Club Policies

Code of Conduct

YOUNG PLAYERS SHOULD ALWAYS:

Play fairly, do their best and enjoy themselves..
Respect fellow team members regardless of ability, cultural or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.
Support fellow team members regardless of whether they do well or not.
Represent their team, their Club and their family with pride and dignity.
Respect all Coaches, Officials and their opponents.
Be gracious in defeat and modest in victory.

YOUNG PLAYERS SHOULD ENGAGE IN GOOD PRACTICE:

Never cheat – always play by the rules.
Never shout at or argue with a game’s official, with their Coach, their teammates or opponents and should never use violence.
Never use unfair or bullying tactics to gain an advantage or isolate other players.
Never spread rumours.
Never tell lies about adults or other young people.
Never play or train if they feel unwell or are injured.
Never use unacceptable language or racial and/or sectarian references to an opponent, a fellow player or official by words, deeds or gesture.
Never consume non-prescribed drugs or performance-enhancing supplements

YOUNG PLAYERS – OUR GAMES OUR CODE

Shake hands before and after a game as part of the Give Respect Get Respect initiative, irrespective of the result.
Inform their Coach/Mentor/Manager in advance if they are unavailable for training and games.
Take due care of Club equipment.
Know that it is acceptable to talk to the Club Children’s Officer with any concerns or questions they may have.
Adhere to acceptable standards of behaviour and their Club’s Code of Conduct.
Tell somebody else if they or others have been harmed in any way.

YOUNG PLAYERS SHOULD BE ENTITLED TO:

Be safe and feel safe.
Have fun and experience a sense of enjoyment and fulfilment.
Be treated with respect, dignity and sensitivity.
Comment and make suggestions in a constructive manner.
Be afforded appropriate confidentiality.
Participate in games and competitions at levels with which they feel comfortable.
Make their concerns known and have them dealt with in an appropriate manner.
Be protected from abuse.
Be listened to.

PARENTS/GUARDIANS SHOULD ENCOURAGE THEIR CHILD TO:

Always play by the rules.
Improve their skills levels.
Appreciate everybody on their team, regardless of ability.
Maintain a balanced and healthy lifestyle with regard to exercise, food, rest and play. Advice may be sought if necessary from Club officials on this issue.

PARENTS/GUARDIANS SHOULD LEAD BY EXAMPLE:

Adopt a positive attitude to their children’s participation in our games.
Respect officials’ decisions and encourage children to do likewise.
Do not exert undue pressure on your child.
Never admonish your own child or any other child for their standard of play.
Be realistic in their expectations.
Show approval for effort, not just results.
Avoid asking a child or young person, ‘How much did you score today?’ or ‘What did you win by?’ or ‘What did you lose by?’ Ask them ‘Did they enjoy themselves.’
Never embarrass a child or use sarcastic remarks towards a player.
Applaud good play from all teams.
Do not criticise playing performances. Identify how improvements may be made.
Do not seek to unfairly affect a game or player.
Do not enter the field of play unless specifically invited to do so by an official in charge.
If you do take photos of children and/or coaches, do not share on social media without consent.

PARENTS/GUARDIANS HAVE THE RIGHT TO:

Know their child is safe and to make a complaint if they believe that their child’s safety is in any way compromised.
Be informed of problems/concerns relating to their child.
Be informed if their child gets injured.
Complain if they have concerns about the standard of coaching.
Have a say in relation to decisions being made within the Club.

COACHES SHOULD LEAD BY EXAMPLE

Never use foul language or provocative language/gestures to a player, opponent or match official.
Only enter the field of play with the Referee’s permission.
Do not question a Referee’s decisions or integrity.
Encourage players to respect and accept the judgement of match officials.
Promote Fair Play and encourage all players and fellow officials to always play by the rules of the game.
Do not encourage or threaten a player by deed or gesture to act in an unacceptable manner towards an opponent, fellow player or official.
Promote the RESPECT campaign amongst your players, fellow coaches, parents and supporters.
Do not smoke while working with underage players.
Do not consume alcohol or non prescribed drugs immediately prior to or while underage players are in your care.
Encourage parents to become involved in your team and Club activities wherever possible.

