Rich Emmett – Head for Change Community Hero

Rugby has always been present in my life. Growing up as a proud Welshman, it formed part of my local and national identity. I’ve experienced and witnessed many bumps to the head, but the awareness of the potential long-term effects of these just wasn’t there at the time. After having moved into the sport of triathlon and progressing my way up to representing Great Britain, I was once again surrounded by people sustaining bad head injuries when crashing on the bike course, with one or two being fatal despite wearing a helmet. I now work as a triathlon coach and feel it is my duty to educate athletes of the dangers and rigorously enforce head protection.

I support Head For Change because it aims to protect the participants of sport at all levels and also serves to protect the sports themselves. Without the efforts of individuals and organisations such as Head For Change, we risk losing more than we can imagine. The evidence is clear to see. The lives of athletes and their families are at stake and so intervention needs to happen, now!