{"id":151602,"date":"2025-09-18T07:47:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T07:47:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/151602\/"},"modified":"2025-09-18T07:47:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T07:47:08","slug":"football-ferns-five-concussions-you-cant-muck-around-with-your-brain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/151602\/","title":{"rendered":"Football Fern\u2019s five concussions: \u2018You can\u2019t muck around with your brain\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIt\u2019s your brain and you can\u2019t muck around with your brain.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need that to live, to function daily.\u201d<\/p>\n

When people think of concussion in sport, they often think of close-contact sports such as rugby union or rugby league, but it is an issue in football as well.<\/p>\n

ACC accepted 1221 football-related concussions in 2024, which cost it $3.4 million to help people recover.<\/p>\n

It also paid out 11,386 days of weekly compensation to people for football-related concussions, which cost $1.4m.<\/p>\n

One of the main causes of concussion in football is heading the ball, said Riley.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is scary because it happens so often in football, and you have to do it so often.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riley said her concussion symptoms were difficult to recognise at first.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just not feeling right and like a fog, like I just wasn\u2019t very fresh in my mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just not a nice feeling at all, to be honest \u2013 you just don\u2019t really feel like yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riley also experienced extra sensitivity to light and noise.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was recovering from my most recent concussion I really started to worry because it was just taking so long.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember when I was finally cleared to play again, I got a ball to the head, and I just started crying. I was so scared and thought, \u2018oh no, not again\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cLuckily, I was fine, but you just have to be so careful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riley has a big career ahead of her for club and country. She has played 29 internationals for the Ferns and scored seven goals. It was a scary feeling to have ongoing concussion symptoms.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a lot I still want to achieve so it has freaked me out a bit. I try not to worry about it and anytime I have symptoms I manage them well and put my wellbeing first.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ferns have performed well of late \u2013 defeating Costa Rica in a two-match series and beating Venezuela in their latest game in June. Riley is excited about what the team can achieve under new coach Michael Mayne.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main thing he is stressing is buy-in from the players,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a long road to the World Cup [in 2027] and he has been talking about being all-in so we can understand each other and the style of play he wants to implement.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"Football-relatedFootball-related concussions cost ACC $3.4 million in recovery support last year. Photo \/ Lynne Cameron, Photosport<\/p>\n

Last year, ACC launched the National Concussion Guidelines for community sport and Riley said they are a great initiative for football.<\/p>\n

The guidelines provide principles and advice for the sports community and health professionals to recognise concussion and manage return to play in a consistent way.<\/p>\n

ACC injury prevention leader Nat Hardaker said the growth in the women\u2019s game is exciting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do see that female players have a higher rate of concussion than male players,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough that difference is not yet fully understood, there are some data that show females close their eyes earlier before the header and use less protective body positioning, potentially leaving them more vulnerable to injury.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is actionable; good skill and technique can reduce the risk of injury.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hardaker said if a player does suffer a concussion, research shows good early management can improve long-term outcomes.<\/p>\n

Over the next two years, ACC will invest $2.5m into the NZ Football Prevention and Performance programme. The partnership has a focus on improving concussion management.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe investment into this partnership will deliver important resources. It will help ensure there is clarity on how to manage concussion in football and put player welfare first.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are trying to change the culture around concussion in sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riley said it\u2019s important for young players to install good habits early when it comes to recognising and reporting concussion.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe younger that people get that support the more beneficial it will be,\u201d said Riley. \u201cI never really understood how serious they were, and I\u2019ve had so many now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riley\u2019s advice to anyone experiencing concussion symptoms is to trust their body and seek professional medical care.<\/p>\n

\u201cListen to how you feel. It\u2019s not something to rush, or to push, because they are so serious and they can be really dangerous if you don\u2019t treat them right.<\/p>\n

\u201cBe honest and report your symptoms if you feel like anything is not quite right.\u201d<\/p>\n

National Concussion Guidelines \u2013 Fact box<\/p>\n

The guidelines present an opportunity to improve the health outcomes and wellbeing for people who play community sport by introducing a standardised approach to managing concussion.The key changes are: (1) When a player suffers a concussion, they must be symptom-free for 14 days post-injury before a graduated return to play. (2) They must complete a minimum period of 21 days away from full competition before clearance to return. (3) Medical clearance must be obtained before return to play.<\/p>\n

The four Rs of concussion management<\/p>\n

Recognise (the signs and symptoms of concussion)Remove (the person from play)Refer (to a medical doctor to confirm diagnosis and provide treatment)Recover (before returning to school\/work and sport)<\/p>\n

This story was originally published at Newsroom.co.nz and is republished with permission.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cIt\u2019s your brain and you can\u2019t muck around with your brain. \u201cYou need that to live, to function…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":151603,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[563],"tags":[3204,64,63,1362,101692,101691,26046,41261,596,3899,318,101693,85,22193,25228,3605,7776,5391],"class_list":["post-151602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","tag-around","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-brain","tag-cant","tag-concussions","tag-ferns","tag-five","tag-football","tag-injury","tag-know","tag-muck","tag-sports","tag-symptoms","tag-there","tag-with","tag-you","tag-your"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151602"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151602\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/151603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}