The Canadian Football League has reported its lowest number of concussions since enhanced detection and tracking of injuries was introduced a decade ago.
The CFL claims there were just 38 concussions reported league-wide last year, a 21 percent decrease from the 48 reported in 2023. It is also half the number reported during the initial year of study in 2015, when 76 concussions were reported.
“The decreases in concussions, and injury events as a whole, demonstrate progress as we strive to make the game safer,” commissioner Stewart Johnston said in a statement. “Credit to the Medical Committee, team athletic therapists and medical staff, for their expertise and tremendous guidance. As a league, we will continue to explore various avenues to safeguard players and promote safer ways to play football.”
The CFL has implemented several changes over the last decade in the hopes of reducing head injuries. In 2024, they became the first professional league in North America to mandate the use of mouthguards and allowed players to wear protective Guardian Caps in games. While just two players took advantage of that option in games, all non-specialist positions were required to wear the additional protection during contact practices, which helped the number of concussions suffered in practice drop from 14 in 2023 to just six last year. The league also saw a 100 percent compliance rate across all educational course materials, including concussion awareness.
Across the league, on-field injury events dropped 14 percent year-over-year to just 363 total. That resulted in a total of 1,501 games lost due to injury, which was a 10 percent reduction from 2023. Those two metrics are down 12 and eight percent respectively from the league’s five-year average, which included 18-game projections for the shortened 2021 season.
The implementation of GPS tracking technology, which provides real-time data on player movement, speed, G-force, acceleration and more, has assisted with injury prevention, load management, rehabilitation and safer return-to-play protocols. The CFL has also seen injury reductions due to the limitations placed on contact practices since this data was first collected.
Training camps are set to open across the CFL on Sunday, May 11. The 2025 regular season will get underway on Thursday, June 5 when the Ottawa Redblacks visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
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