First aid, CPR, and the emergency plan

Facts checked: 2026-08-30

CPR and first aid. Get at least one currently certified person at every session. The American Red Cross offers CPR/First Aid/AED courses online, in person, and blended, and its certification is valid for two years; pricing varies by location and format, so use its class finder rather than trusting any number a website tells you. The American Heart Association's Heartsaver courses are the other standard route, delivered through local training centers that set their own prices. Either is fine. "Somebody here probably knows CPR" is not a plan.

The emergency action plan. The National Athletic Trainers' Association — the recognized authority here — is unambiguous: organizations sponsoring athletic activities need a written emergency plan, and it should be general-purpose, built to answer any catastrophic injury rather than one scenario. The element clubs most often miss: the plan must incorporate access to emergency medical care for the specific venue — which gate the ambulance enters, who stands at the street, what the field's actual address is. If you play at four parks, that's four venue pages, because "call 911" fails at the moment someone asks "and tell them what address?"

The kit. The citable reference is ANSI/ISEA Z308.1, the American national standard for first aid kit contents — bandages, antiseptics, and protective equipment at minimum. One honest caveat: OSHA points to that standard as guidance but has not adopted it as regulation, so buy a kit built to the standard and skip claiming "OSHA-compliant" on anything. It's a workplace standard, not a sports-specific one, but it's the recognized floor.

Concussions. California's rule for school sports — and the standard any serious club should adopt as its own — has three parts: a child suspected of a concussion comes out immediately and stays out for the rest of the day, does not return until evaluated by a licensed health care provider, and if diagnosed, completes a graduated return-to-play of no less than seven days under supervision. There is no same-day return with a suspected concussion, full stop. The school-sports bylaws technically bind schools, not independent clubs — but the underlying statute is state law and the medical logic doesn't care who runs the team. Train your coaches: the CDC's HEADS UP course is free, short, and written for youth sports coaches specifically; the NFHS also offers a free 20-minute concussion course.