AZ East Valley NJB CODE OF CONDUCT
The aim of these codes is to promote best practice by everyone involved in the sport of Basketball and to provide a safe, healthy, enjoyable environment for young members.
AZ East Valley NJB Core Values
AZEVNJB Guidelines for Young Players:
AZ East Valley National Junior Basketball (AZEVNJB) League wishes to provide the best possible environment for all young people involved in the sport. Young players deserve to be given enjoyable, safe sporting opportunities, free of abuse of any kind. These players have rights, which must be respected, and responsibilities, which they must accept.
Young players are entitled to:
· Be treated with dignity and respect
· Be safe and to feel safe
· To get help against bullies
· To say No
· To be listened too
· To be believed
· To protect their own bodies
· To refuse inappropriate touches
Young players should always:
· Treat all coaches, managers, selectors, club and tournament organizers and officials with respect
· Abide by the rules set down by team managers
· Behave in a manner that avoids bringing the game of Basketball into disrepute
Young players should never:
· Use unfair or bullying tactics to gain advantage on or off the court
· Use bullying tactics to isolate another player
· Pass on gossip about another player or adult
· Make false allegations against other players or adults
AZEVNJB Policy Guidelines for PLAYERS:
I hereby pledge to be positive about my youth sports experience and accept responsibility for my participation by following this Players' Code of Ethics Pledge.
1. I will encourage good sportsmanship from fellow players, coaches, officials and parents at every game and practice by demonstrating good sportsmanship.
2. I will attend every practice and game that I can, and will notify by coach if I cannot.
3. I will expect to receive a fair and equal amount of playing time.
4. I will do my very best to listen and learn from my coaches.
5. I will treat my coaches, other players, officials and fans with respect regardless of race, sex, creed, or abilities and I will expect to be treated accordingly.
6. I deserve to have fun during my sports experience and will alert parents or coaches if it stops being fun!
7. I deserve to play in an environment that is free of drugs, tobacco, and alcohol and expect adults to refrain from their use at all youth sports events.
8. I will encourage my parents to be involved with my team in some capacity because it's important to me.
9. I will do my very best in school.
10. I will remember that sports are an opportunity to learn and have fun.
11. I understand that failure to comply with these pledge guidelines for any reason, will result in a disciplinary consultation that will occur one time and one time only. A second occurence will result in expulsion from the league for me and my parents.
AZEVNJB Policy Guidelines for PARENTS:
AZ East Valley National Junior Basketball Association is committed to providing a safe and fair environment for all young players. Our first priority is the welfare of young players and we are committed to providing an environment, which will allow participants to perform to their best ability, free from bullying and intimidation.
· Be a role model for your child and maintain the highest standards of
conduct when interacting with children, other parents, officials and organizers
· Encourage your child to play by the rules
· Always behave responsibly on the sidelines and do not seek to unfairly
affect the game on court or the player on court
· Take care not to expose any junior player, intentionally or unintentionally, to embarrassment or disparagement by the use of flippant or sarcastic remarks
· Always recognize the value and importance of the volunteers who provide sporting/recreational opportunities for your child
· Respect referees, coaches and other players
· Do not publicly question the judgment or honesty of referees or coaches or organizers
· Teach your child that honest endeavor is as important as winning and do all you can to encourage good sportsmanship
· Set a good example by applauding good play on both sides
· Encourage mutual respect for teammates and opponents
· Parents should support all efforts to remove abusive and bullying behavior in all its forms:
o Child to Child – includes physical aggression, verbal bullying, intimidation, or isolation.
o Adult to Child – includes the use of repeated gestures or expressions of a threatening or intimidating nature, or any comment intended to degrade the child.
o Adult to Adult – includes verbal aggression towards other adults in order to achieve a beneficial outcome for own self or own child.
o Child to Adult - includes repeated gestures or expressions of a threatening or intimidating nature by an individual child or a group of children.
Parents Declaration Form:
I hereby pledge to provide positive support, care, and encouragement for my child participating in youth sports by following this Parents' Code of Ethics Pledge.
1. I will read, respect and adhere to the AZEVNJB Policy Guidelines for Parents.
2. I will support coaches and officials working with my child, in order to encourage a positive and enjoyable experience for all.
3. I will respect my child’s teammates, coaches, other parents as well as players, parents and coaches from opposing teams.
4. I will give encouragement and applaud only positive accomplishments whether from my child, his/her teammates, their opponents or the officials.
