not been made. Who is involved - and who is not The litigation involves former professional rugby union players who claim their careers exposed them to repeated head impacts that caused lasting neurological damage. The BBC confirmed that the High Court judge allowed the case to continue despite the defendants' challenge. These are elite athletes with careers involving a volume of contact exposure that is categorically different from community or school rugby. A prop who played 200 professional matches accumulated a lifetime of head impacts that no grassroots player or school pupil will come close to matching in a sporting career. That is not a reason to dismiss the litigation as irrelevant - it is a reason to read the evidence carefully and proportionately, which is what the research demands. What this means for community clubs and schools The honest answer is: not an immediate change to your operational protocols, but a clear signal about the direction of travel. Several things are true at once. First, the duty-of-care question is live. Courts are now being asked to determine what governing bodies owe players in terms of protecting them from foreseeable harm. Whatever the outcome at elite level, the same duty-of-care framework applies to clubs and schools running contact sport. The standard of "reasonable care" in that context is shaped by whether you follow published guidelines, train your staff, and document what you do. Second, the governing bodies' own guidelines exist precisely because the science has advanced. The UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update, Sport and Recreation Alliance) set out minimum standards for removal, stand-down, and graduated return to play. They are not aspirational; they reflect the current consensus on what responsible management looks like. Clubs and schools that follow them are building a defensible position. Those that do not are not. Third, the litigation is a downstream consequence of decades in which concussion was systematically under-managed at the elite level. Grassroots sport has an opportunity to take a different path, and many clubs and schools already are. What the CTE and brain injury research actually says for grassroots The legal cases sit on top of a growing body of research. The University of Glasgow FIELD study found that former professional footballers were significantly more likely than the general population to develop neurodegenerative disease. Research on rugby players has found similar patterns. In each case, the exposure in question was a professional career - not a school season or a Saturday morning club match. CTE itself - chronic traumatic encephalopathy - is a post-mortem diagnosis. No living person can be confirmed to have CTE. The correct framing, and the one the science supports, is that repeated head impacts over long careers appear to be associated with increased neurological risk in some individuals. The mechanism is not fully understood; the dose-response relationship is not established; and the research base remains, as the CISG 6th Consensus Statement (2023) acknowledges, incomplete. What the CISG consensus does say clearly is that every concussion should be managed carefully, that return to play should be graduated, and that the under-18 population warrants particular caution given the developing brain's vulnerability. What "demonstrable duty of care" looks like now The litigation has already changed the expectations of insurers, NGBs, and - increasingly - school inspectors. The direction is clear: clubs and schools are expected to have documented concussion protocols, trained staff, and records of every incident managed. A defensible position has four components. A written policy, reviewed annually, that references current UK guidelines. Staff who have received concussion awareness training - RFU HEADCASE, FA concussion modules, or equivalent. A documented incident record for every suspected concussion, from removal through to return-to-play clearance. A graduated return-to-play process that matches or exceeds the minimum 21-day stand-down for under-18s set out in the November 2024 UK Grassroots Guidelines. None of this is new. What is new is the litigation context that makes having these things matter more than it did five years ago. The honest balance Rugby and football at grassroots level carry real but bounded risk. The benefits of contact sport for young people - physical fitness, teamwork, resilience, mental health - are well documented. The risk of a single-season concussion at community level is not comparable to the risk accumulation of a decade-long professional career. The proportionate response is not to stop playing contact sport. It is to manage it carefully, document what you do, and ensure that any concussion is treated as a concussion until a qualified professional says otherwise. The "if in doubt, sit them out" principle is not a legal technicality. It is the foundation of good management, and the litigation now working its way through the courts exists, in part, because that principle was not consistently applied at the elite level when it should have been. Practical steps for clubs and schools right now Check that your written concussion policy references the November 2024 UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines and is signed off by a named responsible person. Confirm that every coach and staff member who supervises contact activity has completed RFU HEADCASE, the FA's concussion modules, or equivalent training within the last two years. Review your incident documentation process. Every suspected concussion should generate a written record on the day, naming the incident, the observation, the decision made, and who made it. Confirm that your return-to-play process requires a minimum 21-day stand-down for under-18s, and that return to contact requires sign-off by a qualified clinician, not the coach alone. Share a brief update with your board, governors, or trustees so that those with governance responsibility are aware of the litigation landscape and the steps you are taking. Photo: This image was produced by me, David Castor (user:dcastor). The pictures I submit to the Wikipedia Project are released to the public domain. This gives you the right to use them in any way you like, without any kind of notification. This said, I would still appreciate to be mentioned as the originator whenever you think it complies well with your use of the picture. A message to me about how it has been used would also be welcome. You are obviously not required to respond to these wishes of mine, just in a friendly manner encouraged to. (All my photos are placed in Category:Images by David Castor or a subcategory thereof.), CC0 http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources The Guardian. Rugby brain injury case brought back from brink of collapse after high court ruling. 2026. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/aug/24/rugby-brain-injury-case-brought-back-from-brink-of-collapse-after-high-court-ruling BBC Sport. Rugby brain injuries case: High Court judge allows case to continue. 2026. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/articles/cg7vk0vvg0ro Reuters. World Rugby, UK bodies lose bid to throw out concussion lawsuits. 2026. https://www.reuters.com/sports/rugby/world-rugby-uk-bodies-lose-bid-throw-out-concussion-lawsuits-2026-08-22/ Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf University of Glasgow. FIELD study: neurodegenerative disease in former professional footballers. https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/headline_881647_en.html Concussion in Sport Group. 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport Consensus Statement (2023). https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/11/695 The litigation working through the High Court is a signal, not a verdict - but the signal is clear. Clubs and schools that take concussion management seriously, follow the current UK Grassroots Guidelines, and document what they do are building the kind of defensible record that the current environment demands. The Luca Safe Concussion Framework provides a seven-domain structure that implements those guidelines as an operational standard, free to download for any school or club that wants to close the gap between having a policy and being able to demonstrate it. ← Back to news --- # /news/rugby-brain-injury-litigation-what-grassroots-clubs-must-know/ URL: https://luca.health/news/rugby-brain-injury-litigation-what-grassroots-clubs-must-know/ Sport News27 July 2026 Rugby Brain Injury Litigation Reaches Crisis Point - What It Means for Grassroots Clubs A High Court judge is considering striking out 95% of claims in the rugby brain injury litigation. Here is what the case involves, why it matters, and what grassroots clubs should take from it. Luca Team·6 min read Rugby Brain Injury Litigation Reaches Crisis Point - What It Means for Grassroots Clubs Key takeaways A judge in the ongoing rugby brain injury litigation is considering striking out approximately 95% of the claims, according to The Guardian. Separate allegations have emerged that the claimants' solicitor submitted a player statement without consent, raising serious procedural concerns. The judge compared the conduct of the claimants' lawyer to "a bus driver steering his passengers off a cliff." The case involves former professional players, not grassroots or school participants. The exposure levels are fundamentally different. Whatever the legal outcome, grassroots clubs and schools should treat documented concussion management as a standing duty - not a response to litigation. What has happened in the case? The rugby brain injury group litigation, involving former professional players who allege that World Rugby, the RFU, and the Welsh Rugby Union failed to adequately protect them from the long-term neurological consequences of concussion, has reached an unexpectedly turbulent moment in the High Court. According to reporting by The Guardian, the judge has retired to consider whether to strike out around 95% of the claims. Separately, The Telegraph reported that the claimants' solicitor was accused of submitting a player witness statement without that player's consent - a serious professional conduct allegation. In the same proceedings, the judge described the conduct of the claimants' lawyer as "a bus driver steering his passengers off a cliff." A statement from a former Wales international described the "scale and complexity" of the case as still growing, suggesting that the dispute - whatever form it eventually takes - is far from resolved. What are the players actually alleging? The claimants are former professional rugby union players. Their core argument is that governing bodies knew, or ought to have known, about the cumulative neurological risks of repeated head impacts; that they failed to act on that knowledge in time; and that this failure caused or materially contributed to the players' current neurological conditions. The conditions referenced in reporting include early-onset dementia and other neurodegenerative presentations. It is important to note, as the style-guide to this kind of reporting demands, that CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) is a post-mortem diagnosis. Any living player's condition can be described as a neurological impairment; it cannot formally be labelled CTE until confirmed after death. Why the 95% strike-out figure matters - and what it does not mean A strike-out at this stage does not necessarily mean the court has found the claims to be without merit on the facts. Strike-outs in group litigation often turn on procedural compliance, the structure of the claim, and whether the legal arguments are properly formulated. The reporting suggests the judge's concern is, at least in part, about the way the litigation has been conducted rather than a finding that players were not harmed. For grassroots clubs and school sports departments reading this story, the important point is this: the legal process is specific to professional sport, professional exposure levels, and professional governance. The outcome of this case will not directly determine whether a community rugby club or school has discharged its duty of care. Does elite litigation change anything for community rugby? Not immediately, and probably not directly. But the direction of travel in sport-and-concussion law is clearly toward greater scrutiny of what governing bodies and institutions knew, when they knew it, and what they did about it. The University of Glasgow's research on neurological disease in former professional rugby players, and the wider body of evidence assembled over the past decade, is relevant context. But as the Glasgow research itself makes clear, the exposure levels in a professional career - potentially thousands of sub-concussive impacts across a decade or more of full-contact training and play - are categorically different from those accumulated in a school rugby career or a community club season. That distinction does not license complacency. It licenses proportionate, evidence-based action. What should grassroots clubs and schools actually do? The litigation makes concrete what good governance thinking already recommends. Here is the practical upshot for community rugby clubs and school sports departments. 1. Document every incident, every decision, and every stage of return to play. If a player sustains a head knock and is removed from the pitch, record it. If they are referred to a medical professional, record it. If they complete a graduated return-to-play programme, record each stage. An audit trail is both a welfare tool and, if ever needed, evidence that the organisation took its responsibilities seriously. 2. Apply the November 2024 UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport. These were published by the Sport and Recreation Alliance and represent the current operational standard for community sport. They include the graduated return to sport (GRAS) protocol, which requires a minimum 21-day stand-down from contact activity for under-18s following a confirmed concussion. 3. Do not conflate the elite HIA protocol with the GRAS protocol. The Head Injury Assessment used in professional rugby is designed for a context with pitchside medics and video review. The grassroots guidelines are designed for the reality of community sport without those resources. Applying elite frameworks verbatim to a school fixture is neither required nor always appropriate. 4. Train your people. RFU HEADCASE training is available to any coach or sports staff member involved in rugby at community or school level. It takes a matter of hours and provides the foundational awareness to apply the "if in doubt, sit them out" principle consistently. 