Sports injury in Australia

An estimated 620,000 Australians aged 15 and over played Australian rules football in 2021–22 (ASC, 2022).  There were 4,300 injury hospitalisations attributed to Australian rules football – 3,600 males and 760 females. For those aged 15 and over, the rate of hospitalisation was about 570 per 100,000 participants.

After a rebound in 2020–21, hospitalisations from Australian rules football have decreased in 2021–22 (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Trend in injury hospitalisations from Australian rules football, by sex, 2012–13 to 2021–22

For more detail, see data tables B1–2.

The highest number of hospitalisations in 2021–22 was in the 15–19 age group (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Age distribution of injury hospitalisations from Australian rules football, 2021–22

Source: AIHW NHMD.

For more detail, see data table A14.

Just over half of the injuries were fractures (52%), and another 19% were soft-tissue injuries (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Top 5 injury hospitalisations from Australian rules football, by type of injury as a proportion, 2021–22

Note: Type of injury is derived from the principal diagnosis.
Source: AIHW NHMD.

For more detail, see data table A25.

There were 360 hospitalisations for concussion, 270 male and 90 female.

The leg or hip was the main body part injured in a quarter of cases (25%), followed by the head or neck (24%) (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Injury hospitalisations from Australian rules football, by body part injured, as a proportion, 2021–22

'Notes
1. Body part injured is derived from the principal diagnosis.
2. ‘Trunk’ includes thorax, abdomen, lower back, lumbar spine & pelvis.

Source: AIHW NHMD.

For more detail, see data table A26.

Where the cause of injury was specified, contact with another person was the most common cause (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Cause of injury as a proportion when specified, hospitalisations from Australian rules football, 2021–22

Source: AIHW NHMD.

For more detail, see data table A27.