Addressing Player Welfare Issues

Rugby is a sport loved by many for its deeply engrained values and sense of community yet the future of the game is in serious doubt in the UK. This is largely due to to the financial strain being put on clubs at the very top of the game as well as worries about player safety and the long term affects of such a physically demanding game. In this first post I will be diving into the concerns about player safety and  potential long term affects the game may have on players.

The physical nature of the game is one of they key reasons why rugby is loved by so many. Going to battle on the pitch with your mates against the opposition for 80 minutes and then sharing a pint and a chin wag in the clubhouse after is what makes rugby such a special game. Waking up the next morning battered and bruised is part of the gig and players are well used to it, but there is a darker reality that has really come into the limelight in the last few years surrounding concussion, and its possible long term affects. Many players from a young age are drilled into the idea of playing through the pain and putting your body on the line for your team. This can be a major issue if a player suffers a head knock and carries on playing as significant damage can be caused if that player was to sustain a second blow to the head. This issue is on many occasions head knocks can be very hard to spot. In the spur of the moment players may not recognise they have sustained a head injury and may play on due to not experiencing any specific symptoms. It can sometimes even take a few days for symptoms to occur. Whilst concussion symptoms for the week or so following the injury can be uncomfortable, it is the long term affects that are deeply concerning. It has been widely publicised about the possible long term affects of concussions sustained in professional rugby environments after a lawsuit signed by more than 200 ex professional players (including players such as Steve Thompson, who has been diagnosed with early onset dementia) was brought against the Welsh rugby union, the RFU and World Rugby due to the claims the players suffered "sustained brain damage through playing the sport". 

In my next post I will be diving into how the governing bodies have reacted and what measures they are putting in place to improve player safety and make the game more sustainable.