Codes of Conduct | Engadine Crusaders

ENGADINE CRUSADERS FOOTBALL CLUB

Code of Conduct

February 2016

Contents

Introduction
General Code of Conduct
Players Code of Conduct
Coaches Code of Conduct
Managers Code of Conduct
Supporters & Spectators Code of Conduct
Parents Code of Conduct
Ground Appointed Referees Code of Conduct
Committee Members Code of Conduct
Failure to comply with Code of Conduct
Investigation
Rulings
Appeals

Introduction

The Engadine Crusaders Football Club is a proud football club where people have fun, make friends and stay fit. Located in the Sutherland Shire, we cater for children of all ages, both boys and girls, and adults too. The season runs from April to August each year and we play from our home ground Preston Park on the Princes Highway in Engadine.

We’ve been part of the Engadine community since 1967. We’re proud of our past and we’re planning for a strong future for the club with new facilities and a growing number of teams in the Sutherland Shire Football Association.

We’ve got football teams for children from preschool through to primary school in our Mini-Roos football program, a smaller version of the game that gives boys and girls aged 4 to 11 a fun introduction to football.

We have a positive club culture that encourages children to keep active through their teenage years. And we’ve got teams of men and women too. We welcome new players to existing teams or new teams to the club that are looking for a smaller club with a positive culture.

The Engadine Crusaders Football Club is affiliated with the Sutherland Shire Football Association, which in turn is affiliated with Football NSW.

It is essential for the club to be successful that everyone involved with the club understands, accepts and agrees to meet the values and rules set out in the Engadine Crusaders Football Club Code of Conduct.

General Code of Conduct

Anyone who has or could have an identifiable association with the Engadine Crusaders Football Club must conduct themselves in accordance with the club’s rules and regulations, including the Code of Conduct.

Any act, or omission to act, which brings the Engadine Crusaders Football Club into disrepute is a breach of the Code of Conduct. The requirement to uphold the Code of Conduct shall apply at all times and at any place. It is not limited to venues or events organized by Engadine Crusaders Football Club, Sutherland Shire Football Association or another club. Anyone who breaches the Code of Conduct may be subject to disciplinary measures taken by the Club, depending on the severity of the situation.

The following general rules must be upheld by everyone involved with the club at all times:

Conduct your participation in a fair and honest manner
Respect the rights, dignity and worth of all participants regardless of their gender, ability, cultural background or religion
Not engage in verbal abuse, intimidation, offensive language or behaviour, harassment or violence against any other Player, Team, Coach, Manager, Referee, Supporter, Spectator or any official of the Engadine Crusaders Football Club and its associations
Not engage in, or otherwise condone, any activities that bring or could bring the Engadine Crusaders Football Club and or the sport into disrepute.
Remember, it’s a game so always have fun.

Players Code of Conduct

In addition to the requirements of the General Code of Conduct, all players must:

Play by the rules.
Play the game in the spirit intended.
Play as a member of a team – your team’s performance will benefit.
Always be respectful. Verbal abuse of officials or sledging other players, deliberately distracting or provoking an opponent are not acceptable or permitted behaviours.
Cooperate with your coach, teammates and opponents. Without them there would be no competition.
Treat the Referee, Linesman and other adjudicating officials with respect. Always observe and accept their rulings.
Comply with any reasonable requests for assistance when asked by an official of the Engadine Crusaders Football Club.

Coaches Code of Conduct

In addition to the requirements of the General Code of Conduct, all Coaches must:

Be equally dedicated to every Player in the Team they coach.
Foster good sportsmanship and team spirit.
Ensure all Players, as far as reasonably possibly, receive equal time on the field, and no player is excessively played in an allocated position against their wishes.
Display control, respect and professionalism to all participants, opponents, spectators and officials. Encourage your players to do the same.
Any physical contact with a young person should be appropriate to the situation
Respect the rights, dignity and worth of every young person, regardless of their gender, ability, cultural background or religion.
Undertake a Working with Children Check (WWCC) with the Office of the Children’s Guardian, pursuant to the Children Protection (Working with Children) Act 2012, and provide details of the outcome of the check to club officials.
Report all incidents of any kind of inappropriate behaviour towards anyone in the club, particularly minors, to the committee.
Attend all matches, or if unable to attend assign the role temporarily to another competent and responsible adult.

