Recently there has been injuries at training due to people wearing jewellery. Due to this health risk, it is crucial that all players must take off all accessories and jewellery before training. If something cannot be taken off, such as new piercing, then please have it taped down to prevent injury to others and oneself. This applies to all members of the team, touch and union.

Below I have included segments from a first aid training website which describes why you shouldn’t wear jewellery during physical sports, and the hazards that can occur. The link to the full article is here: https://firstaidtrainingcooperative.co.uk/why-cant-i-wear-jewellery-when-playing-sports/

Watches and Bracelets - Any watches, bracelets and other jewellery on arms or legs should be removed before activities. These can catch and cause injuries to the player and wearer. And also cause damage to the item.

Rings – Rings should be removed before activities. If you received a hand or finger injury and swelling occurs the ring may not be removable. This will be terribly painful and causes circulation issues. In extreme cases the ring may need to be cut off as it can’t be removed. Another issue with rings is degloving. I witnessed this at a climbing wall when a climber stretched up for a hole with their left hands and put their fingers in a slot. As they pulled up their feet slipped and the whole weight of their body was hanging from the ring on their finger. Of course, the ring cut into the skin, which gave way, degloving the finger.

Piercings and studs – Piercings and studs are popular. There is danger of injury to the wearer and/or other competitors from any body piercing. Earrings in particular are prone to being torn from earlobes when contact is made. When pulled out causes this bleeding, pain and scaring. Even if you don’t think your jewellery will get caught on clothing or sporting equipment, even simple stretches or rapid body movements can cause the hole to tear. This includes body piercings and facial piercings.

Recent piercings – If you take part in sport activities and are looking to get a new piercing, it’s important to know a little about healing time and hygiene. After getting a new piercing, the jewellery must stay in place for an extended period of time. For an earlobe piercing, the expected healing time is 6 weeks before you can safely change your earrings. For a cartilage piercing, the healing period is 12 weeks. Be sure to keep those timeframes in mind if your season is about to start.
During this healing period, the skin and tissue around the piercing is an open wound and will be particularly susceptible to infections caused by touching the area with dirty hands. In addition to your own sweat, dirt and other bacteria on shared sports equipment will be on your hands and body, exposing you to potential for infection.

Taping – Many athletes with body piercings or rings use tape to cover the jewellery during activities. While this tactic does remove some risk, it is not always a reasonable solution. Some types of body jewellery cannot be adequately taped without affecting your range of movement and the adhesive from the tape can irritate the piercing wound.

Necklace - All necklaces are to be removed before any activity as this can cause strangulation to yourself if this is caught.