Sports first-aid kit checklist: what a team kit needs.
A team kit is not a home kit in a sports bag. It has to deal with grazes, blisters, sprains, bloody noses and the odd big emergency, often at a field far from the car. This is the full list we use in Benchkit, with quantities and sources.
The short answer
A good sports first-aid kit has seven groups of things:
- Wound care: plasters, sterile dressings and gauze, saline for rinsing, cleansing wipes.
- Tape and support: elastic and conforming bandages, a triangular bandage, sports tape.
- Cold: instant cold packs and bags for ice.
- Emergency: a foil blanket, a CPR face shield and a printed emergency card.
- Tools: tough-cut scissors, tweezers, a tick remover, safety pins.
- Hygiene: nitrile gloves, hand sanitiser, waste bags.
- Cards and lists: a first-aid guide, a concussion recognition card and a contents list in the lid.
Keep medicines out of the team kit. Hockey Canada says the team safety person should not give medication of any kind, and Benchkit's templates follow that. Players with an inhaler or an adrenaline auto-injector carry their own, and parents or the player look after it.
Where this list comes from
There is no single official list for team sports. Governing bodies mostly give guidance, not a fixed specification. Scottish Rugby, for example, says its list is "for guidance only" and that you don't need every item.
So we built ours by comparing published kit lists: the Hockey Canada Safety Program list, the sports kits from St John Ambulance in the UK and Australia, and a sideline list from Soccer America's sports doctor. We then cross-checked it against Scottish Rugby's pitch-bag recommendations. Where the lists disagree, we took the common ground and left out anything that needs training to use safely, unless the kit is marked Advanced.
The full checklist with quantities
This is an adult team's home kit, in three sizes. Basic is the essentials (26 items). Standard is what we recommend for most teams (45 items). Advanced is for a kit looked after by a trained first-aider (55 items).
| Item | Basic | Standard | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wound care | |||
| Plasters, assorted (fabric) | 20 | 40 | 40 |
| Knuckle & fingertip plasters | – | 10 | 10 |
| Blister plasters (hydrocolloid) | – | 6 | 10 |
| Sterile gauze swabs 10×10 cm | 10 | 10 | 20 |
| Non-stick sterile pads | 5 | 10 | 10 |
| Sterile wound dressing, medium | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Sterile wound dressing, large | – | 2 | 3 |
| Adhesive island dressings | – | 4 | 6 |
| Sterile eye pads | – | 2 | 2 |
| Wound-closure strips (pack) | – | – | 1 |
| Sterile saline pods 20 ml (wound & eye wash) | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| Eye-wash bottle | – | – | 1 |
| Alcohol-free cleansing wipes | 10 | 10 | 20 |
| Sterile cotton-tipped applicators (pack) | – | 1 | 1 |
| Hydrogel abrasion dressings (turf burn) | – | 4 | 6 |
| Burn gel dressings | – | – | 2 |
| Nasal plugs (nosebleed) | – | – | 4 |
| Petroleum jelly (anti-friction) | – | 1 | 1 |
| Clean water bottle for rinsing | – | 1 | 1 |
| Tape & support | |||
| Elastic bandage 7.5 cm | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Elastic bandage 10 cm | – | 2 | 2 |
| Conforming gauze bandage | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Cohesive bandage 7.5 cm | – | 2 | 3 |
| Triangular bandage (sling) | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Rigid sports tape 3.8 cm | – | 2 | 4 |
| Rigid sports tape 2.5 cm (fingers) | – | 1 | 2 |
| Pre-wrap / underwrap | – | 1 | 2 |
| Elastic adhesive bandage (EAB) 5 cm | – | – | 1 |
| Micropore surgical tape | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Finger splints | – | 2 | 2 |
| Mouldable splint (SAM type) | – | – | 1 |
| Cold | |||
| Instant cold packs | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Reusable gel packs | – | 2 | 2 |
| Resealable bags (for ice) | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| Cold spray | – | – | 1 |
| Emergency | |||
| Foil emergency blankets | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| CPR face shield / pocket mask | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Emergency card (printed, in the lid) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Tooth rescue box / small sealed cup | – | 1 | 1 |
| Tools | |||
| Tuff-cut scissors | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Tweezers | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Tick remover | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Safety pins | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Sterile splinter probes | – | – | 5 |
| Penlight / torch | – | – | 1 |
| Hygiene & protection | |||
| Nitrile gloves (pairs) | 4 | 10 | 10 |
| Hand sanitiser | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Waste bags | – | 2 | 2 |
| Disinfectant wipes (equipment) | – | 1 | 1 |
| Tissues (pack) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Face masks | – | – | 2 |
| Cards & lists | |||
| First-aid guide / quick cards | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Concussion recognition card | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Contents list (printed, in the lid) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Notepad & pen | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Download the free printable checklist (PDF, one A4 page). It shows the Standard list with a column for expiry dates, so you can keep it in the lid.
Kids, youth, adult and elite kits
The age of the players changes the kit more than you might think.
- Kids (up to 12): a Standard kit has 38 items. Kids' kits never include rigid sports tape, underwrap, wound-closure strips, cold spray or a tourniquet. Young children rarely need strapping, and some items need training to use.
- Youth (13 to 19) and adult amateur: the full Standard list, with sports tape and turf-burn dressings.
