Players who suffer concussion will be sidelined for at least 12 days and must obtain a medical clearance before returning to play.

South West Sports Trainers Association president Allan Parsons said the updated protocols were a great step forward for players.

"It's a good step as player welfare has to come first and the more spotlight we put on that the better off we can be," he said.

"Particularly the effects in not just five years' time but the long-term effects as we've seen in recent years in the AFL with players donating their brains to research and proving CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) is actually there and how it's proven to have long-term effects on the players.

"It's important the spotlight is still pointing towards this serious problem in elite footy and also country footy and how serious it can be and how it can turn serious very quickly too."

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Leading medical professionals have developed the evidence-based concussion management guidelines to put the health and safety of community footballers first.

Under the new protocols the minimum time a player can return to play is 12 days after the concussion was suffered and will be based on the completion of the return-to-play phases.

The process includes a period of rest, symptom-limited activity, gradual increase in physical activity and a medical clearance prior to returning to full-contact training.

Because of a lack of baseline testing and a medical doctor to oversee each stage of the graded return i country football, the AFL says a more conservative approach may be required in this setting.

The timeframe is likely to be longer in children and adolescents, where a more conservative approach is important as it is recognised that recovery tends to be slower in this group.

Parsons, who has been a member of the SWSTA for 22 years, said clubs needed to take the protocols seriously.

"It's more trying to get clubs to take on the recommendations and a lot of clubs don't take concussion seriously and it's a long education program but we are slowly making headway," he said.

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The existing guidelines were reviewed and the updated version was prepared by the AFL's chief medical officer Peter Harcourt and deputy chief medical officer Michael Makdissi.

"The focus must be on ensuring that players pass through each of the steps safely (i.e. rest, recovery and a graded return), without a recurrence of symptoms, rather than simply progressing through a schedule," Harcourt said.

"A player who shows symptoms or any signs of concussion during a match or training must be removed from the field of play and assessed, and must not return to that match or training session.

"The next step is that the player must be assessed by a medical professional, then move through each of the steps in the guidelines, and finally receive medical clearance prior to returning to full-contact training."

AFL general counsel Andrew Dillon said it was a step in improving concussion management across all levels.

"The updated guidelines reflect the AFL's ongoing commitment to the health and safety of all players at each level of the game," he said.

"Concussion is a serious issue and we will continue to treat it as such.

"The updated concussion guidelines for community football represent a significant step in the AFL's existing record of ongoing improvements to its concussion management strategy that reflect medical research and other learnings over time."

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