Cambridge Youth Soccer Safety Plan

Cambridge Youth Soccer’s mission is to provide every child in Cambridge the opportunity to play soccer in a fun, supportive and competitive environment. The Cambridge Youth Soccer Safety Plan is designed to ensure the health and safety of participants, coaches and volunteers. 

The primary audience for this document is for Coordinators, Coaches, and Team Managers to offer instruction on how to handle different issues that may arise.  That said, any member of the CYS community benefits from understanding how CYS operates in a safe manner.

While CYS has anticipated and provided guidance for certain common situations, if you encounter something that is not covered in this Safety Plan, call 911 if there is a threat of injury or actual injury and always use common sense to keep yourself and players safe.

Emergency Procedures

Emergency Contacts

• • For medical and security emergencies, call 911. Field Details include possible shelter areas, available AEDs and addresses/field numbers when communicating with first responders.
  • We ask that you call and speak with your League Coordinator and/or CYS Executive Board member when dealing with an emergency incident (after calling 911). Please start with your coordinator and then attempt the Director, President and Vice President until you are able to reach someone. See CYS Contact Information. 
  •  We ask that you report non-emergency incidents to our League Coordinator (can be via email!)

Head Injuries & Concussion Management

• • When a head injury is suspected, immediately remove the injured player(s) and follow the Concussion Management Emergency Action Plan.
  • Contact parent/guardian in the event of any sustained head injury
  • If any of the following symptoms occur, immediately call 911 and see medical attention:
  
  
• • • One pupil larger than the other
    • Drowsiness or inability to wake up
    • A headache that gets worse and does not go away
    • Slurred speech, weakness, numbness, or decreased coordination
    • Repeated vomiting or nausea, convulsions or seizures (shaking or twitching)
    • Unusual behavior, increased confusion, restlessness, or agitationAny loss of consciousness

Major Injury

Major injuries may include incidents of broken bone, loss of consciousness, major bleeding from a wound. In the absence of the injured player’s parent/guardian, take the following steps in the event of a major injury:

1. 1. Call 911, inform first responders of your field location and number.
   2. Request assistance from any healthcare provider bystanders.
   3. Notify parent/guardian
   4. When the player is safe and parent/guardian informed, contact League Coordinator or Executive Board member to report the incident.

Cardiac Arrest

Security Issues

While rare, we want to be prepared for security issues including, but not limited to, harassment to players, coaches, and volunteers by adults or other children. In the event of an incident:

• • Call the Cambridge Police (911) making sure to note your field name and field number.
  • Contact the parent/guardian of the involved player(s)
  • Report the issue to your League Coordinator
  • Work with League Coordinator on communication to non-impacted players.

Risk Management

Weather and availability (e.g. coach unable to make a practice without a suitable backup) are the most likely reasons why a practice or game may be canceled during the season. Coaches are responsible for suspending and/or cancelling practices in situations of severe weather and League Coordinators will help make the decision for games. In all of these situations, coaches must not leave until all players have been picked up by a responsible adult. 

Severe Storms

• • Severe storms can produce high winds, heavy rain, hail, lightning, thunder and/or tornados.
  • In the event of severe weather all players, coaches and referees must clear the field immediately and move into cars or other permanent shelter.

Thunder and Lightning

• • See a lightning bolt and hear thunder within 30 seconds, clear the field immediately and seek shelter.
  • Practice/games cannot restart until at least 30 minutes from the last seen lightning strike or heard roll of thunder.
  • See Thunder and Lightning on Mass Safe Soccer for additional details.

Hot Weather

• • Heat Index up to 84°, normal play while being mindful of how to treat heat related illness.
  • Heat Index above 84° degrees, follow recommendations in Mass Youth Soccer Weather Policy - Hot Weather
  •  Heat Index above 104°, suspend play.

 

Cold Weather

• • Cold Index 46° and higher, normal play while being mindful of how to treat cold related illness.
  • Cold Index 45° degrees and lower, see recommendations in Mass Safe Soccer Cold Weather
  •  Cold Index 35° and lower, suspend play.

Field Safety

We encourage the following practices to ensure fields and the space around sidelines are clear during practices and games.

• • Player Equipment: All player equipment (e.g. bags, clothes, shin guards, etc.) should be a minimum of 5 yards away from the sideline.
  • Transport Vehicles: Bikes, scooters and other methods of transport should be clear of the sidelines and fields. We asked that bikes are not between fields during games.

Training & Education

• Coach’s Practice & Game Checklist

• • Complete safety trainings and verifications including Safesport, Concussion/Healthy Playing Environments Training, CORI Acknowledgement 

  For each practice and game:

• • Access to accurate parent/guardian phone numbers (available via CYS website)
  • First aid kit and ice packs
  • Access to CYS Safety plan (available via CYS website)
  • Know location/field number to share with first responders in event of an emergency
  • Be aware of the weather and weather
  • Player Pickup: Coaches must stay with elementary school players until a parent/guardian arrives to pick them up. Confirm with middle and high school players' parents/guardians that they can leave practice independently

Coaches Training

Coaches are required to complete the following training and verifications ahead of working with players at Cambridge Youth Soccer. Thank you for the efforts to promote a healthy and safe soccer playing experience. Details for how to complete training and CORI verification can be found on CYS’s webpage MA SafeSoccer. Additional resources can be found at Mass Youth Soccer Safety Platform. Required actions to coach include:

• • SafeSport Training
  • Concussion/Healthy Playing Environments Training
  • CORI Acknowledgement
•  

Parent and Player Training

We welcome all parents and guardians to complete SafeSport for Parents and Minor Athletes. Additional resources can be found at Mass Youth Soccer Safety Platform.

Injury Management

For major injuries, incidents involving player’s heads, cardiac arrest, heat and cold incidents, please see Emergency Procedures (above). For minor injuries including small cuts, minor nosebleeds, twisted ankles:

• • Coaches must wear gloves when handling blood or other bodily fluids
  • Players must not be actively bleeding in order to return to the field.
  • Coaches should notify parents/guardians for players who receive first aid.