Policies and guidelines

FV Extreme Weather Policy.pdf (footballvictoria.com.au) 

Goal Post Safety | Play Football 

Parents and guardians

Your Responsibilities

We request that you bring players to training and to matches on time, as directed by your Team Manager. And that you pick up players from training and matches on time. Please do not expect Club coaches and Team Managers to transport your child to and from matches and training. Please support your child by remaining at training and matches – they will benefit from your encouragement. The best experience a child has is when they have the support of their family on match days. The strongest and most united teams always have the strongest and most united parent/guardian support behind them.

Help us to keep your son/daughter safe. Players must have shin guards, drinks and sunscreen. Please tell us about any injuries, allergies, medical conditions we need to know about. Enjoy the games and

let the coaches do the coaching. We try to keep one side of the pitch for coaches and players and the other side for spectators. Please stay together with parents from your team and respect the space the coach needs with all players. Please refer to the Parent and

Your Rights

We will keep your son / daughter safe while they are with us. We will provide your son / daughter with the best coaching we have available. Our coaches are volunteers. The club helps our coaches to understand how to coach and what to coach and offers accredited coaching courses facilitated by Football Victoria. At junior level our focus is to develop the skills and technique of all players and to instil in all players the ethos of how to play and enjoy a team game. BSC and our coaches always put skill development ahead of winning.

All MiniRoos and Junior team players are entitled to equal time on the field regardless of theirability. This is measured over the course of a season and will be impacted by sickness, injury, continued non-attendance at training, holidays and suspension (junior teams) Our coaches understand that at junior level it is important that players are encouraged to play in different positions throughout the season. Our club also believe that we should be trying to identify and develop outstanding talent. If your son / daughter is identified as an emerging Socceroo or Matilda you can expect additional development activities to be provided or. There may be an additional cost should this be recommended.

If at any time, you are not happy with the conduct of any persons at the club you have an opportunity to share your concerns. Refer any such issues to your Team Manager in the first instance who will address the issue as best they can. They may choose to escalate the matter to a member of the MPFC Committee.

There is a risk that images of children may be used inappropriately or illegally. We require the privacy of others is respected and we disallow the use of camera phones, videos and cameras inside changing areas, showers and toilets which we control or are used in connection with our sport. If MPFC or Football Victoria use an image of a child it will avoid naming or identifying the child or it will avoid using both the first name and surname. We will not display personal information such as residential address, email address or telephone numbers without gaining consent from the child’s parent/guardian. We will not display information about hobbies, likes/dislikes, school, etc as this information can be used as grooming tools by pedophiles or other persons. We will only use appropriate images of a child, relevant to football and we will ensure that the child is suitably clothed in a manner that promotes the sport and displays success. Where possible Football Victoria will seek parental permission to use these images.

Medical Policy

Role of the Club 

Our coaches, team managers and Club officials do everything in their power to keep your child healthy and safe. However, they cannot be expected – given the number of children they supervise – to completely manage the medical needs of every child without parental assistance, especially where a child may have a serious or life threatening medical condition. 

Role of parents

To assist us, parents’ must provide any relevant medical, dietary or other care information to their child’s coach and/or team manager, and must complete and return the Confidential Medical Information Form. If – as happens from time to time – a child is being supervised by a coach and/or team manager that is not aware of the child’s condition, the parent must make sure the supervising adult is aware of the child’s care information.

In addition, if a child requires specialised care during training or games, a parent must be present at all times to supervise their child and provide that care.

• Asthma - If your child is asthmatic you must advise the coach and/or team manager. The child must carry the relevant puffer and know their action plan.

• Allergies- If your child has life threatening allergies you must advise the coach and/or team manager. The child must carry an Epipen or Anapen and know how to self-administer. Otherwise the parent or guardian must remain at training/games to supervise the child if there is a possibility of contact with the allergen.

• Injuries and extra training sessions - Parents must inform the coach of any special training requirements prior to training sessions. If child has been injured or has been ill or has come from another training session, a lighter training session can be arranged.

• Emergency medical treatment - In the case of a medical emergency (illness or accident) where a child’s parents can’t be contacted or it is otherwise impractical to contact them, the parents’ are deemed to have authorised: the adult in charge (i.e. coach, team manager or club official) to administer such first aid and/or to seek any emergency medical assistance, that they consider to be reasonably necessary in the circumstances; and/or their child receiving any dental, medical or surgical assistance as recommended by a qualified medical practitioner.

Parents are also deemed to accept all the risks involved in the administration of any necessary medical, dental, surgical or first aid treatment, and to accept responsibility for the payment of all expenses incurred in relation to such treatment (including any emergency transportation required).

FAIR PLAY CODE

Victorians love their sport.

There are approximately 2.2 million participants, 980,000 paid staff and volunteers, 12,000 sports clubs, and 9,500 community sports facilities in Victoria.

Victorians are involved in sport in many different capacities. Positive and appropriate actions and behaviours of each and every one of these individuals is essential to ensuring safe, fair and inclusive sporting environments.

There is no place in sport for bad behaviour, violence, cheating or intimidation.

At the heart of the Fair Play Code are the five principles:

• Integrity

• Respect

• Responsibility

• Safety

• Fairness

These principles apply to everyone involved in sport in Victoria, no matter what role they play.

As an individual, team, club, league or association, if you encounter bad behaviour, either on or off the sporting field, refer to the Fair Play Code.

The Fair Play Code is a guide on how to apply the principles, and the responsibilities of those involved in sport.