Managers Code of Conduct

In addition to the requirements of the General Code of Conduct, all Managers must:

Be the representative of, and behalf of, the Team they represent.
Be contactable to receive information and to relay information to the Team.
Ensure the Club and Committee always has your current contact details.
Undertake a Working with Children Check (WWCC) with the Office of the Children’s Guardian pursuant to the Children Protection (Working with Children) Act 2012, and provide details of the outcome of the check to ECFC officials.
Report all incidents involving your team or other teams of any kind to the Committee.
Organise either yourself or the coach to attend any meetings as they are scheduled by the Club.
Attend all matches, or if unable to attend, then assign the role temporarily to another competent and responsible adult.
Maintain a close working relationship with the Coach on all matters.
Ensure that all information provided by the club is passed onto all players or their parents where the Players are minors.
Only allow registered and eligible Players to play in your team.
Ensure that lending and borrowing players is done in accordance with the rules as set out by the Club and the Sutherland Shire Football Association.
Ensure that all pre-match and post-match procedures are carried out. This includes all scheduled ground duty, ground set up and maintenance and canteen duties.

Supporters and Spectators Code of Conduct

Whilst a Code of Conduct for Supporters & Spectators is difficult to enforce, all registered and associated parties have a duty to encourage Supporters and Spectators to observe the Club’s expectations of conduct at the ground. In addition to the requirements of the General Code of Conduct, all Supports and Spectators must

Behave in a sporting manner and acknowledge skill and achievement in a positive way.
Never enter the field, unless called upon to do so by a match official during an emergency.
Remain behind the spectator line, or at least 1.2m away from the sideline where the spectator line isn’t roped off. This is primarily for your safety, as well as the safety of our Players.
Not hinder or affect the game in any way, even when behind the spectator line. Also do not stand behind the goal line while a field is in play, and remain silent if passing behind the goal of a field in play.
Not verbalise any Players, Referees, Coaches, Managers, other Spectators or Supporters, Officials of Engadine Crusaders Football Club or any other persons so as to denigrate or victimise them.
Not engage in any post-match activity that could be deemed to bring the club or the game into disrepute.
Comply with all reasonable directions by officials from the Club, Sutherland Shire Football Association and the Sutherland Shire Referees Association.

Parents Code of Conduct

Whilst a Code of Conduct for Parents is difficult to enforce, all registered and associated club members have a duty to encourage our own parents and visiting parents to observe the Club’s expectations of conduct at the ground. In addition to the requirements of the General Code of Conduct, all Parents must

Remember that children participate in sport for their enjoyment, not yours.
Encourage children to participate, don’t force them.
Focus on the child’s efforts and performance rather than winning and losing.
Encourage children always to play according to the rules and to settle disagreements without resorting to hostility or violence.
Never ridicule or yell at a child for making a mistake or losing a competition.
Remember that children learn best by example. Appreciate good performances and skilful plays by all participants, whether in your team or the opposition.
Support all efforts to remove verbal and physical abuse from sporting activities.
Respect decisions of officials and teach children to do likewise.
Show appreciation for volunteer coaches, officials and administrators. Without them, your child couldn’t participate.
Respect the rights, dignity and worth of every young person and player regardless of their gender, ability, cultural background or religion.
Comply with all reasonable directions by officials from the Club, Sutherland Shire Football Association and the Sutherland Shire Referees Association.

