As parents enrol their children in local teams and community sports clubs swell with adults registering to play their favourite summer sport, government sporting and anti-discrimination agencies around Australia are calling on parents, coaches and administrators at the club level to remember the basic rules of fairplay so that community sporting experiences can be enjoyable, safe and free of bad behaviour.
13 October 2009
The 19 agencies, who have formed an unprecedented collaboration in matters to do with child protection, anti-harrassment and anti-discrimination in sport under the banner of Play By The Rules (www.playbytherules.net.au), reinforce that bad behaviour is not an option for community or junior sport and should be rapidly dealt with by clubs.
The Executive Director of Sport and Recreation in the Northern Territory and co-chair of Play by the Rules, Steve Rossingh, said that recent brawls on the sidelines of some junior sport matches show that a culture of aggression and bad behaviour by spectators - including parents - is not being dealt with early and promptly by clubs, and that they have a legal responsibility to do so.
"It's the responsibility of clubs everywhere to create safe, welcoming and inclusive environments for their players. That includes ensuring that coaches know they need to be respectful of their teams, that players support each other and that parents are educated about appropriate behaviour on the sporting field when they're watching their kids", Mr Rossingh said.
"Clubs need to take their responsibilities in this regard very seriously and accept the information and support that's offered to them by initiatives such as Play by the Rules. Sport is a fantastic, joyful and important part of life, but it really is just a game. Sometimes people forget that, and the game of sport can turn ugly. That kind of culture needs to be stamped out before it begins".
Play By The Rules offers online training, information and resources for clubs and sporting organisations to ensure everyone involved in sport can do so in enjoyable, safe environments, free from discrimination or harassment.
Play by the Rules is a unique partnership between the Australian Sports Commission, Australian Human Rights Commission, all state and territory sport and recreation and anti-discrimination agencies and the Queensland Commission for Children, Young People and Child Guardian.
