July's Insight: EXCLUSIVE interview with Birmingham Panthers Captain Gabby Marshall on stepping away from the game.

The untold stories around concussion in professional netball

“Ultimately I don’t want to think about what another head injury for me would feel like as this one has been scary."

Gabby Marshall, the captain of Birmingham Panthers, was off to a flying start this season until she sustained a concussion in the first match of the season against Leeds Rhinos. Having completed the necessary return to play protocols, she was back out on court a month later, causing havoc in the centre court against London Pulse.

This was when, 3rd quarter in, Gabby took a hit from a GK and was sent down to the court floor once again, sustaining another head injury in which she was stretchered to hospital.

This time, recovery didn’t look so linear: ten days stuck in bed with debilitating fatigue and a creeping realisation that another head injury could be devastating.

Ultimately, these two concussions, within a month of each other, forced her to make the difficult decision to cut her professional netball career short. She couldn’t bear to think about what another head injury would feel like as this one has been “very scary”.

“I couldn’t get over the thought of what would another head knock look like.”

She noticed the more concussions she has had, the longer her symptoms have taken to resolve. A powerful and personal reminder about how serious repeated head injuries can be.

“I know I’m not right”

Gabby says, “[she] knows [she’s] not right” and this feeling has been both affirming of her decision but also tough whilst watching her teammates play in the Birmingham Pulse Arena –where she should have been on court, captaining. Even watching from the stands, in a “noisy, stimulating environment” has been challenging. It has highlighted to her the “severity of a concussion injury” in a way she never fully appreciated before.

With concussion being so shrouded by uncertainty, Gabby’s decision wasn’t a straightforward one. We were curious to understand where her awareness of concussion really came from.

Gabby did somewhat credit her physiotherapy background for her knowledge of the dangers of consecutive concussions. However, what was more powerful than any textbook knowledge, was seeing a teammate last year navigate concussion.

She recalled how a teammate had retired due to concussions the year before and how, having watched her navigate that transition, it had an empowering effect on the whole team. It forced them to have open and honest conversations about concussion – past incidents and experiences they might have brushed aside and how to support one another better.  

Gabby has been in the elite pathway since 2013 and received information about concussion throughout her career. But she still feels either people don’t expect it in netball – perhaps because it is a non-contact sport – or “There is a misconception that it is just a bang to the head”. In reality, it is a real risk that Gabby and her teammates can vouch for.

“there is a misconception that it is just a “bang to the head”.

We’d like to home in on three key takeaways from Gabby’s story:

1. Team culture is crucial: a supportive team which prioritises health, honesty, and support can be lifesaving (literally!)

2. Multiple concussions are dangerous: sustaining multiple knocks within a season (or career) cannot be shaken off – sometimes, like Gabby, you have to make a tough call to walk away from playing. We hope that if this is the case, you have a supportive team like the Birmingham Panthers to help you through it!

3. Role models, like your teammates, can make all the difference — when others have walked the path before you, it becomes much easier to see and follow it yourself.

   
   

We’re very grateful to Gabby for sharing her story and for helping bring the conversation around concussion to the forefront. By listening to athletes’ experiences, we can make effective and lasting change. By sharing Gabby’s experience, hopefully it will inspire others – in netball and beyond – to take concussion seriously, and to build cultures of support and honesty in every team, from grassroots to professionals.

Follow Gabby on Instagram @gabslmarshall