Footballers in the Ovens and Murray, Hume and Tallangatta leagues will have to sit out of the sport for three weeks if they suffer a concussion this season.
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The AFL announced that community competitions would have to abide by the 21-day protocol on Wednesday.
The landmark decision means all competitions under the AFL jurisdiction, excluding the AFL and AFLW, will now adopt a mandatory minimum three-week return-to-play protocol.
That includes the VFL and VFLW, elite pathway competitions, and all community football competitions.
AFL and AFLW players will continue to abide by the league's 12-day concussion protocols.
Under the new community football guidelines, the earliest that a player suffering a concussion can return to play is on the 21st day after the concussion incident, provided they get medical clearance.
For example, if a player gets concussed on Saturday, June 1, the earliest they can return is on Saturday, June 22.
The new community football guidelines and the elite football guidelines are in step with the recent Australian Institute of Sport's Concussion and Brain Health Position Statement regarding return-to-play protocols after concussion.
It comes less than a month after former Lavington player Mitch Palmer told The Border Mail he was concussed at least 20 times throughout his career.
"I tried to count them once, I reached 20, they're just the ones I can think of," he revealed.
Last month, in a statement to The Border Mail, the Ovens and Murray said "as a community sports organisation, the health and wellbeing of our participants sits above all else as the highest priority".
The Herald Sun reported on Wednesday evening that the AFL was looking at trialling new headgear at community level this year.
If adopted, all junior and senior players in community football competitions could be forced to wear the AFL-endorsed headgear.