5. Review your concussion policy annually. The legal and evidential landscape for concussion in sport is moving. A policy drafted three years ago may not reflect current guidance. The beginning of each academic or sporting year is a natural review point. What about the female-centred concussion study? Also in the news this week, the BBC reported that former players are backing the first female-centred concussion study in rugby. This is an important development. The research base for concussion in female athletes - including female rugby players - remains significantly thinner than for male athletes. The sex-based differences in symptom presentation, recovery time, and neurological vulnerability are not yet fully understood. Any school or club running girls' or women's rugby should follow this research as it develops, and should already be applying the same rigorous identification and return-to-play standards that apply to all players regardless of sex. The honest balance Contact sport carries risk. Rugby, as a full-contact sport, carries a higher head-impact exposure than most. That is a fact, and organisations running rugby programmes have a responsibility to engage with it honestly rather than defensively. At the same time, the benefits of sport - physical, social, developmental - are real, and disproportionate alarm about risk in community sport does not serve players, coaches, or parents well. The appropriate response to the litigation and to the emerging science is not to abolish contact sport; it is to manage it well, document what you do, and apply current guidance consistently. The litigation reminds the sport that the years in which concussion was routinely underplayed are gone. The standard expected of everyone who runs a rugby programme, at any level, is higher than it was. That is not a bad thing. Photo: Mtaylor848, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources The Guardian. Rugby brain injury case reaches crisis point as judge retires to consider 95% strikeouts. https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMizgFBVV95cUxQdG5ERFRCQk0tS2pzclNvYXNMVDRXc1VlcXN5Q3dIcThfYjlmdGtPaEhRU1M3SnlwMU05TGtlajJ3dUhCSm4xUDJtVzh5VV9vaTVjVzdMSUhBbXN2R1lTM3hMODdoR0p3cTZqTWxWLXBaM3YxdlJhaGppbHBqdU9tUW53TWN3TThWM1ZWdHcyeTJCd09VUGJXSTdvZnFlRk5YZ0djU1hXZmJ0ZVV2dWNOOHRBNW1ZaHlKVmFkWWtvdWFsVDl2R0ZFWWZmLTRKQQ?oc=5 The Telegraph. Rugby concussion lawyer accused of submitting player statement without consent. https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMirgFBVV95cUxONHF0bS1sRUVvVXpOQVo4OHZhN3kzaXZwcFRiM25sY2RQU255cDJpcFllYjRyazU5TUxYdUhSMjlVVG5RZWVOZVZPSnYzVHFieXZabXpnWnVPR1hyTUpxb2VqaEoyVTJhM3pQazNKOTlabVR0eGZjaE1LdlRQZ0RZN3dvMUZLTTcwWVBOVGNVRE95Y3NzSDZrRGhNOVFmZ29hZlU5b2ZnX0tIVTh0b3c?oc=5 Planet Rugby. Former Wales star releases statement as 'scale and complexity' rises in multi-million-pound concussion legal battle. https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMi3wFBVV95cUxNN3BDclpwc0duZ1lkd3ljeTFOanIybzQ3WXNHYWhxOGhBX3ZfWkNCdXRJLVRXcEtVZk14U05uWlpEMDl5dktCMG1KREh2NEhiM2xxSkwyTkNNSUtkMHZyU3V2MTQydkdaNHoxMEVINnM1bUxvT0FvYnNsWEZkZW5oQi1ZempMNWtBX05jdDZfaTh5aGlzbl9pakRwUE5tNnl0Y3VZR0tuejYzT0pGUk1ld21qR1M1MFNUekdiSGF6MmJPRGkweDRFMUxoM0UwOU1Eamdwa2JHMTVoMGZJSmJR?oc=5 BBC. Concussion in rugby: Ex-players back first female-centred study. https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMia0FVX3lxTFBUNjdDX01HRHhIYk5UVHpWOVdkaDdQa0RXd0l5emNmem1rR3AzX1RRZVdncWhlOENQOXctSVVpdEp4UVo5VW9iMlhfSkgtRFVqdU9LR0VTR1Mxd3NZUjVmYUdFYjlUMHBXOE9J?oc=5 Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf BMJ Open Sport and ← Back to news --- # /news/rugby-concussion-litigation-plain-english-explainer-grassroots-clubs/ URL: https://luca.health/news/rugby-concussion-litigation-plain-english-explainer-grassroots-clubs/ SPORT NEWS21 May 2026 The Rugby Concussion Lawsuit - What Grassroots Clubs Need to Know A landmark rugby concussion lawsuit is facing procedural pressure. Here is what the case involves and what it means for grassroots clubs and schools. Luca Team·6 min read The Rugby Concussion Lawsuit - What Grassroots Clubs Need to Know Key takeaways A major group litigation by former professional rugby players against governing bodies is facing procedural uncertainty after defendants pushed for a filing deadline that many claimants may struggle to meet. The case involves allegations that rugby authorities failed to protect players from the long-term neurological consequences of repeated head impacts. The litigation concerns elite professional careers, not grassroots or school rugby, but the duty-of-care questions it raises are directly relevant to community clubs and schools. How litigation unfolds does not reduce the obligation on clubs and schools to manage concussion to current guideline standards. Documented concussion protocols remain the clearest evidence that an organisation takes its duty of care seriously, regardless of how litigation unfolds. The BBC and The Telegraph both reported this week that a long-running group action by former professional rugby players is facing significant procedural pressure. The defendants, which include World Rugby and the home unions, have pushed for a procedural deadline that a significant number of claimants may struggle to meet. The case has been running for several years and centres on claims that governing bodies knew about the long-term neurological risks of repeated head impacts and failed to act quickly enough to protect players. For grassroots clubs, school sports departments, and welfare officers watching from the sidelines, it raises an obvious question: what does any of this mean for us? What the litigation is actually about The group action was brought by a cohort of former professional rugby union players, many of whom report serious neurological symptoms in retirement. Their legal teams allege that governing bodies, including the RFU, World Rugby and the Welsh Rugby Union, were aware of the emerging science linking repeated head impacts to long-term brain conditions and did not implement protective measures quickly enough. It is important to be clear about the nature of the claims. The case involves elite professional players who accumulated high-volume head impacts across long careers at the top level of the sport. We are not talking about school first XVs or community club players turning out on a Saturday afternoon. The BBC reported that claimant solicitors have described the deadline requirement pushed by the defendant governing bodies as obstructive. As of the date of publication, no judgment has been reached and the case has not settled. Nothing in this article should be read as a legal characterisation of the merits of either side's position. What CTE means in this context Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative condition associated with repeated traumatic brain injury. It is a post-mortem diagnosis - it can only be confirmed after death, through examination of brain tissue. No living person can be diagnosed with CTE on current evidence. When reading coverage of litigation or research in this area, that distinction matters enormously. Research from the University of Glasgow, published in 2023 in BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine, found that former professional rugby union players had a significantly elevated risk of neurodegenerative disease compared with matched controls. That is a serious finding. It is also a finding about professional players with long elite careers, not about children or community sport participants. The FIELD study, led by researchers at the University of Glasgow and published in The New England Journal of Medicine, found elevated rates of neurodegenerative disease in former professional footballers. Again, the study population was professional players, not recreational participants. Neither study tells us directly what the risk is for a pupil playing school rugby or a club player competing at Level 6. The exposure volumes are simply not comparable. Why the litigation outcome does not reduce your duty of care However the case develops, the duty of care that clubs and schools owe to participants does not change. Duty of care in sport is grounded in common law, reinforced by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and - for schools - by the safeguarding obligations in Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE). None of those frameworks depend on litigation outcomes. What the litigation does do, every time it makes headlines, is sharpen the attention of governors, insurers, and inspectors on whether organisations have done the basics. That is not a threat; it is an opportunity to demonstrate that your club or school is operating to current standards. The UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024 update) set out exactly what community sport must do: remove any player with a suspected concussion, apply a minimum 21-day stand-down for under-18s before return to contact, and follow a structured graduated return-to-sport pathway. These are not optional guidelines and they do not require a court to tell you to follow them. What grassroots clubs should be doing right now The litigation context is useful primarily as a prompt to audit. Three practical questions every club welfare officer and school Head of Sport should be able to answer: 1. Do we have a written concussion protocol that reflects the November 2024 UK Grassroots Guidelines? Not a policy from 2019. Not something adapted from a Premier League club's framework. A document aligned to the current community sport guidelines, reviewed by someone who has read them. 2. Do we have an audit trail for every concussion event in the last two seasons? This means a record of when the incident happened, who observed it, when the player was removed, what the graduated return pathway looked like, and who cleared the player for return to contact. If you cannot reconstruct that sequence for a specific player from twelve months ago, your documentation is insufficient. 3. Have the people responsible for implementing the protocol actually been trained on it? A policy in a drawer is not evidence of a managed process. Coaches, PE teachers, and welfare officers need to know the signs of suspected concussion, how to apply the CRT6 recognition tool, and what happens next. The RFU's HEADCASE programme provides free online training for community rugby. It is a good starting point, not a complete framework. The exposure difference matters - but does not mean ignoring the evidence One response to the litigation coverage is to dismiss it entirely on the grounds that professional players are nothing like community participants. That would be a mistake. The science on repeated head impacts is real and it is developing. What it currently supports is proportionate risk management, not panic. World Rugby's concussion guidance emphasises that the goal of protocols is to protect the brain during the vulnerable recovery window after a concussion, when a second impact carries disproportionate risk. That principle applies whether a player has had five career concussions or fifty. The minimum stand-down exists because the brain needs time to recover, not because every community player is on a trajectory toward neurodegeneration. The honest case for rigorous grassroots concussion management is not that community players face the same long-term risks as professional players who trained full-time for fifteen years. It is that every concussion deserves proper management on its own terms, and that the protocols designed to protect participants are not burdensome. They are manageable, they are evidence-based, and they are increasingly what governing bodies, inspectors and insurers expect to see documented. What to do next If the litigation headlines have prompted any doubt about whether your current approach is sufficient, the right response is a structured self-audit, not a Google search. The Luca Safe Concussion Framework sets out a seven-domain structure that gives clubs and schools a clear picture of where their current provision stands and what needs to be addressed. It is the kind of documented, evidence-referenced framework that demonstrates genuine compliance, not box-ticking. The legal case will run its course. Your duty of care does not wait for the verdict. Sources BBC Sport. Brain injury legal action could collapse as rugby authorities push for deadline. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf Mackay DF et al. Neurodegenerative disease mortality among former professional rugby union players. BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine, 2023. https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/9/1/e001572 Mackay DF et al. Neurodegenerative Disease and Death Among Retired Elite Soccer Players. New England Journal of Medicine, 2019. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1908483 World Rugby. Concussion guidance and protocols. https://www.world.rugby/the-game/player-welfare/concussion England Rugby. HEADCASE concussion awareness programme. https://www.englandrugby.com/participation/playing/headcase Photo: rileyroxx, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons The Luca Safe Concussion Framework translates the UK Grassroots Guidelines into a documented, operational standard any club or school can implement. Whether you are reviewing your governance in light of the current litigation news or building a protocol from scratch, the framework gives you the structure to demonstrate that your organisation takes concussion management seriously. Download it free at /lscf/. ← Back to news --- # /news/sam-cane-hit-kit-concussion-rapid-response-nz-herald/ URL: https://luca.health/news/sam-cane-hit-kit-concussion-rapid-response-nz-herald/ Concussion Research10 August 2026 Sam Cane Backs a Rapid Concussion Hit Kit - What UK Grassroots Sport Should Make of It New Zealand's Sam Cane is backing a rapid-response concussion tool called the Hit Kit. Here is what UK grassroots coaches and schools need to understand about new sideline assessment technology. Luca Team·6 min read Sam Cane Backs a Rapid Concussion Hit Kit - What UK Grassroots Sport Should Make of It Key takeaways Former All Blacks captain Sam Cane has publicly backed a new rapid-response concussion tool called the Hit Kit, designed for sideline use. The Hit Kit is a New Zealand product aimed at non-medical staff who need a fast, structured assessment at the point of injury. In the UK, the Concussion Recognition Tool 6 (CRT6) remains the standard sideline tool for coaches and teachers without medical training. Any new assessment tool must complement, not replace, a complete concussion management pathway that includes clinical oversight and documented graduated return to play. The value of a sideline tool depends entirely on what comes after it - a consistent, documented protocol from removal to safe return. Sam Cane's endorsement of a rapid concussion assessment product in New Zealand has attracted attention from the rugby community worldwide. It raises a question that is directly relevant for UK coaches, school sports staff, and welfare officers: when a new sideline concussion recognition tool emerges, how should you evaluate it, and does it change what you do on the touchline this weekend? What Is the Hit Kit and What Does Sam Cane Say About It? According to the NZ Herald, the Hit Kit is a rapid-response concussion assessment tool developed for use by non-medical staff at the point of injury. Cane, who retired from professional rugby and has spoken publicly about his own experiences with head knocks during his career, is backing the product as a way to make sideline concussion identification faster and more consistent. The specific assessment steps inside the Hit Kit have not been published in peer-reviewed literature at the time of writing, so Luca Health cannot evaluate its clinical validity independently. What we can do is set out the principles that should govern any sideline tool - and how the UK framework already addresses them. What the UK Standard Already Provides In UK grassroots and school sport, the recognised sideline concussion recognition tool is the CRT6, produced by the Concussion in Sport Group (CISG) following the 6th International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport in 2023. It is freely available, validated, and designed specifically for use by coaches, teachers, and other non-medical staff. The CRT6 is not a diagnostic instrument. It identifies suspected concussion and prompts immediate removal from play. That is its entire job - and it does it well when used correctly. The UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024 update) recommend the CRT6 as the standard recognition tool for community and school sport across all codes. The SCAT6, by contrast, is a longer clinical assessment tool intended for use by qualified medical professionals. Schools and clubs should not use SCAT6 in place of CRT6 - the two tools serve different users in different settings. What Makes Any Sideline Tool Valid? Whether the tool is the CRT6, the Hit Kit, or any future product, the same evaluation questions apply. Has it been peer-reviewed? Clinical tools used on children and young people should have published, independent research behind them. The CRT6 is grounded in the CISG consensus process, which involves hundreds of researchers and clinicians across multiple continents. Who is it designed for? A non-medical coach needs a different tool from a pitchside doctor. A tool designed for trained clinicians should not be marketed as suitable for