For Coaches
As a coach you want to give your players the best chance to win and to stay healthy. These two important goals are both achievable if you and your team work hard to develop skills, understand the game and also understand the risks. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), concussion is a risk factor for all athletes regardless of sport. Of course this does not mean all sports share the risk equally. Football has the highest risk for helmeted sports and soccer for non-helmeted sports.
If you coach long enough, regardless of the sport, age or gender of your players, you will have a player who suffers a concussion. The time to start thinking about how you will handle the concussion is now, before it occurs. Steps you can take to prepare include:
1 - Educate your staff and players about the signs and symptoms of concussion
2 - Develop a concussion management plan
3 - Designate one person as the lead in your concussion management plan
4 - Have a list of names and numbers (parents, emergency personal etc.)
