Pitchside first aid and medical qualifications
A guide for organisers comparing course names, issuers and levels. Browse four broad groups, then use the dedicated football, rugby union or rugby league guide for your sport. This is not a list of courses approved for PitchMedic bookings.
Guide updated
Sources checked
Choose the guide for your fixture
Use this directory to understand the difference between a first aid award, sports immediate-care education and a professional qualification. For the courses used in a particular sport, follow the relevant guide below. If you are arranging attendance rather than choosing training, start with the match-cover checklist.
A qualification check you can record
Keep a short record for each proposed role. This worksheet helps you identify missing information before discussing cover; it does not decide clinical suitability or replace a governing body’s requirements. Use the secure evidence route when documents are requested, rather than emailing certificates to support.
- Fixture requirement: record the sport, association, competition, age group and the source of the role requirement.
- Award: copy the complete course title, level and issuer. Keep professional registration or membership in a separate field.
- Learning and assessment: record which online, practical and assessed components were completed.
- Currency: record completion, expiry and any required refreshers; check that the evidence covers the fixture date.
- Unresolved questions: note who will confirm acceptance, what remains missing and when it was checked.
How to use these four groups
The groups below organise the directory from introductory first aid to advanced professional education. They are not an official four-tier standard, a staffing recommendation or a sequence everyone must complete. An RQF level, a course level and a World Rugby level describe different systems.
Course content alone does not grant permission to perform invasive procedures. Check the person’s professional scope, the exact award and competition requirements. Qualifications used with children are included for reference; PitchMedic’s current beta is for adult participants only.
Group 1 · General and grassroots first aid
Workplace, paediatric and introductory sports first aid. Volunteers, parents and coaches should check their club’s specific requirements rather than choose by group number.
- Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW)
- Workplace first aid
A workplace first aid route described by the HSE; not automatically a sports-specific award.
View source for Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) - Paediatric First Aid (PFA)
- Check the awarding body and provider
First aid education focused on infants and children; it is not a general pitchside healthcare qualification.
View source for Paediatric First Aid (PFA) - Introduction to First Aid in Football (IFAiF)
- The FA · introductory
The introductory football award, often described as Level 1. Distinguish it from the practical EFAiF course.
View source for Introduction to First Aid in Football (IFAiF) - First Aid E-Learning (National Sports First Aid)
- Scottish FA / Hampden Sports Clinic
The online component is a separate course. It does not replace the practical component for a team first aider.
View source for First Aid E-Learning (National Sports First Aid) - Basic First Aid for Football
- Irish FA · coaching module
The Irish FA says its online module gives basic information; accredited first aid courses come from outside agencies. Confirm the actual provider and award, including any St John Ambulance certificate.
View source for Basic First Aid for Football - Football Emergency Aid
- FAW · introductory / Level 1
The FAW’s introductory online award. Its current title is Football Emergency Aid, rather than “FRS Level 1”.
View source for Football Emergency Aid - Emergency First Aid in Rugby Union (EFARU)
- England Rugby / RFU
A rugby first aid award mapped by World Rugby to FAIR Level 1.
View source for Emergency First Aid in Rugby Union (EFARU) - SAFE Rugby Level 1
- IRFU · Level 1
Rugby first aid education; included in World Rugby’s Level 1 equivalence mapping.
View source for SAFE Rugby Level 1 - SCRUMCAPS First Aid Level 1
- Scottish Rugby · Level 1
First aid education for team first aiders, including volunteers; complete the practical and online requirements.
View source for SCRUMCAPS First Aid Level 1 - First Aid in Rugby (FAIR) Level 1
- World Rugby · Level 1
The first-aid stage of World Rugby’s medical education pathway.
View source for First Aid in Rugby (FAIR) Level 1
Group 2 · Practical and intermediate sports first aid
Practical sports first aid and more developed first aid education. These courses do not by themselves establish healthcare-professional status.
- First Aid at Work (FAW)
- Workplace first aid
A workplace training route. Here FAW abbreviates First Aid at Work; elsewhere FAW names the Football Association of Wales.
View source for First Aid at Work (FAW) - Level 2 Emergency First Aid in Football (EFAiF)
- The FA · Level 2
Football-specific first aid with face-to-face learning and pre-course work.
View source for Level 2 Emergency First Aid in Football (EFAiF) - National Sports First Aid — practical course
- Hampden Sports Clinic
A practical course following the online component; check both components when reviewing a certificate.
View source for National Sports First Aid — practical course - Level 2 First Responder for Sport (FRS)
- FAW · Level 2
Builds on Football Emergency Aid. This is a separate Welsh pathway, not the English FA numbering system.
View source for Level 2 First Responder for Sport (FRS) - Level 3 First Aid at Work-Sport
- FAW · Level 3
A sports-focused first aid course listed by the FAW; check the exact certificate and prerequisites.
View source for Level 3 First Aid at Work-Sport - First Aid for Sport, Exercise and Fitness — RQF Level 3 / SCQF Level 6
- ITC First · separate award / certificate titles
World Rugby lists the ITC Level 3 Award and the ITC Certificate at SCQF Level 6 in its FAIR mapping. Qualification-framework numbers are not World Rugby pathway levels.
View source for First Aid for Sport, Exercise and Fitness — RQF Level 3 / SCQF Level 6 - Level 3 Emergency Medical First Aid in Football (EMFAiF)
- The FA · Level 3
Bridges grassroots first aid and professional-game medical education; builds on prior experience.
