Concussion can be Fatal – Pocket Concussion Recognition Tool

You may or may not be aware of the tragic death of a young rugby player, Benjamin Robinson, in January 2011, as a result of a second impact syndrome and concussion. As a result Scottish Government have asked all sports to raise awareness of the serious risks that concussion presents, particularly amongst children and young people taking part in sport and physical activity and, specifically, how to identify the signs of concussion, and what to do about it.

Concussion is a brain injury caused by direct or indirect force to the head.  It results is a variety of non-specific signs and/or symptoms and most often does not involve loss of consciousness.  Most people recover in a few days but recovery can take longer for children and young people.

Many of you will be thinking that, as a relatively sedentary sport, the chances of concussion occurring whilst angling are remote, and it is true that incidents of accidents resulting in head injuries are fortunately not common in our sport.  That said, as our sport is conducted at the waterside, where banks are inevitably slippery and often uneven, there is always a very real risk of slip or trips which could result in a head injury.   For that reason, the SFCA is committed to raising awareness of the risks and of the signs and symptoms of concussion.

All licensed SFCA coaches are First Aid Trained and concussion is covered as part of their CPD training, but there won’t always be an SFCA coach, or other First Aid trained individual, on site when an accident occurs.    The Scottish Government have produced a pocket guide titled “Youth Sports Concussion Awareness Leaflet”.  The leaflet is a pocket guide and aims to provide guidance for coaches, teachers and parents on how to recognise signs and symptoms of concussion amongst young people taking part in sport. Information on, what to do if concussion is suspected, concussion management and return to play guidelines.  The leaflet can be downloaded from the Scottish Government website by clicking the following link:

Youth Sports Concussion Awareness Leaflet

The will be issued to all SFCA coaches and I would urge all parents of youngster who participate in any sport to download a copy and make sure that you are aware of the content.

Gus Brindle, Chairman SFCA