Alongside wide-ranging benefits there are some risks of injury associated with sport participation in the community.  One of those injury risks of has been concussion and both the short and long-term impacts.

The benefits of sport and active recreation deliver a range of positive social and economic outcomes in Western Australia.  When a person is concussed in the course of their sport participation (or other walks of life) we encourage an appropriate period of recovery to ensure people can continue to enjoy the many benefits their sport participation delivers throughout the course of their lives.

In early 2023, SportWest in collaboration with the Department of Local Government, Sport & Cultural Industries (DLGSC) brought together representatives from across the industry in WA to form the WA Sports Industry Concussion Working Group.

This group has met regularly since first coming together in the first half of 2023 and considers the latest available information to guide the management of concussion in the community sport setting.

With the release of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and Australian Sports Commission (ASC) guidelines in February 2024, SportWest released a statement welcoming a more consistent approach to concussion management in sport.  The Working Group provided feedback on these documents and has since monitored their application in various practical sports settings since release.

The WA Sports Industry Concussion Working Group continues to monitor updates and discuss progress on concussion management, and the application of these management protocols in sport and future education requirements.