‘Win with modesty, lose with grace’
CHEQUERS NETBALL CLUB
Club Constitution and Information Booklet
2014/15
Version 1
Contents Page No.
1. Welcome note from the Committee – Our Vision and Goals for 2011/12 3
2. History of Chequers NC 3
3. Club Ethos and Motto 4
4. Code of Conduct
Players Code of Conduct 4
Coaches Code of Conduct 5
Umpires Code of Conduct 5
Supporters Code of Conduct 5
Junior Members and Parent Code of Conduct 6
Grievance Procedures 6
Disciplinary Procedures 7
Dissolution 7
5. Membership Status and Affiliation 7
6. Finance
Governance over the handling of Club funds 8
Summary of most recent Annual Report and Accounts 8
Membership 8
Guidelines for the payment of monies due to the club 9
Purchases via the Club 9
Tariff of charges 9
Summary of costs assumed by the Club 9
7. The Committee
Executive Committee 10
Management Committee 10
Honorary Committee Members 10
Committee Rules and Guidelines 10
Roles and Responsibilities 11
8. Training 17
9. Team Selection 17
10. England Netball Association
Affiliation Benefits 17
Equal Opportunities Policy 18
Child Protection Policy 19
11. Additional Notes
Annual General Meetings 20
Bad Weather Policy 20
First Aid 20
Our participation in Competitive Leagues 20
Procedures for notifying unavailability and sickness 20
Punctuality 21
Junior Players 21
12. Personal Accreditations 22
13. Key Contacts 24
1. WELCOME NOTE FROM THE COMMITTEE – OUR VISION AND GOALS FOR 2014/15
Our vision for 2012/13 is to continue onwards and upwards from the success we enjoyed last season. Our goals remain the same and are as follows.
Chequers Netball Club aims to promote a friendly and social environment for the participation of Netball in all age groups. Chequers will encourage fair play, sportsmanship & a competitive spirit. Chequers will seek opportunities to develop players and promote the game. All matches will be played in accordance with the rules of England Netball. Chequers adopts England Netball duty of care guidelines for netball clubs and associations including child protection guidelines.
2. HISTORY OF CHEQUERS NC
The Idea
The Club was started by three old college friends who were finding it very hard to find a netball team in the Croydon area. Once they discovered the Croydon Netball League, Chequers was born. The team started with girls who just wanted to increase fitness and have fun. Only one member had previously played for an "official" team. The former college players always lost games and were even beaten by the college rugby team, however the loss was put down to very dubious umpiring. Most of the players hadn't played since primary school.
Getting it together
Amy (Chairman) secured a sports hall for training and basic equipment. Leanne (Secretary) teaches and her 14-year-old schoolgirls put us firmly in our place in our first friendly. We grew to learn quickly that subs alone do not support a club. We held many car boot sales to raise money, wrote to local businesses, begged friends & family to donate what they could. The results were reasonable. An Italian restaurant donated Italian football shirts for us to play in; a surveying company gave us more t-shirts that didn't make us sweat. A local builder bought us netball posts, and we found a club with abandoned tennis courts to play home matches on.
A lot of hard work
The courts were abandoned/derelict. Three courts and not one without a carpet of moss. The grounds keeper seemed to prefer it that way and showed no interest in changing the situation. The team set to work so we could be ready for our first ever league match, due to be played at home. Everyone grabbed a broom and a lot of our funds went on weed killer. Once the court was clear of moss it took us the best part of three days to hand paint our court. It wasn't without crisis. After carefully marking and measuring the court in chalk & taping the tarmac, we began with our rollers and brushes. Having completed both base & sidelines we started making out the thirds. We will never know how we made the error; perhaps it was a mix of imperial & metric measurements. As the second line was painted it was obvious that we had not created thirds as intended, we had 4/9ths, 3/9ths and 2/9ths. Tears, frustrated giggles & paint remover seemed to sort the matter out. However we did not alter our measurements for the centre circle. More frustrated giggles, more tears and paint remover.
The first match. Chequers V's G & T.
We started our first season with one expectation. To win at least one match. We were very realistic about our (lack of) experience. We dragged in our friends and family to support us and keep our spirits up and our divisional secretary saved us from what would have been an umpiring crisis. Luck was with us and we won the toss. Our first ever centre pass resulted in our first official goal and our first crowd Mexican wave. The whole team admitted that they could have cried for joy at the final whistle. 32: 21. Our first season saw us placed 4th of 9.
3. CLUB ETHOS AND MOTO
Our Motto:
“Win with modesty, lose with grace”
Club Ethos:
“We will strive to achieve the highest possible standards of play, individually and as a team, whilst continually promoting good sportsmanship by showing respect to our team mates, opponents, umpires and coaches”
Since the creation of Chequers the club has enjoyed success and continuous growth year after year and much of this is a direct result of the culture, which has been installed into the club from the very beginning. We believe that by enjoying our netball and each other’s company we can continue to prosper both on and off the court.
The club is prominent at all levels – participating in both local competitive and friendly leagues and local and national tournaments. All members must realise that they play as part of a team/club, not as an individual. Actions of players reflect the club as a whole. As a club member we must ensure that we promote positive impressions through our
- behaviour, both on and off court
- body language
- interaction with other teams, players and umpires.
The club works hard to develop its players of varying abilities, yet this requires the help and support of all players during training sessions and league games.
