Wendover Dementia Support – September 2022

Dear Sportsperson, Chair or Secretary of local (to Wendover) football or rugby clubs,

I’m Bob – ex rugby player and keen sports enthusiast. I am also a trustee of the local group called Wendover Dementia Support, a group dedicated to providing local people with Dementia some degree of professional support via home visits and attendance at a weekly Monday morning café held at the local Christian Centre behind St Anne’s Church in Wendover. Aside from professional medical and nursing support, there is a large group of volunteer carers, drivers, tea makers, cake makers, financial advisers to name but a few that keep the team going. With demand on the increase we are always looking for more volunteers – see https://wendoverds.org.uk/.

The reason I am writing an open letter is not to remind you of the issues that relate to head injuries (via ball heading or collision impact) to Dementia as there are plenty of sources of advice flying around via the FA or RFU. The purpose is to help clubs and organisations, as well as families and Mums and Dads, to be more aware of the risks and how to mitigate against them.

  • I will give some examples of how things have changed in my lifetime:
    I used to play friendly football games when at college – just a kickaround with mates. The balls that we used to play with were leather balls with laces which were fine when the weather was dry. Not so good heading a wet leather ball – a mere kickaround in 1972 or thereabouts ended with concussion and a visit to the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford. Not so long before that incident I was playing rugby at a pretty low level (where the ref for away matches tended to be an injured player from the opposing team) I was bashed on the back of the head by some chap who I never saw. I was carried to the side of the pitch, had a bucket of cold water thrown at me and then urged to go back on (as I think we only had thirteen players). I remember very little of the remainder of the match, not even remembering that I had scored a try – a fact that my mother picked up when reading the local paper!
  • Twenty years ago I was chair of the Youth section at Aylesbury RFC and coach cum manager of the Colts XV – my son played for the Colts side and wore protective clothing to a degree, I think one lad wore protective head gear. Wearing gum shields was compulsory.
  • My older son played football and on many occasions was involved with heading the ball. No protection other than shin pads was worn!

The reason I give both examples is that twenty years ago rugby was considered more advanced than football and clubs in Bucks were beginning to think of player welfare.

Have things changed? I don’t know! Maybe slowly at national level. What I do want to instil though is some education from professionals as to causes and help with understanding Dementia. To this end – a bit like Wendover Junior School did a few years ago – I want help to establish Dementia-friendly football and Rugby Clubs. I’m already in touch with Paul at Aylesbury RFC but I’m keen that all local rugby and football clubs and schools as well as those at County level become Dementia friendly.
Bob Duggan