Local Footy Feeling the Pain of Injury Boom

Following a lost season due to Covid-19 and Victorian lockdown restrictions, local football teams are experiencing a dramatic rise in serious injuries, paramedic and sports trainer Katelyn Redfern says.

“In my experience I would say the injury rate amongst the men’s teams are double what they would normally be at this halfway point of the season” Ms Redfern said.

“Not only have I seen an increase in the frequency of injuries, but the injuries themselves are more severe, and therefore require the players to have several weeks or more on the sidelines”.

Aquinas Old Collegians Football Club (AOCFC), the club which Ms Redfern is a member of, has been hit particularly hard by injury this season, with multiple senior men’s players suffering season ending trauma. 

Several ruptured ACLs, ongoing concussions, and a leg fracture are among some of the worst injuries suffered by members of what has become a long and extensive injury list for Aquinas.

However, non-contact soft-tissue complaints have been the most prevalent issue, as opposed to the aforementioned impact-related injuries.

“This season we have seen a more frequent occurrence of strains, minor and major tears of groins, with about half a dozen players experiencing this, something that did not occur very often in prior seasons” said Ms Redfern.

This boom of injuries sustained in local football mirrors that of elite sports, as a case study conducted on the German Soccer League at the beginning of 2021 found that players were three times more likely to suffer a significant injury than before going into lockdown.

However, local level football clubs are set to struggle much more dealing with the increase of serious injuries in comparison to the elite level, said Carlton VFL Football Operations Coordinator Ash Naulty.

“Quality and standard of resources are obviously quite different, but player commitment and diligence are the major keys to managing injury prevention and rehabilitation” said Mr Naulty, who also formally served as the senior head coach for AOCFC.

“Naturally, players who are potential draftees or play for their livelihood are going to be more diligent than people who play as a hobby or outlet, so managing this at the local level will be a challenge”.

Mr Naulty suggested that greater education to improve the knowledge base of both players and trainers at the amateur level could have a strong impact in both mitigating injury risk and improving recovery.

“Particularly if you could have AFL level trainers providing online courses or even talks at local clubs, I think it’s something that could hold great value and should definitely be explored moving forward”.