Injury Prevention
Injury prevention is a crucial part of every player’s journey. Many common injuries can be avoided, or the severity reduced, by adopting smart training habits and protective strategies.
Prep-to-play
The Prep-to-Play program, developed by expert researchers, helps reduce the risk of concussion and ACL injuries in community level Australian Football.
It includes a structured warm-up and strength routine proven effective in female players, with principles that apply equally to males. Integrating Prep-to-Play into training supports safer, stronger performance for all athletes.
Mouthguards
The AFL strongly recommends that players wear mouthguards during all contact training and match play.
Dental injuries—such as loosened or dislodged teeth—are common in contact sports but largely preventable. A properly fitted mouthguard helps absorb impact to the face and jaw, significantly reducing the risk of serious dental trauma.
There are three types of mouthguards:
Made from a dental impression of the players own teeth, which offer the best protection and usually a greater level of comfort.
Can be bought at pharmacies and sporting goods retailers. Although they are reported to be less comfortable and potentially less well fitting, they are certainly preferable to using no mouthguard in reducing the risk of dental injury.
At the elite levels of some sports (including AFL and rugby), a number of players are using ‘instrumented mouthguards’. These protect the teeth in the same way as traditional mouthguards but also can provide data on head acceleration event frequency. Currently they are being used primarily for research purposes in Australian Football.
Headgear
There is limited evidence for the role of commercially available protective headgear in concussion prevention for Australian Football, although these products may help prevent cuts, abrasions and facial fractures.
The AFL, in collaboration with independent biomechanics expert Dr Andrew McIntosh, has developed the Australian Football Headgear Standards. The standards aim to support the development and manufacturing of headgear suitable for Australian Football, which may help reduce the impact forces or acceleration of the head following a knock.
The AFL is also committed to supporting research that assesses whether headgear that meet these standards can reduce the severity of head trauma and the risk of concussion in Australian Football. In the meantime, players who choose to wear headgear during training or matches are encouraged to wear headgear that complies with the AFL Headgear Standards, once they become available.