Having someone on hand with knowledge of first aid for sports and the right sports first aid kit is massively important whether the game is being played by young children or fully grown adults.
However, there is another thing which is equally important and often overlooked – preparation. Preparation involves two parts – training and warming up. Some players who have exceedingly great ability often feel they don’t need to train with others as they are innately gifted. However, this can be extremely detrimental as a huge part of training should not just be focused on improving skill, but improving the body’s ability to partake in the specific game.
Without working on the core muscles, movement and stamina needed for the game, injury is far more likely and the necessity for those trained in first aid for sports is hugely increased. Likewise, not warming up fully and totally will almost certainly lead to injuries eventually.So if the players train and warm-up properly, does this negate the need for a sports first aid kit altogether? Not at all, accidents can still happen, and malicious opposition can also unfortunately not be counted out.
The need for first aid is also not just about ensuring players can continue with the game, but it is also about ensuring that what is a very small issue does not turn into a major one. A slight pull can very easily become a major muscular problem if it is not treated in the right way and the right advice is not given on how to rest or exercise the muscle after the event.
In all, the right first aid provider being on hand can make the difference between a player being taken off and in turn the team dynamic totally changing and the game being lost and the game carrying on without issue. However, it also has much more long term significances for both the team and the individual and players could end up hurt much more long term, affecting the team for an extremely long time and causing many serious problems for the individual who has been injured.