Coaches / Managers / Team Officials Code of Behaviour

As a coach, manager or team official selected to represent HA or as/with a Member in an event that is conducted or sanctioned by HA or a member, you must meet the following requirements with regard to your conduct as follows:

1. Treat all players with respect at all times.

2. Do not tolerate acts of aggression.

3. Make a commitment to providing a quality service to your players. Provide a training program

   which is planned and sequential. Maintain or improve your current NCAS accreditation, seek continual improvement through performance appraisal and ongoing coach education and be open to other people’s opinions. Provide a safe environment for training and competition.

4. Provide feedback to players and other participants in a manner sensitive to their needs. Avoid overly negative feedback and enforce that coming first is not always the priority.

5. Recognise players’ rights to consult with other coaches and advisers. Cooperate fully with other specialists (for example, sports scientists, doctors and physiotherapists). Place the safety and welfare of the players above all else. Be courteous, respectful and open to discussion and interaction.

6. Treat all players fairly within the context of their sporting activities, regardless of gender, race, place of origin, athletic potential, colour, sexual orientation, religion, political beliefs, socioeconomic status and other conditions.

7. Determine, in consultation with the player, what information is confidential and respect that confidentiality.

8. Encourage and facilitate players’ independence and responsibility for their own behaviour, performance, decisions and actions.

9. Involve the players in decisions that affect them.

10. Encourage players to respect one another and to expect respect for their worth as individuals

    regardless of their level of play.

11. Ensure that the tasks and/or training set are suitable for age, experience, ability, and physical

    and psychological conditions of the players. Recognise individual differences in players and

    cater to these as best you can.

12. Ensure any physical contact with players is appropriate to the situation and necessary for the

    player’s skill development.

13. Be acutely aware of the power that you as a coach develop with your players in the coaching

    relationship and avoid any sexual intimacy with players that could develop as a result.

14. Avoid situations with your players that could be construed as compromising.

15. Avoid situations that may lead to a conflict of interest.

16. Adhere to the HA Anti-Doping Policy.

17. Actively discourage the use of performance enhancing drugs, and the use of illegal substances.

18. Actively discourage the regular use of alcohol and tobacco.

19. Abide by the relevant Child Protection Requirements and Legislation in the State you perform

    your duties.

20. Do not exploit any coaching relationship to further personal, political or business interests at

    the expense of the best interest of your players.

21. Accept and respect the role of officials in ensuring that competitions are conducted fairly and

    according to established rules, and behave in a sportsmanlike manner at all times to other

    coaches, officials, players and spectators.

22. Refrain from using obscene, offensive or insulting language and/or making obscene gestures

    which may insult players, officials or spectators, or any detrimental statements about Officials’

    performance or decisions.

23. Know and abide by rules, regulations and standards, and encourage players to do likewise.

    Accept both the letter and the spirit of the rules.

2 This means a State Association, Affiliated Association and/or Affiliated Club.

Social Media Policy

Ipswich Hockey is committed to the health, safety and general wellbeing of all its members and participants. The Association is dedicated to providing a safe and prosperous environment for members and providers participating in all Ipswich Hockey activities.

To achieve these goals, Ipswich Hockey has adopted the Hockey Australia Member Protection Policy and, in particular, the social media policy which follows:

6.10 Social Networking

•   HA/IHA acknowledges the enormous value of Social Media platforms in promoting and celebrating the achievements and success of the people involved in hockey.

•   When using the Internet for professional or personal pursuits, all members must respect the HA/IHA brand, the sport of hockey in Australia and follow this Policy to ensure HA’s/IHA’s intellectual property and its relationships with sponsors and stakeholders is not compromised, or that the organisation is not brought into disrepute.

•   Social Media Platforms & networking sites includes, but are not limited to:

o Social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace;
o Video and photo sharing websites including Instagram, Flickr, Snapchat and YouTube;
o Micro-blogging sites such as Twitter;
o Weblogs, including personal blogs or blogs hosted by traditional media publications;
o Forums and discussion boards;
o Online encyclopaedias such as Wikipedia,and;
o Any other website that allows individual users or organisations to use simple publishing tools.

 We expect all people bound by this policy to conduct themselves appropriately when using social networking sites to share information related to our sport. Social media postings, blogs, status updates, tweets and/or text messages:

o Must not contain material which is, or has the potential to be, offensive, aggressive, defamatory, threatening, discriminatory, obscene, profane, harassing, embarrassing, intimidating, sexually explicit, bullying, hateful, racist, sexist or otherwise inappropriate;

o Must not be misleading, false or injure the reputation of another person;
o Must not contain material which is in breach of laws, court orders, undertakings or contracts; o Should respect and maintain the privacy of others;
o Should promote the sport in a positive way.

 Due to the immediate nature of this type of communication via mediums such as Facebook, Twitter and SMS and how easily communications can be misunderstood or abused, HA/IHA recommends caution be used to avoid inappropriate use, whether unintentional or due to failure to fully understand the ramifications. Please consider refraining from and avoiding:

o Including personal information about yourself or others in posts or text messages;
o Publishing something that makes you the slightest bit uncomfortable - use your best judgement

and never write/publish if you are feeling emotional, upset or intoxicated;
o Posting someone else’s picture on social network forums unless you have their permission; 

o Commenting on rumours - do not deny or affirm them or speculate about rumours;

General Code of Conduct  
 
The General Code of Conduct must be adhered to by all parties.  
 