4. CODE OF CONDUCT
Players Code of Conduct
· Know and understand the rules of the game and play to them
· Play fairly, be competitive but not aggressive
· Play as a team
· Never ridicule a team member for making errors
· Obey the decisions of the coach and team manager
· Obey all umpiring decisions no matter how unfair they appear to be
· Respect your opponents
· During play do not question a decision made by the Umpires either by gesture, look, verbally or by commenting to another player
· Give the ball promptly to opponents for throw-ins, penalty shots, free and penalty passes etc.
· Ensure you are in the correct position indicated by the Umpire when penalties are set
· Keep yourself in control at all times and do not retaliate. Do not use obscene language at any time
· Accept victory modestly and defeat graciously. The Club will be judged on your behaviour.
· Shake hands with your opponents at the end of a match no matter what the result
· Thank the umpires for officiating your match
· Be punctual for training and match sessions
· Respect the uniform, facilities and equipment provided
· Enjoy your netball!
Responsibility for enforcing the discipline rests primarily with the Team Manager, Captain and Coach. They are required to enforce the club rules and ensure that training sessions and matches are conducted in a safe and friendly manner.
Coaches Code of Conduct
· Never ridicule a player for making a mistake or not winning
· Be reasonable in your demands on players’ time, energy and enthusiasm
· Operate within the rules and spirit of your sport and teach your players to do the same
· Ensure that the time players spend with you is a positive experience and ensure equal attention and opportunities to all players
· Ensure that equipment and facilities meet the necessary standards
· Display control, respect and professionalism
· Show concern and caution towards sick and injured players
· Follow the advice of a doctor/physiotherapist when determining whether an injured player is ready to commence training and match play
· Obtain the appropriate qualifications and keep them up to date with the latest coaching practices and principles
· Respect the rights, dignity and worth of every player regardless of their gender, ability, cultural background or religion
Umpires Code of Conduct
· Have a duty to exercise reasonable care and skill to enforce the rules of the game so as to ensure the safety of players
· At all times, umpire consistently, independently (an attitude of mind characterised by integrity) and with complete impartiality, respecting and abiding by the Rules which govern the game, in the true spirit of sportsmanship
· Conform to a standard of mental and physical fitness which enables them to effectively and efficiently control the matches to which they are appointed
· Maintain a complete knowledge and up-to-date interpretation of the Official Rules of Netball and be fully conversant with the Rules, Regulations and Scoring Systems applicable to the event at which they are officiating
· Remember they are the controllers of the game and their decisions should not be influenced by spectators, Team officials or players
· Exercise self-control at all times and not commit to any action likely to bring the game into disrepute
· Not consume alcoholic drinks or smoke whilst officiating
· Not wager on or coach during any match or in a Tournament at which they are officiating as an umpire
· Be liable to Disciplinary Action if they have committed any breach of this Code of Conduct or have failed to comply with the Guidelines issued by the EN Umpiring Committee.
Supporters Code of Conduct
· Never ridicule a player for making a mistake
· Applaud good play by both your own team and the opposition.
· Do not publicly question the umpire’s judgement or honesty
· Refrain from the use of foul, abusive or insulting language or gestures
· Drunken and disorderly behaviour will not be tolerated
· Always follow directions from Club Officials and Umpires
· Show respect to other supporters
· Show respect to all players and umpires
· Do not use remarks based on race, religion, gender or ability
· Never use physical or verbal intimidation or abuse towards players, club and match officials
· Supporters should not question decisions made by the Club Chairperson, Manager, Coach or Captain
The Club welcomes and greatly appreciates support from family and friends but will not tolerate Supporters who choose to ignore this code. Club members are therefore requested to ensure that all supporters are fully aware of this code.
Junior Members and Parents Code of Conduct
Parents associated with the club should, at all times, show respect to Club officials, players and umpires. They are encouraged to be open at all times and to share any concerns or complaints that may have about any aspect of the club with the Club Chairperson.
As members of Chequers, juniors are expected to abide by the following junior club rules:
· All members must play within the rules and respect officials and their decisions
· All members must respect opponents
· Members should keep to agreed timings for training and competitions or inform their coach or team manager if they are going to be late
· Members must wear suitable kit for training and match sessions
· Members must pay any fees for training or events promptly
· Junior members are not allowed to smoke or drink on club premises or whilst representing the club at competitions
· Junior members are not allowed to consume alcohol or drugs of any kind on the club premises or whilst representing the club
Grievance Procedures
Although the Club takes every care to ensure that the rules of the game of netball are upheld and that sporting like behaviour is maintained it would not wish for any member to feel that any grievance they have can be ignored. This Code of Practice sets out the procedure that the Club will follow in the event of a member giving notice of a grievance.
This Code of Conduct applies to all those who are playing members of the Club together with those who assist in the running of the Club, either as committee members or as match officials and are affiliated members of the All England Netball Association. Payment of league fees or participation in league events is acceptance of this Code of Conduct.
Asking For A Grievance To Be Investigated:
It is open to any Club member to ask the Club’s Committee to hear their grievance. Submissions may be made verbally or in writing.
What The Committee Can Do:
When a grievance submission has been made to the committee they will ask the Chairman or Vice-Chairman to investigate and provide a report.
Resolving The Grievance:
Upon receipt of the report outlined above the Club may do one of three things:
- Take any action recommended in a report it has commissioned
- Reverse any discipline decisions taken
- Decline to take any further action
The committee will respond within 30 days of receiving a grievance.
Disciplinary Procedures
This Code of Practice sets out the procedure that the Club will follow in the event of a complaint being made against individual players or teams.
This Code of Conduct applies to all those who are playing members of the Club together with those who assist in the running of the Club, either as committee members or as match officials and are affiliated members of the All England Netball Association. Payment of league fees or participation in league events is acceptance of this Code of Conduct.