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The FA · free preview

Emergency First Aid in Football (EFAiF)

The one-day practical first-aid course the touchline really runs on: the emergency action plan, the primary survey and CPR with a defibrillator, cardiac arrest, the medical emergencies, head injury — and the myths.

£105 · one day, face to face and scenario-based · age 18+ · needs the Concussion Guidelines and Sudden Cardiac Arrest e-learning first

Take the courseCreate a free accountCourse fee: £105 in-game · with Full AccessCourse fees are in-game money, paid from your in-game wallet — never real money.

Free lesson · Emergency action planning for football

Emergency First Aid in Football: the day itself

Emergency First Aid in Football (EFAiF) is The FA’s one-day practical first-aid course — Level 2 of the pitch-side medical ladder, the step above the online Introduction to First Aid in Football. It exists because generic first aid does not cover football: the first-aider on the touchline must be able to deal with any incident on a pitch that threatens life or limb, from a collapsed veteran to a stud wound to a clash of heads, and must do it with a referee, two teams and a crowd of parents watching.

The real course
FormatOne day, face to face and scenario-based; booked nationally through England Football Learning or locally through your County FA
Cost£105 nationally; County FA events run from about £35 to £95 depending on local subsidy
EntryAge 18 or over; the free Concussion Guidelines and Sudden Cardiac Arrest e-learning completed first, recorded on your FA Number (FAN)
AssessmentContinuous tutor assessment of practical competencies across the day — there is no written paper
ValidityThree years; renew by retaking the course or by progressing up the ladder

The day is built from scenario stations, not lectures. The tutor runs you through seven topics in a fixed order — emergency action planning for football; pre-activity preparation, reacting to an incident and approaching the injured player; the primary survey with CPR and the defibrillator for adults and children; heart conditions and sudden cardiac arrest in football; asthma, anaphylaxis, catastrophic bleeding and airway problems; head injury and concussion under the FA Concussion Guidelines; and, to close, dispelling the myths of first-aid management. Every skill is shown on a manikin or a training defibrillator or a volunteer, watched and signed off. This course follows the same seven topics in the same order.

What it lets you do. An in-date EFAiF qualifies you as the first-aider for professional-club coaching staff, for teams at steps 5 and 6 of the National League System and for tier 4 of the women’s national league. Below that it is the benchmark: the cover grassroots tournaments ask for, and the standard accredited clubs expect of the person named on the team sheet as first-aider.

Source: Specialist & support roles reference · Emergency First Aid in Football (EFAiF)

The syllabus: 7 modules, 40 lessons

  1. 1

    Emergency action planning for football

    • Emergency First Aid in Football: the day itself free preview
    • How the day is assessed — and how the game stands in for the tutor
    • Where EFAiF sits on the ladder — and what is above and below you
    • Designing the emergency action plan
    • Equipment, checks and match-day discipline
    • Handover, recording and the debrief
  2. 2

    Preparing, reacting and approaching the injured player

    • Preparation beats reaction: before a ball is kicked
    • The first-aider’s priorities, duties and legal position
    • Reacting to an incident: Danger and Response
    • Calling for help: the 999 script
    • Fractures, dislocations and splinting basics
    • The player who must not be moved: spinal precautions
  3. 3

    The primary survey, CPR and the defibrillator

    • The primary survey: DR ABC
    • Adult CPR: the numbers and the hands
    • Child CPR: why the five breaths come first
    • The defibrillator: the only thing that resets the rhythm
    • The recovery position
  4. 4

    Heart conditions and sudden cardiac arrest

    • Who arrests, and why
    • Screening, warning symptoms and why the AED is still the safety net
    • Recognising cardiac arrest on the pitch
    • The chain of survival
    • The scenario station: non-contact collapse, start to finish
  5. 5

    Asthma, anaphylaxis, catastrophic bleeding and airway problems

    • Asthma and acute breathlessness
    • Anaphylaxis and the adrenaline auto-injector
    • Bleeding control
    • Shock: a trajectory, not a state
    • Choking and the blocked airway
    • Diabetes, seizures, heat and cold
  6. 6

    Head injury and concussion

    • What concussion is — and is not
    • Recognition: what you see, what he tells you, and the red flags
    • The removal rule: if in doubt, sit them out
    • Graduated return to play
    • Second impact syndrome: why there are no exceptions
    • The long game: persistent symptoms, heading and the culture
  7. 7

    Dispelling the myths of first-aid management

    • CPR myths: the errors tutors correct every course
    • Defibrillator myths
    • Collapse myths: “wait and see”
    • Bleeding, seizures, spines, heat and sugar: the folk remedies
    • Concussion myths: “he says he’s fine”
    • Scope myths: “I’d better not touch him”