Keep Flu Season Out of Your Season

As flu season approaches, team sports can be a nightmare for protective parents. Locker rooms, water bottles, player-to-player contact and shared equipment are ideal for the spread of germs. Once the flu hits in one of the players, it won’t be long before it spreads to the rest of them. According to the Center for Disease Control, every year the flu can vary in timing, duration and type. That means coaches and parents always have to be on the lookout for telltale signs.

But there are also measure you can take as a coach to ensure that the flu doesn’t hit you team - and you can use your sports team website to publish those recommendations.

Get a flu shot

The best way to prevent the flu? Get a vaccine. These are almost always free, offered at schools, health center and pharmacies. You can use you web page to tell kids and parents when and where flu shots are available. If you wanted to take drastic measures, you could even require it for team participation. After all, your team isn’t the only group affected - the competition is could contract the flu through your team or vice versa.

Practice sanitary behaviors

Encourage the team to wash hands before and after practices and games, avoid touching their eyes or mouth and not to share water bottles and gear. Additionally, make sure to clean and cover any abrasions or cuts Those activities can keep the flu from easily reaching its hosts. Unfortunately, it is impossible to limit contact between players - athletics almost always require it. Plus, sports like basketball and football involve large amounts of contact with the ball, another way to transfer germs.

Encourage time off

If a player does fall ill, be responsible and send him or her home. Even if it’s a symptom and not the full-blown flu, err on the side of caution. Kids want to play - often to a fault - but you should maintain a policy of health over playing. Besides, it would be better for the team to miss a player for a couple weeks than to have the whole team catch the flu. By containing the flu early on you can keep it from spreading to your team and others.

By following these tips, you can keep your team healthy and ready to play. Sports league websites are also a great way to spread the awareness on to your players.