By Richard Bright
Alex Danson, the GB and England captain, has been ruled out of the upcoming Hockey Champions Trophy after she suffered concussion on holiday.
England Hockey has confirmed that the 33-year-old suffered the injury when she hit her head on a concrete chair.
Danson has not played hockey since England exited the women’s World Cup in the summer and she becomes the third player to be sidelined through concussion this year.
It is not known whether Danson was training at the time but England Hockey said that she showed concussion symptons on her return to the UK before initiating its concussion protocols.
“Concussion is something we take extremely seriously,” England Hockey said in a statement.
“Alex will be given the right amount of time and medical support before returning to play.”
Great Britain and England have endured several notable long-term concussion injuries this year.
Both Shona McCallin and Nicola White haven’t played since February and March respectively after sustaining head injuries.
McCallin, 26, collided with an opponent’s shoulder against Argentina while White picked up her injury the following month in a match against Ireland.
McCallin has called her time out of the game as “brutal” while White admitted to being sent into a “black hole” through her post-concussion syndrome.
Great Britain will open up against hosts China in next month’s Champions Trophy. GB qualified as Olympic champions.