teachers with no first-aid background. What does it do and not do? Any honest sideline tool will tell you clearly that it cannot diagnose concussion. It identifies suspected concussion and requires the player to be removed. Diagnosis - and the graduated return to play that follows - requires clinical assessment. Does it fit within a complete pathway? A recognition tool is the first step in a pathway that continues through clinical assessment, symptom monitoring, graduated return to school, and documented graduated return to play. A tool that stops at "suspected concussion, sit them out" is a starting point, not a complete solution. Why Sideline Tool Diversity Can Create Problems One practical concern for UK schools and clubs is consistency. If every sport, every club, and every region adopts a different recognition tool, the downstream documentation becomes harder to manage. A player who is assessed with one tool at a school rugby fixture and a different tool at a community club session may have an incomplete picture if their records cannot be easily compared. The UK Grassroots Guidelines deliberately standardise around the CRT6 for this reason. Consistency of approach - across staff, venues, and fixtures - reduces the risk of a concussion being missed at the handover point between school and club, or between the first-aider and the GP. This does not mean new tools should be dismissed. It means they should be evaluated rigorously before they become part of a pathway, rather than adopted on the basis of a high-profile endorsement alone. What Sam Cane's Backing Actually Tells Us Cane's willingness to put his name to a concussion tool reflects something genuinely important: elite players are increasingly willing to speak publicly about head injury, and that cultural shift has real value at grassroots level. When a former All Blacks captain says sideline concussion assessment matters, coaches who might have previously dismissed a "soft" head knock take notice. That cultural normalisation of concussion protocols, at touchlines and in changing rooms, is arguably the most important factor in whether a recognition tool gets used at all. Research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine has repeatedly identified reluctance to remove players as a central failure point in grassroots concussion management, not the absence of the right tool. So while the clinical merits of the Hit Kit remain to be independently assessed, Cane's advocacy for rapid sideline assessment is a message UK grassroots sport can take on board regardless of which specific tool a club or school chooses. What UK Schools and Clubs Should Do Now The practical picture for UK settings is straightforward. First, ensure every member of sports staff, teaching or coaching, has read the CRT6 and knows how to apply it. It is free to download from the CISG website. There is no barrier to adoption except time. Second, ensure that recognition is the first step in a complete pathway. The CRT6 is not enough on its own. The November 2024 UK Grassroots Guidelines require a minimum 21-day stand-down from contact sport for under-18s following suspected concussion, with staged return to play and documented symptom monitoring throughout. Third, make sure your school or club has a concussion policy in place, not just a tool. A recognition tool in the pocket of one coach is not a concussion policy. A documented framework, reviewed regularly, communicated to all staff and parents, and applied consistently at every fixture, is. Fourth, if you encounter new tools being promoted in your sport, ask the four evaluation questions above before adopting them. "A professional endorsed it" is not sufficient. "It is peer-reviewed, designed for non-medical staff, and fits within the UK Grassroots Pathway" is. The Broader Point About Innovation and Standards New Zealand has often been ahead of UK grassroots sport in implementing structured concussion protocols, partly because of the ACC (Accident Compensation Corporation) national framework that funds and coordinates sports injury management. Products like the Hit Kit emerging from the NZ market reflect a culture of investment in this area. The UK is catching up. The November 2024 update to the Grassroots Guidelines and the cross-sport adoption of the CRT6 represent meaningful progress. The risk now is that well-intentioned innovation fragments the emerging consistency before it takes hold. The answer is not to close the door to new tools. It is to route them through the same evidence standard that the CRT6 meets, and to adopt them through the guidelines framework rather than around it. What to Do Next If your school or club does not yet have a structured sideline assessment process in place, the CRT6 is where to start. Download it, train your staff on it, and document its use as part of your broader concussion management framework. If you are a Head of Sport or welfare officer reviewing your policy this pre-season, the Luca Safe Concussion Framework provides a seven-domain structure that puts recognition in its proper context as the first step in a complete clinical pathway. Photo: 江戸村のとくぞう, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources NZ Herald. Why Sam Cane is backing new rapid response concussion Hit Kit. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/sam-cane-backing-new-rapid-response-concussion-hit-kit/ Concussion in Sport Group. CRT6 and SCAT6 Concussion Tools. https://concussioninsportgroup.com/scat-tools/ Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf Luca's platform integrates concussion recognition into a complete clinical pathway, from first CRT6 assessment to documented safe return to sport. See how it works at /how-it-works/. ← Back to news --- # /news/sir-clive-woodward-rugby-head-injury-crisis-luca-health/ URL: https://luca.health/news/sir-clive-woodward-rugby-head-injury-crisis-luca-health/ Press & Media14 July 2026 Sir Clive Woodward Mentions Luca Health in Daily Mail Rugby Safety Warning Sir Clive Woodward named Luca Health in a major Daily Mail piece calling on rugby to fix its concussion crisis at grassroots level before the sport loses a generation of players. Luca Team·5 min read Sir Clive Woodward Backs Luca Health in Daily Mail Rugby Safety Warning Key takeaways Sir Clive Woodward published a major opinion piece in the Daily Mail on 9 July 2026, warning that rugby faces extinction at grassroots level unless it acts on concussion safety. He named Luca Health by name as an example of the technology he believes can be a "gamechanger" for the sport. Northampton School for Boys (NSB), the state school that won national titles at Under-15 and Under-18 level this season, are featured as a Luca partner club already leading the way. Woodward's piece underlines the need for documented, structured concussion management at schools and clubs - exactly the gap Luca exists to close. The article highlights the growing consensus that concussion identification and managed return to play are now non-negotiable for any school or club running contact sport. England's 2003 World Cup-winning coach does not write cautiously. When Sir Clive Woodward published a piece in the Daily Mail on 9 July 2026 warning that rugby could "die" if it fails to fix concussion management at grassroots level, the sport's clubs and schools sat up. In the same piece, he named Luca Health as part of the solution - and pointed to Northampton School for Boys as evidence that it is already working. What Sir Clive actually said The article is a direct call to action. Woodward's argument is simple: what happens at professional level - players visibly suffering long-term consequences of head injuries - creates fear among parents at grassroots level. That fear, if unaddressed, will pull children out of rugby. If it persists, the pipeline of future players disappears. "If rugby doesn't do that," he wrote, referring to making the game safer at schools, colleges and clubs, "there won't be a next generation of players coming through and the sport will die." He is careful to say he would still allow his grandchildren to play rugby - but only with confidence that safety procedures are in place. That condition is the key point: parental confidence depends entirely on what clubs and schools can demonstrate, not just promise. Woodward described how he had been interested to learn of Luca Health and explained the platform's core function clearly: "If a player suffers a head injury on the field, the Luca app allows that incident to be recorded immediately by a coach or teacher. The player and their parents, if necessary, are then notified immediately and a clinician appointment is set up for further assessment. Everything is documented within the app - including treatment - before the player can then make a safe return to action." He concluded: "In 2026, with all the equipment available, it is exactly these sorts of developments which I believe can be a gamechanger for rugby. I'd love to see them being used more widely." Why Northampton School for Boys matters in this story NSB are not a fee-paying school. They are a state school in Northampton, and this season they were crowned national champions at both Under-15 and Under-18 level. That in itself disrupts the assumption that schoolboy rugby excellence belongs to the independent sector. But Woodward's article points to something more significant: NSB are using Luca Health as part of a deliberate approach to player welfare, and their director of rugby Phil Beaumont is explicit about why. "We wanted to ensure every player and student has a positive rugby experience, even at times of injury, and to support them as best we can if they have a concussion," Beaumont told the Daily Mail. "We were really impressed with Luca putting the player at the centre of what they do. That very much aligned with our values." Beaumont also made a practical point that coaches and heads of sport across the country will recognise immediately: "It's really efficient and allows coaches to have confidence they are following the right processes and asking the right questions around medical support." That confidence matters. A coach who is unsure whether they are handling a head injury correctly is in an impossible position on the touchline. A structured, clinician-backed pathway removes that uncertainty. NSB is one of a growing number of schools and clubs now using Luca, alongside Bryanston, Mount Kelly, Worksop, Towcestrians, and Witney. What the coverage changes (and what it doesn't) Media coverage of this kind is useful - but what it actually does is confirm a direction of travel that was already clear. The November 2024 update to the UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport set a minimum 21-day stand-down for suspected concussion in under-18s. The RFU's HEADCASE programme has been training coaches and school staff for several years. The question was never whether grassroots rugby needed a structured approach to concussion management. It was whether individual clubs and schools would actually implement one. Woodward's piece accelerates that pressure. When a figure with his profile and credibility says publicly that the sport will die without action on this, it becomes harder for club chairs, headteachers, and bursars to treat concussion governance as someone else's priority. It also raises a specific point about research. Woodward notes that a Cardiff University study is currently examining how repeated head impacts affect female rugby players - a research gap that Luca has previously covered in the context of concussion in girls' rugby. The direction is clear: the evidence base is expanding, and protocols will follow. What schools and clubs should do with this Sir Clive's article is a prompt, not a plan. Here is what concrete action actually looks like. For school heads of sport and rugby coaches: Check whether your school has a documented concussion policy that references the November 2024 UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines. Confirm that every coach involved in contact rugby has completed the RFU HEADCASE awareness module. NSB ensure every player is also signposted to it. Make sure you have a clear process for the moment a head injury occurs: who records it, who contacts parents, who arranges clinical assessment, and who decides when return to play is appropriate. Document every stage. The audit trail is not just good governance; it is the evidence parents and governors need to have confidence in your programme. For grassroots club welfare officers: Review whether your match-day process matches the "if in doubt, sit them out" principle from the UK Grassroots Guidelines. Immediate removal is non-negotiable. Ensure that post-removal, the player does not return to play the same day under any circumstances. Consider how you currently communicate with parents after a head injury incident. Real-time notification is the standard Woodward describes; if you are relying on informal conversations, there is a gap. The broader picture Woodward is pointing to The concern Woodward raises is not new. What has changed is the accumulation of evidence and coverage at professional level, and the effect that accumulation has on parental perception. Each high-profile story about a former professional player dealing with the long-term consequences of head injuries adds to a picture that parents absorb. The answer is not to pretend the risk is zero. It is to demonstrate that every reasonable step is being taken. A school or club that can show documented identification, clinical assessment, a managed graduated return to play, and parent communication at every stage is in a fundamentally different position from one that relies on a coach's judgment and a verbal "he seems fine." Luca's clinician-led concussion management platform exists precisely to close that gap - giving schools and clubs the structure, documentation, and clinical oversight that turns good intentions into demonstrable practice. The sport Woodward loves, and that hundreds of thousands of young people play every year, deserves that standard. So do the parents deciding whether to let their children take the pitch. Sources Sir Clive Woodward, Daily Mail Sport. "If we don't act now on rugby's head injury crisis in schools and clubs, no child will ever want to play our sport again and it WILL die." 9 July 2026. https://www.dailymail.com/sport/rugbyunion/article-15961867/Rugby-grassroots-die-head-injury-crisis-Clive-Woodward.html Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf England Rugby. HEADCASE concussion awareness programme. https://www.englandrugby.com/run/player-welfare/headcase Photo: Former England rugby coach Clive Woodward during a visit to the ASPIRE Academy. Picture by Mohan www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com If your school or club is thinking about where to start, the Luca Safe Concussion Framework is free to download and gives you a seven-domain structure to audit your current approach, fill the gaps, and document your practice to the standard parents, governors, and insurers are increasingly asking to see. ← Back to news --- # /news/springbok-centre-retires-concussion-what-grassroots-sport-must-learn/ URL: https://luca.health/news/springbok-centre-retires-concussion-what-grassroots-sport-must-learn/ Sport News20 July 2026 A Springbok Retires After a 'Huge Fright' - What Grassroots Rugby Must Learn When a professional Springbok centre retires citing a 'huge fright' from concussion, it raises questions every grassroots club and school rugby coach should be asking about player welfare and return-to-play decisions. Luca Team·6 min read A Springbok Retires After a 'Huge Fright' - What Grassroots Rugby Must Learn Key takeaways A Springbok centre has retired from professional rugby citing a serious concussion scare, described as a "huge fright." Elite players retiring on medical advice is a visible signal of a decision that grassroots clubs and schools rarely make as confidently. The "huge fright" framing reflects the reality that concussion is not always dramatic and obvious - delayed concern can follow an apparently minor incident. UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines (November 2024 update) require removal, stand-down, and graduated return for any suspected concussion, regardless of severity perception at the time. Clubs and schools that document every head incident - not just the obvious ones - are in a stronger position if a player's situation changes weeks later. The retirement of a Springbok centre after what he described publicly as a "huge fright" is one of the more quietly significant concussion stories of the 2026 rugby season. There were no dramatic on-pitch scenes, no ambulance - just a professional player, advised by medical staff, deciding that carrying on was not worth the risk. That decision, reached at the highest level of the game, contains lessons for every grassroots club welfare officer and school Head of Sport managing concussion in young players this season. What actually happened - and why it matters SA Rugby magazine reported that the player chose to step away from the professional game following a concussion that gave him, in his own words, a "huge fright." The detail matters: this was not described as a career-ending injury sustained in a single catastrophic collision. It was framed as a moment of clarity - a recognition that the cumulative or acute impact of a head injury had crossed a threshold where continuing was not the right call. At elite level, players have access to team physicians, neuropsychologists, and the World Rugby Head Injury Assessment (HIA) protocol at every match. Even with all of that support in place, the outcome was retirement. At grassroots level and in school sport, the resources look very different. There is rarely a pitchside medic. The coach may be the only adult making the call about whether a player comes off - and whether they return the following week. Why the "huge fright" framing is instructive for coaches The phrase "huge fright" is worth sitting with. It suggests a delayed or progressive concern rather than immediate incapacity. This is one of the most important - and most commonly misunderstood - features of concussion: the signs are not always immediate, and the seriousness of an incident is not always apparent at the moment it occurs. The UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024 update) are explicit on this point. Removal from play should happen on suspicion, not confirmed diagnosis. The "if in doubt, sit them out" principle exists precisely because coaches cannot be expected to make clinical judgements in real time. If there is any doubt - a wobble, a vacant look, a complaint of a headache later in the changing room - the player does not return. What follows is not a coach's decision alone. The November 2024 guidelines require a minimum 21-day stand-down from contact sport for under-18s before graduated return to play can begin, and a 14-day symptom-free period before that process starts. For adults, the minimum stand-down is 21 days from the date of injury. These are floors, not targets. For a deeper look at how the graduated return to play (GRTP) protocol works in practice, the Luca Safe Concussion Framework sets out each stage with the clinical rationale behind it. What elite retirement decisions reveal about grassroots risk When a professional player retires on medical advice, the chain of events behind that decision typically includes multiple clinical assessments, neuroimaging, neuropsychological testing, and specialist consultation. The player is making an informed decision with full medical backing. At community club and school level, the equivalent decision is often made with far less information - by the player themselves, their parent, or a coach. The structural pressure to return is different too. A professional player's livelihood is at stake if they carry on and sustain further injury; a teenage rugby player faces peer pressure, selection anxiety, and a coach who may not be equipped to hold the line. The RFU HEADCASE programme (available at englandrugby.com) provides online concussion education for coaches, referees, and club staff in England. Completing HEADCASE is a baseline; it gives coaches the language and the confidence to make the removal decision and to hold it against pushback. But education alone does not create a documented trail of what happened, when, and what was done in response. How grassroots clubs should respond to a "huge fright" incident The Springbok case is a reminder that some concussion events do not resolve quickly or cleanly. A player who seems fine on the pitch may become concerned in the days that follow. That possibility is not a reason for alarm - it is a reason for structured follow-up. Here is what the November 2024 UK Grassroots Guidelines require, and what good practice looks like beyond the minimum: Immediate removal. Any suspected concussion means the player comes off and does not return that day. No exceptions. A record is made at the time. Who was involved, what was observed, what was said, what happened next. This is not bureaucracy - it is the foundation of safe management and, if the situation develops, the evidence of what took place. The player is not left to self-monitor. Follow-up contact within 24 hours, from the club or school welfare lead to the player or, for under-18s, their parent or guardian. Graduated return to play is not assumed to be automatic. If a player reports worsening symptoms, new symptoms, or a "huge fright" equivalent in the days after an incident, the clock resets. Clinical re-assessment - through the player's GP or, if symptoms are significant, NHS 111 - is the appropriate next step. Luca's how it works page explains how the clinical pathway supports this. Documentation continues through the return. A player who passes each stage of the graduated return protocol, with that progress recorded, is in a fundamentally safer position than one who is informally cleared by a coach who saw them at training and thought they looked fine. The culture question The Springbok's decision to retire carries weight partly because professional sport still has a culture in which playing through injury is normalised - and a player choosing not to is noticeable. At grassroots level, that culture is often stronger, not weaker. Young players do not want to let the team down. Coaches feel pressure from parents and from the fixture list. Good concussion management is partly a documentation task, but it is also a culture task. The clubs and schools that do this well have typically made the removal and stand-down decision visible and non-negotiable - not something the coach quietly decides depending on the score or the importance of the match. The November 2024 guidelines support that culture by making the protocol clear: it is not the coach's call whether to apply it. What schools and clubs should do now Check that your concussion policy covers the full pathway, not just initial removal. The guidance changed in November 2024; if your policy predates that update, it needs reviewing. Ensure every adult who manages players at training and fixtures has completed HEADCASE (for rugby clubs) or the equivalent for their sport, and knows what to do when they suspect a concussion. Confirm that your documentation process captures every suspected incident, including those that seem minor at the time. A "huge fright" that emerges two weeks later needs a paper trail. Know your escalation pathway. If a player's symptoms worsen or a player or parent expresses serious concern after an incident, who makes the call and where does it go? For under-18s, this should include GP contact. Photo: Northern Ireland Executive, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources SA Rugby Magazine. Bok centre retires after 'huge fright'. https://www.sarugbymag.co.za Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf England Rugby. HEADCASE concussion programme. https://www.englandrugby.com/run/player-welfare/headcase World Rugby. Concussion guidance and HIA protocol. https://www.world.rugby/the-game/player-welfare/concussion If your club or school is reviewing its concussion management approach this season, the Luca Safe Concussion Framework provides a complete, clinician-led structure for every stage of management - from sideline removal to graduated return to play - aligned with the November 2024 UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines. It is free to download and built for the realities of community and school sport. ← Back to news --- # /news/tackle-height-law-adult-concussion-fall-schoolboys-study/ URL: https://luca.health/news/tackle-height-law-adult-concussion-fall-schoolboys-study/ Concussion Research15 June 2026 Tackle Height Rule Change Cuts Adult Concussions - But Not in Schoolboys A new study finds the lower tackle height law sharply reduced concussions in adult community rugby, but produced no equivalent benefit in schoolboy players - raising urgent questions for school sport. Luca Team·6 min read Tackle Height Rule Change Cuts Adult Concussions - But Not in Schoolboys Key takeaways A new study of community rugby found a sharp fall in concussions among adult players after the lower tackle height law was introduced. The same reduction was not seen in schoolboy rugby, where concussion rates remained unchanged. The findings suggest the law change alone is not sufficient to protect younger players, and that additional interventions are needed at school level. The study adds important nuance to the tackle height debate: what works for adult athletes may not translate directly to a school-age population. Schools should treat this as a prompt to review their concussion identification and management frameworks, not to assume rule changes have solved the problem. A rule change designed to reduce concussions in community rugby has had a striking - and uneven - effect. According to research reported by the Irish Independent, the introduction of a lower tackle height law produced a sharp fall in concussions among adult players, but delivered no equivalent benefit in schoolboy rugby. The finding matters because much of the policy rationale for the tackle height change has centred on protecting younger, developing players. If the rule is not working for schoolboys, the question of why - and what to do instead - becomes urgent for schools, coaches, and safeguarding leads across England. What did the study find? The research tracked concussion rates before and after the lower tackle height rule was implemented in community rugby. Among adult players, the reduction in concussion incidence was significant - a result consistent with the evidence from the IRFU's two-season tackle behaviour trial, which found a 50% reduction in head contacts when the lower tackle point was applied. That trial, whose results were published in late 2025, formed part of the evidence base behind World Rugby's recommendation to write the lower tackle height into community game law. Among schoolboys, however, the picture was different. The study found no statistically significant reduction in concussion rates following the rule change in the school-age group. This divergence between adults and schoolboys is the headline finding - and it demands explanation. Why might the law change work for adults but not schoolboys? Several factors are likely at play. First, adult players may be better placed to adjust their tackle technique in response to a rule change. They have more experience, more training time, and - at community level - more consistent access to coach-led sessions where technique can be refined. Schoolboys, by contrast, are still developing the physical coordination, spatial awareness, and body control that effective low tackling requires. Asking a 14-year-old to consistently tackle below the sternum in a live match is a different challenge from asking a 30-year-old club player to do the same. Second, the enforcement environment is different. Adult community rugby has referees who are increasingly attuned to high tackle penalties. School sport fixtures, particularly at junior level, often have less experienced officials, and the culture of calling high tackles may be less consistent. Third, the physical size differential among schoolboys is often greater than among adult community players. A significant height and weight range within a school-age cohort means that what constitutes "low" for one player may be mid-chest for another - complicating both coaching and officiating. Finally, there is a training exposure issue. Adult club players typically train several evenings a week and have dedicated conditioning time. Many schools, under curriculum and timetabling pressure, cannot offer the same volume of skills practice. Embedding a technique change requires repetition, and that repetition may simply not be available at school level. What does this mean for concussion management in school rugby? The study's finding should not be read as evidence that the lower tackle height law is wrong for schoolboys - the existing evidence base for reducing head contact through lower tackle points remains credible. What it does suggest is that the rule change alone is not sufficient. Coaching quality, training volume, enforcement consistency, and player development all need to move together for a law change to translate into reduced concussion rates on the pitch. For schools, the practical implication is clear: a rule change in the community game does not substitute for a robust concussion management framework. The two things are complementary, not interchangeable. Even in a world where tackle law is working perfectly, concussions will still happen in school rugby. The question is whether schools are equipped to identify, manage, and document them correctly when they do. This is where the UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024 update) remain the relevant standard. The guidelines apply regardless of the tackle law in force and set a minimum 21-day stand-down for confirmed concussion in under-18s, along with clear removal protocols and a graduated return-to-play pathway. Schools would also benefit from reviewing their approach to concussion identification in school rugby, including whether staff are trained to recognise the subtler signs of concussion that younger players often display - and are encouraged to mask. Why are schoolboys harder to protect through rule changes alone? There is a wider point here about the limits of top-down interventions in school sport. Governing body law changes percolate slowly into school rugby. Teachers and coaches who run school sport are doing so alongside other responsibilities - they are not full-time rugby coaches. Training time is limited. The culture around injury reporting in schoolboy rugby can still, in some environments, discourage players from disclosing symptoms. None of this is a reason to abandon the lower tackle height law - it is clearly producing benefits at adult level. But it is a reason for schools not to assume that the community game's regulatory framework is doing the job of protecting their pupils. Schools retain their own duty of care, independent of what NGB law says. That duty requires an operational concussion management protocol, not simply adherence to whichever tackle height is currently mandated. What should schools do now? The study's finding is, in practical terms, a prompt for schools to act on what they can control directly. Concussion prevention through tackle law is one input into the system; concussion identification and management is another. Schools can act on the latter right now, without waiting for further regulatory change. Concrete steps worth taking this term include the following. Review whether all staff involved in school rugby - PE teachers, volunteer coaches, match officials, and first aiders - have completed the RFU's HEADCASE concussion awareness training. This is free, online, and takes around 20 minutes. It covers the signs of suspected concussion and the immediate removal protocol. Check that your school's concussion policy explicitly covers school rugby fixtures, not just training sessions. Concussions at away fixtures and Saturday morning matches need to be captured in the same documentation trail as incidents on the school pitch. Ensure that the graduated return-to-play protocol is being followed after every identified concussion - not just the significant-looking ones. A player who seemed "only a bit dazed" still requires the same structured pathway. Consider whether your approach to coaching tackle technique is keeping pace with the evidence. World Rugby's Tackle Ready programme provides structured progressions for coaching lower tackle height, and these can be integrated into school PE lessons and training sessions. The honest conclusion The new study is a valuable contribution to the evidence base - and a useful corrective to any assumption that the tackle height law has resolved the concussion problem in school rugby. It has not, at least not yet, for schoolboys. That creates a clear responsibility for schools to make sure their own concussion management frameworks are sound, documented, and consistently applied. Rule changes and management frameworks need to work together. At the moment, the evidence suggests the rule change is working for adults. For schools, the management framework is where attention is most needed. Photo: Christophe95, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources Irish Independent. Rule change on rugby tackle height leads to sharp fall in adult concussions - but not among schoolboys, study reveals. 