‘If we truly care about our athletes, we must protect them’

JUDITH McMINN, chief executive and founder of North East-based innovative sports brand Rezon, on the issues that continue to face contact sports like rugby

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Action from Newcastle Red Bulls' match against Northampton Saints at Kingston Park last Friday. Rugby remains a thrilling sport - but can it be future-proofed against the dangers it poses to player welfare?

A GLOBAL brand like Red Bull choosing to invest in the North East is a powerful statement and a welcome one.

For a region starved of ambition and investment in rugby union for years, the partnership with the former Newcastle Falcons brings fresh energy and opportunity. And the surge in attendances already reflects the scale of belief and the upward trajectory the club and the sport in this region is ready to build upon.

But beneath this momentum lies a dangerous truth. No matter how much investment is pumped into the region, one issue threatens the future of rugby (and other contact and collision sports) everywhere, which is centred around our most vital organ - the brain.

While across sport awareness of concussion appears high on the surface, player choices and the actions of governing bodies are failing to match the urgency and seriousness of the threat to the brain.

We fixate on the headline-grabbing knockouts or big hits, yet our knowledge of brain injury remains dangerously limited.

The 2025 Rezon survey analysis report, conducted in the North East, in partnership with the UK National Innovation Centre for Ageing and Voice at Newcastle University, reveals a stark truth. Players, parents and coaches believe they understand concussion.