Sports Trainer's Guide to NRL Community Rugby League Ages 6+ 2026

The role of the first responder during a match is to administer first aid and/or offer advice to an injured or ill player. All injuries and illnesses the first responder assesses must be recorded in accordance with the NRL injury reporting guidelines. First responders must be at least 18 years of age and hold a current, relevant NRL accreditation (NRL On-Field Policy, version 4.0).

A first responder must be in a position to respond quickly and access the field of play at three times:

• to attend an injured or ill player;
• after a try has been scored; and
• during a timeout called by the referee.

The first responder determines, in their absolute discretion, whether a player should continue in a match and, if so, when it is appropriate to resume playing. First responders must wear appropriate enclosed footwear and identify themselves with the shirt, vest or jumper colour for their accreditation: NSWRL calls League First Aid the Green Shirt trainer and Level 1 Sports Trainer the Blue Shirt trainer.

A LeagueSafe trainer provides water to players and assists with the interchange process. LeagueSafe trainers must be at least 14 years of age and have completed the NRL LeagueSafe course. A LeagueSafe trainer does not act as the first responder: if a player is injured, a LeagueSafe trainer can attend to the player only until the first responder arrives.

Field access for LeagueSafe trainers is limited to these times:

• Under 6 to 12: a maximum of one LeagueSafe trainer, after a try, during a referee's timeout, or to attend an injured player until the first responder arrives.
• Under 13 and above: a maximum of two LeagueSafe trainers, at the same times, and also when their team is in possession of the football to conduct interchange and provide water only.

LeagueSafe trainers must access the field from an onside position. NSWRL also states that LeagueSafe is the minimum accreditation to enter the field of play.

• Registration: all trainers, including LeagueSafes, must register with their local club under the Trainer member type, online at playrugbyleague.com.
• Working With Children Check: in NSW, all volunteers need a valid NSW Working With Children Check before registering, including relatives of participants.
• Patrons of the Game: if you work with anyone under 18, complete the NRL Patrons of the Game Module.
• Level 1 Sports Trainer: you must be at least 18. Reaccreditation provides 3 years of currency, and you renew by completing an update of your Provide First Aid certification. Your Level 1 must have expired no more than 12 months ago.
• League First Aid: you must be at least 18. The course is 2 online modules plus 8 hours of face-to-face training.
• Prior learning: if you already hold a current first aid and CPR certification you may apply for Recognition of Prior Learning to substitute some modules. Apply and be approved before enrolling in a full course.
• Checking your accreditation: log in to your MySideline profile, open the menu and select Accreditations.

Under the International Laws of the Game (April 2023, used for community ages 13 and over), when a player is bleeding excessively the referee directs the player either to leave the field for attention or to seek medical attention on-field. If the player is replaced because of the bleeding, the replacement counts as one of the team's interchanges.

The referee's signal for a player directed to leave the field to receive attention for bleeding is to draw the hand across the chest from side to side. The junior laws for ages 6 to 12 are a separate rulebook and are not covered here.

A player suspected of having a concussion must be taken out of the game or training session immediately. Visible clues that should make you suspect concussion:

• Loss of consciousness or non-responsive
• Lying on the ground not moving, or slow to stand
• Unsteady on feet, balance problems or poor coordination
• Grabbing or clutching at the head
• Dazed, blank or vacant look
• Confused or not aware of plays or events

Then:

• Apply first aid first, including cervical spine immobilisation if indicated.
• Remove the player from the ground and assess them using the NRL Community Head Injury Recognition and Referral Form.
• The player must not return to play in the same game or training, or any game or training, until medically cleared by a doctor, even if they appear to have recovered.
• Do not be swayed by the opinion of the player, coaching staff, parents or anyone else suggesting an early return.
• Refer the player to a doctor for assessment, preferably the same day, even if the signs and symptoms resolve.

Concussion can only be assessed, diagnosed and managed by a doctor. The NSWRL head injury flowchart follows the same sequence: suspected head injury identified, player removed from field, player not to return to play, patient care provided, form completed.

Any player with any of these red flags after a possible head injury should be sent urgently to hospital by ambulance (call 000): loss of consciousness, seizure or convulsion, severe or increasing headache, double vision, vomiting, deterioration of conscious state (for example increased drowsiness), neck pain or tenderness, burning, numbness, tingling or weakness in the arms or legs, visible deformity of the skull, or increasingly restless, agitated or combative behaviour. If at any time there is any doubt, refer the player to hospital immediately.

For an unconscious player:

• Use DRSABCD (Danger, Response, Send for help, Airway, Breathing, CPR, Defibrillation) and treat the player as though they also have a neck injury.
• Only qualified health professionals trained in spinal immobilisation, following the NRL Neck Injury and Cervical Collar Policy, should move the player onto a stretcher. If none is present, do not move the player: wait for the ambulance and paramedics.

• The online Head Injury Recognition and Referral Form (HIRRF) in the NRL's MySideline platform must be used to record the signs and symptoms of a suspected concussion. The NSWRL process is: log into MySideline Manager, select Report Injury, and enter the details.
• If Concussion Symptoms = Yes is selected, extra concussion questions must be completed and the player is marked Unavailable for selection until suitably cleared to return to play. A symptom record is completed with the player, and a parent should help answer if the player is 12 or younger.
• The sports trainer in charge of patient care completes pages 1 and 2 of the form, and the player's parent or carer is given all three pages to take to the doctor, either as hard copy or electronically through MySideline.
• The player should be referred to a doctor as soon as possible, preferably the same day.
• The NSWRL flowchart also lists a free interchange for the player, the ground manager or team staff recording the head injury assessment on the sign-on sheet, and the league administrator keeping the player unavailable for selection until clearance forms are returned.
• All injuries and illnesses a first responder assesses must be recorded under the NRL injury reporting guidelines.

Under the NRL Community Rugby League Policy and Guidelines for the Management of Concussion (effective 3 November 2025), a player diagnosed with concussion cannot return within these timeframes:

• Adults (19 and over): the earliest a player can be made available for team selection, including any other game day roles, is the 11th day after the concussion.
• Children and adolescents (18 and under): the 19th day after the concussion.

In both cases it is only after all symptoms have resolved and a medical professional has cleared the player. All players must complete a 6 stage return to sport program, and children and adolescents must also complete a return to learn program. A player must not return to contact training or games before being cleared on the NRL Head Injury/Concussion Medical Clearance form.