2026. https://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/rule-change-on-rugby-tackle-height-leads-to-sharp-fall-in-adult-concussions-but-not-among-schoolboys-study-reveals/ World Rugby. World Rugby recommends that a lower tackle height be written into community game law. 2025. https://www.world.rugby/news/972219/world-rugby-recommends-that-a-lower-tackle-height-be-written-into-community-game-law Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf England Rugby. HEADCASE concussion awareness training. https://www.englandrugby.com/run/player-welfare/headcase World Rugby. Tackle Ready programme. https://www.world.rugby/the-game/player-welfare/guidelines/tackle-ready The study's findings are a reminder that no single intervention is enough. Luca's clinician-led platform helps schools build a complete concussion management system, from sideline identification through to documented return to play, covering every pupil and every fixture. Find out how it works for school rugby at /for-schools/. ← Back to news --- # /news/tackle-height-rule-cuts-concussion-adult-rugby-what-schools-must-know/ URL: https://luca.health/news/tackle-height-rule-cuts-concussion-adult-rugby-what-schools-must-know/ Concussion Research18 June 2026 Lowering the Tackle Height Cuts Concussions in Adults - What It Means for School Rugby New evidence confirms that lowering the legal tackle height in adult rugby significantly reduces concussion rates. Here is what school rugby coordinators need to understand about the emerging data and how it applies to the community game. Luca Team·6 min read Lowering the Tackle Height Cuts Concussions in Adults - What It Means for School Rugby Key takeaways New analysis confirms that lowering the legal tackle height in adult rugby has meaningfully reduced concussion and injury rates in community and elite settings. The evidence draws primarily on adult cohorts, so direct application to under-18s requires careful interpretation. World Rugby recommended in late 2025 that a lower tackle height be written into community game law; some unions are already implementing it. The rule change affects coaching priorities: technique, not just protocol, is now a concussion-management tool. School rugby coordinators should review their coaching approach now, not wait for their NGB to mandate it. A game-changing piece of analysis from RTÉ and reported widely this week makes the case more clearly than ever: lowering the legal tackle height in adult rugby has reduced both concussion rates and overall injuries. The data is significant. And while most of the evidence comes from adult competition, the implications for school rugby are real and immediate. This article explains what the evidence shows, what it does not show, and what UK school rugby coordinators should be doing right now to incorporate lower tackle height into their concussion management approach. What does the evidence on tackle height actually show? The most substantive trial data comes from the IRFU's two-season tackle behaviour trial, the results of which were published in November 2025. Over two seasons, teams operating under a lowered tackle height law saw a measurable reduction in concussion incidence and other contact injuries. Critically, the reduction was not marginal. Concussion rates fell, and the game remained recognisably rugby. This built on earlier research commissioned by World Rugby, which found that tackles above the shoulder line account for a disproportionate share of concussion events. The logic is straightforward: a tackle that makes contact with the head or neck region carries far more concussion risk than one absorbed through the trunk. Lowering the legal height removes the highest-risk contact zone from routine play. In December 2025, World Rugby formally recommended that a lower tackle height be written into community game law. Several unions are now in the process of incorporating it, including the RFU for adult community rugby. Does this evidence apply to school rugby? Carefully, yes. The trial populations were adults, not schoolchildren. That is a meaningful distinction: developing bodies and brains do not absorb and recover from contact in the same way as adult ones. You cannot simply transplant adult findings to a U16 fixture. That said, the underlying mechanism is the same regardless of age. A tackle that avoids the head and neck reduces the energy transfer to the brain. The CISG 6th Consensus Statement (2023) is explicit that contact with the head is the primary mechanism of concussion in collision sports. Nothing about that biomechanics is age-specific. The UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024 update) do not yet specify a legal tackle height for youth rugby, because the NGB-level law changes are still rolling through. But the guidelines are explicit that reducing head contact is a primary prevention priority. Schools that adopt lower tackle height coaching are acting consistently with those principles, even ahead of formal law change. The Luca Safe Concussion Framework positions prevention as the first layer of a complete concussion management approach, not a substitute for identification and return-to-play protocols but a complement to them. What changes for school rugby coordinators right now? Three things deserve immediate attention. 1. Update your coaching emphasis, not just your policy documents. A tackle height rule change only works if players are coached to execute it. The technique shift from a shoulder-level to a sub-sternum tackle is not trivial. Players who have learned to tackle at hip-or-above need progressive reteaching. World Rugby's Tackle Ready programme provides a structured coaching framework for exactly this transition. If your school is not using it, now is the time. 2. Distinguish between what is law now and what is coming. As of June 2026, the lower tackle height is a recommendation from World Rugby for community game law adoption. The RFU's timeline for incorporating it into binding regulations for school fixtures is not yet finalised. That means coordinators should not present it to players and parents as a current legal requirement for school matches, but should be coaching it as best practice and preparing for mandatory adoption. 3. Document your coaching changes. If a parent or insurer asks what your school has done in response to evolving evidence on tackle technique, you want a paper trail. Record the dates you updated your coaching sessions, which staff attended CPD on the lower tackle, and when the technique change was briefed to players. This is not bureaucracy for its own sake; it is the kind of documented evolution of practice that demonstrates genuine duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. What does the lower tackle height rule NOT fix? It is important not to overstate the finding. Lower tackle height reduces concussion incidence; it does not eliminate it. Concussions still occur in lower-body tackles through unintended head contact, awkward falls, and incidental collisions. The November 2024 UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines still apply in full: if there is any suspicion of concussion, the player must leave the pitch and not return. A 21-day minimum stand-down for confirmed concussion in under-18s remains in force regardless of how the tackle was made. The "if in doubt, sit them out" principle is not relaxed because the tackle laws are tightening. Rule changes are a population-level intervention. Individual incidents still require individual management. What about the elite game - does any of this trickle down? It is worth being precise here. The RFU HEADCASE programme and World Rugby's elite protocols operate differently from the community game frameworks. The Head Injury Assessment (HIA) protocol used at Premiership and international level involves pitchside medical staff, structured off-field assessments, and multi-day stand-down decisions made by team doctors. None of that infrastructure exists at school fixture level. The lower tackle height evidence comes largely from community and semi-professional cohorts, not elite. That is actually good news for school rugby: the data is more applicable to non-elite play than if it had come exclusively from Test-match research. Practical steps for school rugby coordinators Here is a concrete checklist for the next few weeks. Review your current tackle coaching sessions. Are players being coached to tackle below the sternum? If not, build in a dedicated session before next term. Assign a member of staff to track RFU guidance updates. The law change is coming; you want to know when it becomes binding for your fixtures. Record your CPD activity. Any coaching update, staff briefing, or technique session should be logged with a date. Do not reduce your concussion identification or return-to-play rigour. Lower tackle height is prevention, not replacement. The full concussion pathway - recognition, stand-down, graduated return - still applies to every incident. Brief parents. A short note at the start of next season explaining that the school is proactively adopting lower tackle height coaching is good communication and good risk management. Photo: The Des Moines Register, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources RTÉ. A game changer for rugby: How lowering tackle height has reduced concussion and injuries in adult players. June 2026. https://www.rte.ie Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf Patricios JS et al. Consensus statement on concussion in sport - the 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport, Amsterdam, October 2022. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2023. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/11/695 England Rugby. HEADCASE concussion education programme. https://www.englandrugby.com/run/player-welfare/headcase World Rugby. Player welfare: concussion guidance. https://www.worldrugby.org/the-game/player-welfare/concussion School rugby coordinators looking to go beyond tackle technique and build a complete, documented concussion management approach can download the Luca Safe Concussion Framework at /lscf/. It covers all seven domains of concussion management - from prevention and identification through to clinical clearance and governance - and is free to use. ← Back to news --- # /news/thoughts-on-garry-ringrose-withdrawal/ URL: https://luca.health/news/thoughts-on-garry-ringrose-withdrawal/ Sport News5 August 2025 Thoughts on Garry Ringrose’s withdrawal Luca applauds the decision on 24th July of Lions and Irish centre, Garry Ringrose, to self-declare continuing symptoms from his delayed concussion sustained while playing against the ACT Brumbies on 9th July. Luca Health·2 min read Thoughts on Garry Ringrose's withdrawal https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/jul/29/garry-ringrose-out-third-test-lions-whitewash-rugby 25th July 2025. Garry Ringrose withdraws from selection consideration for Lions 2nd Test against Australia. Luca applauds the decision on 24th July of Lions and Irish centre, Garry Ringrose, to self-declare continuing symptoms from his delayed concussion sustained while playing against the ACT Brumbies on 9th July. It meant that he had to withdraw from likely selection for the 2nd Test match versus Australia on 26th July and missing out on a massive game in his career. It sends a very positive message of how important it is for players to recognise and respond to post-brain injury symptoms. Ringrose and the Lions had followed the 12-day return to play protocols adopted in elite rugby. He played for the Lions against the First Nations and Pasifika XV on Tuesday (22nd July) without apparent re-injury. However, 36-hours after the game, he declared recurrent symptoms. It highlights that present methods of assessing brain recovery are not foolproof. Symptoms can continue or return (in this case at 15 days) after injury. We all need to tread on the side of safety and strive to identify validated objective tools for recognising adequate brain recovery to guide athletes and clinicians for the future. ← Back to news --- # /news/vas-nikolaou-luca-health-podcast-concussion-management/ URL: https://luca.health/news/vas-nikolaou-luca-health-podcast-concussion-management/ Press & Media26 May 2026 Vas Nikolaou on Concussion Management in Schools and Grassroots Sport Luca Health founder Vas Nikolaou joins a podcast to discuss why concussion management in schools and grassroots sport still falls short, and what good looks like. Luca Team·5 min read Vas Nikolaou on Concussion Management in Schools and Grassroots Sport Key takeaways Luca Health founder Vas Nikolaou was a recent podcast guest, discussing the state of concussion governance in UK schools and clubs. He argues that most schools and grassroots clubs still lack the documented protocols needed to meet their duty of care. The November 2024 UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines raised the bar; most organisations have not yet caught up. Good concussion management is not just a clinical issue, it is a governance and safeguarding issue. Luca's approach is to make compliance a natural by-product of day-to-day management, not a separate administrative burden. Luca Health founder Vas Nikolaou recently appeared as a guest on a podcast to talk about concussion management in schools and grassroots sport - what the current standards require, where most organisations fall short, and what a genuinely defensible approach looks like. If you work in school or club sport and want to understand what good concussion governance actually demands in 2026, the conversation is worth your time. You can watch the full episode on YouTube. What the conversation covers Vas covers a lot of ground in the episode, but the thread running through it is this: concussion management in the community game is still treated primarily as a clinical question, when it is equally a governance question. Schools and clubs ask "do we have a first-aider who knows what to look for?" when they should also be asking "can we demonstrate, to a parent, an insurer, or an inspector, exactly what happened and what we did about it?" That shift - from recognition to documented governance - is where Luca Health's thinking starts, and it is where the episode is most useful for anyone responsible for sport in a school or club setting. Why documentation is the gap most organisations miss The UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024 update) set a clear minimum standard. For under-18s, that includes a minimum 21-day stand-down before return to contact, a graduated return-to-play process, and a requirement that any return to sport follows symptom-free confirmation. What the guidelines cannot do is guarantee those steps are being followed in practice. That is where documentation comes in. As Vas explains, the difference between a school with a policy and a school with a defensible governance trail is the difference between "we think we do this" and "here is the record of every step we took." Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) requires schools to take reasonable precautions to protect pupils from foreseeable harm. A concussion sustained during a school rugby fixture, followed by a premature return to contact without documented clinical oversight, is the kind of event that looks very different in a safeguarding review if there is no paper trail. Vas is clear on this in the podcast: most schools are not doing anything reckless. They are simply not recording what they do in a way that protects them, or the pupil. What duty of care actually means in practice Duty of care in concussion is sometimes described as if it means "have a trained first-aider present." That is part of it. But it also means: Having a documented policy that staff know and can follow without improvising. Recording the incident, the symptoms observed, and the immediate action taken. Communicating with parents in a consistent and documented way. Following a structured graduated return-to-play protocol, not just waiting until the player "feels better." Keeping records long enough to be useful if a concern is raised months or years later. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 places a duty on employers, which includes schools, to ensure the health, safety and welfare of staff and anyone affected by their activities. Pupils on a school pitch are clearly within that scope. None of this requires a clinical qualification. It requires a system that is followed consistently and recorded reliably. That is the governance case Vas makes on the podcast, and it is the problem Luca's platform is designed to solve. The difference between a policy and a protocol One distinction Vas returns to is the difference between a policy (a document that says what the school intends to do) and a protocol (a live process that determines what actually happens when a concussion occurs). Many schools have a policy. Far fewer have a protocol that is genuinely embedded - where every staff member knows their role, where the record-keeping is automatic rather than optional, and where the graduated return is managed in a structured way rather than left to an individual's judgement. The Luca Safe Concussion Framework is built around this distinction. It provides a seven-domain structure that covers everything from initial identification to clinical clearance, designed to be implementable by non-clinical staff while maintaining clinical oversight at the stages that require it. What schools and clubs should take away If you manage sport in a school or oversee welfare at a grassroots club, the podcast episode offers a useful, practical framework for thinking about where your current approach sits and where the gaps are. Three questions worth asking after you have watched it: If a concussion occurred at your next fixture, could you produce a complete record of every step taken, from removal from the pitch to return to contact? Do all staff who supervise sport know the removal and stand-down protocol, not just the first-aider? Has your concussion policy been reviewed in the light of the November 2024 guidelines update? If any of those answers is uncertain, that is the place to start. Sources Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf Department for Education. Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), current edition. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2 UK Parliament. Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1974/37/contents Vas Nikolaou. Podcast episode on concussion management in schools and grassroots sport. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRwYEOlIbiw Luca's governance framework gives schools and clubs the documented management trail their NGB, inspector, or insurer is increasingly asking for. Audit your current approach against the seven domains of the Luca Safe Concussion Framework. ← Back to news --- # /news/wales-rugby-concussion-litigation-grassroots-duty-of-care/ URL: https://luca.health/news/wales-rugby-concussion-litigation-grassroots-duty-of-care/ Sport News30 July 2026 Wales Rugby Concussion Case Enters 'Unprecedented Territory' - What Grassroots Clubs Must Know The Welsh rugby concussion litigation is escalating in scale and legal complexity. Here is what community clubs and schools must take from it for their own duty of care. Luca Team·6 min read Wales Rugby Concussion Case Enters 'Unprecedented Territory' - What Grassroots Clubs Must Know Key takeaways Former Wales internationals have released statements as their concussion litigation is described as entering "unprecedented territory" in scale and legal complexity. The case is the latest in a wave of UK rugby concussion litigation that is reshaping how governing bodies, clubs and schools think about duty of care. Grassroots clubs and schools are not defendants in these cases, but the legal reasoning will directly influence what "reasonable care" looks like at community level. Documented concussion protocols are no longer optional best practice; they are the foundation of any credible duty of care defence. Now is the time to audit your concussion governance before external pressure forces you to. A former Wales international has released a statement as the multi-million-pound concussion legal battle against rugby's governing bodies is described as entering "unprecedented territory" in its scale and complexity. The litigation, which involves former professional players citing long-term neurological harm from repeated head impacts during their careers, is growing and drawing attention from across the sport - including from people running community clubs and schools who are right to ask what it means for them. This article is not about the legal case itself. It is about what the direction of travel in concussion litigation means for every club welfare officer, school Head of Sport, and bursar who has responsibility for concussion management in the UK today. What is actually happening in the litigation? The latest reporting from Planet Rugby describes the case as having reached an unprecedented scale and legal complexity. Former Wales players have joined, or are backing, the legal action against governing bodies, alleging that systemic failures in concussion management during their professional careers contributed to neurological damage. This follows a pattern established by the broader English rugby concussion litigation, which has been building for several years and now involves hundreds of former players across multiple nations and competitions. The precise legal arguments - negligence, breach of duty, knowledge of risk - are a matter for the courts and the lawyers. But the underlying logic is one every sports organisation should understand: if a governing body or club knew, or ought to have known, about the risks of repeated head impacts and failed to act proportionately, that failure has legal consequences. Why grassroots clubs and schools should pay close attention None of the defendants in the current litigation are community clubs or schools. These cases concern elite professional sport and the governing bodies responsible for it. But the way courts and regulators interpret "duty of care" in elite sport has a well-documented habit of filtering down to community level. Three mechanisms make this relevant to you. First, NGBs under litigation pressure update their community-level requirements. When the RFU faces scrutiny over what it knew and when, its response typically includes tightening what it requires of affiliated clubs and schools. Those requirements become compliance obligations. Second, insurers watch litigation closely. An insurer who sees governing bodies found liable for failing to implement protocols will tighten their questions to clubs and schools at renewal. Some are already doing this. Documenting your concussion management is the single most effective thing you can do to maintain favourable insurance terms. Third, the legal standard of "reasonable care" is not fixed. It is defined by what a responsible organisation in the same position ought to have done, given what was known at the time. As public knowledge of concussion risk grows - accelerated by cases like this one - the bar for what counts as reasonable rises accordingly. What does "demonstrable duty of care" actually require? The UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (Sport and Recreation Alliance, November 2024 update) set out the operational standard for community sport. For under-18s, they specify a minimum 21-day stand-down from contact sport after a confirmed or suspected concussion, a symptom-free period before return to activity, and a staged graduated return to play. But having the guidelines is not the same as implementing them. The question that any insurer, NGB inspector, or plaintiff's solicitor will ask is not "did you have a policy?" - it is "what did you actually do, and how do you know?" That means: A written concussion policy that names who is responsible for each step. A protocol that staff are trained to follow, with evidence of that training. An incident record for every suspected concussion, documenting the removal decision, who made it, and when. A staged return-to-play record showing each completed stage, who supervised it, and the date. Communication records with parents and, where relevant, the pupil's GP or school. This is what an audit trail looks like. Without it, you have a policy on paper and a gap in evidence of practice - exactly the gap that litigation exploits. What the Wales case adds to the picture What makes the Wales case particularly significant is the description of its "scale and complexity." This suggests the litigation is not narrowing toward resolution but broadening. More players, more jurisdictions, more legal argument. That sustained complexity matters for two reasons. First, it keeps concussion governance on the front pages for longer, which raises public and parental expectations of community sport. Second, it creates an extended period in which governing bodies are under pressure to demonstrate that they have done everything reasonable - which means they will pass that pressure down to affiliated organisations. For schools, this connects directly to the Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) framework. KCSIE does not mention concussion by name, but its duty to safeguard pupils' physical welfare is broad enough to encompass head injury management. Ofsted inspectors and governors increasingly ask whether schools have written, operational concussion protocols - not because KCSIE mandates a specific document, but because the duty of care it establishes requires proportionate action on known risks. The women's rugby parallel Alongside the Wales litigation, this week also saw former Wales internationals backing a new women's rugby concussion study. This is significant. Research into concussion in women's rugby has historically lagged well behind the men's game, and the involvement of high-profile players in driving that research forward signals that the same governance questions about duty of care will apply to the women's and girls' game with increasing force. Schools running girls' rugby programmes, and clubs running women's sections, should not assume that protocols designed primarily around the men's elite game are sufficient. The November 2024 UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines apply across sexes and age groups, and the specific clinical picture for female athletes - including documented differences in symptom presentation and recovery - should be reflected in how staff are trained to identify and manage suspected concussion. Practical steps for clubs and schools right now This is not a call to panic. It is a call to audit. The litigation involving Wales and other professional players concerns decades of exposure at elite level under frameworks that were, by any current standard, inadequate. Community sport today has clearer guidelines than ever. The question is whether your organisation is implementing them and can prove it. Here is a concrete starting point: Review your written policy. Does it reference the November 2024 UK Grassroots Guidelines? Does it specify minimum stand-down periods (21 days for under-18s)? Check your training records. Who on your staff has completed RFU HEADCASE or equivalent concussion awareness training? When was it last updated? Pull three recent incident records. For any suspected concussion in the last 12 months, is there a written record of removal, the return-to-play stages, and clinical clearance? Ask your insurer one question. Does your current policy require documented concussion protocols, and what does "documented" mean to them? Brief your governors or board. Concussion governance is now a board-level issue, not just a sports department one. The litigation trend makes that clear. What to do next The Wales concussion case, and the wider litigation landscape, will continue to develop. The practical response for community sport is not to follow each development in the courts but to build the internal systems that demonstrate proportionate, documented concussion management - now, before external pressure demands it. The Luca Safe Concussion Framework gives schools and clubs the documented governance structure their NGB, insurer, or inspector is increasingly asking for. Photo: Geoff Charles, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources Planet Rugby. Former Wales star releases statement as 'scale and complexity' rises in multi-million-pound concussion legal battle. https://www.planetrugby.com NR Times. Former Wales internationals back women's rugby concussion study. https://www.nrtimes.co.uk Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf Department for Education. Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2024. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2 BBC Sport. Rugby concussion litigation: what you need to know. