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First Aid Qualifications for Netball

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Netball is a popular sport played by over 20 million people across more than 70 countries. Despite technically being a no-contact sport, it comes with plenty of risks and the incidence of injury through netball is unfortunately high. Netball teams should have access to essential netball first aid kits with the correct netball first aid kit contents and take steps to prevent injury during play. In addition to this, having the skills to treat netball injuries safely is essential. Netball coaches in the UK are required by the UK netball’s national governing body, England Netball, to secure first aid qualifications to keep their players safe. This article will cover the requirements for netball coaches and some of the best first aid courses to take.

What are the legal requirements for netball first aid training?

To successfully achieve the England Netball Level 2 Coach qualification (or higher) you must obtain valid First Aid and Safeguarding certificates

The first aid criteria require netball coaches to achieve a: 

  • First Aid at Work (FAW) course at Level 3 

or

  • Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) course at Level 3 

This training needs to be delivered on a face-to-face basis, for a minimum of 6 hours of course time. 

In order to qualify as an England Netball-approved netball coach, your first aid certificate must be in date and verified in order to achieve accreditation.

playing netball

Netball coaches can only achieve the correct first aid qualification in three ways:

  1. Complete a FAW or EFAW course delivered by The British Red Cross or St John Ambulance.
  2. Complete a FAW or EFAW course regulated by OFQUAL in the UK.
  3. Completing a FAW or EFAW course that is FAIB endorsed. You can find courses run by FAIB-approved organisations on their website.

All first aid certificates are valid for a maximum of 3 years, after which time netball coaches and any other qualified netball first aiders must complete a refresher course provided by The Red Cross, St John Ambulance, or OFQUAL and FAIB-regulated organisations. 

First aid courses will cover essential skills that can help to treat common netball injuries, minimise damage and the time required for full recovery, and even save a life. All accredited First Aid at Work and Emergency First Aid at Work courses will cover:

  • Recognising injury or illness in a player.
  • Communication with the casualty and on-lookers.
  • Recognising when a player is experiencing difficulty breathing.
  • Treating asthma attacks and seizures.
  • Performing CPR and using an automated external defibrillator (AED).
  • Treating internal and external bleeding.
  • Wound management.
  • Treating muscle and joint injuries.
  • Assessing and protecting broken bones.
  • Evaluating and treating concussion and head injuries.

As a coach, learning how to safely and correctly provide first aid treatment in an emergency will enable you to overcome potentially life-threatening situations long enough for emergency medical professionals to arrive on the scene and take over.

Who is the appointed first aider?

In netball, it makes sense for all netball coaches to be qualified in first aid in order to provide first aid care in the event of injury or illness. However, the British Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 doesn’t specify who should be the first aider overall; this will depend on your netball club’s individual health and safety risk assessment.

To help understand your responsibilities, the British Red Cross provides an explanation of the difference between an ‘appointed person’ and a ‘first aider’ so you can make sure you’re covered:

An appointed person is someone who is nominated to take charge of first aid arrangements, such as looking after the first aid kit and calling an ambulance in an emergency.

A first aider is someone who is qualified to give first aid treatment in the event of an injury or illness.

This means that a first aid-trained netball coach or bystander can be the first aider on hand but does not necessarily have to take charge of the other first aid arrangements. And a netball club’s appointed person doesn’t necessarily have to be first aid qualified and able to provide emergency care. 

To keep everyone safe and abide by UK Law, all netball clubs, teams, and tournaments should allocate at least one qualified first aider to all areas where netball takes place, even just for training sessions or casual games. It is the role of the appointed person to make sure that the netball first aid kit is available. In turn, it makes sense for the appointed person(s) and the designated first aider(s) to be in communication before, during, and after play. 

Netball First Aid Kit Requirements

Under the British Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, it is a legal requirement to have first aid provisions, including a first aid kit, on hand to keep your players safe. Choose between our premium sports first aid kit, junior sports team first aid kit, or sports medical kit to best serve the first aid needs of your team.

To be compliant, sports venues, including schools, universities, and netball clubs, must have an appointed first aider on hand at all times and keep at least one well-stocked netball first aid kit readily available. 

The governing body, England Netball, don’t specify exactly what is required in said first aid kit, so most sports teams and clubs adhere to the following the first aid kit guidelines from the British Red Cross and St John Ambulance.
All netball first aid kits, like our professional-grade sports first aid kit, should contain the following pieces of essential first aid equipment to treat injuries, promote recovery, and keep netballers safe in an emergency or accident.

sports first aid kit contents 2

Look through our suggestion of the essential netball first aid kit contents below:

For more information about the importance of netball first aid kits and a handy checklist of first essentials check out our blog.


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