This Winter, Dress Warm but Stay Cool!
While the cooler weather will have you reaching for the puffer jackets and the beanies – let’s work together to make sure we keep youth sports in perspective; stay cool while you’re courtside!
In the Winter 2024 season, we will be stepping up our efforts as we lead a positive culture in youth sports. Nunawading Basketball is collaborating with clubs to enforce stricter guidelines on coach, official, spectator and player behaviour. We have all seen, and all been dismayed at negative behaviour in junior sports – now is the time to do something about it!
Higher Expectations:
This season will see already existing policies around behaviour more strictly enforced. In addition, a new aspect is the enforcement of suspensions after behavioural tech fouls. The first behavioural tech foul you receive will result in a formal warning with any additional tech fouls bringing mandatory and increasing suspensions. You will not have the right of reply, as the only acceptable level of tech fouls is ZERO.
Spectator behaviour is also a part of the guidelines. Spectators will be ejected and potentially suspended if any of the behavioural standards are not met. Unfortunately, the Vultures have had a number of behavioural tech fouls and tribunal reports at the start of this season already, so we are appealing to you as the Vultures basketball community to help influence change in this area.
A Culture of Safety:
At our club, we prioritize respect, positive sporting behaviour, and a safe environment for everyone involved. Violence and aggression, whether directed at players, referees, opponents – even in a moment of frustration at ‘the game’ – are never appropriate and will not be tolerated under any circumstances. This includes violent speech or gestures.
We believe that the integrity of the game and the well-being of all participants are far more important than a single-minded pursuit of victory. Our commitment to fostering a safe, supportive and inclusive atmosphere means that any form of negativity or unsporting behaviour is strictly prohibited. We encourage all members to compete with passion and dedication, but always with respect for their opponents and the rules of the game. Winning should never come at the expense of fair play or mutual respect.
We expect all members of our club to uphold these values and to contribute to a culture of positivity and encouragement. By working together, we can create an environment where everyone feels valued and motivated to perform their best, both on and off the court.
In working with the association it is clear that Vultures is a leader in this space – we have high expectations for player, coach and supporter behaviour, we communicate them, and we want to see our community demonstrate them – we want to continue to lead in this space.
Some rules to help you Stay Cool in Winter 2024:
- Keep your support of the game positive and encouraging; missed shots, mistakes and breakdowns in play can be encouraged with ‘Get the next one’ or ‘Keep going!’.
- Do not attempt to referee the game from the sidelines. It is not appropriate to talk to, argue with, or otherwise interact with the referee. This is not supporter behaviour that our club condones.
- Do not interact with the score bench.
- Unless they are friends, do not interact with opposition coaches, players or supporters before, during or after the game.
- Once the game ends, it is not appropriate to approach any member of the opposition team, coach, scorer or supporters unless to congratulate them.
- It is never appropriate to approach a referee – the only member of the club that can approach a referee is the team manager, who can only talk to the referee supervisor at the stadium.
Our whole club, committee, coaches and families thank you for your cooperation and dedication to maintaining behavioural standards at the club. Most importantly – our players will thank you! ‘Let kids be kids’ videos are a great resource we can all look at, whether a coach, team manager, supporter. It is really eye opening into what kids really want and what makes them happy when playing competitive sport.
We challenge you to watch these 2 x 2 minutes videos; but BEWARE, your outlook on kids’ sports will be changed forever!
https://www.playbytherules.net.au/resources/videos/let-kids-be-kids-the-kids
https://www.playbytherules.net.au/resources/videos/let-kids-be-kids-icons
Finding it hard to stay cool?
Let’s be real for a second – are you over invested in your kids’ sport? Do you care a little too much about the result? About the missed call? Ever lost it at a ref, or coach, or an overconfident opponent? Really lost it?
If you think you might need to talk about anger, there’s some resources below:
- Lifeline — for crisis support — 13 11 14
- MensLine — support for Australian men — 1300 78 99 78
- SANE Australia — free counselling service — 1800 187 263
- MensLine Australia — Anger Management Toolkit
You can also call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse is available to speak with 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
