Do Sports Teams in Australia Need First Aid Kits?
How prepared is your team?
Australia lives and breathes sport—but with every tackle, sprint or collision comes risk. Whether you’re coaching junior soccer or managing a regional rep team, being equipped with a proper sports first aid kit isn’t just smart. It’s part of your duty of care.
In this guide, you’ll learn exactly what’s required, what’s recommended, and how to make sure your team’s kit is ready for anything.
Is there a legal requirement for sports first aid kits?
There’s no single checklist or nationwide mandate in Australia. But that doesn’t mean there are no standards.
- Duty of Care: Clubs, coaches and volunteers are legally and ethically responsible for minimising risk to players—including having the right first aid supplies.
- SafeWork Australia & WHS Codes: While primarily aimed at employees, these serve as benchmarks for care in sport, especially for paid coaches or staff. SafeWork Australia
- Guidelines from authorities: Bodies like Sports Medicine Australia, ARC, and the Australian Sports Commission all issue best practice standards.
The key takeaway? It’s not about ticking boxes—it’s about risk assessments based on your sport, team size, and environment.
What we see on the ground
At Assurance First Aid Kits, we’ve worked with hundreds of clubs and schools across Dubbo and regional NSW. One theme comes up over and over:
“We had a kit, but it was full of expired stuff—or missing half the essentials.”
We see avoidable injuries escalate just because there was no cold pack or sling on hand. Worse, many clubs assume someone else has a kit—until they don't.
What’s in a proper sports first aid kit?
It depends on your sport, team size and how far from help you are—but these are essentials:
- Cold packs, compression and crepe bandages for soft tissue injuries
- Wound care: saline, antiseptic, non-adherent dressings, gauze, hypoallergenic tape
- Tools: scissors, gloves, CPR mask, emergency blanket, torch, whistle
- Fracture support: splints, slings, rigid strapping, kinesiology tape
- Extras: emergency contacts, AED, first aid guide
We recommend our sports medical kits—each one is built with input from trainers, medics and real sports clubs.
Use our Free First Aid Kit Checklist to see if your current kit stacks up.
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Need help picking the right kit?
You can join the newsletter or use the live chat on our site to speak directly with Samantha—our Director and an EMT with 20+ years in the field.
Want a compliant, custom-built kit? Explore the full range here: Sports Medical First Aid Kits
Written by Samantha
Director of Assurance First Aid Kits, EMT, Trainer & Assessor. With over 20 years in first aid compliance training across Dubbo and regional NSW, Samantha helps businesses stay safe and compliant.