5. I will respect my child’s coach and support his/her efforts.
6. I will respect the officials and their authority during games.
7. I will place the emotional and physical well-being of my child ahead of a personal desire to win.
8. I will demand a sports environment for my child that is free of drugs, tobacco, and alcohol, and will refrain from their use at all youth sports events.
9. I will remember that the game is for youth-not for adults and do my very best to make it fun for my child.
10. I will never demonstrate threatening or abusive behavior or use foul
language.
11. I will encourage my child to treat other participants, coaches, selectors, and managers with respect and adhere to the Player’s Code of Ethics.
12. Failure by the parents to comply with these pledge guidelines for any reason, will result in a disciplinary consultation that will occur one time and one time only. A second occurence will result in expulsion of the parents AND player from the league.
AZEVNJB Policy Guidelines for COACHES:
AZ East Valley National Junior Basketball Association recognizes the key role coaches play in the lives of children in sport.
All Coaches should have as their first priority the children’s safety and enjoyment of the sport and should adhere to the guidelines and regulations set out in AZ East Valley NJB CODE OF CONDUCT.
Coaches must respect the rights, dignity and worth of every child and must treat everyone equally, regardless of sex, ethnic origin, religion or ability.
AZEVNJB will take all reasonable steps to ensure that people working with young people in basketball are suitable and appropriately qualified. Assessment procedures are therefore necessary and these procedures apply to all persons with substantial access to young people.
There must be a “sign-up” procedure, whereby the appointed/reappointed coach, agrees to abide by the “AZ East Valley NJB Guidelines for Coaches” and to the policies and code of conduct for the AZ East Valley National Junior Basketball Association.
All adults taking responsibility for children in sport should undergo a recruitment process. Before recruitment, terms of reference should be drawn up and these should clearly state:
1.a. The responsibilities of the role.
2.b. The level of experience/qualifications required.
Guidelines for Coaches:
1. A coach of young players has a duty of care, which is more onerous than that of a coach to an adult team.
2. A coach must act as a role model and promote the positive aspects of sport and of basketball and maintain the highest standards of personal conduct.
3. The use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco must be actively discouraged as being incompatible with a healthy approach to sporting activity.
4. Remember your behavior to players, other officials, and opponents will have an effect on the players in your care.
5. Be generous with praise and never ridicule or shout at players for making mistakes or for losing a game. All young players are entitled to respect.
6. Be careful to avoid the “star system”. Each child deserves equal time and attention.
7. Care must be taken not to expose a child intentionally or unintentionally to embarrassment or disparagement by use of sarcastic or flippant remarks about the child or his/her family.
8. Physical punishment or physical force must never be used. Never punish a mistake - by verbal means, physical means, or exclusion.
9. Insist that players in your care respect the rules of the game. Insist on fair play and ensure that your players know that you will not tolerate cheating or bullying behavior.
10. Remember that young players play for fun and enjoyment and that skill and playing for fun have priority over highly structured competition.
11. Never make winning the only objective.
12. Encourage the development of respect for opponents, officials, and other coaches and avoid criticism of fellow coaches.
13. It is important to realize that certain situations or friendly actions could be misinterpreted by the participant or by outsiders.
14. Basketball coaches are responsible for setting and monitoring the boundaries between a working relationship and friendship with players. It is unadvisable for coaches to involve young players in their personal life i.e. visits to coaches home or overnight stays.
15. When approached to take on a new player, ensure that any previous coach-student relationship has been ended by the student/others in a professional manner.
16. Set realistic goals for the team and for the individual players and do not push young players. Create a safe and enjoyable environment.
17. Do not criticize other officials, and coaches, you are the role model for the children in your care.
18. Avoid giving advice of a personal or medical nature – if you are not qualified to do so. Any information of a personal or medical nature must be kept strictly confidential unless the welfare of the child requires the passing on of this information.
19. Failure by the coach to comply with these guidelines for any reason, will result in a disciplinary consultation that will occur one time and one time only. A second occurence will result in expulsion from the league.
It is advisable to:
· Record attendance at training.
· Keep a brief record of injury(s) and action taken.
· If behavioral problems arise and a young player has to be disciplined, keep a
brief record of problem/action/outcomes.
The nature of the relationship between coach and player can often mean that a
coach will learn confidential information about a player or player’s family. This
information must be regarded as confidential and except where abuse is
suspected, must not be divulged to a third party without the express permission of
the player/family.