Brain matters: Wagga footballers on tackling concussion culture in sport

Any form of head impact causes damage to the brain and can lead to long-term damage, whether from repeated knocks or a one-off event.

Timothy Morsanuto, a UNSW medical student studying in Wagga and who plays soccer with CSU Football Club, has expressed personal concerns about heading the ball during a game.

He said since the brain is so delicate and complicated, even a microscopic injury caused by heading the ball is still considered a traumatic brain injury.

"If you head the ball, and it's just a very, very, very small impact, that impact still translates from the front of your skull through your brain to the back," Mr Morsanuto said.

Mr Morsanuto believes research will one day show that smaller injuries could also contribute to long term damage.

"In a lot of combat sports for example, boxers are wearing gloves and they're punching each other in the head, we know that is really bad for CTE," he said.

"I would like to say to you that if a goalie kicks the ball half the field, and it's 20 metres in the air, and it's flying really fast, I would say that is even more force and even more impact than the majority of head punches, because they avoid most of them [punches]."

Mr Morsanuto also volunteers with St Johns Ambulance and has worked at local sporting carnivals.

He said while people at carnivals know what to do if someone suffers a head injury, having nearby medical support is extremely important.

"Everyone knows that if someone loses consciousness in a collision for example, there is the potential for a severe concussion," Mr Morsanuto said.

"There needs to be some well trained medics, or someone like St John Ambulance providing services just to quickly assess, check their pupils, check medical signs."

Calls to ban heading in junior soccer have grown over recent years in countries like England.

President of Henwood Park Football Club Tony Bobbin said there is certainly talk in the round ball world about "whether the matter should remain", as it becomes more aware of injuries from heading.

"Some overseas countries are banning it to a certain age and not training younger players to use it, whether that will come through to a full-on ban of the header, I don't know," Mr Bobbin said.

The attitude towards sporting injuries has changed over the decades, he said, as more athletes come forward to admit they're not right to play.

"More and more [information] is coming out and what I would certainly value, and I'm sure every club would, is if there is medical evidence saying this is happening, bring it to us so we can educate ourselves," Mr Bobbin said.

"We don't want any child playing through injury and we need to support the parents in that as well."

People aged between 15 and 24 suffered the most concussions when playing sport compared to any other age group across Australia in the 2020-21 financial year, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

Out of the 1215 people in that age bracket hospitalised with concussion, 114 of those cases were from soccer.

However, that number is eclipsed by other football codes like Australian rules and rugby, both of which recorded twice as many cases during the year.

The AFL released a guideline in March for communities regarding concussion, which states what needs to be done on the day of injury, while also outlining safe return to play policies.

The NRL adopts the Concussion in Sport Position Statement developed by the Australian Sports Commission, which has guidelines for athletes, coaches, parents and medical practitioners.

Some big names from professional leagues have been forced into early retirement in 2024 due to concussions.

Melbourne Demons star Angus Brayshaw called quits on his AFL career in February with five years left on a contract, while Cronulla Sharks co-captain Dale Finucane retired from the NRL in May, due to concussion concerns.