OLINDA FERNY CREEK FOOTBALL NETBALL CLUB
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Guidance Notes
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“Match day wearing of
Black Armbands by OFCFNC Teams”
Issue
Over time the impact gained from teams wearing black armbands on match day, in order for OFCFNC to publicly recognise a ‘death of significance to the Club’, has been diluted by overuse and often inadequate related information flow to the broader Club community.
Background
The 2015 OFCFNC Committee has recognised a business need to address this issue by introducing written Club protocols, in order to provide guidance for Committee Management and all Club stakeholders.
Comment
Why do anything?
Noted weaknesses in current arrangements:-
- lack of any structured management process and governance in approving (or otherwise) this highly visual and representational Club response;
- no consistency of approach as to who is deserving of such an organised Club black arm band tribute;
- lack of any Club generated information strategy on or before match day - resulting in many supporters, members of the public, and even some involved team members not understanding exactly why black armbands are being worn;
- frequency of black arm band use eroding what should be a powerful Club statement of mourning and support.
Committee Response
In order to address this issue, the 2015 Committee have adopted the following specific business principles:-
- mandatory prior approval process be exercised at Executive Committee level;
- these guidelines - i.e. this document - be disseminated to the broader Club community as an information item, by way of publication on the OFCFNC Web Page, in order to advise which category of person will ordinarily attract an approved black arm band Club response and process involved;
- such an approval will generate an all of Club response i.e. all Football and Netball players will wear black arm bands on the relevant match day, in order to deepen the impact of the tribute;
- introduction of a sole person black arm band response on match day, to enable a player or Club entity to personally acknowledge the passing of a person close to them – that person being in a category not meeting the criteria of a whole of Club response (eg a family member);
- whenever prior approval is provided for either an all of Club or sole person black arm band response, it is important that the Executive Committee ‘approver’ initiate (a) a suitable publication on all OFCFNC social media sites (inc Web Page, Facebook and Twitter) and (b) the match day posting of a printed notice adjacent to the canteen service point – which will provide information regarding the deceased person being visibly acknowledged by the Club on that day;
- those published information items (electronic & paper poster) should specify who is being tributed by way of a black arm band response on the match day and why (publication subject to the approval of the affected family member);
- upon approval the Executive Committee ‘approver’ will internally communicate that development to team managers (or in the case of a sole person/player approval the relevant team manager);
- these are guidelines only, which will always inherently accommodate the application of discretion and reasonableness on the part of Executive Committee members involved in such approval considerations.
Recommendations
Accordingly the following specific guidelines will apply from date of Committee approval:-
Prior Approval Process
Decision to be made by a minimum of two Executive Committee Members, one of whom must be either the President or Vice President.
Category of Persons
The following categories of deceased persons will ordinarily attract a full Club black arm band response:-
- OFCFNC Life Members
- current OFCFNC players & team officials
- previous OFCFNC players – who excelled by way of a notable contribution to the Club, either by number of games played or other noteworthy element (this will include a netball player having made a notable contribution to a relevant local netball club prior to OFCFNC football/netball consolidation)
- past and present SMG Members
- current OFCFNC financial members
- current OFCFNC Committee Members
- Director of current OFCFNC major sponsor company
- a high profile death with high local community impact.
The following category of deceased persons will not ordinarily attract a full Club black arm band response:-
- death of a family member or relative of a player, match official, Life Member, Committee or SMG Member – where the above described qualification criteria does not apply.
In such circumstances a sole person black arm band response - with associated Club information messaging as described – will ordinarily apply.
Whole of Club Response
An approved full Club black arm band response will require all netball and football teams on a particular match day to wear arm bands.
Attached is a sample format of the printed poster to be displayed on match day.
OLINDA FERNY CREEK
FOOTBALL NETBALL CLUB
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VALE
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Today the Olinda Ferny Creek Football Club is paying formal tribute to:-
………..….………………………..........
(who died recently)
The Club wishes to pay its respects because …………………………………….
…………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………….
Signed ....…………………. CLUB PRESIDENT
