The Club Committee wishes to make it clear that it values greatly the Juniors Section of the Club and is committed to providing the very best facilities for all our youngsters.
We believe that the juniors will be more likely to enjoy their cricket and have more fun if they are well managed and receive top quality coaching.
As part of our continuing drive to develop these arrangements, the Club has produced a Preston Nomads Cricket Club – Policy for Juniors, to inform the juniors and their parents (or guardians) what they can expect of the Club. This is set out below.
Underpinning this Policy, are the following codes of conduct and Club Equity Statement
JUNIORS
It is agreed that the Club will:
1. ensure that all juniors are provided with equal opportunities, regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability or social status;
2. safeguard and promote the well being of all juniors;
3. ensure that juniors, their parents, the coaches and managers know that they are expected, at all times, to show respect and understanding for the safety and welfare of others;
4. ensure high standards of behaviour from juniors at both practice sessions and at matches and will apply suitable disciplinary procedures in the event of persistent or serious examples of poor behaviour;
5. ensure that juniors, their parents, the coaches and managers are encouraged to be open at all times and to share any concerns or complaints that they may have about the Club, with the Juniors Manager;
6. ensure that all fixtures are properly arranged and that a match manager is available for each game;
7. ensure that all home matches are played on pitches that are safe for the age group concerned;
8. ensure that coaching/training is provided by qualified coaches;
9. ensure the suitability of all organisers, managers and coaches;
10. ensure that all organisers, managers and coaches are aware of and committed to the Club’s Child Protection Policy;
11. supervise and monitor the access to and use of practice facilities by juniors;
12. ensure that the bowling machine at Fulking is never used by a junior, but only by a designated coach or organiser; ensure that first aid kits are available in the pavilion at Fulking and provided to every age group organiser;
13. ensure that the juniors wear cricket helmets when required to;
14. ensure that juniors bowl no more overs for the Club than is recommended by the ECB for their particular age group;
15. take all possible steps to supervise the taking of any prescribed medications, in accordance with the specific requests of the junior’s parent/guardian;
16. deal with an emergency concerning the health or welfare of a junior;
17. take all steps to restrict the carrying of drinks glasses outside the immediate pavilion area;
18. carry adequate levels of insurance for public liability and personal accident cover.
PARENTS
1. Players, parents, and coaches are expected to show a positive, respectful attitude for everyone involved in the sport. Criticism and disrespect for officials, opponents, coaches or fans undermine the purpose of sport and encourage behaviour contrary to the spirit of the game
2. Parents’ conduct will have a significant bearing on a son/ daughter’s attitude towards other players, match officials, team officials and supports and, therefore, this should be of the highest standard at all times.
3. Encourage your son/ daughter to know the Laws of Cricket and play within them. They should also understand the ‘Spirit of Cricket’. Ensure that they always play fairly and never argue with officials.
4. If your son/ daughter is taking any medication or has an illness or injury that will affect their ability to participate, please let the coach or captain know
5. If you notice other adults, other than parents, hanging around the teams, you should identify them to the Welfare Officer or a Club official
6. Consider if you can assist the Club with a volunteering role, e.g. bar, teas, scoring, umpiring
7. Club officials reserve the right to speak to and, where absolutely necessary, take appropriate sanctions if parents do not comply with the above
8. If you have any concerns about the coaches, captain, team selection or the general running of the Development Academy, please discuss in private with the Academy Director in the first instance
9. If you still have concerns, having spoken with the Academy Director, please arrange to meet with the Chair of the Development Team or the Club Chairman
PLAYERS
1. Preston Nomads Cricket Club (The Club) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of behaviour and conduct. It supports fully the ECB’s Spirit of Cricket, as stated below
2. The Club will provide the following in support of the Academy:
a. The structure for personal and professional success in the game
b. Development of members as future PNCC 1st XI Players
c. Academy dedicated qualified (Level 2 and 3) coaches and net facilities throughout the summer season and from January through March during the off season
d. Saturday league cricket
e. Additional fixtures of appropriate profile and quality, played midweek and on some Sundays
3. Members of the Academy are expected to abide by the following code of practice:
a. Demonstrate respect for:
i. The Club’s opponents
ii. The match officials
iii. The team captains
iv. The coaches
v. Their teammates
b. Accept the umpire’s decision without dissent
c. Display good behaviour and appropriate language, both on and off the field of play
d. Be available for most league and cup matches
e. Attend all training sessions, especially Thursday evenings, unless Academy management (Director and/ or Academy Captain) has previously been notified
f. Participate fully in pre-match warm-ups and warm-down sessions
g. Display a discipline in time-keeping for all matches and all training sessions
h. Display a discipline in dress standards, during both matches and training
i. Act as role models for the Colts section
j. ‘Go the extra mile’ in contributing to the reputation and well-being of the Club; this might include applauding opposition play, assisting home and opposition groundsmen and scorers, providing substitute fielders for the opposition in case of injury and supporting the annual NatWest Cricket Force event
4. Failure by a PNCC Academy player to comply with the above provisions may lead to the Club taking disciplinary action against the player. As a last resort, this may include temporary or permanent exclusion from the PNCC Academy
The Spirit of Cricket has been stated by the ECB as follows:
“Cricket is a game that owes much of its unique approval to the fact that it should be played not only within its Laws, but also within the Spirit of the Game. Any action which is seen to abuse this spirit causes injury to the game itself. The major responsibility for ensuring the spirit of fair play rests with the captains.”
COACHES/MANAGERS
(Based on ECB Coaches Code of Conduct)
RIGHTS OF JUNIORS
Coaches should:
· assist in the creation of an environment where every junior has the opportunity to participate in coaching and matches;
· create and maintain an environment where juniors are free of fear and harassment;
· recognise the rights of all juniors to be treated as individuals.
RELATIONSHIPS WITH JUNIORS
Coaches:
· should develop a working relationship with players, based on mutual trust and respect;
· must not engage in behaviour that constitutes any form of abuse (physical, sexual, emotional, neglect, bullying);
· should promote the welfare and best interests of the juniors;
· never exert undue influence over performers to obtain personal benefit or reward;
· never condone violations of the laws of cricket, rough play or use of prohibited substances;
· must avoid sexual intimacy with any junior;
· must take action if they have a concern about the behaviour of an adult towards a junior;
· should empower juniors to be responsible for their own actions and decisions.
RESPONSIBILITIES – PERSONAL STANDARDS
Coaches:
· must be fair, honest and considerate to juniors and their parents/guardians;
· should project an image of health, cleanliness and functional efficiency;
· must be positive role models for juniors at all times;
· should display consistently high standards of behaviour and appearance.
RESPONSIBILITIES – PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
Coaches shall:
· provide a safe environment that maximises benefits and minimises risks to juniors in achieving their goals;
· promote the positive aspects of cricket (e.g. fair play and respect for others);
· promote the execution of safe and correct practice, appropriate to the age, ability and experience of those taking part;
· be professional and accept responsibility for their actions;
· hold the appropriate, valid qualifications and insurance cover;
· make a commitment to providing a quality service to those juniors they coach;
· follow all guidelines laid down by the ECB and the Club;
· gain ECB coaching qualifications appropriate to the level at which they coach;
· have responsibility for ensuring that they have been individually checked by the Criminal Records Bureau.
The above Code of Conduct will also apply, as appropriate, to all PNCC age group and match managers.