Last update March 2011
SCOR General Guidelines
CODE OF ETHICS
This Ethics Code is intended to provide standards of ethical conduct to be applied by SCOR. and its volunteers. The intentions are to provide both the general principles and the decision rules to cover most situations encountered by coaches. The primary goal is the welfare and protection of the individuals and groups with whom coaches work. This Code also provides a common set of values. It is the individual responsibility of each coach to aspire to the highest possible standards of conduct. Coaches should respect and protect human civil rights, and should not knowingly participate in or condone unfair discriminatory practices.
GENERAL PRINCIPLES
COMPETENCE
Coaches strive to maintain high standards of excellence in their work. They recognize the boundaries of their particular competencies and the limitations of their expertise. They provide only those services and use only those techniques for which they are qualified by education, training or experience.
In those areas in which recognized professional standards do not yet exist, coaches exercise careful judgment and take appropriate precautions to protect the welfare of those with whom they work. They maintain knowledge of relevant coaching educational information related to the services they render, and they recognize the need for ongoing education. Coaches make appropriate use of scientific, professional, technical and administrative resources.
INTEGRITY
Coaches seek to promote integrity in the practice of coaching. Coaches are honest, fair and respectful of others. In describing or reporting their qualifications, services, products, or fees, they do not make statements that are false, misleading or deceptive. Coaches strive to be aware of their own belief systems, values, needs and limitations and the effect of these on their work. To the extent feasible they attempt to clarify, for relevant parties, the roles they are performing and to function appropriately in accordance with those roles. Coaches avoid potentially harmful dual relationships.
PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY*
Coaches uphold professional standards of conduct, clarify their professional roles and obligations, accept appropriate responsibility for their behavior, and adapt their methods to the needs of different athletes. Coaches consult with, refer to, or cooperate with other professionals and institutions to the extent needed to serve the best interest of their athletes, or other recipients of their services. Coaches' moral standards and conduct are personal matters to the same degree as is true for any other person, except when coaches' conduct may compromise their responsibilities or reduce the public's trust in coaching and / or coaches. Coaches are concerned about the ethical compliance of their colleagues' conduct. When appropriate, they consult with their colleagues in order to prevent or avoid unethical conduct.
RESPECT OF PARTICIPANTS AND DIGNITY**
Coaches respect the fundamental rights, dignity and worth of all participants. Coaches are aware of cultural, individual and role differences, including those due to age, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language and socioeconomic status. Coaches try to eliminate the effect on their work of biases based on those factors, and they do not knowingly participate in or condone unfair discriminatory practices.
CONCERN FOR OTHERS' WELFARE
Coaches seek to contribute to the welfare of those with whom they interact. In their actions, coaches consider the welfare and right of their athletes and other participants. When conflicts occur among coaches' obligations or concerns, they attempt to resolve these conflicts and to perform their roles in a responsible fashion that avoids or minimizes harm. Coaches are sensitive to differences in power between themselves and others, and they do not exploit nor mislead other people during or after their relationships.
RESPONSIBLE COACHING
Coaches are aware of their ethical responsibilities to the community and the society in which they work and live. They apply and make public their knowledge of sport in order to contribute to human welfare. Coaches try to avoid misuse of their work. Coaches comply with the law and encourage the development of law and policies that serve the interest of the sport of soccer.
* Professional: of, engaged in, or worthy of high standards.
** Participants: those taking part in soccer (athletes and their family members, coaches, officials, volunteers, administrators and spectators).
A) GENERAL STANDARDS
These General Standards are applicable to the activities of all SCOR coaches.
1) APPLICABILITY OF THE ETHICS CODE
While many aspects of personal behavior and private activities seem far removed from official duties of coaching, all coaches should be sensitive to their position as role models for their athletes. Private activities perceived as immoral or illegal can influence the coaching environment, and coaches are encouraged to observe the standards of this Ethics Code consistently.
2) ENSURING SAFE ENVIRONMENT
Coaches are responsible to make sure play surfaces are safe to play on, free of debris, glass, etc.
3) BOUNDARIES OF COMPETENCE
(a) Coaches take reasonable steps to ensure their attendance at appropriate SCOR sponsored Coaches clinics.
