Code of Conduct

Lansing Knights Youth Organization

CODE OF CONDUCT

The goal of the Lansing Knights Youth Organization (“LKYO”) in particular and youth sports in general is for all the children to have fun. We, the Board of Directors of The LKYO wish for all the children to learn sportsmanship, improve their skills, make new friends, and strive to be the best that they can be. The LKYO has a responsibility to achieve these things in a safe, youth friendly environment. This Code of Conduct is the agreement between the parents, players and coaches. This document is the essence of our goals and objectives and thus, adherence to it is of primary importance.

PARENTS CODE

As a parent, you play a special role in contributing to the needs and development of youngsters.

Through your encouragement and good example, you can help our children learn good sportsmanship and self-discipline. In LKYO, young people learn to work together, to sacrifice for the good of the team, to enjoy winning and deal appropriately with defeat, all while becoming physically fit and healthy. Best of all, you must be one of the conduits to helping the children have fun.

Support Your Child:

Supporting your child by giving encouragement and showing interest in their team is very important. Help your child work towards skill development and good sportsmanship at all times. Make sure your child attends practice. Teach your child that hard work and an honest effort are often more important than victory. In this way your child will always be a winner despite the outcome of the game.

Always Be Positive:

Parents serve as role models for their children. Be aware of this and work to be a positive role model for all the children on the team. Applaud good plays by your child as well as their teammates. As an LKYO parent we expect you to be supportive of all our players. Under no circumstances should any negative comments or remarks about teammates, coaches, referees, or officials be made in public. This admonition applies to both your child’s team players, coaches and parents as well as the opposing team’s coaches, players, and parents, and the referee.

Remember Your Child Wants To Have Fun:

Remember that you child is the one playing sports, not you. It is very important to let children establish their own goals and to play the game for themselves. Take care not to impose your own standards and goals on them. Be supportive of any position that your child is playing. Children play for the fun of playing.

Don’t Be A Sideline Coach:

Coaches are often parents just like you. They volunteer their time to help make your child’s youth

sports experiences a positive one. They need your support too. One of the largest problems in youth sports involves a parent’s opinion of what position their child should be playing and how much playing time they should be receiving. This is a decision that the LKYO has placed with the coaches, within the guidelines of the club. We believe it is the responsibility of the parents along with the aid of the coach to teach the children that all positions are of equal importance.

Remember the coach is the coach of all the children. A parent sometimes has a biased opinion of their child’s abilities and may not always be looking at the team as a whole. A coach’s role is to do what is in the best interests of the team as a whole.

Communications:

As our children get older they will develop the ability to communicate their feelings directly with the

coach. As a parent you should encourage them to do so. However, if a parent feels it is necessary to

discuss their child they should:

1. Do so only with the coach, not with other parents
2. Only at a time mutually agreed upon with the coach
3. Never prior to, during, or directly after a game

As a parent of a player in the LKYO, each parent will agree as follows:

1. Volunteer my services and talents to the LKYO when needed.
2. Volunteer my services and talents to our team when needed. I also realize that our team may be

engaged in various fundraising activities and I will fully participate and fulfill all my obligations.

3. I will make sure my child is on time for practice and comes prepared. Furthermore I will be

available when practice is over to take my child home.

4. I realize that practice is important. I will make every effort to bring my child to practice. By

choosing to participate in the Developmental and Travel Programs of the LKYO, I know that it is

my responsibility to have my child attend practice.

5. When I am unable to attend a practice, game, or tournament I will call and inform the coach. I

realize that my child’s failure to attend practice may result in reduced playing time or even

suspension from the team.

6. I will always be supportive of our coach, I realize he /she puts in a great deal of time and has the

best interest of my child in mind.

7. I will comply with all rules, policies, procedures, and obligations of the LKYO and my child’s

team as they apply to me.

8. Under no circumstances will I ever be either physically or verbally abusive towards any coach,

player, Director, Officer or other official, or another parent. I realize that these actions could

lead to dismissal and or suspension of my family from the club.

9. I realize that my child’s enjoyment of the game may be enhanced by my support and enthusiasm. I will make my best efforts to participate by attending games or otherwise supporting his/her enthusiasm and interest.

The LKYO Board of Directors believes that parents can help children rejoice in victory, cope with

defeat; celebrate success, deal with adversity; and most of all they have the ability to make sports an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

COACHES CODE

The position of coach in the LKYO is an important responsibility. The behavior of the coach is

constantly on display for all the children, parents, officials, and members of other clubs. Players will often imitate the actions of their coach. As a coach of the LKYO you are held to a higher standard. You are expected to rise above the negative actions of others. As an official representative of the LKYO you are expected to uphold the high standards of our club.

