When can I go onto the ground, and what are the rules for runners and the Coaches Box?

The First Aid / Medical Officer is one of the few people authorised on the playing surface during play. The others are players on the team sheet who are not benched, team runners, field umpires, and people you ask to help carry a stretcher (only once the Field Umpire allows it).

• You may also be in the Coaches Box during play.
• Anyone else who enters is encroaching. Spectators must stay behind the spectator line even when a player is injured, and penalties for encroachment range from a 2-match suspension up to a life ban.
• Runners assist you with removing injured players but are not allowed to carry water or medical supplies on the playing surface during play, and are limited to 7 minutes per quarter on the field.
• Know where the stretcher and emergency vehicle access points are before the match starts. The Host Club must provide a stretcher in good condition, usually behind the interchange area, and a game cannot start without one.