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union The litigation landscape is shifting fast. If your club or school has not yet audited its concussion governance, the Luca Safe Concussion Framework is free to download and gives you a structured, seven-domain template to work from. See the full framework at /lscf/ and start your audit today. ← Back to news --- # /news/why-21-days-concussion-return-to-play-science-explained/ URL: https://luca.health/news/why-21-days-concussion-return-to-play-science-explained/ Clinical Insights16 July 2026 Why 21 Days? The Science Behind the Minimum Concussion Stand-Down The 21-day minimum stand-down for concussion in under-18s is not arbitrary. Here is the neuroscience behind the rule, how UK guidelines arrived at the figure, and what it means in practice for coaches and schools. Luca Team·7 min read Why 21 Days? The Science Behind the Minimum Concussion Stand-Down Key takeaways The UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update) set a minimum 21-day stand-down before return to contact sport for under-18s. This figure comes from neuroscience on the metabolic recovery window in a developing brain, not from arbitrary caution. "Minimum" means a floor, not a target. Many young athletes will need longer. Adults playing community sport face a 14-day minimum, but the biological rationale for the stricter paediatric rule is well established. Symptom-free is a necessary condition for progressing through graduated return to play, but it is not sufficient on its own. The 21-day rule gets questioned every season. A player feels fine after a week, parents want them back on the pitch, and coaches feel the pressure. Understanding where the number comes from makes it easier to hold the line - and harder to dismiss as over-cautious bureaucracy. The graduated return to play (GRTP) protocol, as set out in the November 2024 UK Grassroots Concussion Guidelines published by the Sport and Recreation Alliance, is the definitive framework for community and school sport in England and Wales. The minimum stand-down period it specifies is not a conservative best-guess; it is grounded in what we know about how the brain recovers from concussive injury. What graduated return to play actually means Graduated return to play is a staged progression from complete rest back to full contact training and competition. Each stage introduces a slightly higher demand on the brain and body, and the player must complete each stage without symptoms returning before moving to the next. The UK guidelines for grassroots sport describe six stages, from rest through to full contact practice and then match play. The critical feature is that no stage can be rushed: a minimum of 24 hours must separate stages, and any return of symptoms resets the clock. The Concussion in Sport Group's 6th Consensus Statement (CISG 2023) underpins this structure internationally. The 21-day figure applies to under-18s as the minimum time from injury before return to contact activity, assuming symptom resolution and successful completion of the graduated stages. For adults in the community game, the minimum is 14 days. Both figures assume that the early graduated stages (aerobic exercise, sport-specific exercise) are completed without symptom recurrence. The history: how guidance evolved from "if you feel OK, play" Twenty years ago, the common standard in community sport was simple: once a player said they felt fine, they were cleared to return. There was no mandatory stand-down. Elite sport operated more cautiously, but grassroots rugby, football, and hockey often had no protocol at all. The shift happened as two bodies of evidence converged. First, neuroimaging studies showed that the brain can still display metabolic disruption days after a player has become asymptomatic - meaning feeling fine and being neurobiologically recovered are not the same thing. Second, research on young athletes demonstrated that developing brains take longer to recover than mature ones, and that returning to contact during the metabolic recovery window significantly raises the risk of further injury. The NHS Healthier Together guidance on concussion reflects the same principle: clinical recovery and symptom resolution are different stages of the same process. The neuroscience of recovery: what is actually happening in the brain When a concussion occurs, the brain undergoes a complex metabolic crisis. Neurons fire indiscriminately, depleting energy stores. Calcium floods into cells. The brain demands more glucose to restore ion balance, but blood flow to the affected area is simultaneously reduced. This mismatch between supply and demand is sometimes called the concussion energy crisis. The resolution of this crisis takes time. In adults, the metabolic window typically closes within 7-10 days of a straightforward concussion. In adolescents, the window is wider - current evidence suggests 14 to 28 days in many cases, with variability depending on injury severity, prior history, and individual factors. Importantly, this metabolic disruption does not reliably produce symptoms once the acute phase has passed. A player can feel entirely well while their brain is still in the recovery phase. This is the core reason why symptom-free status does not equal clearance to return to contact. The CISG 6th Consensus Statement makes this explicit: physiological recovery outlasts clinical symptom resolution in most cases. Why 21 days, not 14 or 28 The 21-day figure for under-18s represents a risk-weighted minimum. Here is the reasoning: The metabolic recovery window in adolescents typically closes within 21 days for the majority of straightforward concussions. The graduated return process itself (from rest to contact-ready) takes a minimum of 5-6 days if the player is symptom-free and progressing well. A player who starts the graduated process on day 14 and completes the non-contact stages in 7 days will be at day 21 before they reach full contact training. The two timelines are intentionally aligned. The 14-day adult minimum reflects the shorter metabolic window in mature brains. Both figures are floors, not ceilings. A player who develops symptoms at stage 3 of the GRTP at day 18 does not automatically clear for contact on day 22; they restart from the step at which symptoms recurred. The UK guidelines are deliberately conservative relative to earlier versions precisely because the consequences of returning a young athlete too early - including the rare but catastrophic risk of second impact syndrome - are asymmetric. The cost of waiting is a missed training session. The cost of returning too early can be severe. Adult vs paediatric minimums: why the difference is not just caution The gap between 14 days (adults) and 21 days (under-18s) reflects biological reality, not administrative conservatism. Three differences between adolescent and adult brains are most relevant: Myelination is incomplete. The axonal sheaths that insulate nerve fibres are not fully formed until the mid-20s. Demyelinated or partially myelinated axons are more vulnerable to shear forces, and disruption is more likely to have downstream effects. The energy demand is higher. Adolescent brains use more glucose per unit of brain tissue than adult brains. The metabolic mismatch during the recovery window is therefore more pronounced. Autoregulation is less robust. The brain's ability to regulate its own blood flow in response to demand is less well developed in adolescents. This prolongs the recovery window and makes re-injury during that window more dangerous. The Children's Trust guidance on paediatric concussion sets out the same principles in accessible terms for parents and non-clinical staff. What "minimum" actually means: the floor, not the target This is the most commonly misunderstood aspect of the 21-day rule. It is a minimum - the earliest point at which a fully asymptomatic player who has completed each stage successfully can return to contact. It is not a target date, and it does not guarantee recovery. In practice, a number of players will need longer: Any player who experiences symptom recurrence at any stage restarts from that stage and adds further days to the total. Players with a previous concussion history may take longer. Current guidelines do not specify a longer minimum in this case, but clinical judgement should apply. Players with persistent symptoms beyond 14 days should be referred to their GP for assessment rather than continuing the GRTP. The GRTP protocol managed by Luca's platform tracks each stage with structured documentation, giving coaches and schools a clear record of where each player is in the process and flagging any recurrence of symptoms automatically. Who signs off return to contact, and what "clearance" means Under the November 2024 UK Grassroots Guidelines, return to contact training or competition requires sign-off by a person with appropriate clinical competence. In community and school sport, this typically means a GP, sports medicine doctor, or other qualified clinician rather than a coach or school staff member. This is an important boundary. A coach can oversee stages 2 and 3 (light aerobic and sport-specific exercise) and document symptom status. They cannot clear a player for stage 5 (full contact training) without clinical sign-off. The guidelines are explicit on this point, and it is one of the most common gaps in school and club protocols. The Luca Safe Concussion Framework, free to download from /lscf/, sets out the clinical oversight requirements for each stage and provides the documentation structure needed to demonstrate compliant management. What to do when a player fails a stage Failure at a GRTP stage - defined as any return of concussion symptoms - triggers a return to the previous symptom-free stage after a minimum 24-hour rest period. The player does not restart from stage 1 unless symptoms are significant or a new injury is suspected. If a player fails a stage more than once, or if symptoms persist beyond 14 days from injury, GP referral is the appropriate step. This is not a failure of the protocol; it is the protocol working as designed. Persistent symptoms may indicate post-concussion syndrome, which requires clinical management beyond the scope of a coach or school sports staff member. Practical implications for schools and clubs this season Here is what the 21-day rule means operationally: Start the clock at the time of injury, not when symptoms resolve. Day 1 is the day of the incident. Begin graduated activity only when the player is completely symptom-free at rest. This is stage 2 - light aerobic exercise. Do not start stages before symptom resolution. Allow a minimum of 24 hours between each stage. A six-stage protocol with daily progression takes at least six days. Combined with the symptom-resolution requirement, this means the earliest practical return to contact is around day 14 for adults and day 18-21 for under-18s. Document every stage. If there is ever a challenge - from a parent, a safeguarding review, an insurer - the documentation is the evidence that the protocol was followed. Arrange clinical sign-off before stage 5. Do not leave this to the last minute. Build the GP or clinical contact into the process early. Practical takeaway: what to do next Use the date of injury to calculate the earliest possible return date before the player even feels ready. Brief all coaching staff and sports staff on the staged protocol before the season starts, not after the first incident. Ensure you have a named clinician (GP, sports doctor, school nurse with relevant training) who can provide sign-off for stage 5. Document every stage. A written record protects the player and the school or club. Download the Luca Safe Concussion Framework at /lscf/ and check your current practice against the seven domains. Photo: Raymond F Sekula Jr, Peter J Jannetta, Kenneth F Casey, Edward M Marchan, L Kathleen Sekula and Christine S McCrady, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Sources Sport and Recreation Alliance. UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport (November 2024 update). https://sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/uk-concussion-guidelines-for-grassroots-non-elite-sport---november-2024-update-061124084139.pdf Concussion in Sport Group. 6th International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport (CISG 2023). British Journal of Sports Medicine. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/11/695 NHS Healthier Together / What0-18. Head Injury - Concussion. https://www.what0-18.nhs.uk/parentscarers/injury-fractures/head-injury The Children's Trust. Concussion in children and young people. https://www.thechildrenstrust.org.uk/brain-injury-information/conditions/concussion Luca's platform manages each stage of the graduated return to play with structured documentation and clinical oversight built in. Whether you are a school sports coordinator running your first GRTP or an experienced welfare officer handling multiple cases in a season, the pathway is the same. See how it works at /how-it-works/. ← Back to news --- # /news/womens-world-cup-and-instrumented-mouthguards-imgs/ URL: https://luca.health/news/womens-world-cup-and-instrumented-mouthguards-imgs/ Clinical Insights14 August 2025 Women’s World Cup and Instrumented Mouthguards (iMGs) The next edition of the Women’s Rugby Union World Cup will start on August 22nd. It will be hosted in England. World Rugby has announced that all players have signed up to be fitted with an iMG. Luca Health·2 min read Women’s World Cup and Instrumented Mouthguards (iMGs) https://www.thetimes.com/article/69981c9d-1910-4194-90bb-61586b7f7e12?shareToken=fd0cf2dae079666a537ed5c64b857dfc Women’s World Cup and Instrumented Mouthguards (iMGs) The next edition of the Women’s Rugby Union World Cup will start on August 22nd. It will be hosted in England. World Rugby has announced that all players have signed up to be fitted with an iMG. The iMG is designed to measure impacts during contact in both linear and rotational directions. It was first used at the 2023 edition of the Women’s World Cup. The new iMGs will flash red to indicate to officials and players that the threshold has been exceeded and a mandatory Head Injury Assessment (HIA) is required. The technology is still in its infancy and medical staff and sports scientists continue to gather the data to understand what level of impact constitutes a health risk for participants. It needs to be determined whether it is a single large impact or cumulative smaller impacts (or both) that can lead to brain damage. Equally, do cumulative impacts sustained over successive games create cognitive impairment? Rugby and other impact sports need such information to supplement clinical judgement. Luca Health welcomes such initiatives. Luca’s team are involved in assessing other forms of objective data to bring scientific rigour to aid the right decisions being made for athletes. ← Back to news --- # /news/world-rugby-announces-six-point-plan-for-player-welfare-2/ URL: https://luca.health/news/world-rugby-announces-six-point-plan-for-player-welfare-2/ Clinical Insights3 July 2025 Brain Health concerns in former elite rugby players​ Thomas D Parker, Jessica A Hain, Erin J Rooney, Karl A Zimmerman, Ying Lee, Martina Del Luca Health·2 min read Brain Health concerns in former elite rugby players​ Brain health concerns in former rugby players: clinical and cognitive phenotypes | Brain | Oxford Academic Thomas D Parker, Jessica A Hain, Erin J Rooney, Karl A Zimmerman, Ying Lee, Martina Del Giovane, Neil S N Graham, Maneesh Patel, Adam Hampshire, Mathew G Wilson, Daniel Friedland, David J Sharp, Richard J Sylvester, Brain health concerns in former rugby players: clinical and cognitive phenotypes, Brain, 2025;, awae416, https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awae416 A London-based team of investigators have assessed 200 ex-elite rugby players who had presented to a specialist Brain Health unit with concerns about their health. Disorders were greatest in those who had recalled having had concussions while playing the sport. This included depression and anxiety. 