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5h ago

AFL Imposes League‑Wide Limits on Contact Training

Introduced after coronial recommendations following Shane Tuck’s posthumous CTE diagnosis, the policy pairs staged weekly caps with high‑intensity sub‑limits plus a new league monitoring resource.

Australian Rules is limiting contact training to tackle concussion issues
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AFL clubs will soon face limits to contact training.
The AFL is imposing restrictions on certain activities during club trainings. (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS)

Overview

  • The AFL confirmed on Monday that limits will apply from the coming men's pre‑season to both AFL and AFLW programs, capping weekly pre‑season contact at either 120 or 160 minutes with staged increases as pre‑season progresses.
  • Within those totals the league set sub‑limits on high‑intensity contact of 60, 90 or 120 minutes depending on the pre‑season stage, and it will ban high‑intensity drills on consecutive days and restrict high‑level drills for players returning from breaks.
  • The change follows a two‑year consultation and data review and responds to 2023 recommendations from the Victorian Coroner after former player Shane Tuck was diagnosed posthumously with Stage 3 CTE.
  • The AFL Commission has approved the framework and the league will brief clubs, create a dedicated monitoring resource to collect filmed and GPS data, and refine limits based on in‑season reports and spot audits.
  • League officials say the rules aim to reduce head‑injury exposure while preserving match preparation, and the AFL will confirm detailed in‑season and AFLW timelines once more data and practical feedback are collected.