Rugby league funds study to support players’ long-term brain health

A new study will investigate how rugby league players could reduce their risk of developing neurological conditions such as dementia, tracking brain health risks as they move from playing careers into retirement.

The four-year PROTECT study will see researchers focus on modifiable risk factors, meaning those that can potentially be changed to reduce the likelihood of developing a condition.

The project is being supported by the Rugby League Cares Brain Health Fund in partnership with Leeds Beckett University, with additional collaboration involving the University of Sydney and the University of Leeds.

The study will screen current players considered at higher risk for modifiable brain health risk factors and track them into retirement.

The aim is to develop a preventative programme addressing known dementia risk factors among players approaching or following retirement, recognising that individuals may face different risks during and after their careers.

Professor Ben Jones, head of performance science and medicine at the Rugby Football League and professor at Leeds Beckett University, said the project would build on earlier research supported by the fund.

He said: “The funding of the PROTECT project by the Brain Health Fund is also a significant step in developing our understanding of how we can best care for players.

“We know each player will have a different risk profile based on in-career and post-career factors, and we want to find out how we can modify this.”

The project will also draw on expertise from the University of Sydney, including professor Andrew Gardner.

The Brain Health Fund has previously supported pilot studies examining the effects of head impacts on players.

In 2025, a study involving Leeds Rhinos collected small capillary blood samples from players before and after a match and analysed them alongside data from instrumented mouthguards.

The aim was to identify whether particular levels of head impact were associated with increases in biological markers of brain injury.

The pilot work formed part of the Traumatic Brain Injury – Threshold Study (TBI-TS), which subsequently secured funding from the Medical Research Council.

The larger study is led by researchers from Imperial College London, University College London, the University of Bath, Monash University and Leeds Beckett University.

It aims to establish head-impact thresholds associated with changes in brain injury biomarkers, using biological measurements and instrumented mouthguard data.

Testing will involve men’s and women’s rugby union and rugby league teams.

PROTECT will take a different approach, focusing on longer-term brain health risks and ways to reduce them.

Alongside the new study, Rugby League Cares has extended its partnership with Dementia UK for another two years.

The partnership provides practical support and advice to current and former players and their families amid concerns surrounding brain health and contact sport.

The extension comes against the backdrop of an ongoing legal case relating to head contact in rugby league and other sports.

David Hinchliffe, chair of the Brain Health Fund board of trustees, acknowledged the impact of publicity surrounding brain health on players and their families.

He said: “We recognise that the media profile of issues around brain health and contact sport can only have added to the anxiety of current and former players and their families.

“Our priority at Rugby League Cares since launching the Brain Health Fund in 2023 has been to provide practical support and advice.

“The agreement with Dementia UK has been central to this, so we are pleased to have extended the agreement beyond the initial two-year term.”

The next free Dementia UK clinic for current and former players and their families is scheduled for Wednesday, 4 November, in Leeds.

The Brain Health Fund has also awarded a smaller grant to Wakefield Trinity’s Past Players Association to support breakfast clubs for former players.

The clubs provide opportunities for social interaction among former players with shared sporting experiences and memories.

The trustees hope to provide further grants and are planning a major fundraising event for 2027.

The PROTECT study forms part of the fund’s wider work to understand brain health risks in rugby league and identify ways to support players during their careers and after retirement.