Indiah-Paige Riley: Listen to your body and manage your symptoms
Football Fern Indiah-Paige Riley is aiming to help Crystal Palace back to the top tier of women’s football in England. She’s overcome a series of concussions and says it’s important to listen to your body and follow medical advice after a head knock.
You can’t see the injury, but you know the symptoms are there.
That’s the scary thing about concussion, Football Fern Indiah-Paige Riley says.
The forward has had five concussions in the past six years. The most recent happened at the end of last year and took Riley two months to recover from.
“It’s not like an ankle injury where you can push your recovery along,” she says.
“It’s your brain and you can’t muck around with your brain. You need that to live, to function daily.”
When people think of concussion in sport, they often think of heavy contact codes like rugby union or rugby league. But it’s a big issue in football as well.
In 2024, ACC accepted 1,221 football-related concussions which came at a cost of $3.4 million to help people recover.
We paid out 11,386 days of weekly compensation to people for football-related concussions, which cost $1.4 million.
‘I just started crying’
One of the main causes of concussion in football is heading the ball, Indiah-Page says.
“That’s scary because it happens so often in football, you have to do it a lot.”
The 23-year-old says her concussion symptoms were difficult to recognise at first.
“I wasn’t feeling right and it was like a fog, I just wasn’t very fresh in my mind. It’s not a nice feeling at all – you don’t feel like yourself.”
She also experienced extra sensitivity to light and noise.
“When I was recovering from my most recent concussion, I really started to worry because it was just taking so long,” she says.
“I remember when I was finally cleared to play again, I got a ball to the head and I just started crying. I was so scared and thought, ‘Oh no, not again.’
“Luckily, I was fine, but you have to be so careful.”
Indiah-Paige Riley, left, with her Football Ferns team-mates Grace Jale and Jacqui Hand.
Exciting career on the cards
Indiah-Page has a big career ahead of her for club and country.
She’s played 29 internationals for the Football Ferns and scored seven goals. It was a scary feeling to have that career potentially up in the air as she battled her ongoing concussion symptoms.
“I have a lot I still want to achieve so it’s freaked me out a bit,” she admits.
“I try not to worry about it and, any time I have symptoms, I manage them well and put my wellbeing first.”
The Ferns have performed well of late – defeating Costa Rica in a two-match series and beating Venezuela in their latest game in June.
Indiah-Page is excited about what the team can achieve under new coach Michael Mayne.
“The main thing he’s stressing is buy in from the players,” she says.
“It’s a long road to the World Cup [in 2027] and he’s been talking about being all in so we can understand each other and the style of play he wants to implement.”
Concussion guidelines bring consistency
Last year, ACC launched the National Concussion Guidelines for community sport and Indiah-Paige says they’re a great initiative for football.
The guidelines provide principles and advice for the sports community and health professionals to recognise concussion and manage return to play in a consistent way.
ACC injury prevention partner Nat Hardaker says the growth in the women’s game is exciting.
“We do see female players have a higher rate of concussion than male players,” she says.
“Although that difference is not yet fully understood, there is some data that shows females close their eyes earlier before a header and use less protective body positioning, potentially leaving them more vulnerable to injury.
“This is actionable – good skill and technique can reduce the risk of injury.”
Early management the key
If a player does suffer a concussion, Nat says good early management can improve long-term outcomes.
Over the next two years, ACC will invest $2.5 million into the New Zealand Football Prevention and Performance programme. This partnership has a focus on improving concussion management.
“The investment into this partnership will deliver important resources. It will help ensure there’s clarity on how to manage concussion in football and put player welfare first,” Nat says.
“We’re trying to change the culture around concussion in sport.”
Indiah-Paige says it’s important for young players to instil good habits early when it comes to recognising and reporting concussion.
“The younger people get that support, the more beneficial it will be,” she says.
“I never really understood how serious concussions were, and I’ve had so many now.”
Her advice to anyone experiencing concussion symptoms is to trust their body and seek professional medical care.
“Listen to how you feel,” she says.
“It's not something to rush or push because concussions are so serious and they can be really dangerous if you don’t treat them right.
“Be honest and report your symptoms if you feel like anything isn’t quite right.”
National Concussion Guidelines
The guidelines present an opportunity to improve health outcomes and wellbeing for people who play community sport by introducing a standardised approach to managing concussion.
1) When a player suffers a concussion, they must be symptom-free for 14 days post-injury before a graduated return to play.
2) They must complete a minimum period of 21 days away from full competition before clearance to return.
3) Whilst not mandated, medical clearance is strongly encouraged prior to return to play.
Sport Concussion in New Zealand – National Guidelines
The Five Rs of Concussion Management
- Recognise (the signs and symptoms of concussion)
- Remove (the person from play)
- Refer (to a medical doctor to confirm diagnosis and provide treatment)
- Recover (before returning to school/work and sport)
- Return-to-play (follow the guidelines)
