Richmond Rugby is delighted to announce a new three-year partnership with Meliora Medical Group, providing every playing member at the club with access to specialist head injury and concussion care through its Return2Play service.

The partnership is being fully funded by The Richmond Heavies Foundation as an extension of its outstanding work supporting health and wellbeing across the club. This already includes cardiac screening, defibrillators and access to mental health support services for our members.

Through this latest initiative, every registered playing member from Minis and Youth through to our senior teams, will be covered by Return2Play’s expert-led concussion care service.

Following a suspected concussion, players will have access to online appointments with specialist sports doctors and concussion experts seven days a week. Each player will receive an individual medical assessment and a personalised recovery programme, with further appointments available as required to guide them safely through every stage of their recovery and return to rugby.

The service will be facilitated through the R2P Injury Management System. This will enable the club to record and track injuries, keep players, parents and relevant coaches informed, monitor recovery and maintain a clear record of each player’s progress.

It will provide a consistent, medically led approach to concussion management across the entire club, strengthening our duty of care, reducing risk and ensuring that decisions around a player’s recovery and return to rugby are guided by experienced professionals.

Minis & Youth Season Launch Day: Representatives from Meliora will be in attendance on Sunday 13 September. Players, parents and coaches will have the opportunity to learn more about the service, understand how it will operate at Richmond and ask any questions they may have.

Rob Powell, Head of Rugby at Richmond Rugby, said: “The welfare of our players must always come first, and concussion is an area that has to be managed carefully and consistently at every level of the game.

“Every concussion and every recovery is different. Having a clear, expert-led process in place will give our players access to the individual care they need, while also providing greater confidence and reassurance for parents, coaches and everyone involved in supporting them.

“This is a significant step forward for the club. We are extremely grateful to the Richmond Heavies Foundation for making this level of specialist care available to every playing member at Richmond.”

The partnership builds on Richmond Rugby’s commitment to creating the safest possible environment for everyone representing the club and ensuring that player welfare remains at the heart of our rugby programme.

To learn more about Meliora Medical Group and its Return2Play concussion care service, visit return2play.org.uk.