Code of Conduct for Parents

• Be your child’s best fan and support them unconditionally.
• When you take your child home after a match or training session, please be supportive and always focus on the positive aspects of their game.
• Develop a responsibility in your child to pack their own kit, clean their boots and take a water bottle to practice and games.
• Respect the facilities at our opponents’ grounds.
• Do not criticise your child’s coach to your child or other parents. If you are not happy with the coach you should raise the issue with the coach.
• Encourage your child to speak with the coach. If your child is having difficulties in training or games, or can’t attend training etc. encourage them to speak directly to the coaches. This “responsibility taking” is a big part of becoming a mature person. By handling off the field tasks, your child is claiming ownership of all aspects of the game.
• Help your child to focus on the performance and not the result.  Remember – winning is not as important as the performance.
• Support all the players in your child’s squad.  Do not criticise anyone.
  Remember – children don’t mean to make mistakes.
• Do not criticise the opponents, their parents or their officials.
• Never audibly dispute a referee’s decision.  They will make mistakes occasionally. We all do. If you abuse or shout at the referee you are breaking the rules of the game and risk generating a fine for the club. In extreme circumstances we could even be expelled from the League, be forced to play all our games away or play without any spectators present.
• Parents must not coach from the touchline during matches or training. Leave this to the coach or you may cause confusion and erode your child’s confidence.
• Parents must not enter the field of play.
• Please remember – the game is for the children. It is not for the glory of the coach, manager or parents.
• The club’s player philosophy is segmented by age.  
• From the youngest player to those playing at the Under 12 age group, the club recommends the following:
  1. squad numbers be maintained at the minimum squad requirements and minimum +2 reserves
  2. each player in the squad will be afforded equal game time where possible
  3. there will be no set position unless there is team agreement
  4. no goal scorer trophies are to be awarded in these age groups
• From Under 13 onwards, the Committee will not involve itself in squad selection or playing matters.  The management of the squad will be the responsibility of the appointed coach – no one else.  Uninvited parent involvement or direction regarding squad matters is not acceptable and will not be tolerated by the club

Other Policies

Code of Conduct – Administrators and Committee Members

Code of Conduct – Coaches and Team Managers

Code of Conduct – Players

Code of Conduct – Ground Marshalls

Code of Conduct – Spectators and Parents