Moycarkey Borris GAA Club - Code of
Conduct and Best Practice
Introduction
Moycarkey Borris GAA Club is fully
committed to safeguarding the well being of its members and players. Every
individual in the club should, at all times, show respect and understanding for
their rights, safety and welfare, and conduct themselves in a way that reflects
the principles of the club and the guidelines contained in the Code of Ethics
and Good Practice for Children’s Sport in Ireland.
Sport provides an excellent opportunity for children to learn new skills,
become more confident and maximise their own unique potential. These benefits
will increase through a positive and progressive approach to the involvement of
children in sport that places the needs of the child first and winning and
competition second. Winning and losing are an important part of sport but they
must be kept in a healthy perspective.
Fair Play
The principles of fair play should always be
emphasised, and organisers should give clear guidelines regarding acceptable
standards of behaviour. The importance of participation for each child, best
effort and enjoyment rather than winning should be stressed. Children should be
encouraged to win in an open and fair way. Behaviour which constitutes cheating
in any form should be discouraged. The trust implicit in adult-child
relationships in sport places a duty of care on all adults, voluntary or professional,
to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of the child while engaged in their
sporting activity. Adults must contribute to the creation of a positive
sporting environment for young people.
Best Practice
To ensure that best practice is being followed,
Moycarkey Borris GAA Club will:
• Adopt and implement the Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Children’s Sport
in Ireland as an integral part of its policy on children in the club
• Ensure that the Club Management Committee is elected or endorsed by
registered club members at each AGM
• Appoint a Children’s Officer
• Ensure best practice throughout the club by disseminating its code of
conduct, including the disciplinary, complaints and appeals procedures in
operation within the club to all its members. The club’s code of conduct should
also be posted in all facilities used by the club
• Develop effective procedures for responding to and recording accidents
• Ensure that all club members are given adequate notice of AGMs and other
meetings
• Ensure that all minutes of all meetings (AGM’s/EGM’s/Committee) are recorded
and safely filed
Safety
The club will adopt the following practices in
order to promote safety while participating in club activities:
• Activities being undertaken should be suitable for the ability, age, and
experience of the participants
• Equipment and facilities should meet the highest possible standards and
be appropriate to the maturity of the participants
• Where protective equipment is deemed necessary it should be used
• First Aid should be available for all training sessions and events.
There should be a proper First Aid Kit.
• First Aid should be a basic element of a coaching leadership course
• Parents/guardians should be notified by the relevant coach of
injuries/illness which their children incur while participating in a sporting
activity
• Umpires and referees should ensure that the conduct of the games conform
to the standards set
• Children should be taught the rules of the game and be encouraged to
abide by them, keeping in mind that many rules are there for safety
• Parents/guardians should know the starting and finishing times of
sessions and events
Supervision of Away Trips
Attention should be paid to the following
factors if away trips are being contemplated:
• Written permission of parents / guardians should be obtained for all
overnight away trips
• Parents / guardians should inform the club / team mentors at the outset
of any medical condition or special needs of their child
• The roles and responsibilities of adults participating in away trips
should be clearly defined
• Where there are mixed teams there should be at least one female mentor
• As a rule adults should not share a room with a child. Where the
presence of an adult is required there should be more than one child in the
room with the adult. If children are sharing a room it should be with those of
the same age and sex
• Adequate adult : child ratios should be observed
• Special care should be taken by both host and visiting clubs in the
selection of homes for overnight stays, and where practicable more than one
child should be placed with each host family
• If a child suffers a serious injury or accident the parents/guardians
should be informed as soon as possible
Discipline, Complaints and Appeals
Discipline in sport should always be positive
in focus, providing the structure and rules that allow participants to learn to
set their own goals and strive for them. It should encourage young people to
become more responsible for themselves and therefore more independent.
The main form of discipline should be positive reinforcement for effort. It
should encourage the development of emotional and social skills as well as
skills in sport. Children should be helped to become responsible about the
decisions and choices they make within sport, particularly when they are likely
to make a difference between playing fairly and unfairly. There should be no
place for fighting, over-aggressive or dangerous behaviour in sport.
