When it comes to kids’ sport, studies show children and young people most value fun, making friends, fitness and enjoyment.
Sometimes adults involved in kids sport wrongly place more emphasis on winning, performance and competitiveness. This manifests in a range of poor conduct such as sideline abuse, excessive pressure, criticism, poor sportsmanship and more.
To ensure kids benefit from sport and remain involved, it’s important clubs proactively manage conduct at junior sport and create a positive, fun environment.
What club committees can do
There are 8 key steps club committees should follow to create safe and fair clubs. These are essential foundations to managing junior sport conduct and other issues.
Specifically, when it comes to junior sport conduct also consider:
- Ask and listen to what kids really want from sport
- Get regular input from kids and incorporate their ideas
- Share the kids views with volunteers and members
- Encourage adults to ask themselves – do my actions and behaviours match what kids most value in sport?
- Ensure adults involved in junior sport are aware of your codes of conduct – have them sign it and promote/explain the codes often, so expectations are clear
- Promote positive messages on an ongoing basis. Share your own messages or make use of
- Training:
- Appropriate coach education, available through your sport
- Let Kids Be Kids mini course, suitable for all adults involved in kids sport
- Play by the Rules online courses, on a range of topics
Resources and information to help
Office of Sport
Play by the Rules
Let Kids Be Kids online training course