The Fair Play Code first came into effect on 1 July 2018. Victoria’s sporting organisations who receive funding from the Victorian Government are required to actively promote, adhere to and enforce the Fair Play Code.

Codes of Conduct and Behaviour

Middle Park FC has a club code of conduct that is expected to have been read, understood and adhered to by all its members, players, spectators, game leaders, referees, coaches and anyone else aligned with the Club.

Full Codes of Conduct can be found here.

PLAYERS CODE OF CONDUCT

• Give your best at all times

• Participate for your own enjoyment and benefit

• Play by the rules

• Do not argue with the match official – if you disagree, have your captain or coach approach the match official during a break in play or after the match is concluded

• Control your temper – verbal abuse of officials or other players or deliberately distracting or provoking another person is not acceptable or permitted in any sport

• Be a good sport and be prepared to acknowledge good play whether it is from your team or the opposition

• Treat all players like you would like to be treated – do not interfere with, bully or take unfair advantage of another player

• Co-operate with your coach, teammates and opponents – without them there would be no competition

• Remove all jewellery prior to training and match play as it is a hazard to you and those around you

• Do not accept or use any banned or unauthorised drug(s) including consumption of alcohol at any time

PARENTS CODE OF BEHAVIOUR

• Remember that children play the sport for their enjoyment, and not yours

• Encourage children to participate and have fun

• Focus on the child’s effort and performance rather than winning or losing

• Encourage children to always participate according to the rules

• Never ridicule or yell at a child for making a mistake or losing a competition

• Remember that children learn best by example so applaud good play by both teams

• Support all efforts to remove racial and religious vilification, verbal and physical abuse from sporting activities

• Respect the match officials decisions and teach your child to do likewise

• Show respect and appreciation to club officials including coaches, officials and administrators – ensure any issues are raised through the correct channels

• Do not smoke or consume alcohol near the team bench (technical area) or sideline

• Be a good role model. Children watch and learn from you, so make sure you set a good example.

• Avoid a ‘win at all costs’ attitude. Although you may think winning is important, the focus for junior sport should be on fun.

• Be aware that your abusive behaviour may be against the law. Ask yourself, ‘Would my mother be upset or offended by what I am saying or doing?’ If the answer is yes then it’s best to sit down and be quiet.

• Try not to be critical of coaches, referees or umpires. Many are volunteers who give their time to make sport possible for all our children, and some are just learning. If you have some constructive advice for them, leave it until after the game (usually 24 hours) or have a chat with the head coach or referee.

COACHES CODE OF BEHAVIOUR

• Place the safety and welfare of the participants above all else

• Be aware of and support the sports injury management plans and return to play guidelines

• Help each person (athlete, official, etc) to reach their potential – respect the talent, developmental stage and goals of each person and encourage them with positive and constructive feedback

• Encourage and support opportunities for people to learn appropriate behaviours and skills

• Support opportunities for participation in all aspects of the sport

• Treat each participant as an individual

• Obtain appropriate qualifications and keep up-to-date with the latest coaching practices and the principles of growth and development of participants

• Act within the rules and spirit of your sport

• Promote fair play over winning at any cost

• Respect the decisions of officials, coaches and administrators

• Show respect and courtesy to all involved with the sport

• Display responsible behaviour in relation to alcohol and other drugs

• Act with integrity and objectivity and accept responsibility for your decisions and actions

• Ensure your decisions and actions contribute to a harassment-free environment

• Wherever practical, avoid unaccompanied and unobserved one-on-one activity (when in a supervisory capacity or where a power imbalance exists) with people under the age of 18

• Ensure that any physical contact with another person is appropriate to the situation and necessary for the person’s skill development

• Be honest and do not allow your qualifications or coaching experience to be misrepresented

• Never advocate or condone the use of illicit drugs or other banned performance enhancing substances or methods

• Never participate in or advocate practices that involve match fixing

• Respect the rights and worth of every person regardless of their age, race, gender, ability, cultural background, sexuality or religion

• Do not tolerate abusive, bullying or threatening behaviour

MATCH OFFICIALS CODE OF BEHAVIOUR

• Place the safety and welfare of the athletes above all else

• Be consistent and impartial when making decisions

• Address unsporting behaviour and promote respect for all people

• Modify your approach to suit the skill levels and needs of players

• Praise and encourage all participants

• Be consistent, objective and courteous when making decisions

• Do not tolerate unsporting behaviour and promote respect for all opponents

• Emphasise the spirit of the game rather than focus on negative aspects

• Encourage and promote rule changes to all players and members

• Be a good sport yourself as actions speak louder than words

• Keep up to date with the latest trends in refereeing

• Remember that you set the example on the park, therefore your behaviour and comments should always be positive and supportive

Gambling Policy

Middle Park FC are signatories of the Love The Game Charter.

This means that we as a club:

1. Do not derive revenue from Gambling

2. Discourage discussions which promote or otherwise encourage gambling at the Club or Club events.

3. Do not hold events for MiniRoos, Juniors & Youth at venues which host sports betting or pokies.

4. Discourage guests from engaging in gambling when attending Club events.

5. We provide education resources for members on the potential harm from gambling.

Seniors Funding

MPFC maintain a clear separation between the financing of Senior teams and the revenue generated from our MiniRoos, Juniors and Youth Programs.

No Fees from the MiniRoos, Juniors and Youth Programs go toward the costs of our Seniors Program.

Seniors will remain financially independent.

Lost Property

Lost property should be handed to your team manager who will leave it in the equipment room (Lost Property Box). Parents should check here when searching for lost items. Unclaimed items will be donated to charity at the end of season.