Premier League authors special edition of British Journal of Sports Medicine

Premier League releases dedicated edition of BJSM to tackle the rising challenges in player health and medical care The Premier League has authored a special edition of the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM) after a significant increase in the complexity of medical matters affecting the League in recent years. The impact of COVID-19 together with emerging research regarding head impact and injury in football has ensured that both the volume and quality of research pertinent to Premier League medicine has increased over that timeframe. During this period, the Premier League has engaged in several medically related projects that has resulted in important information being gathered. This edition has been created to highlight a range of ongoing initiatives and projects, reflecting the League’s commitment in supporting the positive advancement of player health. Its purpose is to provide readers with insight into the collaborative efforts between academic institutions, clubs, and the League, ensuring that policy and practice are informed by a strong evidence base. By sharing this research, the edition demonstrates how elite football can set new standards for clinical care and player welfare. The project was led by the League’s Elite Performance team, who conduct extensive research on medical matters relevant to the Premier League. In turn research helps inform oversight, guidance, and resources that enable clubs to deliver top-tier medical care, while also ensuring consistency and fairness across the competition. The edition addresses a variety of player health and medical topics, with a particular focus on the management of head injuries and concussion, including the case for temporary concussion substitutions (TCS) in football. Excerpt: Concussion in football: the case for temporary concussion substitutions The current evidence on concussion management in football indicates that reform is needed to protect player welfare. In other professional sports, implementing TCS with a formal off-field assessment process has successfully reduced the number of players returning to play after sustaining a concussion, and it is now considered best practice. For these reasons, football’s governing bodies and players’ unions have advocated for TCS for several years and, with appropriate safeguards to protect the game’s integrity and prioritise player welfare, the Premier League continues to support a future trial of TCS in professional football. The full Premier League special edition of the BJSM can be viewed online here.