Do We Owe it to Our Players to Ensure Funds are Given to Pitch Side First Aid?

There was outrage in Kerry after O’Sé was quoted in last week’s Sunday Independents saying Kerry people were “the roughest type of fucking animals you could ever deal with” and added: “You can print that”. (Paidi O’ Se 2003).

I praise his honesty; no truer words were spoken- with respect to a minority of fans. Not just county fans but club fans too. You’ll know this if you have experienced it, standing in the freezing cold as a spectator, watching but also hearing, hearing the gobshite verbally destroying a player because they didn’t catch a high ball, not realising or caring that they player’s family and loved ones are in the near vicinity- I nearly decked him.

Fast forward a few years now I’m pitch side working outdoors due to covid treating a player’s groin issues and on arrives the same type of gobshite with his camera out to get a few snaps for the socials- again I nearly decked him.

In my opinion Paidi was right, the minority of supporters can be animals, but my question is can they be supportive? Can we be more supportive of our community members, those lads and ladies that commit to training week in week out, often travelling for training sessions, then committing their weekend to games, their summers to championships, all to help their local club reap the rewards of winning trophies and medals. We all support them players when they win then, but can we support them now?

Its December GAA is winding down for the year and AGMS are starting up, communities are coming together to put a management team in place to get their club to a county final, to avoid relegation, to get the best out of a group of lads or ladies who want to represent their village on the pitch. They’ll invest in chairperson, a manager, some selectors but will they invest in pitch side first aid?

“We have no money for a physio” “Can you come along and strap two lads, the games in half an hour” Are you for real- no I’m not available- likelihood is I could be available but I’m not investing in that.

Truth is it drives me mad that clubs do not prioritise the welfare of their players, it’s absolutely mad.

Denmark’s Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest when he collapsed during his side’s Euro 2020 opening match against Finland- who says it cannot happen on a Sunday morning on a GAA pitch in rural south west Ireland and if it does who can use the deliberator?

That is what I am trained to do – in my opinion that’s why I am there, to deal with the big things, the things no one considers every could happen, the semi-conscious concussion, the dislocated shoulder, all the fun stuff.

Ninety-nine percent of the time I won’t be faced with anything of the like but the importance of having me there prevails.  Yet it worries me how little importance some clubs place on for the need for pitch side first aid. I’d go as far as saying it’s an insult to the players that their communities feel there’s no need to have their injuries looked after, their players welfare looked after. I use the word community because ultimately it is the communities’ funds that have been invested into the club that are used pay the first aider.

The work of pitch side first aid can make a huge difference on whether a player will play the rest of the season or not and that should not be taken for granted. It is my job to prevent injury and to prevent the worsening of injury. This starts in the dressing room before the game when I assess, treat, advise, tape and strap to avert injuries. It continues when I am pitch side, there to deal with any injuries that happen during the game, and after wards to further assess and treat and advise. It is of course made a whole lot easier when you work with a team consistently, when you know the players, their injuries, and their progress, even knowing their name is beneficial when roaring at them across the pitch.

I have been very fortunate over the last two years to be involved with excellent teams and management who have put player welfare to the forefront of their priorities. I encourage other teams to follow suit and I hope this snippit of a blog post highlights the importance of having pitch side first aid avaialble for players and I urge any players, parents, community member and club representatives who read this to speak up and ensure funds are put in place to care for the players that bring so much socialisation, elation, and delight to their villages and parishes year in and year out.