View source for Level 3 Emergency Medical First Aid in Football (EMFAiF)
Group 3 · Sports immediate care and trauma education
Courses associated with professional sports immediate care. Entry requirements and permitted roles vary by issuer and profession; “non-invasive” is not a universal classification for this group.
- Level 4 Intermediate Trauma Medical Management in Football (ITMMiF)
- The FA · Level 4
An intermediate sports trauma course. Check the current entry criteria for the applicant’s profession.
View source for Level 4 Intermediate Trauma Medical Management in Football (ITMMiF) - Pre-Hospital Immediate Care in Sport (PHICIS) Level 2
- England Rugby / RFU · Level 2
For healthcare and allied healthcare professionals working in rugby; check professional entry requirements.
View source for Pre-Hospital Immediate Care in Sport (PHICIS) Level 2 - SAFE Rugby Level 2 — Immediate Care in Rugby
- IRFU · Level 2
Mapped by World Rugby to its Level 2 immediate-care education.
View source for SAFE Rugby Level 2 — Immediate Care in Rugby - SCRUMCAPS Level 2
- Scottish Rugby · Level 2
Listed in World Rugby’s Level 2 equivalence mapping; distinct from SCRUMCAPS First Aid Level 1.
View source for SCRUMCAPS Level 2 - Immediate Care in Rugby (ICIR) Level 2
- World Rugby · Level 2
The immediate-care stage of World Rugby’s pathway, distinct from its first aid award.
View source for Immediate Care in Rugby (ICIR) Level 2 - Intermediate Immediate Medical Management On the Field of Play (i-IMMOFP)
- Rugby Football League
The intermediate course is separate from IMMOFP. Check the current RFL course and role requirements.
View source for Intermediate Immediate Medical Management On the Field of Play (i-IMMOFP) - Immediate Care in Sport (ICIS)
- RFU historical course name · check the exact certificate
World Rugby’s earlier report identifies Immediate Care in Sport as a former name used for RFU PHICIS education. The current England Rugby directory uses PHICIS. “ICIS / BASEM” is not one award: record the issuer, full course title, level and current status.
View source for Immediate Care in Sport (ICIS)
Group 4 · Advanced care and specialist education
Advanced sports trauma, resuscitation and specialist doctor education. These are distinct programmes, not interchangeable evidence of one advanced clinical scope.
- Level 5 Advanced Trauma Medical Management in Football (ATMMiF)
- The FA · Level 5
Advanced football trauma education. A course award does not extend someone’s professional scope.
View source for Level 5 Advanced Trauma Medical Management in Football (ATMMiF) - SCRUMCAPS Level 3
- Scottish Rugby · Level 3
Included in World Rugby’s advanced Level 3 mapping; confirm current Scottish Rugby requirements.
View source for SCRUMCAPS Level 3 - Pre-Hospital Immediate Care in Sport (PHICIS) Level 3
- England Rugby / RFU · Level 3
Advanced professional-game pathway with professional registration and course prerequisites.
View source for Pre-Hospital Immediate Care in Sport (PHICIS) Level 3 - SAFE Rugby Level 3 — Advanced Immediate Care in Rugby
- IRFU · Level 3
Included in World Rugby’s advanced Level 3 mapping; confirm current IRFU requirements.
View source for SAFE Rugby Level 3 — Advanced Immediate Care in Rugby - Advanced Immediate Care in Rugby (AICIR) Level 3
- World Rugby · Level 3
Advanced rugby immediate-care education; check the holder’s profession and current requirements.
View source for Advanced Immediate Care in Rugby (AICIR) Level 3 - Immediate Medical Management On the Field of Play (IMMOFP)
- Rugby Football League
Advanced rugby league medical education with profession-specific entry and reaccreditation requirements.
View source for Immediate Medical Management On the Field of Play (IMMOFP) - Football Doctor Education Programme (FDEP)
- UEFA · Workshops 1–3
Doctor education across emergency care, injury management and wider player health. Record the workshop actually completed, rather than one generic advanced certificate.
View source for Football Doctor Education Programme (FDEP) - Advanced Life Support (ALS)
- European Resuscitation Council (ERC)
Resuscitation education for healthcare professionals. ERC ALS and Resuscitation Council UK ALS are named provider programmes; check the exact certificate.
View source for Advanced Life Support (ALS) - International Trauma Life Support (ITLS)
- ITLS
Trauma education with different provider course options. The acronym alone does not identify the holder’s course or professional role.
View source for International Trauma Life Support (ITLS) - Prehospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS)
- NAEMT
Prehospital trauma education. Identify the course option and current certificate rather than treating PHTLS as a sport-specific award.
View source for Prehospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS)
Emergency action plans are separate from qualifications
FIFA’s Pre-Match Emergency Action Plan (PEAP) is a planning protocol for medical teams. An event plan or protocol is not a personal qualification and does not replace professional checks. Keep the plan alongside the course directory, rather than calling it a Tier 4 award.
Check the person, the certificate and the fixture
Ask for the full certificate title, issuing body, practical assessment, completion date and expiry or refresher history. Then check the relevant professional registration or membership, insurance, experience and the current rules for the exact sport, competition and role.
A certificate is not a professional registration, and submitting a certificate never approves someone for work. PitchMedic reviews the supporting evidence separately. Standalone first-aider bookings are not currently offered in the beta. We do not provide these courses or award the certificates.
Official sources checked on 17 October 2026. Course titles and requirements can change; use the linked issuer for the latest information.
Tell us about your fixture
Contact PitchMedic about your fixture and beta access. Account creation is currently by invitation while testing is completed.