As a player of IHA or as a member you are required to comply with this policy. You must meet the following requirements regarding your conduct and in any role, you hold within IHA or as/with a member. 
 
• Behave in a sporting manner.  
• Act in a considerate manner always to all players, officials, and spectators. 
• Don’t make detrimental negative or unfair statements in respect of the performance of any  match official, player, coach, or umpire in person or online. • Always play by the rules and ensure that the game of hockey is not brought into disrepute by your actions. 
• Do not engage in any gambling activities associated with the game outcome or on any other aspect of a hockey match or competition. 
• Do not show unnecessary obvious dissension, displeasure, or disapproval (by action, verbal or online abuse) towards a coach, manager, umpire or match official as a consequence of his or her decision or generally. 
• Abstain from the use of tobacco, vaping and the consumption of alcoholic beverages while in the playing/representative uniform. 
• Adhere to the HA Member Protection Policy including the racial and sexual vilification policy. 
• Adhere to the IHA Social Media Policy. 
• Adhere to the IHA Drugs Alcohol and Vaping Policy. 
• Respect the rights, dignity and worth of every person regardless of their gender, age, ability, cultural background, sexuality or religion. 
• Don’t do anything which adversely affects or reflects on or discredits the game of hockey, HA, Member, or any squad, team, competition, tournament, sponsor, official supplier or licensee, including, but not limited to, any illegal act or any act of dishonesty or fraud. 
• Refrain from using obscene, offensive or insulting language and/or making obscene gestures which may insult other players, officials or spectators. 
• Do not post anything on the internet or social media that reflects negatively on any other player, IHA, HA or anyone else associated with the game of hockey. 
• Accept and respect the role of officials in ensuring that competitions are conducted fairly and according to established rules and always behave in a sportsmanlike manner to other coaches, officials, players, and spectators.  
• Know and abide by rules, regulations, and standards, and encourage players to do likewise. Accept both the letter and the spirit of the rules. 
• Take appropriate action when faced with acts of aggression. 
 
Coach, Manager & Selector Code of Conduct 
 
In addition to the General Code of Conduct, Coaches, Managers and Selectors must:  
• Act as a role model for players, displaying integrity and respectful behaviours.  
• Make a commitment to providing a high-quality experience to your players. Training programs should be carefully planned and sequential, focusing on continuous improvement personally and for players.   
• Engage in ongoing education and training on offer and be open to feedback.  
• Provide feedback to players and other participants in a manner sensitive to their needs. Avoid an overly negative approach and enforce that coming first is not always the priority.  
• Recognise players’ rights to consult with other coaches and advisers. Cooperate fully with other specialists (for example, sports scientists, doctors, and physiotherapists).  
• Always prioritise the safety and wellbeing of players. Be courteous, respectful, and open to discussion and interaction.  
• Treat all players fairly, regardless of gender, race, place of origin, athletic potential, colour, sexual orientation, religion, political beliefs, socioeconomic status, and other circumstances.  
• Determine, in consultation with the player, what information is confidential and respect that confidentiality.  
• Encourage and facilitate players’ independence and responsibility for their own behaviour, performance, decisions and actions.  
• Involve the players in decisions that affect them.  
• Encourage players to respect one another and to expect respect for their worth as individuals regardless of their level of play.  
• Ensure that the tasks and/or training set are suitable for age, experience, ability and physical and psychological conditions of the players. Recognise individual differences in players and cater to these as best you can.  
• Ensure any physical contact with players is appropriate to the situation and necessary for the player’s skill development.  
• Be acutely aware of the power that you, as a coach, develop with your players in the coaching relationship and avoid any sexual intimacy with players that could develop as a result.  
• Avoid situations with your players that could be construed as compromising.  
• Avoid situations that may lead to a conflict of interest. In cases where a conflict of interest may be present, ensure that this is reported to IHA as soon as possible.  
• Actively discourage the use of performance enhancing drugs, and the use of illegal substances.  
• Actively discourage the use of alcohol and tobacco.  
• Abide by the relevant Child Protection Requirements and Legislation in the State you perform your duties.  
• Do not exploit any coaching relationship to further personal, political or business interests at the expense of the best interest of your players.  
• Adhere to the IHA social media Policy. 
• Adhere to the IHA Drugs, Alcohol and Vaping Policy

SELECTORS ROLES CODE OF CONDUCT

The Selector shall: 
• Watch IHA competition matches, practice and training matches, attend training sessions as well as Southern Cross / Coulter Shield competitions so an informed and objective judgement can be made in selecting Players. 
• Attend all meetings as directed by the RCD or Chairman of the Selection Committee. 
• Ensure matters discussed at meetings of the Selection Committee shall be and remain confidential and in no circumstances shall be divulged to any other person. 
• Sign off on the finalised Team List to be forwarded to IHA President or, in their absence, Senior Vice President. 
• Until such time as the Team has been posted, not divulge the names of the selected Players to any person. 
• If attending the state titles/intercity/trial match etc, discuss Team selection and tactics with the Coach at an appropriate time, if requested by the Coach 
• Adhere to the IHA Social Media Policy

You also confirm that you have read, understood and will abide by the current IHA Rep Policy, Social Media Policy, Selectors Code of Conduct, Selectors Roles Code of Conduct.

Updated policies can be accessed via the website www.ipswichhockey.com