(b) Coaches should participate in annual CPR & First Aid Certification courses if offered by SCOR.
4) MAINTENANCE EXPERTISE
Coaches maintain a reasonable level of awareness of related coaching information and undertake ongoing efforts to maintain competence in the skills they use.
5) THE NATURE OF COACHING SERVICES
When coaches provide services or information to an individual, a group, or an organization, they use language thats reasonably understandable & appropriate to the recipient of those services & info thats always updated & truthful.
6) RESPECTING OTHERS
Coaches respect the rights of others to hold values, attitudes and opinions that differ from their own.
7) NONDISCRIMINATION
Coaches do not engage in discrimination based on age, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, socioeconomic status, or any basis prescribed by law.
8) HARASSMENT
Coaches do not engage in or condone behavior that is harassing or demeaning to persons with whom they interact in their work based on factors such as a person's age, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, or socioeconomic status.
9) PERSONAL PROBLEMS AND CONFLICTS
(a) Coaches recognize that their personal problems and conflicts may interfere with their effectiveness. Accordingly, they refrain from undertaking an activity when they know or should know that their personal problems are likely to lead to harm to participants.
(b) Coaches have an obligation to be alert to signs of, and to obtain assistance for, their personal problems at an early stage, in order to prevent significantly impaired performance.
(c) When coaches become aware of personal problems that may interfere with their performing work-related duties adequately, they take appropriate measures, such as obtaining professional consultation or assistance, and determine whether they should limit, suspend, or terminate their work related duties.
10) EXPLOITATIVE RELATIONSHIPS
(a) Coaches do not exploit coaches with whom they share supervisory, evaluative or other authoritative responsibilities within a team structure. Coaches are equal partners and must work out differences with due regard to the best interest of the team.
(b) Coaches do not exploit athletes or other participants over whom they have supervisory, evaluative or other authority.
11) DELEGATION TO AND SUPERVISION OF SUBORDINATES
(a) Coaches delegate to their assistants only those responsibilities that such persons can reasonably be expected to perform competently, on the basis of their education, training or experience, either independently or with the level of supervision being provided.
(b) Coaches provide proper training and supervision to their assistants or substitutes, as well as take reasonable steps to make sure that such persons perform services responsibly, competently, and ethically
(B) PUBLIC STATEMENTS
1) AVOIDANCE OF FALSE OR DECEPTIVE STATEMENTS
Coaches do not make public statements that are false, deceptive, misleading, or fraudulent (either due to what they state, convey or suggest, or because of what they omit) concerning their work activities or those of persons or organizations with which they are affiliated. As examples (and not in limitation) of this standard, coaches do not make false or deceptive statements concerning:
(a) their training, experience, or competence; (b) their academic degrees; (c) their credentials; (d) their institutional, religious or association affiliations; (e) their services; (f) the basis for, or results or degree of success of their services; (g) their criminal record.
2) MEDIA PRESENTATIONS
When coaches provide advice or comment by means of public lectures, demonstrations, radio or television programs, prerecorded tapes, printed articles, mailed material, or other media, they take reasonable precautions to ensure that the statements are consistent with this Ethics Code.
3) TESTIMONIALS
Coaches do not solicit testimonials from current athletes or other participants who, because of their particular circumstances, are vulnerable to undue influence.
C) TRAINING ATHLETES
1) STRUCTURING THE RELATIONSHIP
(a) Coaches discuss with athletes, early as possible, appropriate issues such as the nature & anticipated course of training.
(b) Coaches make reasonable efforts to answer athletes' questions and to avoid apparent misunderstandings about training. Whenever possible, coaches provide oral and / or written information, using language that is reasonably understandable to the athlete.
2) COACH/PARENT RELATIONSHIPS
(a) When a coach agrees to provide services to several persons who have a relationship (such as parents and children), the coach attempts to clarify at the outset the relationship they will have with each person. This clarification includes the role of the coach and the probable uses of the services provided.
(b) As soon as it becomes apparent that the coach may be called on to perform conflicting roles (such as mediator between parents and children or sibling teammates), the coach attempts to clarify and adjust or withdraw from roles appropriately.
