The English Football Association and the Premier League have seen their application to introduce additional permanent concussion substitutes approved.
With player welfare a concern, both short and long term, the governing bodies approached the International Football Association Board (IFAB) about allowing teams the chance to remove any potentially concussed players from the pitch and replace them without using any of their regular subs.
With the application now approved, trials of the new regulation are set to begin in February.
What date will concussion subs be introduced?
Teams in the Premier League will trial the new rules from February 6, 2021.
The same date applies to the Women's Super League and Women's Championship.
Concussion subs will be allowed from the fifth round of the FA Cup, from February 9-11, 2021.
How many concussion subs are you allowed?
A statement from the FA reads: “With player welfare the priority, the protocols will allow a maximum of two concussion substitutes to be used per team, with the opposition side able to use the equivalent number.
“The additional concussion substitutions may be made regardless of the number of substitutions a team has made already.”
Why are concussion subs being trialled?
“The trial is a result of the IFAB’s consultation with stakeholders and recommendations from their concussion expert group to allow additional substitutions for players with actual or suspected concussion,” the FA said.
Essentially, concussions can result in both short and long-term health issues and research has shown that attempting to play on with a head injury can substantially lengthen the time it takes to recover.
Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo called for the introduction of concussion substitutes after Raul Jimenez suffered a fractured skull after a clash of heads with Arsenal defender David Luiz earlier this season.
Jimenez required 10 minutes of treatment on the pitch before being stretchered off and taken straight to hospital. Luiz, however, was bandaged up and sent back on for the rest of the half, with Mikel Arteta later saying the Brazilian had been “uncomfortable” after the collision.
Further reading
- Premier League agree concussion substitutes trial but with no start date yet announced (Jan 20)
- Premier League clubs agree to concussion substitutions but no increase to regulation in-game changes (Dec 17)
- Nuno calls for concussion substitutes in Premier League after Wolves star Jimenez suffers fractured skull (Dec 4)