In a fascinating study recently published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, Dr Caroline Finch from Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia studied the safety procedures at 64 Australian football clubs.¹ One of the striking findings was the lack of knowledge of Sports Medicine Australia (SMA) guidelines. For example, when asked whether these clubs followed the SMA infectious disease policy, only 36% of clubs answered positively with 21% being totally unaware of the existence of the guidelines. Even more remarkable, given that SMA has had a head and neck injury policy since 1992, was the fact that only 27% of football clubs had a head injury policy and of these, only 11% followed the SMA guidelines when suggesting medical assessment for head injured players. Returning players to sport following concussion was even more interesting, with 30% of clubs …