On April 14th, LeagueApps is hosting the fourth annual Ballin’ for Charity 3v3 Basketball Tournament. It’s a great way for our team to put ourselves in our partners’ shoes by running a tournament. Each year we learn more about all of the different elements that go into making a tournament a success. This year we are upping our safety standards by partnering with Go4Ellis to secure an athletic trainer for the event.

Here are the top three safety “must-haves” put together by our friends at Go4Ellis, the on-demand per diem Athletic Trainer and Sport Safety platform.

1. Have An Emergency Action Plan

An Emergency Action Plan (EAP, for short) is a document that contains vital information to use in the event of a medical emergency. The elements of a great emergency action plan are:

• The address and maps of the location and venue outlining important venue specific information such as emergency exits, ambulance access points and life saving equipment, like AEDs.
• Key tournament personnel and their contact information.
• Staff roles and responsibilities in the event of an injury or emergency.
• The contact information for the closest Police Department, Fire Department and Hospital.
• Contact information for all players and coaches –  LeagueApps makes this information easily accessible on any device.
• Make sure that your staff has read, understands and practices the EAP prior to the tournament. That way, if something does happen, they’ll keep their cool as they handle the situation as they were trained.

2. Have an AED on site

An AED (automated external defibrillator) is used when someone goes into sudden cardiac arrest. Modern AEDs are easy-to-use. They analyze a heart’s rhythm and, if necessary, deliver an electrical shock—or defibrillation—to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm.

The AED should be able to make it to the person in need in need within two minutes.  If your tournament is taking place at a large venue, you will probably need more than one AED. Before the event, make sure you check the expiration date of the AED pads as well as the battery life in the AED.

3. Have An Athletic Trainer

According to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, Athletic trainers (ATs) are highly qualified, multi-skilled health care professionals who collaborate with physicians to provide preventative services, emergency care, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention and rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions. Athletic trainers work under the direction of a physician as prescribed by state licensure statutes.

Athletic Trainers are trained to save lives as well as make the tough return-to-play decisions; protecting the player and, by extension, the coach, the team and the tournament.

And hey, if you need help finding an Athletic Trainer, just go here: Go4Ellis.com. There are thousands of stone-cold Athletic Training pros on the Go4Ellis platform ready to go.

Ballin’ for Charity has built a reputation as the can’t-miss basketball event of the spring. The charity tournament attracts hundreds of adult players to Basketball City, an iconic basketball venue a stone’s throw from the East River. On April 14th, the LeagueApps community will be joined on the hardwood by sports startups, tech companies, and basketball diehards from all over the tri-state area. Whoever cuts down the nets as tournament champion* will receive the grand prize, a handsome chunk of change to donate to the charity of their choice!

*Please don’t cut down the nets, Basketball City needs those.