The LKYO is very supportive of their coaches. The Board of Directors of the club has selected each Intramural, Developmental and Travel coach. We appreciate the tremendous time and effort that each coach contributes. Our coaches are more than just coaches; they are the individuals that volunteer the most time to our club. We expect all players and parents to give the coach respect and when necessary the “benefit of the doubt.”

Paid Coaches:

The LKYO Directors select all Intramural, Developmental, and Travel coaches. Often the coach is a parent. On certain occasions, the Directors select a non-parent coach who will be paid for his/her services as a coach. The coaching fees will be presented to each parent in advance to enable each family to decide whether to participate on a team that utilizes a paid coach. Any team can request a paid coach or trainer; however, the Directors reserve the right to approve or disapprove a paid coach for any LKYO

team based upon cause.

The Coach as a Facilitator:

Your child’s coach will try to impart a love of soccer to them. He/she will do his/her best to make sure the children enjoy their time playing sports. He/she will be reasonable on a young player’s time, energy, enthusiasm and performance on the filed. As your child’s coach he/she will apply all the rules of the team and the club fairly.

The Coach as a Role Model and Leader:

As your child’s coach he/she will try to set a good example. Decorum during games and practices must be first rate. There is no place in youth sports for using foul language, abusing referees, or making the children feel anything but special.

The Coach as a Trainer:

As your child’s coach he/she should be on time and prepared for practices. Training exercises should be appropriate for the age and ability level of the players. He/she will always keep informed of sound principles of both coaching and child development. He/she will make sure that all of coaching licenses are up to date and that he/she has completed all required courses. He/she will always be generous with praise when it is deserved.

The Coach as a Tactician:

It is the responsibility as your child’s coach to decide on player’s positions and to handle substitutions. He/she realizes that children want to always be playing and may have preferences to where they play. He/she will always try to be as delicate and understanding as possible when making these decisions.

Safety:

We realize how special our children are. Coaches will always make sure that the equipment and the playing facilities are safe. Coaches will always follow the advice of a physician and the parent in determining when an injured child is ready to play again.

The Coach as Administrator:

The coach acknowledges that there are a number of administrative tasks that need attention in order for the team to be permitted to participate in travel league play, tournaments, and State Cup competition. The coach agrees to manage that role by either independently handling that role or by delegating to a responsible team parent those duties.

PLAYERS CODE

Responsibilities:

As a player in the LKYO:

1. I will play for the fun of sports, not just to please my parents or coach
2. I realize that all positions in sports are of equal importance
3. I will never argue with or complain about a official’s calls or decisions
4. I will always work to control my temper
5. I will always cooperate with my coach, teammates, and officials
6. I will train and play to the best of my ability
7. I will have a positive attitude and never quit
8. I will attend and be on time for all games and practices
9. I will always give encouragement to my teammates
10. I will respect my coach
11. I will always treat all players the way that I would like to be treated
12. I will display modestly in victory and graciousness in defeat
13. Most of all I will never forget that I represent the LKYO.

PRINCIPLES CONCERNING ENFORCEMENT

The principles in this Statement serve the interests of all participants in the LKYO. It is therefore in the interests of all participants to comply fully with this Code of Conduct and other applicable requirements. The LKYO expects that all participants will comply fully. Nevertheless, the quality of any Code of Conduct is no greater than the means through which it is enforced. The purpose of enforcement is not solely the punishment of noncompliance for its own sake, but also to facilitate compliance with this Statement by all participants.

Many acts of noncompliance with this Statement will be and should be resolved immediately and

without any formal procedure, and will involve comparatively minor sanctions such as verbal correction. Such sanctions should be applied fairly and generally consistently, but the nature of the offense does not warrant formal procedures or other substantive due process.

At the other end of the spectrum, some acts of noncompliance will be so serious as to necessitate severe sanctions and formal processes to ensure that those alleged acts of noncompliance are investigated and adjudicated appropriately.

COMPLIANCE TO THE LANSING KNIGHTS YOUTH ORGANIZATION CODE OF

CONDUCT

All LKYO Directors, Officers, players, parents, and coaches agree that they fully understand their

responsibilities, obligations and the philosophy of the LKYO.

Each LKYO Director, Officer, player, parent, and coach agrees to abide by all of its guidelines and

fulfill all their responsibilities and obligations. Each LKYO Director, Officer, player, parent, and coach understands that their failure to do so may result in removal or suspension of the Director, Officer, player, parent and/or coach from participation in the LKYO.

NOTICES AND GENERAL LKYO INFORMATION

The LKYO maintains an extensive description of the soccer programs on its website

https://lansingknights.com The LKYO uses its website to distribute information of importance to LKYO players, parents, and coaches.