Safe Grounds, Equipment, And Facilities

1. Rules of sports and activities
The rules of sports and activities are designed specifically for the sport or activity in order to promote safety and the wellbeing of the athlete whilst assisting the flow of play.(2) Rules promote fair play and prevent injury when enforced by referees and umpires therefore promoting safe participation. - Within school and junior sports specific rules are implemented to promote safe participation. An example of this includes: a) AFL is a physical contact sport in which many aspects of the game can cause injury to a participant if rules are not implemented. Protection of the ball player is a rule in which umpires in AFL (all levels) are instructed to award free kicks against any player who sits on a players
head or shoulders or makes any high contact in another form (3). This is implemented to reduce direct head and neck injuries. In implementing this rule there has been a 15% decrease in head and neck injuries within AFL (all levels), compliance with this rule at all levels enhances the safety of athletes, therefore promoting safe participation.

2. Modified rules for children
Children and young athletes require modified rules to cater for their specific(1) needs which should encourage children to participate in the activity. Safe participation is at the core of modified rules for children as children "have a poor ability to regulate body temperature". Therefore modifications such as field sizes and duration of competition are key to promoting safe participation in school and junior sports. - Eg: a) Kanga cricket is a modified form of cricket for primary school students. The modified rules enable every player to have a chance of success as well as safe participation (4). The boundary is only 30m long (unlike men's 80m boundaries) which reduces excessive physical demands of using the adult size fields. Further in accordance with Cricket Australia's Junior Cricket Policy, all junior games should conducted before or after the peak daily temperature (8:00am -11:00am) with regular intervals every 30mins as a response to children's poor temperature regulation. This was demonstrated in a survey conducted in 2012 with 87% of participants expressing thorough enjoyment of the program. In promoting safe participation the risk of physical stress on participants was decreased whilst still encouraging fun.

3. Matching of opponents
Within Junior and School Sport the matching of opponents based on growth and development is a common practice. In doing this opponents are matched based on age eg: 13A's rugby league in the MCS competition. This is done to group athletes together both psychologically and physically(1). In doing this a safer sporting environment results. Further to promote safe participation size is also used to match opponents to decrease the risk of injury. Further opponents are matched by skill level, usually through the grading of teams. In using these three indicators as matching criteria safe participation is promoted. - E.G.: a) The "Good fight Jujitsu" tournament is a underage tournament for those aged 4-12 years old. Matching criteria is used to decrease the risk of injury, therefore promoting athlete well-being. Firstly opponents are matched on skill level (beginner, intermediate and advanced). After this fights are then sorted based on weight and then age. This enabled a 28% decrease in minor injuries. In doing this the competition manager stated "a safe performance environment is created for all" therefore promoting safe participation.

4. Use of Protective Equipment
Use of protective equipment helps to promote athlete safety and well being.(1) therefore promoting safe participation Protective equipment is designed to protect the athlete from injuries that may occur. Protective equipment must; adequetly protect the wearer, allow freedom of movement, allow air flow as required and be comfortable (2). Each sport has their own piece of protective equipment designed for that sport. This equipment promotes safe participation in their particular sports. - E.G: a. Within cricket the mean piece of protective equipment is the helmet, which is crucial in protecting the batsmen, wicket keeper and in-close fielders. It is now law for young players under the age of 19 to wear a helmet whilst batting or fielding close to the bat.(6) head and face injuries account for 9–25% of injuries to batsmen (7). In accordance with the ICC "The batsman and wicketkeeper should wear a helmet while on field in all forms of cricket". Therefore promoting safe participation in protecting athlete well-being.

5.
Safe Grounds, Equipment and Facilities
Safe grounds, equipment and facilities are important in creating safe participation. It is important that these grounds are kept in a safe order and regularly checked.
Equipment needs to be kept in working order. If equipment is not well maintained injuries result. This can be avoided through maintenance of equipment to promote safety. Facilities need to be safe both for the athletes and the spectators such as bathrooms should work and shade should be available. This helps to promote the wellbeing of the athlete and spectators of sports. - E.G: 1. In soccer, the grounds and facilities need to be appropriate and the equipment needs to be in good condition for the well-being and safety of the participants. It is extremely important that the soccer field is in good condition otherwise there is increased risk of injury, for example, a soccer game played on a uneven field with holes will increase the likelihood of players rolling an ankle, losing balance and colliding with another player. Further it is the prerequisite of the Macarthur Football Association that all grounds have a clubhouse and satisfactory facilities. This promotes safe participation for the athlete to a great
extent