World Jul 07, 2026 · 1 min read

‘An accident waiting to happen’: experts call for Australian rules football safety overhaul after player death

Concrete-based cricket pitches, like that on which Nathan Fitzgerald received fatal blows to the head, are ‘totally unsafe’, concussion advocate saysGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia must finally deal with a deadly risk that has plagued its native football code for...

TH
The Guardian
by Joe Hinchliffe
‘An accident waiting to happen’: experts call for Australian rules football safety overhaul after player death

Concrete-based cricket pitches, like that on which Nathan Fitzgerald received fatal blows to the head, are ‘totally unsafe’, concussion advocate says

Australia must finally deal with a deadly risk that has plagued its native football code for more than 120 years, sports safety advocates say, after the death of a suburban Aussie rules footballer.

Nathan Fitzgerald, a 27-year-old school teacher, died in a Melbourne hospital on Monday after a horror accident on Saturday in which it is believed the Epping reserves grade footballer clashed heads with another player while tackling an opponent and received a second blow to the head as he fell, before striking his head a third time on a concrete-based cricket pitch in the middle of the ground.

Continue reading...
TH
Source

This article was originally published by The Guardian and written by Joe Hinchliffe.

Read original article on The Guardian
Back to Discover

Reading List