SOUTHS JUNIORS PARTNERS WITH NEUROFLEX TO PROTECT YOUNG PLAYERS FROM HEAD INJURY

Earlier this year, Souths Juniors and NeuroFlex held a media conference to launch a partnership in trialling new technology at all their Junior League clubs as part of the 5th pillar of the Foundation – Brain-Health Awareness and Return to Play Program.

South Sydney Juniors President, Keith McCraw has said“We are excited to provide our community with the opportunity of base line testing. It will provide parents and players peace of mind for when they can return to play or other activities.”

The technology uses virtual reality connected to a powerful laptop to perform a series of eye-tracking and head movement tests to assess your brain health. Players can perform a NeuroFlex test in about eight minutes to establish a baseline – a data set that will show what their brain looks like in its healthy state.

If the player subsequently suffers a head knock, they can be retested with NeuroFlex to accurately assess the full effects of the concussion and to see how much their new test data differs from their baseline. This data can be used by teams to create a personal recovery plan so the player can make a safe return to the field.

NeuroFlex has already been successfully trialled in the South Australian Football League, the 2023 Super Rugby Union competition and the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup. Adopting a technology like NeuroFlex means clubs can take a proactive approach to the issue of head injuries and assessment rather than a reactive one. With the knowledge that NeuroFlex provides, it is now possible to paint an accurate picture of a player’s brain health and, if they suffer a head knock, they can see the variations when compared to their baseline.

This helps clubs make a more informed decision when determine when a player can return to play again. At the very least NeuroFlex can provide peace of mind knowing you have all the information you need to make the right choice about playing or sitting the game out.