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This page describes products and general use; it is not medical advice.
Athletic training room equipment is the set of tables, taping supplies, cold and heat modalities, rehabilitation tools, emergency gear, storage and record-keeping tools that a facility needs to evaluate, treat and rehabilitate athletes. The clearest published breakdown for a school setting comes from the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), and the clearest published rule on emergency equipment comes from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA). This guide sorts the equipment by function and ties each group to those two sources.
Who uses it: certified athletic trainers, team physicians and other sports medicine staff, the school and club administrators who equip the room, and students learning what a working training room contains.
What an athletic training room is for
An athletic training room is the fixed facility where injuries are evaluated, taped, treated and rehabilitated, as distinct from the portable kit that travels to the sideline. NATA’s 2010 guidelines on appropriate medical coverage of intercollegiate athletics (AMCIA) state that “a certified athletic trainer must directly supervise all full-service athletic training facilities during institution-declared hours of service.” Equipment is therefore bought and used under a credentialed professional’s direction, not as a self-serve supply closet.
Equipment by function
The NFHS article “Essential equipment for a secondary school athletic training facility” (Samantha Scarneo-Miller, PhD, ATC, 1 October 2025) groups the room’s needs into the categories below. The table keeps each group, what it contains and the NFHS point that matters for setup.
| Function | Typical equipment (per NFHS) | Setup point stated by NFHS |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment and taping | Padded treatment tables; taping station | Two to three padded treatment tables and at least one taping station, if space allows |
| Taping and wound supplies | Athletic tape, pre-wrap, elastic tape, adhesive bandages, gauze, gloves | It may take two to three years before the school identifies how much tape needs to be purchased |
| Cold modalities | Ice machines, reusable cold packs, ice bath or whirlpool tubs | Tubs if space and budget allow |
| Heat modalities | Hydrocollator unit with moist heat packs | Hydrotherapy requires a proper electrical setup, including a GFI outlet |
| Rehabilitation | Resistance bands and tubing, small dumbbells, balance boards, BOSU balls, foam rollers, stretching mats, ankle weights, medicine balls, stationary bike or elliptical, mini hurdles and agility ladders | Conditioning and agility tools are listed alongside the small equipment |
| Emergency | AED, CPR masks, vacuum splints, cervical collar, crutches in multiple sizes, rectal thermometer, cold-water immersion tub, multiple stocked first aid kits | “Every facility should have an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) as well as CPR masks” |
| Storage | Labeled open shelving for braces, wraps and towels; lockable cabinets; mobile carts for sideline transport | Lockable cabinets for medications and sensitive supplies are “highly recommended” |
| Documentation and communication | Computer or tablet with secure access to injury tracking software, printer or scanner, Wi-Fi, two-way radios or cell phones | Radios or phones support on-field emergencies |
Treatment and taping tables
NFHS describes treatment and taping tables as providing “a stable surface for evaluations, taping and basic treatments.” Its suggested starting point is two to three padded treatment tables and at least one taping station, subject to space. Consumable taping supplies sit beside the taping station; NFHS names 1.5-inch non-elastic athletic tape among them. Product-class references on this site cover medical tape and the elastic bandage.
Cold and heat modalities
For cold, NFHS lists ice machines and reusable cold packs, with ice bath or whirlpool tubs where space and budget allow. For heat, it lists a hydrocollator unit with moist heat packs. NFHS notes that hydrotherapy needs a proper electrical setup, including a GFI outlet, so the room’s wiring is part of the equipment decision. For how clinicians choose between cold and heat, see hot and cold therapy in clinical practice.
Rehabilitation equipment
NFHS lists small tools: resistance bands and tubing, small dumbbells, balance boards, BOSU balls, foam rollers, stretching mats, ankle weights and medicine balls. It adds a stationary bike or elliptical and mini hurdles or agility ladders for conditioning and agility work. Range-of-motion measurement is a related topic; see what a goniometer is.
Emergency and lifesaving equipment
NFHS states that every facility should have an AED as well as CPR masks, and also lists vacuum splints, a cervical collar, multiple crutch sizes, a rectal thermometer, a cold-water immersion tub and multiple stocked first aid kits. Related product pages cover the cervical collar, crutches and splints; the AED buying and compliance guide covers the defibrillator itself.
The list is only half of the requirement. NATA’s AMCIA guidelines say the emergency plan “should specify the equipment needed to carry out the tasks required in the event of an emergency,” should “outline the location of the emergency equipment,” and that “the equipment available should be appropriate to the level of training of the personnel involved.” In practice that means the equipment is named in a written, venue-specific plan, its location is stated, and it matches who can actually use it. The guidelines add that such plans should be developed with local EMS and that personnel should be trained in automatic external defibrillation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, first aid and prevention of disease transmission.
Storage, documentation and communication
NFHS recommends labeled open shelving for braces, wraps and towels, and lockable cabinets for medications and sensitive supplies. On the records side it lists a computer or tablet with secure access to injury tracking software, a printer or scanner and Wi-Fi, plus two-way radios or cell phones for on-field emergencies.
Training room versus sideline medical bag
The room holds the fixed equipment above. The sideline medical kit, also searched as an athletic trainer bag or athletic trainer kit, is the portable set that goes to practices and games; NFHS mentions mobile carts for sideline transport and two-way radios for field communication. Separate checklists on this site cover the portable side: the youth sports team medical kit checklist, the sports stadium medical facility supply checklist and the sports medicine clinic supply checklist.
Training room checklist
- Two to three padded treatment tables and at least one taping station, if space allows
- Taping and wound supplies stocked to a usage level the school tracks over its first two to three years
- Cold and heat modalities, with a GFI outlet wherever hydrotherapy is used
- Rehabilitation tools from the NFHS list, such as bands, balance boards and foam rollers
- An AED, CPR masks and the other emergency items listed above, with their locations written into the venue-specific emergency plan
- Lockable storage for medications and sensitive supplies
- Secure injury-tracking access and a way to reach EMS from the field
Frequently asked questions
What equipment does an athletic training room need?
NFHS groups it into treatment and taping tables, taping supplies, cold and heat modalities, rehabilitation tools, emergency equipment, storage and documentation. The table above lists each group.
What is on an athletic training supplies list?
NFHS names athletic tape, pre-wrap, elastic tape, adhesive bandages, gauze and gloves as the core disposable supplies, and notes the right tape quantity may take two to three years to establish.
Does a training room need an AED?
NFHS states that every facility should have an AED as well as CPR masks. NATA’s AMCIA guidelines add that emergency equipment should be named in the written emergency plan, with its location.
Who should supervise the room?
For intercollegiate full-service facilities, NATA’s 2010 AMCIA guidelines call for a certified athletic trainer to directly supervise the facility during institution-declared hours of service.
Sources
- NFHS, “Essential equipment for a secondary school athletic training facility,” Samantha Scarneo-Miller, PhD, ATC, 1 October 2025. https://nfhs.org/stories/essential-equipment-for-secondary-school-athletic-training-facility. Checked 29 October 2026.
- NATA, Recommendations and Guidelines for Appropriate Medical Coverage of Intercollegiate Athletics (AMCIA), revised January 2010. https://www.nata.org/sites/default/files/2025-08/amcia-revised-2010.pdf. Checked 29 October 2026.