12% of the ex-players had features suggestive of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) - although their level of impairment was rated as possible or suggestive, rather than probable, for CTE. The authors have been reflective of the limitations of their research but emphasise the significant symptom burden carried by many ex-elite rugby union players. ← Back to news --- # /news/world-rugby-announces-six-point-plan-for-player-welfare/ URL: https://luca.health/news/world-rugby-announces-six-point-plan-for-player-welfare/ Sport News1 July 2025 World Rugby announces six-point plan for player welfare. World Rugby has signposted a six-point plan to enhance the welfare of rugby players. It Luca Health·2 min read World Rugby announces six-point plan for player welfare. https://www.world.rugby/news/1001356/world-rugby-evolves-six-point-plan-on-player-welfare World Rugby has signposted a six-point plan to enhance the welfare of rugby players. It states that it is building on the original plan announced in 2021. Any measures that focus on player welfare are welcome. This initiative should be seen as indication of intent - akin to a mission statement. It remains to be seen what finances and expertise will be put behind these plans. What time frame is attached to these measures and how will they judge success? World Rugby’s focus has always been primarily on the professional game. However, initiatives to foster a sport-wide focus on welfare and provide specific focus on the women’s game are an acknowledgment that good practices begin at the community level. Luca Health will watch the evolution of these programmes with interest. ← Back to news --- # /news/world-rugby-recommends-that-a-lower-tackle-height-be-written-into-community-game-law/ URL: https://luca.health/news/world-rugby-recommends-that-a-lower-tackle-height-be-written-into-community-game-law/ Sport News6 December 2025 World Rugby recommends that a lower tackle height be written into community game law World Rugby recommends the upper limit of tackling in non-elite rugby be set at the sternum. If passed, it becomes law for the 2026-27 northern hemisphere season. Luca Health·2 min read World Rugby recommends that a lower tackle height be written into community game law World Rugby Executive Board recommends that a lower tackle height be written into community game law | World Rugby World Rugby is recommending that the upper limit of tackling in non-elite rugby will be at the level of the sternum. If passed by the World Rugby Council, it will be enshrined in law and operational for the start of the northern hemisphere season 2026-2027. This recommendation has come after reviewing over 150,000 tackles and found an important reduction in the number of ‘high’ tackles’ Luca welcomes this initiative. It hopes that the same law will be adopted soon into the elite game. ← Back to news --- # /platform-privacy-policy/ URL: https://luca.health/platform-privacy-policy/ Platform Privacy Policy How Luca Health uses your data on our app, dashboard and platform. Effective date: July 2026 Summary (Too Long; Didn’t Read) Two controllers. Your school or club controls the account, contact and injury data on the platform, and we process it for them. We control the clinical record created during a consultation — that is covered by our separate Clinical Privacy Notice. Where data comes from. School or club systems, parents, clinicians, and users themselves. Cookies and analytics. On the staff dashboard and app we use PostHog (EU cloud) for anonymised usage analytics — no patient or personal data is sent to PostHog, and analytics require your explicit consent. Recording. Consultations are video calls and are recorded (audio and video) with your permission; you can decline. The clinical record from a consultation is covered by our Clinical Privacy Notice. Deletion. If you ask us to delete your data, your school’s platform data follows a 30-day window, but we may keep the clinical record where the law allows (for example, for health care or to defend legal claims). See our Clinical Privacy Notice. Where it lives. Your data is hosted in the UK and the EEA and is not transferred outside the UK/EEA. Your rights. We follow the UK GDPR (and the EU GDPR where it applies) and support your rights to access, correct, delete or limit your data. This summary does not replace the full policy — please read on for complete details. 1. Who we are Luca Health Ltd (company number 14060836) is a concussion-management platform for schools, sports clubs and related organisations. We help monitor and manage injuries — particularly head injuries — through data tracking, neurocognitive assessments, and access to clinical support. Our operations are based in the United Kingdom. We comply with the UK GDPR (and the EU GDPR where it applies). 2. Our role — who controls your data The data on the platform falls into three groups, and who is responsible differs: Platform data your school or club controls — account, contact, role and injury/incident data, and the neurocognitive assessment data administered through the platform. Your school or club is the controller of this data and decides how it is used; Luca Health processes it on their behalf, on their instructions. Where a clinician reviews this data as part of a consultation, the clinician’s resulting assessment and decisions form part of the clinical record (see our Clinical Privacy Notice). For questions about this data, contact your school or club, or us, and we will work together. Clinical records Luca Health controls — the record created when a clinician provides a consultation, including the consultation recording, transcript, clinician notes, diagnoses and decisions. Luca Health is the controller of this clinical record. It is covered by our separate Clinical Privacy Notice, which explains how we hold it, how long we keep it, and your rights. Technical data Luca Health controls — device, log, security and (consented) analytics data we need to operate and secure the platform. Luca Health is the controller of this data. 3. What data we collect Basic personal information: name, address, phone number, email. Demographic details: age, year/group/team, role (student, coach, parent, clinician). Health data: injury and concussion records, and medical history related to injuries. Neurocognitive data: results of cognitive tasks and baseline assessments. Assessment videos: videos recorded by users in the app as part of baseline or assessment tasks. Consultation recordings: where a consultation takes place, it is recorded (audio and video) with permission. This forms part of the clinical record and is covered by our Clinical Privacy Notice. Technical data: device type, operating system, usage information, and cookies. 4. How we collect your data Integration with school or club systems: synchronising names, email addresses and roles (for a school, via Wonde; for a club, from the club’s game-management system). Direct input by authorised people: parents, coaches, school nurses, clinicians. Self-reported data: entered by users during baseline and neurocognitive tasks. Cookies and tracking tools: on the app and dashboard, necessary and functional cookies to ensure the platform operates correctly. On the staff dashboard (and shortly within the app), we use PostHog (EU cloud) to collect anonymised usage analytics. No personal data, patient data or identifiable information is sent to PostHog; users are identified by a one-way cryptographic hash that cannot be reversed; analytics are only initialised following explicit cookie consent. On the public website, analytics cookies are used as described in our Website Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. 5. Legal basis for processing Personal data is processed under the following legal grounds: Legitimate interests: for operational and safety purposes, such as injury tracking and providing and recording health care (Article 6(1)(f)). Performance of the school’s or club’s responsibilities: to deliver the platform and the concussion-management service. Legal obligation: where required under child-protection or healthcare regulations. Consent: for non-essential cookies, and any processing that specifically requires it. Health data is special category data. In addition to a lawful basis above, we rely on the condition for the provision of health care by, or under the responsibility of, a health professional (Article 9(2)(h) UK GDPR). For platform data, your school or club, as controller, is responsible for establishing the lawful basis; we process that data on their behalf. 6. Data sharing We do not sell or share your data with third parties for marketing purposes. We may share data only with: authorised clinicians within the Luca Health platform; schools and organisations with direct responsibility for the user; and essential service providers (for example, secure cloud hosting and encrypted backup storage). All data sharing is governed by written contracts and protective measures. 7. Data deletion and retention You can ask us to delete your account and the personal information we hold about you or your child. How this works depends on who controls the data: Platform data (controlled by your school or club). When you request deletion, we apply a 30-day window during which your school or club is notified and can export any platform data they are legally required to keep (for safeguarding or risk management). After that window, we delete the platform data we hold, unless the law requires us to keep it. Your school or club may continue to hold its own records under its legal obligations — for those, contact your school’s data protection officer. Clinical records (controlled by Luca Health). We do not automatically delete clinical records after 30 days. As the controller of the clinical record, we retain it in line with recognised standards for health records: for a child, until their 25th birthday (or 26th if they were 17 at the last consultation); for an adult, 8 years from the last consultation. We may keep the clinical record even if you ask us to delete it, where the law allows — for example, where it is needed for the provision of health care or to defend legal claims (Article 17(3) UK GDPR). Our Clinical Privacy Notice explains this in full. Backups. When personal data is deleted from the platform, copies may persist in our encrypted backups for up to 180 days. Backups are immutable and cannot be selectively amended. They are used solely for disaster recovery and are permanently deleted automatically within 180 days. Where a restoration occurs, deletions are reapplied without delay. 8. Children’s data Most of the people whose data we hold are children. We apply heightened safeguards to all data about under-18s. The legal basis for processing children’s health and safeguarding data is not parental consent — it is the school’s or club’s lawful basis for the platform data, and the provision of health care for the clinical record. Consent is relevant only for non-essential cookies, where (for younger children) it is given by a parent, guardian or the authorised institution. 9. Your rights If you make a request, we will need to verify your identity before we act, by matching information you give us with information we already hold (or by contacting you through a method you have previously provided). We will only use information provided for a request to verify your identity or authority, and we will delete any additional information provided for verification once we have finished. Under the UK GDPR (and the EU GDPR where it applies), you have the right to: access your personal data; rectify inaccurate or incomplete data; request erasure of your data. For clinical records this right is limited, because we are required to retain those records — see section 7 and our Clinical Privacy Notice; object to or restrict certain processing; withdraw consent at any time (where we rely on consent); and lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, such as the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in the UK. To exercise your rights, contact us at privacy@luca.health. 10. Where your data is held Your data is hosted on secure infrastructure in the UK and the European Economic Area (in Ireland). We also hold encrypted backup copies with a separate provider in Germany, which is also within the EEA, so that we can recover the platform after a serious failure. We do not transfer personal data outside the UK or the EEA. Where we use AI to assist clinicians (see our Clinical Privacy Notice), that processing is also carried out within the EEA. 11. Mobile and device information Device access. We may request access or permission to certain features on your mobile device — including the camera, microphone, storage, notifications and (where relevant) location — so that the app can function (for example, to record a consultation or complete an assessment). You can change these permissions in your device settings. Device and usage data. We automatically collect technical information when you use the app or platform, such as device ID, model and manufacturer, operating system and version, browser type, IP address, and information about how and when you use our services (including log and error data). This information is used mainly to maintain the security and operation of the platform, for troubleshooting, and for internal analytics and reporting. Much of it does not identify you directly. Push notifications. We may request to send you push notifications about your account or features of the app. You can opt out in your device settings. 12. Data security We apply strong technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including encryption in transit and at rest, secure hosting within the UK/EEA, role-based access controls on a need-to-know basis, multi-factor authentication for privileged access, nightly encrypted backups held off-site with a separate provider, and an ISO 27001 certified information security management system. 13. Changes to this policy We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The effective date above reflects the latest version, and material changes will be communicated via the app or dashboard. 14. Contact us If you have any questions or concerns about this policy or your data, please contact us at privacy@luca.health. Luca Health Ltd is registered in England and Wales (company number 14060836). For data we collect on our public website, see our Website Privacy Policy. For cookies, see our Cookie Policy. For the clinical record from consultations, see our Clinical Privacy Notice. --- # /website-privacy-policy/ URL: https://luca.health/website-privacy-policy/ Website Privacy Policy How Luca Health collects and uses information about visitors to luca.health. For information about data we process inside the Luca platform itself, see the Platform Privacy Policy. Effective date: June 2026 Scope of this policy This policy applies only to luca.health and its subdomains. It does not cover the data we process when you use the Luca platform (apps, dashboards, clinical workflows). For that, see our Platform Privacy Policy. 1. Who we are Luca Health Limited, registered in England & Wales (No. 14060836) is the data controller for personal data collected through this website. We can be reached at privacy@luca.health. 2. What we collect When you visit this website we may collect: Information you submit through forms - for example your name, email, organisation and message when you use the contact form. Analytics data about how you use the site (pages viewed, referring source, approximate location, device and browser) when you accept analytics cookies. Standard server logs (IP address, request timestamp, user-agent) collected by our hosting and CDN providers for security and reliability. 3. Cookies and analytics We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how the site is used. Analytics cookies only load after you accept them in the consent banner. If you decline, no analytics cookies are set and no usage events are sent. You can change your decision at any time by clearing the consent stored in your browser. For full details see our Cookie Policy. 4. How we use your information We use the information described above to respond to enquiries you send us, to operate and secure the website, and to understand and improve how visitors interact with our content. We do not use website analytics data to identify individual visitors. 5. Legal basis Under the UK GDPR (and the EU GDPR where it applies) we rely on: your consent (for analytics cookies and any marketing communications); our legitimate interests in operating, securing and improving the website; and, where you contact us, the steps necessary to respond to your enquiry. 6. Sharing We do not sell personal data. We share limited data with vetted service providers who help us run the website and analyse traffic - for example hosting, CDN, anti-bot protection (Cloudflare Turnstile), email delivery, and Google Analytics. They process data on our behalf under written contracts. 7. Retention Contact-form submissions are kept for as long as needed to respond to your enquiry and a reasonable period afterwards. Analytics data is retained according to the default Google Analytics retention period unless we shorten it. Server logs are retained by our infrastructure providers for short, security-related windows. 8. Your rights You have the right to access the personal data we hold about you, ask us to correct or delete it, object to or restrict its processing, and request portability. You can also lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) or your local supervisory authority. To exercise your rights, contact us at privacy@luca.health. 9. International transfers Some of our service providers (notably Google Analytics) may process data outside the UK and EU. Where this happens we rely on Standard Contractual Clauses or other safeguards approved under the UK and EU GDPR. 10. Changes to this policy We may update this policy occasionally. The "Effective date" above will reflect when the latest version took effect; material changes will be highlighted on the website. 11. Contact us Questions about this policy or your data can be sent to privacy@luca.health. Luca Health Limited, registered in England & Wales (No. 14060836).