- Elite, with medical staff: Advanced adds items such as kinesiology tape, a thermometer and a tourniquet. Only trained people should use a tourniquet.
What each sport adds
On top of the base kit, each sport needs a little more of some things. These are the extras Benchkit adds to a Standard or Advanced kit:
| Sport | Extra items on top of the base kit |
|---|---|
| Football | 2 × instant cold packs, 2 × rigid sports tape 3.8 cm, 2 × hydrogel abrasion dressings (turf burn), 4 × blister plasters (hydrocolloid), 2 × spare laces |
| Handball | 2 × rigid sports tape 2.5 cm (fingers), 2 × finger splints, 1 × tooth rescue box / small sealed cup, 4 × nasal plugs (nosebleed), 1 × resin-removal wipes |
| Ice hockey | 2 × sterile wound dressing, large, 1 × tooth rescue box / small sealed cup, 2 × rigid sports tape 3.8 cm, 1 × pre-wrap / underwrap, 1 × foil emergency blankets, 1 × skate & helmet repair kit (screws, laces), 2 × spare laces |
| Basketball | 2 × rigid sports tape 3.8 cm, 1 × pre-wrap / underwrap, 1 × rigid sports tape 2.5 cm (fingers), 2 × instant cold packs, 1 × tooth rescue box / small sealed cup, 2 × sterile eye pads |
| Floorball | 2 × sterile eye pads, 4 × sterile saline pods 20 ml (wound & eye wash), 1 × tooth rescue box / small sealed cup, 1 × rigid sports tape 2.5 cm (fingers) |
| Running | 6 × blister plasters (hydrocolloid), 1 × anti-chafe balm, 3 × foil emergency blankets, 1 × high-visibility vest, 1 × sunscreen spf 30+ |
| Cycling | 6 × hydrogel abrasion dressings (turf burn), 6 × non-stick sterile pads, 6 × sterile saline pods 20 ml (wound & eye wash), 2 × cohesive bandage 7.5 cm, 1 × foil emergency blankets |
| Swimming | 1 × throw bag / reaching pole (poolside), 2 × towels, 1 × foil emergency blankets |
| Volleyball | 2 × rigid sports tape 2.5 cm (fingers), 2 × finger splints, 2 × instant cold packs |
| Rugby | 4 × rigid sports tape 3.8 cm, 1 × pre-wrap / underwrap, 2 × sterile wound dressing, large, 1 × tooth rescue box / small sealed cup, 4 × hydrogel abrasion dressings (turf burn) |
| Skiing | 2 × foil emergency blankets, 1 × sunscreen spf 30+ |
Sport guides: Football first-aid kit list, Rugby first-aid kit list and Netball first-aid kit checklist.
Home kit, match bag and tournament kit
Many teams need more than one kit. A kit in the clubhouse is no help on the far pitch.
- Home kit: the main kit at your ground or clubhouse.
- Match bag: travels to away games. Add 1 × foil emergency blankets, 1 × charged power bank, 1 × sunscreen spf 30+.
- Field kit: stays at the training field or sports hall.
- Tournament kit: more of everything for long days. See the tournament checklist.
Keep it complete
A list only helps if the kit still matches it. Two things go wrong. People use things and nobody refills them. And sterile items, cold packs, gloves and tape quietly go out of date.
Check the kit at the start of the season and regularly after that. Our kit check guide has a 5-minute routine, and this guide explains which items expire.
Turn this list into a kit that stays complete
Benchkit builds this checklist for your sport and age group, then puts a QR sticker on the kit. Anyone taps what they used in 10 seconds, with no app and no login, and it lands on a shared refill list. Free for teams.
Set up your kit, freeQuestions
What should be in a sports first-aid kit?
Wound care (plasters, sterile dressings, gauze, saline, wipes), tape and bandages, instant cold packs, a foil blanket, a CPR face shield, scissors, tweezers, gloves, hand sanitiser and a printed emergency card. The full list with quantities is above.
Should a team first-aid kit have painkillers in it?
No. Team kits should not contain medicines. Hockey Canada says the safety person should not give medication of any kind. Players carry their own prescribed medicine, such as an inhaler or an adrenaline auto-injector.
Is there an official sports first-aid kit list?
Not one for all sports. Governing bodies such as Scottish Rugby publish recommendations and say they are guidance only. Check your league or governing body for any rules that apply to you.
How big should a team first-aid kit be?
Big enough for one bad day plus a normal week. Our Standard kit has about 45 items, which fits in a medium sports first-aid bag. Tournament kits carry more cold packs and plasters.
How often should a sports first-aid kit be checked?
St John Ambulance recommends checking a kit every six months, and more often if it is kept somewhere warm such as a car. A team kit is used every week, so a quick check every month in season is sensible.
Sources
- Hockey Canada Safety Program: first-aid kit content list (via Hockey Alberta)
- St John Ambulance (UK): Deluxe sports first aid kit (archived copy)
- St John Ambulance Australia: Sports first aid kit
- Soccer America: Your crucial preseason checklist: first aid kit
- Scottish Rugby: First Aid Equipment Recommendations (PDF)
- St John Ambulance (UK): Do first aid kits expire?
First-aid information, not medical advice. Kit lists are guidance: what you carry should match the training of the people using it. A first-aid course (for example from St John Ambulance or the Red Cross in your country) is the best preparation. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.