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LOTG celebrates the launch of ‘IF IN DOUBT, SIT THEM OUT’: UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport

As the UK’s leading concussion in sport charity, Love of the Game (LOTG) is celebrating today as the government announces new internationally recognised guidelines to reduce the risks from concussions in grassroots sport.

Spearheaded by Love of the Game Chairman, Laurence Geller CBE, the government’s Independent Ministerial Adviser on Concussion in Sport, the guidelines have been developed over many months by leading domestic and international academics, medical professionals, scientists, sportspeople, and organizations, including Love of the Game.

A world first, the “If in doubt, sit them out” guidelines are designed to provide a framework recognising concussion and on how it should be managed from the time of injury through to a safe return to education, work and playing sport. The guidelines are intended for individuals participating in all grassroots sports – primary school age and upwards – while maintaining the integrity of all our much-loved sports.

The guidelines have been commended by an array of sports governing bodies, including NHS 111, The Football Association, Premier League, and Rugby Football Union.

The guidelines aim to protect in sports and outline the best practice for those individuals who are affected. It includes assessment of any suspected concussion by an onsite Healthcare Professional or a call to NHS 111 within 24 hours of the injury and a 24-hour break from competition and training following a suspected concussion before gradual return to sport.

Alongside the guidelines for sports organisations, the DCMS concussion in sport committees have also produced guidance for healthcare professionals and a multidisciplinary management plan to allow those affected players to return safely to their fields.

The Guidelines Committee has been supported by a series of other committees, including one on Technology and Innovation, led by Laurence Geller. This committee has been investigating how cutting-edge R&D developments can support prevention and protection.

Alongside its contribution to the development of the guidelines, Love of the Game is trialling technologies that both “protect the player and protect the sport”, including the WAVi portable brain scanner (currently in a Love of the Game-facilitated trial with Cornish Pirates, Sevenoaks, and East London Rugby Football Clubs) and the PolarCool brain cooling cap, currently in trial with London Irish RFC.

Love of the Game is supported by several high-profile former athletes, including former England international Simon Shaw (co-founder) and Wales international Peter Rogers.

Speaking on the guidelines, Laurence Geller CBE, the government’s Independent Ministerial Adviser on Concussion, said:

“Today marks an important step forward for all sport, and all players, across the country. These new guidelines have been developed by leading minds from across the scientific, sporting, and academic spaces and will ensure that all parties, from school sports coaches to NHS specialist clinicians, are unified in common understanding and practice on concussion. This will ensure players at all levels are safeguarded, and able to continue to participate in the sports they love.”

Simon Shaw, former England international Rugby Player and co-founder of Love of the Game, commented:

“As a former professional sportsperson, I have seen first hand the damage that head injuries can cause. I welcome these new guidelines, which, alongside the new technologies we are trialling through Love of the Game, will keep players safe across the country. The ‘if in doubt, sit them out’ principle coupled with very clear return to play guidelines, allow us to protect both our players and the sports we love.”

You can download the full Guidelines document here:

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Love of the Game launches national network aiming to dramatically reduce concussions in youth and community sport

Experts from across the world of sports science and medicine will convene in Bath today (Monday 27 March) for the first-ever meeting of a brand-new concussion prevention network. The UK Concussion Prevention Network aims to significantly reduce concussions within youth and community sport.

Led by academics from the Edinburgh – Bath International Olympic Committee Research Centre, Leeds Beckett and Calgary (Canada) universities, and convened by the charity ‘Love of The Game’, the network has set itself an ambitious mission to reduce concussions in the UK for youth and community sports by 30% by 2030 through new policy, training and equipment interventions.

From grassroots to elite levels, reducing concussion injuries is a top priority for sport in the UK and internationally. Through the House of Commons’ Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, executives from ‘Love of The Game’ have already convened expert groups to improve concussion recognition and management across all sports and at all ages.

However, until now, there was a gap in evidence informing best practice and policy when it came to sports-related concussion prevention. The focus of the UK Concussion Prevention Network is on intervening early; ensuring players and coaches are better protected, therefore reducing the likelihood that they will get concussed in the first instance.

Changes to rules of the game could be a key target to reduce concussion rates. Potential interventions of interest are likely to include a detailed examination of tackle height in rugby and heading rules in football. Other potential strategies will look at for how long and what type of training players are exposed to.

The UK Concussion Prevention Network will build on a well-established foundation from each of the university partners* which has already helped in the development of new approaches to reducing sports-related injuries, including concussions. Examples of this include ‘Activate’ – a targeted exercise protocol, developed with England Rugby to reduce injuries for youth and community rugby.

