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LONDON (Reuters) -More than 1,000 former amateur and professional rugby union and rugby league players have joined a long-running concussion lawsuit against the sports' governing bodies, the firm representing them said on Tuesday.
Rylands Garth said it now represents over 725 former union players and over 280 former league players in a case that began more than four years ago.
"The claimants are suffering with a range of life-altering neurological conditions including Parkinson’s Disease, Motor Neurone Disease (MND), Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and dementia," the company said in a statement.
"They contend that these injuries are a direct result of concussive and sub-concussive blows sustained during their playing careers."
Many former footballers are also involved in the case in which the ex-players are seeking compensation from World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union, Welsh Rugby Union, Rugby Football League, Football Association and others for lost earnings, medical bills and care costs associated with their injuries.
"The claimants argue that governing bodies failed to take reasonable action to protect them from the impacts of concussive and sub-concussive blows during their playing careers, despite knowing of the risks," Ryland Garth said.
After the latest court hearing in February, World Rugby, the RFU and WRU issued a statement saying: "It is in the interests of both rugby and the players involved that this case is heard as soon as possible, and we will continue to make every effort to ensure that happens.
"Rugby's priority has always been the welfare of the players. Whilst we cannot reach out to any of the individual players involved in legal action, what we would want them to know is that we listen, we care and we never stand still on player welfare."
The next case management hearing in the rugby case is due to be held in July with a football hearing in June.
(Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Ken Ferris)
