Health and Safety

Cattonline (https://cattonline.com/coach-course/ ) currently provides a free online concussion toolkit: Concussion Awareness Training Toolkit for Parents, Players, and Coaches. The website provide up-to-date education, tools and resources to help prevent, recognize, treat and manage concussions as well as support decreasing the impact of concussion when they dooccur.These resources are updated on a monthly basis and will provide the latest evidence on how to deal with concussion. Cattonline.com provides up-to-date concussion education for parents and coaches. It includes video lessons and resources to effectively prevent, recognize and manage a players recovery.

Parents and Coaches can access the online learning tool here: CATT MODULE.

You can download "Return to Soccer Following A Concussion" information sheet here.

Beautiful British Columbia permits one to engage in a variety of sport, recreation and leisure activities throughout the year making injury prevention a year-round priority in this region. The leading types of sports injuries are related to cycling (25%), skiing/snowboarding (16%), ATV (10%), and playground (8%), followed by hockey and skateboarding (6%, respectively). 1 The greatest number of sports injuries occur among those aged 10-19 years.

BC Soccer Concussion Policy

Quick Facts & Stats

Causes:

• Skateboarding poses the highest risk of injury to 10-19 year-olds.
• Drowning poses the highest risk of injury to 1-4 year-olds.
• Playground injury poses the highest risk of injury to 5-9 year-olds.
• Cycling, rollerblading and tobogganing pose the highest risk of injury to 10-14 year-olds.
• Football/rugby, soccer and hockey pose the highest risk of injury to 15-19 year-olds.
• Skiing/snowboarding poses the highest risk of injury to 15-24 year-olds.
• Snowmobiling poses the highest risk of injury to 30-49 year-olds.

Occurrence:

Males (~3287/year) incur over 3x the number of sports injuries than females (~1045/year). The leading types of sports injuries are cycling (25%), skiing/snowboarding (16%), ATV (10%), playground (8%), other sports (28%) (football/rugby, soccer, ice skates, hit by ball, snowmobile, rollerblades, scooter, diving into water, baseball, drowning, tobogganing, hit by bat) followed by hockey and skateboarding (6%, respectively). The greatest number of sports injuries occur among those aged 10-19 years.

Ready for the season?

At your children’s annual check-up, make sure they are fit and safe to participate in their chosen sports. Discuss any concerns with your doctor. Fitness and conditioning prevent injuries. Children should be active 30 to 60 minutes each day, in addition to participating in a particular sport. Kids should eat a balanced diet from each of the four food groups and drink plenty of fluids. Kids should not use athletic supplements. Provide the coach with emergency contact information for your child, as well as details of any medical condition or allergies. Ensure that the coach is prepared to handle emergencies and is trained in first aid and CPR.

Set to Play?

• Get the right gear for each sport, make sure it fits, and make sure kids wear it properly every time they play.
• Correctly fitted equipment is the key to preventing injury.
• Kids should warm-up and stretch before every practice and game.
• Ensure the league provides adequate practice time. Practice builds skills and conditioning, as well as gives kids time to learn to play safely.
• Kids should remove all jewelry before playing, including watches, rings, earrings, and necklaces.
• Coaches and parents should inspect the playing grounds and equipment before each practice or game to make sure everything is safe.

Play safe to keep playing

• Ensure kids drink plenty of fluids before, during and after play. Kids should have a fluid break at least every 15 to 20 minutes.
• Supervise actively. Coaches and parents need to help kids play by the rules, for safety and fun.
• Injuries can happen at practices as well as during games. Keep safety in mind every time kids play.
• Don’t “play through” an injury. Injured athletes should be examined by a physician, preferably one with experience in sports medicine.

Recommended Resources and Links:

• Recommendations for policy development regarding sport-related concussion prevention and management in Canada: http://goo.gl/K3Tkjm
• The Canadian Concussion Collaborative (CCC) webpage: http://casem-acmse.org/education/ccc
• Guidelines for Pediatric Concussion: http://onf.org/documents/guidelines-for-pediatric-concussion
• Coaching Canada: http://coach.ca/making-head-way-concussion-elearning-series-p153487
• Coaching Association of Canada: http://www.coach.ca/resource-library-s15478.

GF Strong: Early Response Concussion Service for Adolescents (ERCS-A, age 12-18) and Adults (ERCS, age 18 and over). The Adolescent program requires a Dr's referral while adults can self-refer. As many ringette players are students, the return to learn process is extremely important. Our teachers are excellent at helping with this process. As return to school full-time is a requirement prior to the concussed athlete returning to the ice, it is important for coaches to help direct the students to the appropriate resources. The GF Strong phone number is 604-734-1313. (submitted by Erin Crawford)

Many teams find it useful to have designated safety personnel, preferably a parent with first aid or medical experience. For any emergency or life-threatening injury, never hesitate to call 911!

VanU will distribute a list of team members, medical numbers, emergency contact information and any specific medical information which is disclosed during registration. Please keep these records in confidence to be used in an emergency. Emergency contact information for all players should be on-site at all games and training sessions. We encourage teams to complete the more detailed Player Medical Form.

First Aid Kits are distributed as part of the team equipment package. Please ensure that your kit is replenished as required. Please complete the first aid kit inventory form before returning the kit at the end of the season.

Coaches and Managers should not, under any circumstances, administer medication to players. Over the counter medications such as Tylenol and Advil may be kept in the first aid kit, but can only be administered to a player by his/her parent. Personal player medications such as inhalers for asthma may be held for the player, but only administered by the player of his/her parent.

For any player with a pre-existing medical conditions (e.g. asthma, anaphylaxis, diabetes etc.), information should be declared during registration. In such cases, parents should be advised that team personnel are not authorized to administer medication. Please ensure that there is a clear plan in place with the parent(s)/guardian(s) in the event of a medical emergency. For any emergency or life-threatening injury, never hesitate to call 911.

It is mandatory for all coaches and managers, or safety personnel, to know exactly where the nearest walk-in clinic and/or hospital is located when going to soccer fields both within and outside Vancouver.

It is mandatory for all coaches and managers, or safety personnel, to advise the parent(s)/guardian(s) of any medical or first aid treatment given to players, even if it is a treatment to a minor injury. All head injuries should be further monitored and assessed by a medical professional for concussion.