Hey guys, Andy here. I recently visited London Welsh rugby club who were hosting an event by Head for Change, a charity supporting those living with brain injuries inflicted via sports. The purpose behind the visit was to take portraits of people to be included in my For the Love of the Game; having started the project over a year ago, there is now enough critical mass to warrant conversation.
Did you know? A professional rugby player experiences approximate 15, 000 head contacts per season.
For the Love of the Game is a portrait project aiming to promote awareness and education of the risks of concussion in sport, encouraging better paths to recovery and safe return to play protocols, especially in children whose brains are still developing and who are more vulnerable to injury. I have partnered with Sam Peters, an award-winning author and former journalist, who spearheaded the Mail on Sunday’s acclaimed concussion in rugby campaign. I played rugby with Sam at Edinburgh University and my views on concussion are based on reading his work for over a decade without realising it was my former team mate who was the author.
Sam and I are both sports fans and recognise the benefits of sport, from health and fitness to teamwork, communication and socialisation. However concussion in sport is a significant health concern; immediate dangers of concussion are severe brain swelling and traumatic brain injury (TBI) while short term effects include headaches, confusion, and amnesia with longer term effects being worse cognitive function later in life and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). In regards to the rugby union, since the sport went professional run 1996, concussion has increased more than 600%.
Did you know? The brain is 1/50 of your body mass but consumes 1/3 of your oxygen intake.
The aim of the project is not anti- sport, it is not to dissuade players (and parents) from lacing up their boots and stepping onto the field of play. Rather it is safer sport through better understanding of concussion, the indicators of head injury, and best practice to return to play in a safe and long term manner.
Like a lot of life, sport is led top down; that is to say what happens at an elite level filters downwards to amateur and grass roots. Elite level sports, through funding and professionalism, has access to the best; the best sports medicine, coaches, and equipment. What viewers see happen at an elite level makes its way to weekend warriors and, equally importantly, to younger fans who want to emulate their sporting heroes.
As such the project has focused on those at the top of sport, to encourage others who wish to follow in their footsteps to take this expertise and lived experience to do better, to play better, and to recover better than the previous generation who may have made mistakes or incurred avoidable injuries. In regards to players, some of these injuries are, sadly, life changing in a negative way which affects not only the players themselves but also their loved ones. In the worst scenarios, players have lost their lives having experienced multiple concussions in a short space of time.
Did you know? Research suggests benefits of taking Omega 3 both as a preventative measure for athletes and as a treatment after a concussion.
The project includes:
Prof Mike Loosemore MBE
Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England and Team GB at multiple Commonwealth and Olympic Games.
Kat Merchant
Capped 58 times by England, forced to retire from rugby due to concussion aged 28 years old.
Barry O’Driscoll
Former Ireland rugby union player and doctor and medical advisor to the International Rugby Board (IRB).
Lewis Moody MBE
Capped 71 times by England, a member of the 2003 RWC winning team, diagnosed with MND aged 46 years old.
Sir Clive Woodward OBE
Former England rugby union player and coach of the winning England team at the 2003 RWC.
Alix Popham
Capped 33 times by Wales and diagnosed with early onset dementia aged 40 years old.
