Codes of Conduct • Players, Officials (Committee, Coaches, and Team Managers), Spectators and Volunteers
Approval Date AGM 03.2022 Review Date AGM 03.2024
Version No 1
President Carla Dixon Secretary Bree Findlay
Purpose To ensure that all players, officials (committee, coaches, and team managers), spectators and volunteers have a very clear understanding of the behaviour that is expected from everyone and to make it clearly understood that breaches of these codes will result in disciplinary action.
Players • Always be a good sport, even in defeat. Be always gracious to your opponents. • Always encourage your teammates, even when they make an error. • Always play by the rules and in the spirit of the game. • Control your temper. Verbal abuse of officials, coaches, players, and spectators is never acceptable. • Deliberately distracting or provoking another person is never acceptable. • Do not interfere with the progress and/or conduct of the game. • Listen and concentrate when your coach is speaking. Save any questions until the end. • Maintain your focus and work hard for yourself and your team. • Never argue with an official. If you disagree with a decision, your coach can approach the official after the game for clarification. Remember the officials cannot see every infringement or may overlook an infringement to maintain the flow of the game. • Never retaliate to abuse from others, walk away. • Never swear or use inappropriate language in matches or at training. • Participate for your own enjoyment, not just to please parents and coaches. • Remove all jewellery prior to match play as it is hazardous to you and those around you. • Respect and cooperate with your coach, teammates, and opponents. Without them there would be no competition. • Respect the rights, dignity and worth of all participants regardless of their gender, ability, cultural background, or religion. • Treat and respect all players as you would like to be treated. Never take unfair advantage, bully, ridicule, or insult another player.
Officials (Committee, Coaches and Team Managers) • Always act as a role model. • Always consider the wellbeing and safety of participants before performance and results. • Always respect the official’s decision and support them to carry out their role. • Display consistently high standards of good sporting behaviour and appearance. • Encourage and guide participants to accept responsibility for their own performance and behaviour both on and off the field. • Encourage participants to value their performances and not just results. • Ensure all activities are appropriate to the age, ability, and experience of participants. • Follow all guidelines laid down by the national governing body and the Club. • Hold appropriate valid qualifications before commencing to coach. • Maintain respectful and appropriate relationships with all participants. • Never condone rule violations, unfair or unduly rough play or the use of prohibited substances. • Never ridicule or yell at players for errors or poor performance. • Never smoke or drink alcohol whist in an official capacity. • Never use offensive language or behavior. • Promote the positive aspects of the sport (e.g. fair play). • Respect the rights, dignity and worth of every person regardless of their gender, ability, cultural background, or religion. • Support, encourage and involve all players regardless of their talent level.
Child Safe Code of Conduct
Approval Date AGM 03.2022 Review Date AGM 03.2024
Version No 1
President Carla Dixon Secretary Bree Findlay
As of 1 January 2017, the Victorian Government mandated that organisations (including sports clubs) working with children adhere to a series of standards to promote child safety, prevent child abuse, and properly respond to allegations.
The change in legislation required the Grahamvale Sports Club to have the following policies in place:
• Child Safe Policy • Child Safe Code of Conduct
We understand that some of the content in this Code of Conduct may be offensive to some people, however the information detailed in the Code is a requirement by law. If you have any queries regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to discuss these with our Child Safety Officer, Luke Simpson (T: 5821 4219).
Child Safe Code of Conduct The purpose of this Code of Conduct is to promote child safety within all Club environments. Any form of abusive, derogatory, discriminatory, offensive, or intimidating behaviour or language by adults towards minors, or minors towards other minors, is not acceptable. Any action that may be hurtful or risk being interpreted by a reasonable observer as grooming behaviour is unacceptable. Comments or actions that are negatively and unreasonable critical of a person’s culture, ethnicity, language, gender identity, disability, sexuality, or age, are unacceptable.
The following Code of Conduct is derived from the Australian Human Right Commission’s National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (Australian Government).
All Club Committee members, coaches, team coordinators and parent/guardians are responsible for the safety and wellbeing of children and minors who engage with Grahamvale Sports Club and are expected to act in accordance with this Code of Conduct in their physical and online interactions with children and young people under the age of 18 years.
I will • Act in accordance with the Grahamvale Sports Club’s child safety policies and procedures always. • Behave respectfully, courteously, and ethically towards children and their families and towards officials and other volunteers. • Listen and respond to the views and concerns of children, particularly if they communicate (verbally or non-verbally) that they do not feel safe or well. • Promote the human rights, safety, and wellbeing of all children in Grahamvale Sports Club. • Demonstrate appropriate personal and professional boundaries. • Consider and respect the diverse backgrounds and needs of all children. • Create an environment that promotes and enables children’s participation and is welcoming, culturally safe and inclusive for all children and their families. • Respond to any concerns or complaints of child harm or abuse promptly and in line with Grahamvale Sports Club’s policy and procedure for receiving and responding to complaints. • Report all suspected or disclosed child harm or abuse as required by law and in line with Grahamvale Sports Club policy and procedure on internal and external reporting. • Comply with Grahamvale Sport Clubs protocols on communicating with children.
I will not: • Engage in any unlawful activity with or in relation to a child. • Engage in any activity that is likely to harm a child physically, sexually, or emotionally. • Unlawfully discriminate against any child or their family members.