The Premier League has suggested trialing temporary substitutions for players who may be suffering from a concussion as soon as next season.

It seems crazy to think this when we look back now, but people didn't appear to have been aware of the damage they were doing to their brains by playing contact sports. Studies of athletes' brains and further research has revealed the extent of CTE suffered by many of them, a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated blows to the head and brain trauma.

While sports such as football and boxing have been the focus of these studies for obvious reasons, a spotlight has also been shone on the soccer world. Players clash heads a lot more often than you might think, and studies in Scotland have discovered heading the ball from a young age can start players on a bad path when it comes to CTE.

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There is a protocol in place in the Premier League for players who take a blow to the head during a game and might be concussed. A three-minute assessment. Premier League officials are of the belief that this simply isn't long enough to determine whether a player is okay to continue or not. As reported by Sports Illustrated, they are suggesting to the International Football Association Board that those three minutes are instead used to determine if a "head injury replacement" is needed.

After the three minutes, if there are no signs of concussion, then the player will be allowed back onto the pitch but continue to be observed. If they do show signs of concussion, then the manager will be allowed to replace them with a temporary substitution, even if all of the team's subs have already been used. The FA even suggested replacing the player for ten minutes while they are assessed, with the short-term sub then returning to the bench if the assessed player is deemed fit enough to continue.

Even though this is merely an idea at the time of typing this, it could be implemented as soon as the 2020/21 season. Not just in the Premier League, but across all of England's top four leagues. If that trial is approved by the board at the end of this month and does well next season, it could be an idea that is rolled out around the world. It seems like a good idea to us where nobody loses, so we don't see why the board won't push on through with the idea.

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