THERE is a very real chance former Swan Hill star Grant Ford won’t play football again.
The Heathcote coach was taken to hospital last Saturday after sustaining a concussion against Elmore, leading to the Heathcote and District League match being called off.
Subsequent medical advice has been to take a month off football before further tests — and it’s not advice he is about to ignore.
“There is that chance [of retirment], at the moment I’ve been told to take a month off, which I’ll be doing,” he said.
“If the medical people then say it’s best not to go back, well you just have to listen to them — they’re the experts.”
Ford said he will have further scans in three weeks to assess his health before deciding on his playing future.
“I’ll completely weigh up the rest of it from there,” he said.
Saturday’s incident saw Ford, playing on a back flank, put his head over the ball “as any footballer does”.
Ford said his head accidentally collided with an opponent’s knee or hip, causing him to be knocked out.
The former Swan Hill premiership star remained unconscious for almost 30 seconds.
When he came to, Ford said he “did feel a few tingles in the fingers”.
“That was while I was laying down on the ground and I thought that might be a serious bother,” he said.
“But once we got all the preliminary things checked at the hospital they came to the conclusion that it was a very bad concussion.”
Ford, who has worn a helmet since a serious knock to the head in 2009, said medical staff advised him the injury was compounded by previous concussions.
“If it had have been the first [concussion], I might have been out for three to five seconds, but this time was 25 to 30 seconds,” he said.
“That’s why an ambulance was called.”
Ford said a “lot of precautionary things” had to be considered when making a decision on his future.
“I’m really going to weigh up the options on this one,” he said. “I’m only 25 I’ve still got a lot of living left to do.”
Ford said he considered work and family priorities ahead of football, and said he also had to make a decision on his involvement at Heathcote.
“If I know I’m not playing, I’ve got to weigh up whether it’s best for me to step away completely or to keep coaching. I haven’t really crossed that bridge and won’t until I find out more,” he said.
Ford said he was confident Heathcote was heading in the right direction after finishing third last year.
“We’re not that far off the mark again this year, we kept the same list and recruited an extra four or five which has really helped us,” he said.
Ford played in Swan Hill’s 2005 and 2008 premierships before leaving the district.