(c) Coaches will recognize that at all times the welfare of the children being coached is of primary importance and that parents / guardians of those children are to be communicated with at regular intervals during a season.
(d) Coaches and parents are responsible for having at least one responsible adult at each practice and game.
3) DRUG-FREE SPORT
Coaches do not tolerate the use of performance-enhancing drugs and support athletes efforts to be drug free.
4) ALCOHOL, TOBACCO AND GAMBLING
(a) Coaches discourage the use of alcohol and tobacco in conjunction with athletic events or victory celebrations at playing sites and forbid the use of alcohol.
(b) Coaches refrain from tobacco, alcohol and gambling use while they are coaching and make every effort to avoid their use while in the presence of their athletes.
(c) Coaches discourage gambling in conjunction with athletic events, at playing sites and during road trips.
5) MATCH BEHAVOUR
Coaches are expected to control their emotions at matches. Every effort must be made to avoid confrontations with referees. Referees have the authority to remove coaches from the bench and if it is determined via a District disciplinary committee that a coach acted inappropriately to the referee(s) then that coach will be asked to leave the SCOR Program.
D) TRAINING SUPERVISION
1) DESIGN OF TRAINING PROGRAMS
Coaches who are responsible for training programs for other coaches seek to ensure that the programs are competently designed, provide the proper experiences and meet the requirements for coaching education or other goals for which claims are made by the program.
2) DESCRIPTIONS OF TRAINING PROGRAMS
Coaches responsible for training programs for other coaches seek to ensure that there is a current and accurate description of the program content, training goals and objectives, and requirements that must be met for satisfactory completion of the program. This information must be readily available to all interested parties.
3) ACCURACY AND OBJECTIVITY IN COACHING
(a) When engaged in coaching, coaches present information accurately and with a reasonable degree of objectivity.
(b) When engaged in coaching, coaches recognize the power they hold over athletes and therefore make reasonable efforts to avoid engaging in conduct that is personally demeaning to athletes and other participants.
E) TRAVEL TEAM SELECTION
1) RECRUITING
Coaches do not engage, directly or through agents, in uninvited in-person solicitation of services from actual or potential athletes or others who, because of their particular circumstances, are vulnerable to undue influence.
2) TAMPERING
In deciding whether to recruit players already on another team, coaches must carefully consider the potential athlete's welfare. The coach must discuss these issues with the Coaching Administrator. If warranted CA will contact player's present coach, then the player's parents before approaching the athlete in order to minimize the risk of confusion & conflict.
3) IN-SEASON CONTACT
Contact with any player(s) should not occur during the progress of a season when the player's team is still actively engaged in their schedule of play. The only exception would be regarding participation on a State, Regional or National Team on a temporary assignment basis, where the player would be returned to his / her regular team at the conclusion of the assignment.
4) TRAVEL PLAYER SELECTION
Professional coaches perform evaluations or team selection under the supervision of the Director of Coaching.
NOTE:
Travel or Premier Teams created to accommodate Ridgefield High School players may not necessarily be formed based on the process mentioned above. Players might be hand-picked and placed on a team, based on player's previous performance. Director of Coaching supervises this process.
5) ASSESSING ATHLETE PERFORMANCE
(a) In coach-athlete relationships, coaches establish an appropriate process for providing verbal feedback to athletes during and after each season.
(b) Coaches evaluate athletes on the basis of their performance on relevant and established program requirements.
6) DOUBLE ROSTERING
The Coaching Director and the Coach have the sole authority, with the consent of the parent or guardian of the player or players in question, to double roster players, to decide how many players to double roster and to decide which players to double roster. With the approval of SCOR's Coaching Director, the Professional Coach (or Coaches) may double roster players on A and B Travel teams as permitted by the CJSA SW District. CJSA SW District currently permits up to 25 players to be double rostered. Coaches may only double roster players who are interested in double rostering. Under no circumstances, should players be pressured by peers, Coaches or other SCOR representatives to be double rostered against their wishes.
Double rostered players are to be used as a means of:
a) Giving B team players an opportunity to be exposed to the A team and to play at a higher level.
b) Ensuring that A and or B teams have sufficient numbers of players and substitutes to play games.
