Code of Conduct

Youth sport programs play an important role in promoting the physical, social and emotional development of our children. Therefore, it’s essential for parents and coaches to encourage youth athletes to embrace the values of good sportsmanship and to lead by example by demonstrating fairness, respect and self-control.

The New Providence PAL establishes behavioral expectations with the intent of providing conduct guidelines for all PAL participants (players, parents, coaches & participants). All parents, coaches, and players are expected to review and follow these guidelines.

Player Expectations:

As a PAL sports participant, you are expected to:

  1. Be on time to all practices and games (If you are going to be late or unable to play, please inform the coach in advance).
  2. Play by the rules and regulations of your sport.
  3. Respect the decisions of coaches and understand that they are acting in the best interests of the team.
  4. Promote the well-being of teammates through positive encouragement regardless of skill level.
  5. Learn and exhibit the values of sportsmanship, honesty, integrity, fairness and safety.
  6. Put forth your best effort and have fun!

Coach Expectations:

As the coach of a PAL sports team, you are expected to:

  1. Be punctual for all practices, games, and related events.
  2. Uphold the rules, regulations and policies set forth by your respective PAL league, PAL Commissioner and PAL board.
  3. Exercise fairness by ensuring playing time for all players.
  4. Teach your players the fundamentals of the game and provide them with support along the way.
  5. Teach your players the value of good sportsmanship through both winning and losing.
  6. Remember that your players’ safety take precedence over winning a game, and to take the necessary precautions to ensure their safety.
  7. Treat all players, coaches, fans and officials with respect regardless of their race, sex, creed, or ability. Encourage players to do the same with their teammates.
  8. Be supportive of all players regardless of skill level and provide them with constructive feedback so that they can improve.

Parent and Spectator Expectations

As the parent of a PAL sports participant, you are expected to:

  1. Attend and enjoy the games, while showing support for all of its participants.
  2. Allow the coaches to make all decisions and run the team.
  3. Wait 24 hours after a game before discussing any problems you may have with the coach’s strategies or leadership, and do so in a respectful, discreet and individual manner
  4. Act as a role model for good sportsmanship and remain positive whether the team wins or loses. Encourage children to do the same.
  5. Refraining from drug, tobacco, and alcohol while at all youth sports events.

 

Prohibited Behavior

  1. Improper gamesmanship techniques that seek a competitive advantage and violate the value of sportsmanship.
  2. Criticizing any player regardless of skill level.
  3. Altercations with coaches, teammates, opposing players, or officials.
  4. Disrespectful and unsportsmanlike conduct of any sort, including profanity, obscene gestures, offensive remarks of a sexual or racial nature, trash-talking, bullying, taunting, boastful celebrations, or other actions that demean individuals or the sport.
  5. Drug, tobacco, and alcohol use at all youth sports event

 

Disciplinary Action

All coaches, parents, players, participants or any other attendees are held accountable to the policies outlined above. Should any of this code of conduct polices be violated, the involved participants will be subject to binding disciplinary action by a committee comprised of members of the PAL Board.

Factors for determining consequences may include age, developmental and maturity levels, degree of harm, surrounding circumstances, nature and severity of the behavior, prior incidents (patterns), relationship of the parties involved, and the context for which the infraction occurred. The potential for disciplinary action extends to players, coaches and persons associated with a PAL sponsored team.

Discipline for actions violating the PAL code of conduct may include:

  1. Verbal warning
  2. Written warning
  3. Suspension or immediate ejection from the youth sport event
  4. Suspension from multiple youth sport events
  5. Season suspension or multiple season suspension from coaching or playing

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