New first aiders for junior comps

BALLARAT Football Netball League is partnering with event-based first responders Vita First Aid to deliver medical care for junior players.

Vita will provide two attendees at every junior football and netball game, and BFNL general manager Shane Anwyel said the collaboration will ensure safety remains a priority for younger teams.

“It’s about a duty of care for us and peace of mind for parents, and providing that extra level of care for contact sports like what we offer,” he said.

“Vita’s staff will be able to offer more advanced first aid than what a normal trainer might do, and provide a little more expertise in how they can assess people and provide guidance to them.

“We’re excited about this because we’re the first league to provide this level of care, particularly to juniors.”

The first aid service can provide a point of contact between ambulance services and players and will be able to supply more advanced pain relief not accessible to trainers.

Director and operations manager of Vita, Scott Balmer, said his team will provide “a weight off the trainers’ shoulders.”

“We’ll be able to ensure that players get the right care they need by either getting the appropriate ambulances and also to the right people,” he said.

“We can manage asthma, anaphylaxis, all the major health concerns, and we have further knowledge in concussion management and head injuries.

“We’re not replacing the sports trainers by any means, but we’re an additional tool for them to use. They do a great job, and they’ll have an extra pair of hands and extra knowledge behind them.”

This year’s season will serve as a test trial for the collaboration, but Anwyel said he’s hopeful their partnership will persist beyond that.

“It most likely is something that we’d like to keep rolling on because we’re setting that level of care now that people are going to expect,” he said.

“It’ll evolve through the year so we can work out our best practice, and we’ll go from there.”