PARENTS

CODE OF BEHAVIOUR

(a) Remember that children play the sport for their enjoyment, and not yours;

(b) Encourage all children to participate, do not force them;

(c) Focus on the child’s efforts and performance rather than the result of the activity (that is, winning or losing);

(d) Encourage children to always participate according to the rules;

(e) Never ridicule, yell at a child for making a mistake or losing a game;

(f) Remember that children learn best by example, so applaud good play by both teams;

(g) Support all efforts to remove racial and religious vilification, verbal and physical abuse from sporting activities;

(h) Respect the match official’s decisions and teach your child to do likewise;

(i) Show respect and appreciation to Club officials, including coaches, officials and administrators. Ensure any issues are raised through the correct channels;

(j) Do not smoke or consume alcohol near the team bench (Technical Area) or sideline;

Dispute Resolution

In the unlikely event of a dispute between player / parent / coach, we have a procedure in place to provide for a resolution:

• Under no circumstances should anyone approach the team coach directly to resolve any dispute. This is particularly prevalent on match days when emotions are high and the chances of any reasonable discussion / resolution being reached are minimised;

• Any issues that are raised and require resolution, approach your team manager and raise your concerns with them;

• The team manager may in many instances be able to provide a positive response, but should further consultation be required, you may request a meeting with the team coach. This request must be made only via the team manager;

• The team coach cannot refuse a meeting with any parent or guardian;

• If the issue cannot be resolved during this meeting / discussion, you may request a further meeting with the coaches liaison, who will further attempt to resolve the dispute;

• Do not approach the coaches liaison directly as he can only step in if the dispute resolution procedure has been followed and only following a request from the team manager involved;

• Under no circumstances approach any committee member to try and resolve disputes as they have no authority to provide input in resolving disputes and have charged the football department with the appropriate powers to resolve ANY issue that may arise during the season;

• If a committee member is approached, they will request that you follow the dispute procedure to its conclusion;

• The committee can only become involved at the specific request of the coaches liaison;

While the above procedure may sound dramatic, we do not envisage a negative experience for any Montrose Soccer Club player, associate or member and under normal circumstances if there is an incident, once the emotions of the day settle and people have had a chance to sleep on things and reflect, a calm conversation can usually be had and a common solution can be negotiated quite reasonably.