What should be in a GAA pitch-side first aid kit? A practical checklist

October 17, 2026

First-aider kneeling beside a player inside a red InciTent tent on a rainy pitch

Every club officer knows the feeling: a player goes down, the game stops, and everyone looks towards the sideline. What happens in the next few minutes depends on two things: a trained person, and a kit bag that has what they need.

This checklist pulls together published guidance from the GAA and from Irish rugby's SAFE-Rugby programme. It's a starting point, not a substitute for training. Check it against your county board's advice and your first-aid trainer's recommendations.

What the GAA asks of clubs

The GAA's Guidelines for Appropriate & Safe Training for Gaelic Games are clear on the basics. Clubs should ensure that at least one mentor per team is trained in first aid, and that a fully stocked first-aid kit is available at all training sessions and matches [1]. Arranging training is the responsibility of each club or county board, and the guidelines ask clubs to make sure training providers are appropriately qualified [1]. Ulster GAA, for example, has worked with the Red Cross on a "GAA Pitch-side First Aid" course [2].

So the first item on any checklist isn't something you can put in a bag: a trained first-aider at every session.

The kit bag: a practical checklist

The GAA guidelines don't print a single national kit list, but clubs have published their own, and IRFU SAFE-Rugby publishes a detailed recommended "Pitchside First Aid Kit" [3]. The list below draws on the SAFE-Rugby list [3] and a published GAA club guide from Douglas GAA [4].

Protection

Disposable non-latex gloves in several sizes
Pocket face mask for CPR

Wounds and bleeding

Assorted plasters
Sterile wound pads and dressings (around 10cm × 10cm)
Gauze swabs
Antiseptic wound wash or saline pods, and antiseptic wipes

Sprains, strains and suspected fractures

Single-use chemical ice packs
Crepe bandages (10cm and 15cm) for compression
Conforming bandages
Triangular bandages (SAFE-Rugby suggests eight [3])

Eyes

Sterile eye wash pods

Strapping and tools

Zinc oxide tape and other strapping tape
Paramedic shears for cutting clothing, and tape scissors
Large zip-lock bags (for ice, if available)

Shelter

At least one foil (survival) blanket

What to leave out: both guides advise against keeping medications in the kit. Douglas GAA's guide also says no creams, gels or freeze spray [3][4]. Players should carry their own prescribed medication, such as inhalers.

Check it regularly. SAFE-Rugby recommends checking the kit regularly, replacing anything used or out of date, and keeping spare stock to refill the bag after an incident [3]. A simple way to do it: give one named person a monthly check, with a list taped inside the lid.

Beyond the bag: the club's emergency kit

For serious incidents, SAFE-Rugby also recommends that each club or school premises considers an Emergency Response Kit that's easy to reach, not locked in an office or the boot of a car. It includes an AED, a reusable blanket, splints and other items, some of which need training to use [3].

Most GAA clubs now have, or have access to, a defibrillator. The key is that everyone knows where it is and that it's checked. Ulster GAA also publishes guidance on registering your club's defibrillator [2].

The gap most kits miss: privacy and shelter

Look at that list again. Almost everything in it treats the injury. Very little deals with the situation: a player lying on a wet pitch, possibly for a long time, in full view of a crowd with phones.

That's the gap InciTent was built for. Our founder, Jonah Roche, attended an incident at a rural GAA club where a young female player had a suspected spinal injury. She lay for over an hour in heavy rain waiting for an ambulance. When a player shouldn't be moved, a foil blanket only does so much.

A pitch-side privacy tent gives your first-aider a sheltered, private space around the player:

it keeps rain and wind off a player who can't be moved
it keeps the player out of phone cameras, especially important with juveniles
it gives your first-aider room to work calmly, with the kit and AED close by.

The InciTent 3-Sided Tent has no floor, so it goes straight over a player where they lie, with no need to move them. It's waterproof, sets up in 10 seconds, and has an open side, so your first-aider can get in and out easily and paramedics can reach the player when they arrive. It folds to a flat 60 cm disc, just 3 cm thick, so it's easy to carry with the kit bag. Keep one per pitch with the first-aid bag. Our 2-tent club pack covers two pitches.