Last year, Headway partnered with AUT, University of Auckland, and Dementia Northern to carry out the Brain Health After Contact Sport Survey. This work was driven by what we were hearing in the community and seeing increasingly reflected in the media: growing concern about long‑term brain health following contact sport, including repeated head impacts and concussion. 

Our aim was simple but critical – to hear directly from the community, particularly former players, and understand: 

• What people are worried about 

• What information they trust and need 

• What types of support would genuinely help 

Key insights from the survey: 

While participation was modest, the findings were clear and consistent: 

• High levels of concern: Around two‑thirds of respondents were concerned or very concerned about their long‑term brain health, with worries centred on dementia risk, CTE, memory loss, cognitive decline, and the ability to manage everyday life. 

• Concern increases after sport, not during it: Anxiety about brain health most often emerged after retiring from sport, when medical oversight and organised support decrease. 

• Strong demand for credible information: Participants consistently identified a lack of clear, practical, evidence‑based information – particularly around what is normal ageing, what may be related to repeated head impacts, and when to seek help. 

• Navigation support matters: Many reported difficulty navigating healthcare and ACC systems, long waits for specialist input, and limited follow‑through after diagnosis. 

• Current systems are not meeting need: Respondents perceived gaps in up‑to‑date knowledge across healthcare and sporting environments, alongside cultural minimisation of concussion and its longer‑term impacts. 

These insights reinforce a core message: uncertainty, information gaps, and system complexity are compounding distress for people already living with risk or impairment. 

Our response – and an invitation to collaborate 

This work highlights a clear opportunity to co‑design responses that sit between research, healthcare, sport, and community support, including: 

• Credible, sport‑informed brain health information targeted to people transitioning out of contact sport 

• Navigation and advisory support that helps people access the right care at the right time 

• Consistent, research‑aligned messaging for healthcare providers and sporting organisations 

With public attention on this issue growing – including ongoing media coverage of CTE – we believe this is a timely and necessary area for collaboration. 

We invite researchers, funders, sporting bodies, clinicians, and community organisations to connect with us to explore opportunities to fund, design, or deliver solutions together that respond directly to what people have told us they need. 

Please email us at info@headway.org.nz for collaboration or partnership ideas.