Participants should treat others in a respectful manner. They should not
interfere with, bully or take unfair advantage of others
Club Children’s Officer
The appointment of a Children’s Officer is an
essential element in the creation of a quality atmosphere within Moycarkey
Borris GAA Club. S/he will act as a resource for all members of the
club with regard to children’s issues. S/he will ensure that the children have
a voice in the running of their club and can talk freely about their
experiences in their sports activities. The Children’s Officer will have access
to the Club Executive Committee. S/he will have as her primary aim the
establishment of a child centred ethos within the club. The Children’s Officer
will have the following functions:
• To promote awareness of the Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Children’s
Sport in Ireland
within the club and particularly among the children and their
parents/guardians. This could be achieved by the production of information
leaflets, the establishment of children’s/age-group specific notice boards and
by regular information meetings for the children and their parents/guardians
• To influence policy and practice within the club in order to prioritise
children’s needs
• To provide an accessible resource to children
• To see that children know how to make concerns known to appropriate adults or
agencies. Information disclosed by a child to the Children’s Officer or any
other adult within the club should be dealt with in accordance with the
Department of Health and Children’s Guidelines Children First and the
Department of Health and Social Services
• To encourage the involvement of parents/guardians in the club activities and
co-operate with parents/guardians in ensuring that each child enjoys his/her
involvement in sport
• To act as an advisory resource to Sports Leaders on best practice in
children’s sport
• To report regularly to the Club Executive Committee
• To monitor changes in membership and follow up any unusual dropout,
absenteeism or club transfers by children or Sports Leaders
Children’s Officers do not have the
responsibility of investigating or validating child protection concerns within
the club and have no counselling or therapeutic role. It is, however, possible
that child protection concerns will be brought to the attention of the
Children’s Officer.
Code of Conduct – Players
• Always do your best, play fairly and
have fun
• Always shake hands before and after a match
• Respect officials/referees and accept their decisions
• Do not shout at or argue with the referee, officials, team mates or
opponents
• Bullying is totally unacceptable
• Avoid using foul or abusive language
• Always remember that hurling and football is a team game and encourage
your fellow players
• Respect your club and its property
Code of Conduct – Mentors
• Avoid physical or verbal abuse
• Avoid spending excessive amounts of time with children away from others
• Avoid taking children to your home or taking children on journeys alone
in your car
• Coach by example and encourage sportsmanship and fair play on the field
of play among juvenile players
• Ensure that sufficient time and attention is given to less talented
players
• Try to ensure that training is an enjoyable experience for the players
• Do not put too much emphasis on results
• Avoid verbal exchanges with referees or opposing mentors / players
• Avoid taking sessions alone
• Do not rebuke a child for making a mistake, always encourage
Code of Conduct – Parents
• Always encourage and support your child
in their sport
• Be familiar with those mentors who are coaching your child
• Behave responsibly on the sideline
• Bring children to and from training on time
• Encourage your child to play by the rules
• Ensure your child has the proper training/playing gear and water
• Support the coaches and help out wherever necessary
• Ensure that your child is registered and paid-up
• Respect the coaches’ decisions and encourage your children to do the
same
• Show your support for your child/team by attending matches on a regular
basis and assisting in the organisation of club activities
Discipline Levels
The use of sanctions is an important element in
the maintenance of discipline. Coaches have the authority to apply sanctions
where deemed necessary, however, coaches should have a clear understanding of
where and when particular sanctions are appropriate. The age and developmental
stage of the child should be taken into consideration when using sanctions. The
following steps are suggested:
Minor Offences
• a warning should be given if a rule is
broken, e.g. poor conduct.
• a sanction (for example, use of time out) should be applied if a rule is
broken for a second time.
• if a rule is broken three or more times, the child should be spoken to,
and if necessary, the parents/guardians should be informed.
• If the offences continue the coach can request that the player be
suspended from training & matches for a defined period
Serious Offences
Serious offences can be defined as:
• Continuous breaches of discipline
• Refusal to carry out the instructions of the coach
• Wilful damage to club property or that of visiting teams, or
• Bringing the club into disrepute through the player’s actions during a
training session, match or any event organised by the club.
In the event of such
incidents occurring, the coach can ask the parent/guardian to collect their
child from the training/match and suspend the player from playing or training
for a defined period. The coach may also report the incident to the executive
committee of Moycarkey Borris GAA Club if s/he deems it necessary. On receipt
of any such complaint the executive committee or a sub-committee thereof will
investigate the incident and recommend any further punishment deemed
proportionate to the offence involved.
