The peak body for doctors has supported the idea of a concussion passport for athletes who play contact sports after the death of a South Australian footballer at the weekend.
Birdwood player Antonio Loiacono, 20, died on Sunday after an on-field collision during a Hills Football League match.
His brother told ABC he had "the most respectful, caring, loving and beautiful soul".
Australian Medical Association SA President Michelle Atchison said it was not only football players who could have "recurrent concussions", and that medical records should be shared between clubs.
The idea is that concussion records would follow an athlete as they moved from team to team, allowing a club to keep track of a player's history of head knocks.
Her call comes amid a group of former AFL players taking the league to court over the long-term impacts of concussions on the field.
"Our brains can't recover from trauma like that [recurrent concussions]. The more concussions someone has, the greater it is they are going to end up with some permanent brain damage," Dr Atchison told ABC Radio Adelaide's Stacey Lee and Nikolai Beilharz.
"It's not just AFL football we're talking about — any kind of contact sport could potentially lead to a concussion.
"Often for young sport players, they move between different codes and different levels, so losing that continuity of knowing what has happened to you medically."
Despite privacy of players potentially being a barrier, Dr Atchison said giving sporting clubs access to a player's medical records of head injuries incurred as well as the severity could be a good solution.
"It's that build-up of head injuries that seems to be the issue, not just a one-off injury," she said.
"So having your club and your club's doctors know how many concussions you have would seem to be a really sensible idea.
"Then take into account if I've got another head injury, do I have to take longer to go back to play, should I consider not playing at all?"
SA Sports Medicine Association chief executive Danielle Grant-Cross said keeping a concussion register or tracking concussion records was a "great idea", but said the challenge was working out "how to deliver it".
"Clearly you can have devastating effects that can lead to death from concussion or permanent damage or brain damage and other injuries that may not come on till later in life," she said.
"We need to be aware that people are moving between sports — they might be playing basketball on a Sunday and then playing football the next day — so how do we have this information-sharing across codes and within clubs to make sure people are safe?"
She said the organisation encouraged athletes to disclose injuries and for clubs to hold screenings and education at the beginning of the season to ensure players are safe.
'Take it seriously', Crows star urges
In a statement, the Hills Football League said while the "tragic death" of the young player was now a matter for the state coroner, it wanted to clarify what it could to counter speculation that had been circulating.
League president Joanne Purdie said the speculation had "been distressing for the players, coaches and trainers" and others "impacted by this tragic event".
"The incident occurred during a ground-level contest between two players going for the ball," Mr Purdie said.
"The contact was deemed accidental and not a reportable incident."
Ms Purdie said the league and the SANFL were continuing to offer "support to Antonio's family".
Adelaide Crows midfielder Rory Sloane today urged footballers to take concussion seriously and offered his condolences to Antonio Loiacono's family.
Adelaide player Paul Seedsman was placed on the inactive list for two seasons following a head knock in 2021.
"For Antonio's family, I just want to reach out and say we're thinking of you. We certainly spoke about that a bit as a group, as players, and it's something we just don't want to see ever in football, at any level," Sloane said.
"Concussions — I mean we know how Seedo's (Paul Seedsman's) coping. We've seen firsthand the last couple of years what it's done to people and it's something that I would urge people to take very seriously.
"We're at the elite side of it, and we get the best medical help, but I would urge people just take it seriously. Rest your body, rest your head."
