Football Pitch Side First Aid

What does a professional football Physio have in their bag?

We’ve all seen the medical professionals of our favourite sports teams dart onto the pitch to tend to a player who we hope isn’t injured and then dart back off the pitch again. 

This is probably more so the case in football teams such as Premier League, where FA rules require the game to be stopped and the referee has to signal to the medical team to let them know they can come onto the pitch.

You might have wondered what exactly is in their trusty sports first aid kits and how it helps address the situation.

It might seem a bit dramatic but it gives the referee more control over the game and reduces time-wasting. 

You may already know that managers and coaches can get yellow and red cards but similarly, physios and doctors can also receive cards if they are not off the pitch fast enough. 

Before we address what a Physiotherapist needs on match day, it’s important to explain the medical teams of professional sports teams so you understand what each person’s role is. 

For a Premier League club for example, a medical team usually comprises both doctors and other sports medicine professionals.

The doctors are usually specialists in sports medicine and their purpose is to provide an expert medical opinion and to help with the diagnosis of certain conditions or injuries.

The Sports Medicine Professionals are made up of job roles such as physiotherapists, sports therapists, podiatrists etc. although the doctors are also technically Sports Medicine Professionals. 

There are of course also nutritionists and other people involved with caring for the health of the team but they’re not concerned with injury management.

In the video below, Daniel Simms, formally from Watford FC takes us through the contents of his pitch side first aid run on bag.

You might note that at the beginning of the video, Daniel says that the team doctors have a smaller bag, this hints at how a physio’s job is more encompassing and requires more in terms of immediate treatment.

The doctor has a much smaller run-on bag because their main purpose is injury assessment as opposed to immediate treatment.

Some of the things mentioned in the video include:

• PPE
• Health Supplements
• Smelling Salts
• Dressings
• Freeze Spray
• EAB Strapping
• Vicks and Deep Heat
• Betadine
• Vaseline
• Powerflex AFD
• Towels
• Various Tapes (Zinc Oxide, etc.)
• Sock Tape
• Underwrap

Daniel also demonstrates how the contents of his bag are neatly and conveniently organised into separate and variably sized pockets; this makes It easier to find what he needs without digging around his bag while the referee gets increasing impatient.

For more traumatic injuries, the doctor's medical kit will typically have a lot of things that clubs at lower levels won’t have but the medical team will also have access to trauma care essentials like a stretcher or immobiliser. 

Daniel mentions this towards the end of the video where he talks about the doctors carrying some emergency essentials and he also mentions that things like airways are kept separately. 

At the end of the day, each physiotherapist or sports therapist is unique and they have their own preferences for what they need on a matchday and what they include in their run-on bag.

They will more or less be the same contents covered in the video but it’s important to note that it’s subjective. 

For more videos like this, please visit our Sports First Aid section of our video guides and for more information on Sports First Aid Kit contents, please read our relevant guide: Pitch Side First Aid