Common Issues & Managing Poor Behaviour

Common Issues

Photography & Videoing in Sport

In Australia, generally speaking, there is no law restricting photography of people (including children) in public spaces as long as the images are not:

• indecent
• being used for voyeurism or made for the purpose of observing and visually recording a person’s genital or anal region
• protected by a court order (eg. child custody or witness protection)
• defamatory
• being for commercial purposes (person’s likeness is used to endorse or entice people to buy a product)

View the resources in the sidebar for further information >>

Insufficient Game Time

Insufficient game time is not a member protection issue. The coach of a team determines how much game time players receive. Some clubs have policies relating to amateur football game time and this can be clarified by asking your club if it has a game time policy.

Football is a team sport and time on the bench is part of the game and being in a team. The strategies used by coaches are many and varied in their efforts to try to provide players with fair game time.  Equal game time is rarely possible particularly where the games are closely contested and when player fitness, endurance, ability and team cohesion are factors in player selection, rotation and positioning.  Concerns relating to game time should be raised with the coach or club.

Non-selection in team

Non-selection is not a member protection issue. The selection of players for a team is a decision for coaches and selectors. Players are generally selected based on various factors including skill, stamina, fitness, strength, positive attitude, team cohesion, commitment, and, their willingness and ability to listen, learn and improve.  Having good behaviour record and being compliant with the Codes of conduct, Laws of the Game and relevant policies, both on and off the field are also important.

Our team is not winning

A study on children’s sport found that the top 3 reasons children play sport were to make friends, to have fun and play the game.

Winning is not always the priority for children. Just playing with their friends, having fun and enjoying the game is often what they base their good experience on. Parents should support and encourage their child’s enjoyment of the game no matter their own priorities, or the outcome of a game – win, lose or draw, the experience should always be positive.

Sport is great for children’s fitness and well-being, and is often an outlet for children to enjoy freedom from the pressures of school, social and family issues, or other pressures which parents may be unaware of, so it is important that children are allowed to enjoy their football and be supported through their experience.

My child is not being played in the position they prefer

The position that a child plays in or is allocated to is a decision for the coach of the team. Although a child may play in a certain position when they trial or join a club, there is no guarantee that this is the position the child will play in . While clubs and coaches like to try and keep everyone happy, it is not always possible to play players where they want, or prefer to play, and when developing players it is common for coaches to them in a variety of different positions.

Failure to release a player from a contract or de-register a player

These are not member protection issues and are matters for resolution between the club and the player or parents involved.

Refund Requests

This is not a member protection issue and is a matter between the player (the parents if the player is U18) and the club. Before requesting a refund it is important to check the club’s refund policy, player contract or player information, or contact the club Secretary for information.

Note: Some fee components may be non-refundable such as capitation fees, insurance and Government subsidies (Active Kids vouchers).

Bullying

Bullying is repeated deliberate behaviour by one or more people towards someone where there is an intention to cause distress, fear or harm and creates a power imbalance between those doing the bullying and those being bullied.

View the resources in the sidebar for further information >>

Managing Poor Behaviour

There is no place for abuse, violence, cheating or any kind of bad behaviour in sport. The positive and appropriate actions and behaviours of everyone is essential to ensuring a safe, fair and inclusive football environment.

The bad behaviour of some people at can be distressing for children and others who witness it and experience it. When these behaviours are allowed to play out on the sidelines in football, it teaches children that as a community we accept that people speak poorly, are abusive or discriminatory and blame others, without consequence. It encourages poor sportsmanship.

Poor behaviour should never be excused. When left unaddressed, it can damage your club’s reputation in football and the broader community, potentially deterring spectators, sponsors, and future opportunities.

View the Club Resources in the sidebar for further information >>

Complaints about Coaches

Clubs are responsible for managing complaints and taking any necessary management or disciplinary action in relation to their coaches, team officials, club officials, employees and volunteers.

When managing a complaint, clubs should consider appropriate steps, including the following depending on the behaviour reported:

• Speaking with the coach about their behaviour
• Monitoring the coach to observe the reported behaviour
• Mentoring the coach to improve their behaviour
• Mediation between the aggrieved parties
• Requiring the coach to complete relevant Play By The Rules or Sport Integrity Australia on-line training
• Requiring the coach to complete an accredited coaching course or other form of further education.
• Issue of a written warning to the coach about their behaviour
• Taking disciplinary action
• Applying a sanction
• Suspending the coach from their duties for a period of time
• A combination of the above, or
• Dismissing the coach, or
• Reporting the behaviour to Police if serious.

Any action taken is the decision of the club or association or relevant Disciplinary Tribunal.  The complainant does not determine how their complaint is managed, or what action, sanction, suspension or dismissal is applied.

Where a coach or other team official identifies that a misunderstanding may have occurred or that their behaviour was not acceptable, it can be beneficial to acknowledge this and offer an apology directly to those effected, as this can help resolve matters in some circumstances, and may even result in resolution for all involved.

Jacketed Ground Officials

In most competitions it is a requirement for clubs to appoint jacketed ground officials for every game day and for each team (both home and away) to prevent and deal with any incidents that may arise involving poor behaviour. The title of the ground official will vary depending on the association as part of its competition management requirements, and may often be referred to as Ground Official, Ground Marshal or Jacketed Official.

Clubs and Associations can best prepare their ground officials by:

• Providing ground officials with information about their role
• Ensuring ground officials stand out on game day by providing them with a high visibility vest or jacket.
• Providing training – ground officials need the skills and confidence to deal with difficult situations. Have your ground official complete appropriate training at Play By The Rules
• Establishing a reporting system – put in place an incident reporting system for ground officials to use.
• Ground marshal’s should be familiar with steps to help resolve conflict and deal with issues quickly and appropriately.

Respect Referees

Match officials are critical to the sport of football and without them there would be no game. Players, team officials parents and spectators should treat them with respect and recognize that they too are often learning, and just like players, can only improve with more training and experience.