Hawke’s Bay Netball is committed to managing the health and safety of our people and competitions. To minimise safety risks and improve our assessment processes, we have introduced a Concussion Policy and made the following amendments to our rules and regulations regarding Concussion and Acute Injuries.

These changes are designed to ensure a safer environment for all participants. We appreciate your cooperation and support in implementing these new measures.

Concussion - Recognise, Remove and Refer Policy

• If a concussion is suspected, remove the player from the playing or training environment immediately and seek treatment from a medical doctor. 

• If a concussion is suspected, the player must not re-enter training/playing on the same day unless cleared by a medical doctor.

• Manage all unconscious players using first aid principles. Call 111 immediately if a player has lost consciousness or has cervical (neck) pain. Do not move them. 

• It may take hours (or even days) for symptoms to become obvious. 

• A medical doctor’s assessment, diagnosis and plan is paramount as diagnosis can be challenging and clinical judgement is required. 

• A concussed player must stand down from playing for 21 days or until the concussion is fully resolved. The player must have been cleared by a medical doctor and provide Hawke’s Bay Netball a medical certificate to return to play, and have followed a return to play programme.

If a concussion is logged by a Hawke’s Bay Netball Allocated Umpire we treat the suspected concussion as a diagnosed concussion until proven otherwise. If a player was removed from court by the umpire during a game, this cannot be argued and is an automatic 21-day stand-down unless a medical certificate is provided to Hawke’s Bay Netball proving otherwise. Everyone needs to receive medical clearance before returning to play on or after their 21st day. 

Rules & Regulations

Concussion Amendment 

PERMANENT REPLACEMENT (THE UMPIRES POWER TO STOP AN INJURED PLAYER FROM CONTINUING) If the umpire believes a player has been concussed or suspects a player has been concussed, the umpire must order that player to leave the court. That player must not return and play in that match. 

PERMANENT REPLACEMENT – RECOGNISE AND REMOVE. Without limiting above, if the umpire believes a player has been concussed, or suspects a player has been concussed that player will be required to leave the court and not return and play in that match. Further, the player may not return to play in any future match without first meeting the requirements for a Graduated Return to Play, as set out in the protocols applicable to the NetballSmart Concussion Guidelines. Full details of the protocols can be found https://netballsmart.co.nz/netball-smart/concussion.html

RECOGNISE AND REMOVE

Hawke’s Bay Netball Allocated Umpires only can enforce and have the power to stop an injured player from continuing.

A primary care person, coach, manager or independent concussion observer may advise the umpires to hold time to facilitate the substitution of any on-court player due to a suspected concussion.

REFER

All acute injuries and suspected concussions must be logged through Hawke’s Bay Netball’s online form https://www.sporty.co.nz/viewform/350374

The responsibility of reporting falls to the player’s coach or manager. However, the coach or manager can delegate this responsibility to the player or primary caregiver as appropriate.

Hawke’s Bay Netball Allocated Umpires must report any acute injuries or suspected concussion during the game they were officiating.

Article added: Thursday 10 April 2025