A Position Statement on concussion in all forms of Para football has been published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, marking a major milestone in the care of management for athletes.

Concussion is an issue for all forms of football, including blind football, and has been the subject of extensive attention in recent years. To date however, there has been no specific guidance and advice to shape the assessment and management of Para athletes with concussion.

The organisation Para Football brought together the different groups currently practising the sport with the aim of creating a single approach.

Dr. Osman Ahmed and Dr. Richard Weiler, members of the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) Medical Committee, joined Para Football’s Medical Unit and helped write the position statement as members of the newly-formed ‘Concussion in Para Sport’ group.

This group of international experts includes several members of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Medical Committee, as well as other renowned international Para Sport researchers and concussion experts.

Dr Osman Ahmed said:

“It has been a privilege to be able to work with some of the world-leading clinicians involved in Para Sport to be able to create these guidelines. We are confident that this Position Statement will be the first of many steps in improving the concussion management of Para footballers globally, and we look forward to helping to enhance the welfare for all formats of Para football.”

Para Football co-founder, Sam Turner said:

“For many years this has been an important topic in need of a joined up strategy to protect our players across all formats of the game, and wider Para sport. We are pleased that Para Football provides a collaborative platform bringing together all stakeholders to develop a safer game, and world-renowned experts such as Osman and Richard are driving the change.”

The 1st Concussion in Para Sport Consensus Statement is available by clicking here.