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Where's The First Aid Kit?
Some Questions To Ask
Disturbing Statistics
What Experts Say
Should Youth Coaches Be Certified?
What Should Parents Do?

Don't be lulled into believing that since adults are doing the coaching, they must surely have had first-aid training. "The truth is a large majority of coaches have no formal medical training. Yet it is often the coach who is on the 'front line' for handling any sports injury," says Marc Cadden of the Soccer Association For Youth.

The statistics on safety training are disturbing:

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• Most youth coaches are not required by their state associations to take first-aid, CPR or even training for the specific sport they are coaching.
  
  

• According to the American Sports Education Program, 2.5 million of the nation's 3.2 million coaches have received no formal training
  
  

• Less than 30 percent of high school and college coaches have had safety training.
  
  

• Only 28 states required coaches to receive any training, according to a 1997 survey. Even those states cover only school-based programs and don't require training for all coaches.
  
  

• Only 33% of high school coaches in Massachusetts responding to a 1997 poll were trained in CPR and fewer in first aid.
  
  

• 134 coaches said they had licensed trainers on staff; 91 did not.
  
  

• For non-school based sports, the situation was worse. The average Bay State youth soccer coach is lucky to have received an hour or two of training, and even that focuses more on the rules of the game and soccer fundamentals than on safety or injury prevention.

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Every person who works with children has a responsibility to keep them safe and injury free. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that "coaches at all levels ... be required to meet a minimum level of qualification necessary to meet these responsibilities. They should include basic knowledge of skills development, safety rules and equipment maintenance, competence in first-aid, and an introduction to appropriate training methods and coaching behaviors for working with young children."

According to the National Youth Sports Safety Foundation, sports injuries are the second leading cause of all injuries to children. Surprisingly, more get hurt at practices than in competitions. Properly educated coaches can help prevent sports injuries. Untrained coaches may unknowingly contribute to the occurrence of sports injuries.

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A Safety Checklist For Parents
What's In A Well-Stocked First Aid Kit?
Player Safety: It's Not Always A Priority
Does Your State Require Training To Coach Interscholastic Sports?
Sports Safety Training
What Legal Duties Are Owed To Participants In Youth Sports Programs?

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