Research into Activate by the team at the University of Bath showed a dramatic reduction in overall injuries by over 70% and concussions by nearly 60% as a result of the protocol. ‘Activate’ has since been rolled out nationally by the RFU and internationally by World Rugby. This work has also informed a new international project focused on injury prevention in girls’ rugby**.

Much of the UK Concussion Prevention Network’s activities will be led by Professor Carolyn Emery, internationally recognised injury epidemiologist and physiotherapist based at the University of Calgary. Prof Emery is also Global Chair at the University of Bath through which she has been instrumental in establishing the UK network.

She explained: “I am excited to have this opportunity to collaborate with colleagues across the UK and internationally to launch the inaugural meeting of the UK Concussion Prevention Network. This will bring together researchers and sport stakeholders to build capacity in the development and implementation of evidence-informed concussion prevention strategies that will have significant public health impact in reducing sport-related concussions across the lifespan.”

‘Love of the Game’ is the national campaign aiming to reduce concussion-related issues across sport. It takes a solutions-based approach, developing rapid, actionable technologies that prevent, diagnose, and treat head injuries in sport.

Commenting, James Cameron, Trustee of Love of The Game, said: “Love of The Game is an impassioned group of athletes, players, fans, medics and innovators, united by our love of sport and the desire to protect players of all ages from the potentially devastating impact of concussions and other head injuries.

“We are delighted to be supporting the activities of the new network which will bring together leading expertise from the UK and around the world to focus on concussion injury prevention. We believe this work can play a really significant role in reducing the burden of concussions for youth and community players.”

Keith Stokes, Professor of Applied Physiology at the University of Bath and Medical Research Lead at the Rugby Football Union, added: “The UK Concussion Prevention Network aims to foster collaboration and engage communities to have a real impact in reducing concussions across sport.

“Our focus is on community sport, and particularly youth and female sport, as we know that there are great opportunities to make a difference in this space. We are delighted to be working with Love of the Game to realise our vision.”

NOTES

*The UK Concussion Prevention Network was developed in partnership between two IOC Research Centres, including the Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary (Chair Prof Carolyn Emery), the Collaborating Centre on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport (Prof Keith Stokes and Dr Debbie Palmer) and with Leeds Beckett University (Prof Ben Jones).

Free Concussion Management Course for all grassroots sports launches with new campaign reduce the risks from Concussion in Sport

Simon Shaw, former England and British Lions rugby star and president of sporting charity Love of the Game (LOTG), has today launched a back-to-school campaign to reduce the risks from concussion in grassroots sport.

Grassroots rugby and netball teams in London came together today to learn about the guidelines from Love of the Game. The campaign launched as Simon Shaw joined grassroots rugby players in South London for a training session. It follows on from LOTG’s close involvement in developing the first concussion guidelines for grassroots sports with DCMS.

LOTG worked closely with the Government to develop the first concussion guidelines for grassroots sport. Now, as players return to school and training, LOTG are campaigning to increase awareness of the guidelines, which detail identification and response to sports-related concussion, with parents, teachers, and coaches.

The “If in doubt, sit them out” guidelines, designed in conjunction with DCMS, provide a framework for recognising and managing concussion from the time of injury. Outlining steps from the initial injury to the safe return to play, they are intended for all who participate in grassroots sports, from primary school age up.

Devised with a team of medical and sporting experts, including those from LOTG, the guidelines include assessment of any suspected concussion by an onsite healthcare professional or call to NHS 111 within 24 hours and a 24-hour break from play before gradual return to sport.

Devised with a team of medical and sporting experts, t form part of LOTG’s mission to mitigate the potentially devastating risks of concussion, while maintaining the integrity of our much-loved sports.

Today’s campaign launch forms part of LOTG’s mission to mitigate the potentially devastating risks of concussion. It includes the release of a number of new resources by LOTG, including an online training course to support teachers and coaches in understanding and implementing the guidelines.

Speaking on today’s launch, Simon Shaw said:

“The ‘if in doubt, sit them out’ guidelines are a huge step in protecting our players. As kids go back to school and players return to training, we want to make sure as many people as possible are aware of the best ways to recognise and respond to concussion. With the continued effort of Love of the Game, we are able to provide education and resources for all, so we can safely play the sports we love.”

To help grassroots clubs and schools across the UK, Love of the Game has worked with edtechhuman to create an online course for teachers, parents and coaches to familiarise themselves with the guidelines, completely free to access, here.

You can download the full Guidelines document here:

Love of the Game announces its support for the National Trial of Head Injury Management Tool to Monitor Concussion in Grassroots Sport

Love of the Game (LOTG), the UK’s leading concussion in sport campaign group, announces its support for the launch of a two-year trial of the Head Injury Management Tool within the SportSmart app.

