Etiquette

Team Management Sportsmanship

You are an advocate of your sport and it is therefore your responsibility to set a good example for participants and spectators to follow. You are a leader and therefore you are responsible for leading everyone in good behavior. Do not lower your standards of good behavior and retaliate to verbal and physical abuse that may be delivered by opponents, their management or spectators – you must hold the high ground like a beacon for all to see.

Part of your function is to ensure everyone works well together. It is your role to encourage, praise and reward your participant(s) and other member of management and help everyone gel together as a team.

Instruct participants in sportsmanship and their responsibilities and encourage them to make integrity and ethical behaviour their priority (even at the cost of winning). It is your responsibility to fairly reward and penalise participants with regard to their sportsmanship (or lack of it).

The officials are there to see the rules are applied. Their decision is final. It is not your function to remonstrate or be abusive to officials, regardless of the circumstances, always respond on the basis they are correct – giving them the respect they are due i.e. the responsible role they perform. Simple adage: “The umpire is always right”.

If there is strong enough evidence showing a bad judgement or a heinous decision has been made, take this up with the proper authorities, using the correct procedures of the sports authorities governing body as appropriate.

Join your participant(s) in welcoming/thanking/congratulating other competitors, officials and opposing management teams (by shaking hands and making positive comments) regardless of the outcome.

Ensure participants know the rules and encourage all to abide by them. Your knowledge of the rules should be as good, if not better than most. Ignorance is no excuse and in some sports it may even be detrimental to the result if you do not know them.