Melbourne City FC (Club) are excited to provide parents and kids with the opportunity to be part of the ‘City Football’ experience. We love seeing kids approach these learning and on-pitch experiences with high levels of energy and enthusiasm.
The Club is keen to ensure that all participants have an opportunity to play football in a positive environment and, with our coaching assistance, to develop and learn. Our coaches work hard to plan each session and they are focused on improving each participant’s skills. As such, the Club is keen to ensure they have a clear space to provide those instructions, and ensure all involved are respecting each other on and off the pitch.
The Club also takes the safety of our players, coaches, and the overall experience of the players and parents very seriously, so we welcome this opportunity to reminder parents, guardians and participants of the Club’s safeguarding processes and ‘Codes of Conduct’ for these sessions.
Safeguarding Children and Young People
The Club is committed to creating an environment where the community can enjoy participation in our activities, events or programs without experiencing abusive, insulting, threatening or other anti-social behaviour.
We call on all participants, parents & carers, and other spectators associated with the Club:
- to encourage their child to observe and understand the Club’s Player Code of Conduct;
- to themselves, observe and understand the Club’s Support and Spectators Code of Conduct;
- when necessary, politely and respectfully remind others of their obligations and expected behaviours under the Code; and
- if you see a breach of the Code by another person, to report the matter to the Club’s Safeguarding Department at safeatcity@melbournecityfc.com.au , so appropriate action can be taken to protect this environment.
Player Code of Conduct
The Club’s Player Code of Conduct sets out the Club’s expected behaviours of participants involved in the City Football Schools program, as follows:
- Play within the spirit of the game and by the rules of the competition.
- Respect and follow the instructions of an official coordinator, coach or volunteer parent/guardian.
- Do not bully or take unfair advantage of another participant.
- Show respect to all participants regardless of their gender, race, ability, colour, religion, language, politics or national or ethnic origin.
Support and Spectators Code of Conduct
The Club’s Support and Spectators Code of Conduct sets out the Club’s expected behaviours of parents & carers who have participants involved in the City Football Schools program, as follows:
Your child and other children and young people’s participation and enjoyment in Club activities, programs or events are the Club’s primary consideration.
As parents and carers your role is to support these outcomes by:
- encouraging your child’s participation in a positive manner;
- not engaging in behaviour that discriminates against any other person on the basis of gender, race, ability, colour, religion, language, politics or national or ethnic origin;
- not engaging in, or threatening to engage in, violent or physical confrontations with any other person;
- not encouraging or inciting players to violence, or similar breaches of competition rules or spirit;
- expressing your support by encouraging the participants and not engaging in behaviour designed to belittle, insult, mock or intimidate the participants, other parents & carers, or coaches –– even if there is an on-pitch participant mistake or slip up;
- demonstrating good sportsmanship by respecting and acknowledging good play by all participants;
- respecting and accepting the decisions of coaches, including not criticising or arguing about decisions with the coaches during or after the event;
- in respecting and accepting those coach decision and instructions, ensuring you do not enter the pitch area during sessions;
- following any directions of MelCFC, and other affiliated entity employees, volunteers or other authorised ground staff, including any request to modify your behaviour or to leave the ground following a breach of these guidelines; and
- respecting that the Club’s City Football School’s programs are conducted in a smoking-free and alcohol-free environment at all times.
You are always welcome to offer encouragement from the sideline, but please keep messages positive and please don’t offer direct instructions. You can take a step back and enjoy watching your child develop and learn. We’ve got this one!
Serious or ongoing breaches of these guidelines are not tolerated. Those who breach our guidelines risk being asked to leave the event and/or being prohibited from attending future events.
If you witness or have a concern regarding child safety, please report this to the appropriate person(s); such as the Safeguarding Manager.
If you believe the child is in immediate danger please call the Police (000).