Developed by Podium Analytics in conjunction with LOTG, the Tool is a centralised digital system to record and manage instances of head injuries including the return to play process. It is immediately available for all UK schools and clubs at no cost to the user.

The Head Injury Management Tool or “Traffic-Light System”, was developed following the successful launch of the UK’s first internationally recognised Concussion Guidelines for grassroots sports. These were developed over many months by leading domestic and international academics, medical professionals, scientists, sportspeople, and organizations, including LOTG and spearheaded by LOTG chairman and Independent Ministerial Adviser on Concussion in Sport, Laurence Geller CBE.

“We are thrilled to support the national trial of a centralised digital system to record and manage head injuries in grassroots sports”, commented Simon Shaw MBE Co-Founder and President of LOTG. “Love of the Game’s mission has always been to ‘Protect the players. Protect the sports.’ As such, we recognised the need for and actively supported the development of guidelines for concussion in grassroots sports.”

“The implementation of the Head Injury Management Tool is crucial for the guidelines to have maximum effect and we look forward to continuing working with Podium Analytics to enhance and support progress in the management of head injuries in all sports.”

Laurence Geller, LOTG chairman and Independent Ministerial Adviser on Concussion in Sport said, “For the past three years, LOTG has been instigating the investigation into and development of various domestic and international platforms designed to record, manage and measure head injuries in grassroots sports. We recognised the Traffic-Light System within the SportsSmart app as the platform with the most potential that reflects current best practices. We wholeheartedly support the two-year trial of the Head Injury Management Tool and the concurrent research into its efficacy.”

The SportSmart platform is easy to use, highly secure and fully compliant with UK GDPR. There is no limitation to the number of schools and clubs that can take part in the trial.

For further information and any clubs, schools or parents wishing to take part, can visit for more information: https://podiumanalytics.org/sportsmart/platform

LOTG Response to FIFAB and RFU announcements

Love of the Game’s mission is to protect our players and protect our sports. Concussions will continue in many sports and Love of the Game will always raise awareness of existing solutions and opportunities for the management of concussion injuries while constantly promoting the development, trial and roll out of innovative solutions to minimize consequences of concussion injuries while reducing safe recovery time.

Love of the Game is always supportive of changes that increment protection without changing the fundamentals of the sport. In order to protect both players and sports, we are focused on ensuring that any changes are evidence-based and well considered.

We look forward to understanding the reasoning behind the recently announced changes to the laws of tackling in community rugby and will always urge that changes are only made where there is well founded evidence.

Following Wednesday’s meeting of the International Football Association Board, as always, Love of the Game looks forward to studying available evidence to understand the underlying law changes.

We understand that there will always be some risk of concussion in any physical activity, sporting or otherwise.

We share the belief that football must quickly, consistently, and reliably identify concussions when they happen. The pressures on medical staff, particularly in professional sporting environments cannot be overstated. Whilst there is no current multinational consensus on the correct approach to temporary substitutions for suspected concussions in football, and whilst we recognize the complexity of the issue, it must be addressed based on evidence and the player welfare whether they be school and grass roots participants, professionals, or elite players.

Love of the Game Founder takes part in Parliamentary Roundtable

Laurence Geller sitting around table with others

Love of the Game Founder & Chair Laurence Geller was recently invited to take part in an important Parliamentary roundtable on concussion in sports.

Hosted by Chris Bryant MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Acquired Brain Injuries, the session brought together leading industry stakeholders and parliamentarians to coordinate research, policy, and guidelines.

Laurence, attending as the Government’s Independent Ministerial Adviser on Concussion and LOTG Chairman provided the session with valuable insight into the work of DCMS and the industry in creating a new framework to safeguard players and sports.

This roundtable represents an important step in the coordination of policy and legislation, and the latest developments and findings of the sports field’s cutting edge.

A further session has already been scheduled for early 2023 following the success of this opening event.

Laurence Geller said:

“I was delighted to be able to attend this important session, and to share the learnings and findings of our work with those at the centre of this policy field. I look forward to continuing to represent Love of the Game on this stage, and furthering the cause of protecting our players, and our grassroots sports”

Love of the Game Founder takes part in Parliamentary Roundtable

Love of the Game Founder & Chair Laurence Geller was recently invited to take part in an important Parliamentary roundtable on concussion in sports.

This roundtable represents an important step in the coordination of policy and legislation, and the latest developments and findings of the sports field’s cutting edge.

A further session has already been scheduled for early 2023 following the success of this opening event.

