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 and the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism & Sport (CITS) brought together representatives from across the industry in WA to form the WA Sports Industry Concussion Working Group.

This group has met periodically 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 WA Sports Industry Concussion Working Group will be meeting again through 2026 to monitor updates and discuss progress on concussion management and the latest developments, products and information available to give sports the opportunity to provide the safest possible experience to enjoy lifelong participation in community sport.