Expectations – Parent Code of Conduct

You are there to support your child and his team.  It is about them and not you, so please:

• Be positive:    Encouragement from parents and supporters on the sideline can lift the team in a tight situation.  Please call only encouraging comments.  Criticism from the sidelines during a game will not help your son or any of his team mates – it is nothing but disruptive and will serve only to encourage and assist the opposition.
• Respect the coach:     There is one coach only, whose game plan will be considering the team and its talents as a whole.  It is confusing to players to have instructions coming at them from the technical area and also from the sidelines, often demanding they do different things.  Please do not put players in a situation where they have to pick between you and the coach.  If you have an issue with the coach, please give him the opportunity to explain his position at an appropriate time.  Immediately before training or a game is not the time for such a discussion.  If the issue cannot be resolved, please discuss the matter with our Technical Director of Coaching.
• Respect the officials:  We ask this of all players, team officials and parents.  The officials will not always get a decision right 100% of the time.  Please remember that they are human, and many are trying to develop their skills also, just like your son.  Abusing an official will not help the team, and is unlikely to inspire the official to see things ‘your way’.  If you believe that a match official was of a particularly poor standard, please address the issue with the coach or team manager at the end of the game.  There is protocol for a coach to lodge an official complaint with Football Brisbane if considered necessary.
• Respect the opposition:     You would not be happy to have someone scream abuse at your son, so please do not abuse opposition players.  Such behaviour may prove only to inspire the opposition and will create a potentially tense situation between supporters on the sideline.  There is no game without the opposing team, and good play should be applauded irrespective of which team is responsible.
• Support the player:   Please help your son to achieve the most he can from the season by ensuring that he makes training and games on time and prepared.  Encourage him and assist him with matters such as time organisation.  Training is important, but school work even more so.  Hopefully with some planning both demands can be managed without drama. 
• Communication:   If there are any issues, please bring them to the attention of the appropriate person as soon as practical.   Often it is just a simple misunderstanding that can be quickly resolved.  Your first contact should be the team manager or coach.  If the problem is still not resolved, please contact the Director of Coaching (if a coaching matter) or the Club registrar for administration issues via email, techdirector@ipswichknights.org.au andregistrar@ipswichknights.org.au.