• The ACC website www.acc.org.nz has recently announced a new initiative to reduce sports injury.

    "Sports injuries are not caused by one single factor. Often sports injuries are the result of a number of conditions and circumstances. ACC SportSmart is a 10-point action plan for sports injury prevention."

  • "Screening -Use screening to identify players at risk of injury and identify factors that may make players prone to injury.

    Warm up, cool down and stretch - Warm up correctly to prepare your body for play, and cool down and stretch the right way to help the body recover and to prevent injury.

    Physical conditioning -Being prepared physically can help prevent injuries and improve your performance.

    Technique - Identify the risky elements in your sport and ensure players learn and use the correct techniques at all times, to help prevent injury.

    Fair play - Uphold the principles of fair play to reduce the risk of injury. This is the responsibility of everyone, ie coaches, players, referees and supporters.

    Protective equipment - Buy the correct sporting equipment to help protect you and others from injury.

    Hydration and nutrition - Understand how hydration and nutrition affect your body and make better choices before, during and after exercise.

    Injury reporting - Find out how to collect and analyse injury information, to find ways of preventing the same injuries happening again.

    Environment - Ensure that sporting facilities and equipment are safe, and players have the correct gear.

    Injury management - Correct identification, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries will help players return to training and competition sooner."