CONDUCT OF COACHES WHEN WORKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE

Develop an appropriate working relationship with children based on mutual trust and respect.
Challenge Bullying in any form whether physical or emotional. Bullying is not acceptable behaviour be it from a young person, coach, parent/guardian, spectator or match official.
Don’t shout at or lecture players or reprimand/ridicule them when they make a mistake. Children learn best through trial and error. Children and young people should not be afraid to risk error so as to learn.
The use of any form of physical punishment is prohibited as is any form of physical response to misbehaviour unless it is by way of restraint.
Avoid incidents of horseplay or role play or telling jokes etc. that could be misinterpreted.
Never undertake any form of therapy or hypnosis, in the training of children.
Never encourage players to consume non-prescribed drugs or take performance-enhancing supplements.

AVOID COMPROMISING YOUR ROLE AS A COACH

Some activities may require coaches to come into physical contact with underage players in the course of their duties. However, coaches should;

Avoid taking coaching sessions on your own.
Only deliver one to one coaching, if deemed necessary, within a group setting.
Avoid unnecessary physical contact with an underage player and never engage in inappropriate touching of a player.
Be aware that any necessary contact should be determined by the age and development of the player and should only take place with the permission and understanding of the player and in an open environment in the context of developing a player’s skills and abilities.

Do not communicate individually by text/email with underage players.
Do not engage in communications with underage players via social network sites.
With the exception of their own child, a coach should not transport a child alone, except in emergency or exceptional circumstances.

COACHING BEST PRACTICE

Ensure that all of your players are suitably and safely attired to play their chosen sport. e.g. helmets (Hurling and Camogie), goggles (Handball), shin guards, gum shields (Football).
Always be punctual and properly attired.
Be accompanied by at least one other adult at coaching sessions, games and in underage team dressing rooms.
Set realistic – stretching but achievable – performance goals for your players and teams.
Keep a record of attendance at training and at games by both players and coaches.
Rotate the team captaincy and the method used for selecting teams so that the same children are not always selected to the exclusion of others.
Keep a record of any injuries and actions subsequently taken. Ensure that another official/referee/team mentor is present when a player is being attended to and can corroborate the relevant details.
Make adequate provision for First Aid services.
Do not encourage or permit players to play while injured.
Be aware of any special medical or dietary requirements of players as indicated on the medical consent/ registration forms or as informed by parents/guardians.
Ensure that all dressing rooms and the general areas that are occupied by your players and other Club personnel, prior to, during or immediately following the completion of any match are kept clean and are not damaged in any way.
Be willing to keep the necessary and emergency medication of players in a safe and accessible place in accordance with the wishes and permission of the parents/guardians.
Do not administer medication or medical aid unless you are willing to do so and have received the necessary training to administer such aid.
Use mobile phones, if deemed appropriate, only via a group text or email system for communicating with the parents/guardians of players. Any exception to this form of group texting can only be proceeded with following permission from parents/guardians.
Encourage parents/guardians to play an active role in organising and assisting various activities for your teams and your Club.
If it is necessary to transport a child/young person in your car, ensure that they are seated in a rear seat with seat belts securely fastened and that all drivers are adequately insured.

Data Protection

All the personal data we have about you and your family is clearly visible on your Spond membership page and Foireann.

We primarily use Spond to manage attendance at training and games and to communicate with you. All data we hold is visible to you in your Spond profile.

FOIREANN is the member management system used by GAA. A condition of club membership is that your name, address and email are recorded on Foireann in order to register any playing members. Additionally, Foireann may be used to record your Health Questionnaire to comply with the law (e.g. with Covid-19 regulations)

We also use the Foireann system to collect our subs payments and to manage your membership of the club. This data is held only on third party, secure, GDPR-compliant servers managed by Foireann. Neither we nor Foireann hold any information about your payment details. This is handled by industry leader Stripe, who are the only party to hold your financial data in relation to Gael Londain.