Recommendations for School Athletic programs (by the National Center for Catastrophic Sports
                                                                                                                                                        Injuries)

1. Mandatory medical examinations and a medical history taken before allowing an athlete to participate.

2. All personnel concerned with training athletes should emphasize proper, gradual and complete physical
conditioning in order to provide the athlete with optimal readiness for the rigors of the sport.

3. Every school should strive to have a team trainer who is a regular member of the faculty and is adequately
prepared and qualified. There should be a written emergency procedure plan to deal with the possibility of
catastrophic injuries.

4. There should be an emphasis on employing well trained athletic personnel, providing excellent facilities and
securing the safest and best equipment available.

5. There should be strict enforcement of game rules and administrative regulations should be enforced to protect
the health of the athlete. Coaches and school officials must support the game officials in their conduct of the
athletic contests.

6. Coaches should know and have the ability to teach the proper fundamental skills of the sport. This
recommendation includes all sports and not only football. The proper fundamentals of blocking and tackling
should be emphasized to help reduce head and neck injuries in football. Keep the head out of football.

7. There should be continued safety research in athletics (rules, facilities, equipment).

8. Strict enforcement of the rules of the game by both coaches and game officials will help reduce serious
injuries.

9. When an athlete has experienced or shown signs of head trauma (loss of consciousness, visual disturbance,
headache, inability to walk correctly, obvious disorientation, memory loss) he/she should receive immediate
medical attention and should not be allowed to return to practice or game without permission from the proper
medical authorities. It is important for a physician to observe the head injured athlete for several days following
the injury.

10. Athletes and their parents should be warned of the risks of injuries.

11. Coaches should not be hired if they do not have the training and experience needed to teach the skills of the
sport and to properly train and develop the athletes for competition.

12. Weight loss in wrestling to make weight for a match can be dangerous and cause serious injury or death.
Coaches should be aware of safety precautions and rules associated with this practice.

NCCSI All Sport recommendations  (www.unc.edu/depts/nccsi)