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2012/10: Should Australian Rules football introduce helmets?
Introduction to the media issue
Video clip at right:On October 11, 2009, the American 60 Minutes current affairs program televised a report on the effect of brain injury among NLF players. New studies show that athletes, especially professional football players, who suffer many blows to the head, became brain damaged. If you cannot see this clip, it will be because video is blocked by your network. To view the clip, access from home or from a public library, or from another network which allows viewing of video clips.
What they said...
'There is a medical and ethical imperative for all football codes to minimise the risks of head injuries and concussion among players'
Frederic Gilbert and Bradley J Partridge, authors of 'The need to tackle concussion in Australian football codes' published in The Medical Journal of Australia, 2012
'There is some speculation that people wearing headgear may feel less vulnerable and might play more aggressively. We did surveys on a lot of players and that was a message we got...'
Dr. McIntosh, Associate Professor in Biomechanics at the School of Safety Science, University of New South Wales
The issue at a glance
In June, 2012, a United States expert in sports-related brain injury stated his belief that Australian Rules football players were vulnerable to serious brain damage. Chris Nowinski, the co-director of Boston University's Centre for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, has predicted that Australian football codes 'will change rules' to help prevent the condition that can trigger early-onset dementia.
Among the proposals being considered is the introduction of helmets, especially in the junior leagues where there is concern about the vulnerability of developing brains.
South Metro Junior Football League general manager David Cannizzo has indicated that about half the clubs choose to wear helmets in the younger grades despite AFL Victoria having no helmet policy.
Currently wearing helmets is at the discretion of individual players and clubs. Debate continues as to whether a standardised approach to helmets is desirable.