Code of Conduct
To foster reasonable behaviour, enhance sportsmanship and to make competition a developmental experience, the BGHA requires its players and parents to meet minimum standards of deportment. All coaches, athletes and parents in the BGHA are required to sign a copy of our Code of Conduct Contract and abide by the rules obtained therein.
General Responsibilities
All individuals have a responsibility to:
1. Maintain and enhance the dignity and self-esteem of all individuals by:
a. Demonstrating respect to individuals regardless of body type, physical characteristics, athletic ability, gender, ancestry, color, ethnic or racial origin, nationality, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, religion, religious belief, politictical belief, disability or economic status;
b. Focusing comments or criticism appropriately and avoiding public criticism of athletes, coaches, officials, organizers, volunteers, employees and members
c. Consistently demonstrating the spirit of sportsmanship, sports leadership and ethical conduct;
d. Acting, when appropriate, to prevent or correct practices that are unjustly discriminatory;
e. Consistently treating individuals fairly and reasonably;
f. Ensuring that the rules of girls' hockey, and the spirit of such rules, are adhered to.
2. Refrain from any behavior that constitutes harassment, where harassment is defined as comment or conduct directed towards an individual or group, which is offensive, abusive, racist, sexist, degrading or malicious. Types of behavior that constitute harassment include, but are not limited to:
a. Written or verbal abuse, threats or outbursts
b. The display of visual material which is offensive or which one ought to know is offensive;
c. Unwelcomed remarks, jokes, comments, innuendos or taunts;
d. Leering or other suggestive or obscene gestures;
e. Condescending or patronizing behavior which is intended to undermine self-esteem, diminish performance or adversely affect working conditions;
f. Practical jokes which cause awkwardness or embarrassment, endanger a person's safety or negatively affect performance;
g. Any form of hazing;
h. Unwanted physical contact including touching, petting, pinching or kissing;
i. Unwelcome sexual flirtations, advances, requests or invitations;
j. Physical or sexual assault;
k. Behaviors such as those described above that are not directed towards individuals or groups but have the same effect of creating a negative or hostile environment; or
l. Retaliation or threats of retaliation against an individual who reports harassment;
m. Any of the latter that is disseminated through the use of media, including but not limited to:
- Online social media, texting, online forums, online chat rooms, blogs, etc.
3. Refrain from any behavior that consitutes sexual harassment, where sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual comments and sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or conduct of a sexual nature.
Types of behavior that constitute sexual harassment include, but are not limited to:
a. Sexist jokes;
b. Display of sexually offensive material;
c. Sexually degrading words used to describe a person;
d. Inquiries or comments about a person's sex life;
e. Unwelcome sexual flirtations, advances or propositions;
f. Persistent unwanted contact;
g. Sexual assault
4. Refrain from the use of power or authority in an attempt to coerce another person to engage in inappropriate activities.
5. In the case of adults, avoid consuming alcohol in situations where minors are present, and take reasonable steps to manage the responsible consumption of alcoholic beverages in adult - oriented social situations associated with BGHA events.
6. Respect the property of others and not willfully cause damage.
7. Respect and understand the Cellphones, Cameras are not permitted in change rooms.
8. Abstain from the non-medical use of drugs or the use of performance enhancing drugs or methods. Comply at all times with the Constitution, Bylaws, policies, rules and regulations of the BGHA, as adopted and amended from time to time.
9. Adhere to all Federal Provincial, Municipal or host country laws.
Athletes
In addition to the General Responsibilities listed above, Athletes will have additional responsibilities to:
1. Report any medical problems in a timely fashion, where such problems may limit the athlete's ability to travel, train or complete.
2. Participate and appear on time in all competitions, practices, training sessions, events, activities or projects.
3. properly represent themselves and not attempt to enter a competition for which they are not eligible, by reason of age, classification or other reasons.
4. Adhere to the BGHA's rules and requirements regarding clothing and equipment
5. Play hockey because they want to, not because others or coaches require it
6. Play by the rules of the BGHA, hockey and in the spirit of the game.
7. Control their temper and refrain from fighting.
8. Be a true team player.
9. Take into consideration that winning is not everything - that having fun, improving skills, making friends and doing their best are very important.
10. Respect coaches and officials as they are there to support and help the athlete.
11. Act as an ambassador of the game of hockey and conduct themselves in a manner that reflects such a position.
Parents/Guardians and Spectators
In addition to the General Responsibilities listed above, Parents/Guardians of Individual and Spectators will:
1. Encourage athletes to play by the rules and to resolve conflicts without resorting to hostility or violence.
2. Condemn the use of violence in any form;
3. Never ridicule a participant for making a mistake during a performance or practice;
4. Provide positive comments that motivate and encourage participants continued effort;
5. Respect the decisions and judgments of referees, and encourage athletes to do the same;
6. Never question an official's judgment or honesty;
7. Support all efforts to remove verbal and physical abuse, coercion, intimidation and sarcasm from the sport of hockey;
8. Respect and show appreciation to all competitors, and to the coaches, officials and other volunteers who give their time to the sport of hockey;
9. Refrain from the use of bad language, nor harass competitors, coaches, officials, parents/guardians or other spectators;
10. Never force their athlete to participate in the sport of hockey;
11. Remember that their athlete plays the sport of hockey for her enjoyment
12. Teach their athlete that doing one's best is as important as winning so that their child will never feel
13. Ensure that their athlete feels like a winner every time by offering praise for competing fairly and hard
14. Support all efforts to remove verbal and physical abuse from the game of hockey.
Implementation Process
All parents and athletes must read and acknowledge the applicable Code of Conduct Policy in this on-line form to complete their registration process with BGHA. Athletes will be prohibited to be registered or evaluated by the BGHA if the Code of Conduct Policy is not accepted in this submission.
At the commencement of each season, each BGHA team will be required to have a meeting with all management, parents and players to review the BGHA Code of Conduct and reiterate that the expectation of the BGHA is one hundred percent (100%) compliance.
The meeting will cover the following:
a) Detail the objectives for the year
b) Outline the team's expectation
c) Lay out the consequences
d) Explain the team's responsibilites
e) Explain BGHA's responsibilities
In the event that a parent, coach, athlete or team manager does not complete this registration form, such individual is still subject to this Code of Conduct.
Members can report any misconduct or violation of this code using the BGHA Complaint Policy found on the BGHA website under forms and policies.