Osteopathy Australia member Cliff Butler is contributing an allied health perspective to a nationally recognised sport innovation initiative aimed at improving concussion recognition and management across Australian sport.
Mr Butler, an osteopath with a professional focus on concussion and athlete wellbeing, is consulting with governance and compliance organisation Safeguarding You, which has been selected as one of only five Australian companies to receive an Australian Sports Commission (ASC) innovation grant and join the inaugural cohort at The Park, the ASC’s new virtual sport innovation hub.
The Park brings together technology-driven organisations and the Australian sport sector to address priority challenges in athlete welfare, governance, return-to-play decision-making and safety systems across both high-performance and community sport.
As part of this work, Safeguarding You is developing tools and frameworks to support clearer concussion recognition and club-wide safety protocols aligned with national guidance. Mr Butler contributes an allied health and whole-body approach to concussion considerations, particularly in translating evidence-based principles into practical, community-level application.
Osteopaths are registered and regulated allied health professionals who take a whole-body approach and help people manage pain and movement problems through safe, evidence-informed care. They work alongside GPs and other allied health professionals, supporting appropriate pathways for people recovering after concussion.
“One of the biggest challenges in community sport is uncertainty,” Mr Butler said.
“Coaches, parents and clubs want to do the right thing, but concussion recognition and next steps can feel unclear in real-world settings. This work is about improving understanding, confidence and consistency so athlete welfare remains the priority.”
The initiative involves collaboration with the Australian Sports Commission, Australian Institute of Sport, Victorian Institute of Sport, SportWest, and multidisciplinary engineering and technology teams, with a shared focus on practical outcomes for sporting communities.
Mr Butler said the recognition highlights the growing role osteopaths and allied health professionals can play in shaping safer sport systems.
“This isn’t about replacing clinical care. It’s about strengthening the systems around athletes, so concerns are recognised early and appropriate steps are taken.”
ENDS