A twisted ankle at the park
During a Saturday session, a child goes over on their ankle. The coach does what your procedure says, the parent is called, and the child goes home early. The coach means to write it in the accident book, but the book is in the kit bag at another venue. They write a note on their phone and forget about it.
On Monday the parent emails to ask what happened, because the child is now on crutches. You ask the coach. They remember the outline but not the time or who else was there. You find a note in their phone and nothing else. Another time, a minor knock is written up at one venue in careful detail and a similar one at another venue is not written up at all.
Why incident records are patchy
- Paper accident books are kept at venues or in kit bags, not where the coach is when something happens.
- Reports are written later from memory, and details get lost.
- Coaches judge differently what is worth recording.
- The owner hears about incidents informally or late.
- Follow-up steps, such as checking in with the parent, depend on someone remembering.
Why a good record matters
When a parent has questions, or an insurer or governing body asks, a clear record written at the time is what you need. Patchy records make a minor incident harder to handle and make it harder to spot patterns, such as a particular pitch or activity where injuries keep happening.
What you record, who you tell and what follow-up is needed are set by your own procedures, your insurer and your governing body; we do not advise on them. What we build helps coaches follow your procedure at the time and keeps the record safe.
Incident reporting from the pitch side
- Your incident form is rebuilt for a phone, with your questions: what happened, when, where, who was involved, what first aid was given, who was told, and witnesses.
- The child is picked from the session register, so names and contact details are correct.
- Photos of the location, where your procedure allows, can be attached.
- Submitting the report tells the owner or safeguarding lead at once, according to the type you choose.
- A consistent message can go to the parent, using wording you approve, so every family gets the same kind of information.
- Follow-up tasks from your procedure, such as a check-in call the next day or a review of the activity, are created and tracked until closed.
| Part | Who | Record kept |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Coach, at the time | Time-stamped form with details |
| Notification | Automatic | Who was told and when |
| Parent message | Automatic or by the owner | Wording and time sent |
| Follow-up | Owner or named person | Tasks and outcomes |
| Review | Owner | Patterns by venue and activity |
Access to incident records is limited to people you name, and the records are kept for as long as your policy and your insurer require.
After the next twisted ankle
The coach deals with the child, then fills in the report on their phone before leaving the pitch, picking the child from the register and noting the time, the activity and the first aid given. The owner gets a notification. The parent gets a clear message that evening. A task reminds the owner to check in on Monday.
At the end of the term, the owner sees that several minor injuries happened on the same uneven corner of one pitch and raises it with the venue.
Are your incident records like this?
- Accident books are on paper at different venues.
- Reports are written up later from memory.
- Coaches record incidents inconsistently.
- You hear about incidents informally or late.
- Follow-up with parents depends on memory.