Laurence Geller said:

Radio 4’s Today Programme speaks to LOTG Founders

Simon Shaw and Sally Pettipher on LOTG’s tech trials

Listen at 1:35:43 to LOTG Chairman Simon Shaw and Co-Founder Sally Pettipher

“We want our children to be able to play”

Simon Shaw MBE, President, Love of the Game

On May 2nd 2022, on the back of the BBC News report on the Love of the Game WAVi scanner trials, President Simon Shaw and Co-Founder Sally Pettipher were interviewed for six minutes on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme.

Catch up with the recording HERE at timecheck 1:35:43

BBC Health Correspondent, Hugh Pym, with LOTG Chairman, Laurence Geller CBE

Earlier in the morning, LOTG Chairman, Laurence Geller, who is also the DCMS Ministerial Adviser on Concussion in Sport, was featured on BBC News discussing the importance of the Government’s work on concussion protocols and LOTG’s work on tech development to mitigate risks of short and long term damage across all sports and all ages.

Peter Rogers, Former Wales International Rugby Player and LOTG supporter

The BBC News coverage was supported by former Welsh Rugby Prop, Peter Rogers, speaking from the BBC Studio in Cardiff. Following his rugby career, Peter went on to study a Masters in Dementia Care at the University of West London. A course founded and funded by UWL Chancellor, and LOTG Chairman, Laurence Geller CBE.

About Love of the Game

Love of the Game is a campaign which seeks to reduce concussion-related issues arising from contact and non-contact sports. LOTG takes a solutions-based approach to developing new technologies that prevent, diagnose and treat head injuries in sport. The Love of the Game aims to reduce risk of early onset dementia to players, maintain sports as we know and love them, lengthen sporting careers and reduce the fear of taking part. We are an impassioned community of athletes, players, fans, innovators and experts, united by our love of sport and the desire to, not only protect players of all ages from the potentially devastating impact of head injuries, but also to protect the integrity of the sports we know and love.

Media contacts

Harriet Newton
h.newton@hawthornadvisors.com

BBC News highlights LOTG tech trials

WAVi kit filmed pre-trial

“Pitch-side brain scans aim to make sports safer”

BBC News Headline 02 May 2022

On May 2nd 2022, Love of the Game demonstrated how the WAVi brain scanner might be a valuable diagnostic aid for concussion severity.

LOTG is funding UK Trials which will be run at three rugby clubs, one professional: Cornish Pirates, and two grassroots: East London and Sevenoaks.

BBC Health Correspondent, Hugh Pym, caught up with Professor Mike Parker and LOTG Chairman, Laurence Geller to learn how this technology, and others like it, might inform safer return-to-play.

Filming took place with Actonians Women’s Footballers, one of whom, Jess Drage, was filmed being scanned. Real data was instantly available to assure her that her brain function was normal.

Prof Mike Parker conducts a WAVi scan with Jess Drage, filmed for BBC News

The Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), whose Ministerial Adviser is LOTG Chairman, Laurence Geller, recently announced its convening of expert panels to work towards common protocols in concussion management across all sports at all ages and levels of play. Work which LOTG applauds.

About Love of the Game

Media contacts

Harriet Newton
h.newton@hawthornadvisors.com

Government and Love of the Game in action against concussion

The UK Government has issued a detailed action plan to deal with Concussion in Sport. Love of the Game (LOTG) and our Chairman, Laurence Geller, are integral to planning and delivery.

This comes in response to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s (DCMS) Select Committee earlier this year.

LOTG President Simon Shaw was interviewed by DCMS in advance of the Govt launch : “What is the point in waiting?”

See the full report here: Government response to DCMS Select Committee Report on Concussion in Sport

See an overview and interviews with Simon Shaw and Laurence Geller here: Summary

We are really pleased to be working with Government to identify technology that could mitigate concussion in sport
Simon Shaw MBE, President, LOTG

Laurence Geller CBE, UK government independent concussion advisor and chairman of Love of the Game said:

“All of us recognise the importance of sport in our lives. Whether professional or amateur, whatever age or skill level, we want to enjoy our sports whilst being protected from the potentially life changing impacts of head injuries; I therefore warmly welcome the work Government is doing to prevent and treat concussion in sport.”

“By making the game safer, we make the game better for everyone. But it’s not about changing the rules: it’s about working with experts from the medical profession, science and technology to devise protocols, knowledge, and equipment to allow us all to continue playing the sports we love.”

“I am pleased to have been able to work with the Government to capitalise on the momentum that is already building to tackle this important national issue. And I’m proud of the work Love of the Game has done in this field which includes encouraging the development of new technologies which will serve sports people of all ages and levels.”