POLICIES AND GUIDES

• 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 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. 

• Your child will generally fairly quickly forget the score of games played in the past but will remember the enjoyment of playing. Try not to focus on the score.  

• 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.  At this level they are usually also young people so they will make mistakes occasionally. We all do. Please don't be the reason a young referee gives the game away.

• 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. By all means encourage and cheer for the players but leave the coaching to the coach or you may cause confusion and erode your child’s confidence.

• Parents and other spectators 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 specified team player number (e.g. 4 for Under 7, 7 for Under 8, etc.) plus a minimum of 2 reserves.
2. Each player in the squad will be afforded equal game time where possible. Game time may not be equal in every game, but all players will be given reasonable weekly game time and equal game time across the course of the season. This is assuming other relevant factors such as training attendance, availability for games, attitude and behaviour are equal/reasonable.  
3. There will be no set positions, especially in younger age groups, unless there is specific player and team agreement (e.g. a player loves and prefers to play as goalkeeper). We encourage players experiencing and learning to play in different positions. 
4. No goal scorer trophies are awarded in these age groups as we prefer to foster a team ethos. 

 

From Under 13 onwards, it is expected that the Committee and parents will refrain from involving themselves in squad selection or playing matters. The management of the squad will be the sole responsibility of the appointed coach.  Uninvited parent involvement or direction regarding squad matters is not acceptable and will not be tolerated by the club. However, as we are a community club, principles of fairness such as a reasonably equitable amount of game time across the season are still expected.  

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Other (Football Victoria) Codes of Conduct 

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​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