Sports-High School Athletic Facilities Management

Sports-High School

Athletic Facilities Management

The management of a football facility should always recognize that safety standards need to reflect a very safety oriented culture at the sports facility. A positive attitude should be demonstrated by the management while ensuring that safety policies are carried out effectively and willingly. Management also has a responsibility to take all necessary precautions to safeguard spectators against the effects of accidents in, or originating from, the activity during the game. Initially, the Management will have to make an assessment of how many spectators can be safely accommodated within the ground itself. This assessment is the most important step towards the achievement of reasonable safety (Health & Safety in Football Stadiums, 2009). Management also has the responsibility to ensure that all coaches carry out the legal duties that are expected of them as well.

There are certain legal duties that all athletic personnel are required to carry out in the carrying out of their daily activities. The first of these is a duty to plan. Athletic personnel must plan all activities and create a paper trail of all proper documentation (Kentucky Country Day School Coaches Handbook, n.d.). All things that are required to successfully run a football stadium must be planned out in advance and documented well.

Another legal duty that must be carried out is that of a duty to supervise. Coaches must directly supervise all activities that are associated with their team. This includes all activities in locker areas, practice sessions and waiting areas. The general rule is that they younger the child the greater the duty is to supervise (Kentucky Country Day School Coaches Handbook, n.d.). Generally students are considered invitees on school premises during school hours or at school-sponsored events. The legal precedent was set in the case of Curtis v. State of Ohio (1986). In this case it was determined by the court that due to the status of the students being invitees the safety obligations that are owed them are greater than normal (Maloy, 1993). These obligations extend to the idea of supervision in order to maintain safety.

The next legal duty that must be considered is that of the duty to provide safe playing facilities. All facilities must be inspected on a regular basis for hazards and all findings must be documented (Kentucky Country Day School Coaches Handbook, n.d.). A facility has an obligation to take reasonable precautions to keep spectators and users safe. The management of a facility has a safety obligation to inspect the premises on a regular basis for hazards. This includes the areas that the users will be in as well as the spectators. The inspection of the facility inspection should cover more than just structural or construction defects. It should consist of management inspection and reviewing its maintenance operations as well. The potential risk of injury from improper maintenance is greater than that from structural defects (Maloy, 1993).

Coaches have a legal duty to ensure that appropriate protective gear and equipment is used by all players on the team. All players must be properly equipped with protective gear and the gear must be inspected on a regular basis (Kentucky Country Day School Coaches Handbook, n.d.). Another aspect of this is the coach's duty to properly instruct. They must make sure to instruct the skills and techniques that are required for safe play. All instruction must be properly documented (Kentucky Country Day School Coaches Handbook, n.d.). A coach does also have a duty to warn parents of inherent dangers of athletic participation. This is usually performed by ensuring that all school required forms are completed accurately and submitted to the school (Kentucky Country Day School Coaches Handbook, n.d.). All of these requirements refer back to the coach's responsibility to supervise and protect the well being of the players that are on their team. One of the primary safety obligations that a facility owes regarding participatory risks is to warn its users of the dangers that area associated with the activity that is taking place (Maloy, 1993).

Athletic managers of football teams also have a duty to provide emergency care along with a duty to activate an emergency response plan. All coach's must be trained and certified in CPR and first aid. Coaches must also be able to execute the school's emergency response plan if necessary (Kentucky Country Day School Coaches Handbook, n.d.).