The introduction of concussion spotters to the Women’s World Cup

By Nancy Cullen. This article was initially published in the 8/24/23 edition of our Concussion Update newsletter; please consider subscribing.

While the Women’s World Cup has just ended, there was a new introduction to the state of play for the tournament: concussion spotters. An article by Daniel Walker in The Conversation explains that concussion spotters are certified athletic trainers not tied to any specific team––in this World Cup, the concussion spotters worked remotely. Their purpose is to identify potential concussions that have gone unnoticed by officials. They have the power to stop the game with a medical time-out, which occurs when there is either obvious visual evidence of a disoriented player or when a player attempts to stay in a game and would otherwise not receive proper medical attention. Concussion spotters will look for common signs and symptoms seen right after a concussion, such as balance problems (dizziness), confusion, and vomiting; only in rare cases (10%) do concussion injuries lead to a loss of consciousness. Of course, sometimes there are no symptoms immediately after injury, but these are the kinds of symptoms concussion spotters look for in particular.

The NFL first had concussion spotters; they have had concussion spotters since 2012, and a 2019 report showed that having spotters improved the detection of concussions in players. This improvement is particularly important for the Women’s World Cup as there is evidence that concussions are worse for women. Research has found concussions to be nearly twice as likely for women soccer players than men, not to mention that men were more likely than women to be immediately removed from the game. On top of that, women often report more symptoms than men, and it can even take women longer to recover from a concussion. Concussion spotters are a crucial first step to bettering concussion protocol in soccer and, notably, in women’s soccer.