Double rostered players are not to be used as a means of:
a) Improving the results of the B team by having A team players play on the B team.
b) Promoting B team players ahead of A team players.
A-Team players who are double rostered to the B:
a) Will not start the first or second half of the game unless there are less than 11 players from the B-team present.
b) Will generally not play more than half the game unless there are too few B-Team players present to maintain a safe environment.
c) Must continue to consistently attend A-Team practice sessions and maintain full commitment to A-Team game schedule.
d) Should, in the judgment of the coach, be players who will benefit from the B-Team level of play.
B-Team players who are double rostered to the A-Team:
a) Will not start the first or second half of the game unless there are less than 11 players from the A- team present.
b) Will generally not play more than half the game unless there are too few A-Team players present to maintain a safe environment.
c) Must continue to consistently attend B-Team practice sessions and maintain full commitment to B-Team game schedule.
d) Should, in the judgment of the coach, be players who will benefit from the A-Team level of play.
F) TRAVEL PLAYERS DON'T MAKE AN 'A' OR 'B' TEAM BUT INSTEAD MAKE THE 'TRAVEL PROGRAM'
This performance based approach provides flexibility to make corrections throughout the season versus having to wait until the beginning of the next Travel season. Provides an opportunity to place late-registrants and/or players who develop exponentially over the summer or winter breaks, into the appropriate team.
G) RESOLVING ETHICAL ISSUES
1) FAMILIARITY WITH ETHICS CODE
Coaches have an obligation to be familiar with this Ethics Code (or as it may be amended from time to time), other applicable ethics codes and their application to the coachs work. Lack of awareness or misunderstanding of an ethical standard is not itself a defense to a charge of unethical conduct.
2) CONFRONTING ETHICAL ISSUES
When a coach is uncertain whether a particular situation or course of action would violate the Ethics Code, the coach ordinarily consults with other coaches knowledgeable about ethical issues, with SCOR or C.J.S.A.
3) INFORMAL RESOLUTION OF ETHICAL VIOLATIONS
When SCOR participants believe that there may have been an ethical violation by a coach, they attempt to resolve the issue by bringing it to the attention of that individual in an informal manner.
4) REPORTING ETHICAL VIOLATIONS
If an apparent ethical violation is not appropriate for informal resolution under Standard F4 or is not resolved properly in that fashion, participants and the association may take further action by:
Participant
(a) Contacting the Club's Coaching Director
(b) Confirming with the Coaching Director if there was an attempt for an informal resolution.
(c) Complete an Ethical Violation Form available through the Coaching Director.
Soccer Club of Ridgefield along with SCOR's Director of Coaching
(a) Will review the Ethical Violation charge using the appropriate due process procedure as outlined in SCOR's By-Laws and Resolutions.
(b) Will give a copy of the completed Ethical Violation form to the coach in question seven days prior to the association's review. (c) Will keep a written report on all reviews & actions.
5) COOPERATING WITH ETHICS COMMITTEES
Coaches cooperate in ethics investigations, proceedings, and resulting requirements of SCOR. Failure to cooperate is itself an ethics violation.
6) IMPROPER COMPLAINTS
Participants do not file or encourage the filing of ethics complaints that are frivolous and are intended to harm the respondent rather than protect the public.
7) PROCESS RELATING TO VIOLATION OF CODE
The Coach acknowledges that this Ethics Code is administered under the authority of SCOR, that a violation of the Code subjects the coach to the processes of the SCOR. organization. SCOR. acknowledges that all violations of the Ethics Code will be reviewed for possible disciplinary action, and will keep a written report on all reviews and actions.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This Coaching Code of Ethics is the result of the work of many people and committees. Most of the contents of this code were inspired by the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, December 1992 (American Psychological Association, Vol. 47, No. 12, 1597-1611). Many of the ideas for these ethical standards were drawn from numerous other codes. The most significant of these were developed by the Coaching Association of Canada, the British Institute of Sport Coaches, the United States Olympic Committee and the NCAA. In particular, SCOR. would like to thank Val Belmonte, Director, Coaching Education Program, USA Hockey who was gracious enough to allow SCOR. to use some of the preceding contents in the hope of furthering the education of our coaches.
