Health and Safety Policy

Last updated October 2026

Draft

This policy is a draft pending review by legal counsel and approval by the PG PONY Board of Directors. The league's earlier 2021 Health and Safety Guidelines are kept on the Legacy Policies page.

A player collapses: call 911, start CPR, get the AED.

A player who collapses and isn't responding normally may be in sudden cardiac arrest. Every minute counts. AEDs are kept inside the concession stands at George Washington Park, Arnett Park and Muni Ballpark. What to do

At a glance

  • When in doubt, sit them out. A player with a possible head injury leaves the game or practice for the rest of the day.
  • They don't return until a licensed health care provider clears them in writing, followed by a return-to-play plan of at least 7 days if they had a concussion.
  • A player who faints or has chest pain, a racing heart or trouble breathing during activity stops playing until a health care provider clears them in writing.
  • Every family signs the concussion and cardiac arrest information sheets each year, and every manager and coach is trained to spot the signs.
  • Every field has an emergency plan, and there are AEDs in the concession stands at our three main game fields, unlocked whenever a team is on the field.

1. Purpose and who this covers

Baseball and softball are safe sports, but serious injuries can happen: a ball to the head or chest, a collision, or a heart condition no one knew about. This policy sets out how Pacific Grove PONY Baseball and Softball ("PG PONY" or "the league") prepares for those moments and what happens after. It is written to meet California's requirements for youth sports organizations and to follow current youth sports safety guidance.

It applies to every player, and to every manager, coach and board member ("coaches" in this policy). Parents and guardians are responsible for the steps marked for families.

2. Before the season

Families

  • Each year, before their player's first practice, a parent or guardian and the player sign the concussion and head injury information sheet and the sudden cardiac arrest information sheet. Players can't practice or play until both are signed. The league collects them at registration.
  • Families tell the league at registration about any condition a coach should know about, such as asthma, severe allergies, diabetes, seizures, a heart condition or a recent concussion, and update it if anything changes.
  • Families of players who carry an inhaler or epinephrine auto-injector make sure it's at every practice and game.

Coaches

  • Before first serving, and every year after, every coach completes free online training in recognizing and responding to concussions and head injuries (such as the CDC's HEADS UP course) and in recognizing the warning signs of sudden cardiac arrest, and gives the league the completion certificates.
  • Every manager, and at least one coach on every team, holds a current CPR and AED certification. The league pays for it.
  • Every team has a first aid kit and instant ice packs, provided by the league, and a copy of the team's emergency contacts and medical notes at every practice and game.
  • Every coach knows the emergency plan for each field their team uses (section 5).
  • At the first practice or parent meeting, the manager shows parents where the AED is kept at each field the team uses and how to get to it.

3. Concussions and head injuries

A concussion is a brain injury. It can come from a ball, bat, collision or fall, and it can happen without being knocked out. Signs include headache, dizziness, confusion, nausea, blurred vision, sensitivity to light or noise, balance problems, or just not acting like themselves. Symptoms can appear hours later.

Remove from play

  • Any player who may have a concussion or other head injury is removed from the practice or game immediately and may not return that day, even if they say they feel fine.
  • Call 911 if the player lost consciousness, has a worsening headache, repeated vomiting, a seizure, weakness or numbness, slurred speech, or is getting more confused or drowsy.
  • The player is never left alone, and is handed over only to their parent or guardian or to medical responders.

Tell the family

The manager tells the player's parent or guardian the same day: when it happened, the signs or symptoms seen, and anything done to help. The manager also files an incident report with the league within 24 hours (section 6).

Clearance and return to play

  • The player may not return to any practice or game until they are evaluated by a licensed health care provider trained in managing concussions, acting within the scope of their practice, and the family gives the league that provider's written clearance.
  • If the provider diagnoses a concussion, the player also completes a graduated return-to-play plan of no less than 7 days, under the supervision of a licensed health care provider, before returning to full activity.
  • Coaches follow the steps of the plan and stop and notify the family if any symptoms come back.