Ground Appointed Referees Code of Conduct

In addition to the requirements of the General Code of Conduct, all Ground Appointed Referees must:

Place the safety and welfare of the participants above all else.
Apply the rules of the game and actively follow the play to ensure that all rulings are made from suitable vantage point.
Conduct the role of referring in a fair and impartial manner.
Be consistent, objective and courteous when making decisions. Limit talking to either team to that which is necessary to conduct the game and explain a ruling if questioned by the team captain.
Emphasise the spirit of the game rather than the errors.
Be a good sport yourself. Actions speak louder than words.
Respect the rights, dignity and worth of every young person and player regardless of their gender, ability, cultural background or religion.
Comply with all reasonable directions by officials from the Club, Sutherland Shire Football Association and the Sutherland Shire Referees Association.

Club Committee Code of Conduct

In addition to the requirements of the General Code of Conduct all Committee must

Carry out your roles in a diligent manner to the best of the ability, in the best interests of the Club and its members.
Conduct your role in support of the agreed resolutions of the Committee.
Properly consider any issue specifically brought up for the attention of the Committee
Share knowledge of any issues brought to the attention for the Committee with other Committee Members, to be appropriately addressed through club procedures and practice.
Act in an impartial manner and act only in the interest of the Club and its members.
Declare and abstain from activities that involve, or could be seen to involve, any conflicts of interest. You may be permitted to be involved in the relevant activities where conflicts of interest are identified and appropriately managed by the Committee.
Support and always uphold the rules and principles of Engadine Crusaders Football Club including the Code of Conduct.

Failure to comply with the Code of Conduct

Engadine Crusaders Football Club encourages all Club members and associated parties to always comply with the Code of Conduct.

Should breaches of the Code of Conduct occur, formal processes may be commenced, particularly where there are repeat offences. Issues that arise will be resolved in a fair and amicable way through the application of common sense and direct dialogue in the first instance.

However, where repeated failures to abide by the Code of Conduct occurs, or where there is an excessive occurrence of issues attributable to an identifiable team or individuals, then the matter will be investigated by the Committee to determine the appropriate measures in response to remedy the situation and to ensure it does not happen again.

Notwithstanding this, where a failure to observe the Code of Conduct is deemed to be sufficiently severe, even as a first offence, the matter can be taken directly to the Committee for investigation and resolution.

Whilst the Sutherland Shire Football Association already has a system to deal with reportable infractions through their Disciplinary Process, that process does not address Engadine Crusaders Football Club rules and Code of Conduct. Breaches of the Club’s rules will be investigated and determined as well as and separately from the Association’s Disciplinary Committee.

Investigation

All breaches of the Code of Conduct will be investigated. A Panel consisting of the Club’s Executives and other Committee Members as deemed necessary will investigate the matter. The Panel will not include members that are associated with those people subject to the allegation (s). This Panel process may include interviews with the person(s) making allegations and the person(s) subject to the allegation. The Panel alone will subsequently discuss and determine the matter and make a recommendation to the Club President. In their deliberation, the Panel may also consider any ruling of the Association’s Disciplinary Committee, if the Associations investigations have concluded at that time.

Rulings

In determining its ruling, the Panel consider the severity of the offence, the related circumstances and previous rulings, as well as any ruling from the Association’s Disciplinary Committee determined. The ruling may result in any one or more of the following disciplinary sanctions:

A caution
A period of suspension from playing and / or other participation
Expulsion from the club for the current season
Exclusion from future participation with Engadine Crusaders Football Club
Any other measure as agreed by the Committee of Engadine Crusaders Football Club

Appeals

Engadine Crusaders Football Club will take every precaution to ensure that the investigation, deliberation and determination are fair and reasonable in the first instance. Correspondingly, the Panel’s rulings should be considered as being final. However, in instances where it could be reasonably considered that the Panel has made gross injustice, written appeals for leniency may be lodged with the Executives of Engadine Crusaders Football Club for a final ruling. The Appeals Panel will be constituted with committee members not part of the original investigating Panel and will be chaired by the Club President. The determination of the Appeals Committee will be final.

Engadine Crusaders Football Club | Code of Conduct | Updated – Feb 2016