4. Sudden cardiac arrest

Sudden cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly stops beating effectively. It is rare in young athletes, but it is the leading cause of death in young athletes during sports, and fast action with CPR and an AED saves lives. In baseball and softball it can also happen when a ball or other hard blow strikes the chest at the wrong moment (commotio cordis), even in a healthy child.

Warning signs: stop and get checked

A player who faints or passes out, or has chest pain, a racing or fluttering heart, unusual shortness of breath, or dizziness during or right after activity, stops playing and is evaluated. They may not return to practices or games until a licensed health care provider has examined them and the family gives the league written clearance. The manager tells the family the same day and files an incident report.

If a player collapses

  1. Call 911, or have someone call, and send someone to get the nearest AED.
  2. Start CPR right away if the player isn't responding and isn't breathing normally. Push hard and fast in the center of the chest.
  3. Use the AED as soon as it arrives. Turn it on and follow its voice prompts. It will only shock if a shock is needed.
  4. Keep going until paramedics take over. Send someone to meet the ambulance and guide it to the field.

California law protects people who give emergency care or use an AED in good faith. Don't hesitate.

AEDs

  • The league owns AEDs at George Washington Park, Arnett Park and Muni Ballpark, granted to PG PONY by the Via Heart Project. Each one is kept inside the field's concession stand.
  • Unlock the stand first. At those three fields, the manager or a coach unlocks the concession stand before every practice and game, before players take the field, and keeps it unlocked until the last player has left, so the AED can be reached in seconds. Coaches who aren't sure how to get a key ask the Field Director before the season.
  • At fields without a league AED, coaches know where the nearest one is (for example, in a nearby school or building, if it's open) and call 911 immediately, since the dispatcher can guide CPR and may be able to locate the nearest AED.
  • The Field Director inspects each AED at least monthly during the season and at least every 90 days the rest of the year, replaces pads and batteries before they expire, keeps a written log of inspections and maintenance, and follows the manufacturer's instructions and California's requirements for AED owners.
  • After any use, the AED is taken out of service until it is checked, restocked and returned to its place, and the President is notified.

Protective equipment

  • Catchers wear a full set of catcher's gear, including a chest protector, in every game and when warming up pitchers. As the league replaces catcher's gear, it buys chest protectors certified to the NOCSAE standard for reducing the risk of commotio cordis.
  • Players wear batting helmets that meet NOCSAE standards whenever they bat or run the bases. Helmets are required in every division.

5. Emergency action plan

Every field the league uses has a one-page emergency plan, kept in each team's first aid kit and reviewed by coaches before the season. Each plan includes:

  • The field's street address and the best entrance for an ambulance, including any gate that must be opened.
  • Where the nearest AED is, and how to get it quickly, including unlocking the concession stand at fields with a league AED.
  • Who does what: one adult stays with the injured player, one calls 911, one gets the AED, one meets the ambulance, and one stays with the rest of the team.
  • The nearest emergency room.

Managers make sure at least one adult at every practice and game has a working phone, and that the team has its emergency contacts and medical notes on hand. A player is never sent home or left alone after a serious injury until a parent, guardian or medical responder takes over.

6. Reporting injuries

  • For any injury that needs medical care, or any head injury, fainting or cardiac warning sign, the manager files an incident report with the league within 24 hours, using the league's incident report form or by email to the President at president@pgpony.org.
  • The league keeps incident reports and medical clearance letters confidential, shares them only with those who need them to keep the player safe, and uses them to file any insurance claim and to review its safety practices.

7. Following and reviewing this policy

  • A coach who lets a player return without the required clearance, or who otherwise ignores this policy, may be suspended or removed.
  • The board reviews this policy every year before registration opens, and whenever California law or the requirements of PONY Baseball and Softball or USA Softball change.

Questions

Email the President at president@pgpony.org, or use the Get help page to find the right person. For questions about the child safety rules for adults, see the Child Safety Policy.