Code of Conduct 

As a member of our club, you have the right to:

• Feel safe and know how you can raise concerns.
• Be listened to.
• Be involved and contribute towards decisions within the club or activity.
• Be respected and treated fairly by every member of the club.
• Feel welcomed, valued and not judged based on your race, gender, sexuality, faith, ability or any other relevant characteristic.
• Be encouraged and developed with our help and support.
• Be looked after if there’s an accident or injury and have your parents/guardians/emergency contact informed, where appropriate.

As a member of our club we expect you to: 

• Be aware of Wavepower and adhere to relevant guidance. 

• Adhere to the Swim England regulations, Code of Ethics, Club Constitution and rules. 

• Listen to your coach or teacher, behave responsibly and speak out when something isn’t right. 

• Never leave the premises (at either training or a competition) without agreeing it with your coach, teacher or team manager first. This is just as important for our adult members as well as those under 18. 

• Make it to training and competitions on time and if you’re running late, let a member of the club know. 

• Make your coach or teacher aware if you have any difficulties attending training or competitions. 

• Bring the right kit to training and competitions.

• Take care of equipment and premises as if they were your own. 

• Support and encourage your team mates. 

• Respect volunteers and competitors at competitions. 

• Respect the committee members, coaching and teaching team and volunteer helpers at all times. 

• Get involved in club decisions, it’s your sport too.

Behaviour

• Follow the rules of the club, squad or activity at all times.
• Respect and celebrate differences in the club and you will not discriminate against anyone else on the grounds of age, gender, race, sexual orientation, faith, ability, or any other relevant characteristic.
• Understand that the use of abusive or inappropriate language, bullying, physical violence or any other behaviour which hurts others will not be tolerated by the club.
• Respect the privacy of others especially in the changing rooms.
• Not use any mobile device, at any time, in the changing areas.
• Report any concerns you have about someone taking photographs or footage of others in the changing areas.
• Report any incidents of bullying or unacceptable behaviour to the welfare officer, even if you’re just a witness.

General Behaviour:

• I will display a high standard of behaviour always and be familiar with the behaviour policies within the club.
• I will recognise and celebrate the good performance and success of fellow club & teammates.
• I will only use mobile phones for emergency purposes at training / open meets and I will not use any devices to take photos / videos at poolside or within the changing areas.
• I will act responsible when using the Stratford Sharks social media platforms and when using my own platforms (if any) when mentioning the club.

Training:

• I will treat my coach and fellow members with respect. I will not speak to my parents/guardians during the training session without permission from my coach.
• I will make my coach aware if I have difficulties in attending training sessions as per the rules laid down for my squad.
• I will arrive in good time on poolside before the training session starts to complete poolside warm up as directed by my coach.
• If I need to leave a session early, I will come back on poolside until my parents/grandparents/carer collects me.
• I understand that if I arrive late, I must report to my coach before entering the pool and discuss my reasons for my lateness.
• I will enter the pool once directed by poolside help/ coach when it is safe to do so and will not delay my start.
• I will ensure that I have all my equipment with me, e.g., paddles, kick boards, hats, goggles, etc.
• I will also ensure that I bring appropriate drink such as water/squash etc to training and drink throughout.
• If I need to leave the pool for any reason during training, I will inform my coach before doing so.
• I will listen to what my coach is telling me always and obey any instructions given.
• I will always swim to the wall as I would do in a race, and I will practice turns as instructed.
• I will not stop and stand in the lane or obstruct others from completing their training.
• I will not pull on the ropes as this may injure other members.
• I will not skip lengths or sets – to do so means I would only be cheating myself and causing upset to my fellow teammates and this is not fair.
• I will think about what I am doing during training, and if I have any problems, I will discuss them with my coach at an appropriate time, with a respectful manner.
• If I have any problems with the behaviour of fellow members, I will report them at the time to an appropriate adult.
• If my coach asks me to move into a more appropriate lane, I will do this quickly and quietly.
• I understand that no matter who is coaching me on the end of the lane (Young / Adult Volunteer/ Coach) I will continue to show a respectful and polite manner as I understand they are there to help me.
• I realise that my efforts and commitment to training is down to me, and that I work with my coach to ensure that I can be as success as possible.
• I understand that when I have left poolside at the end of my training session that I am to get changed as soon as possible to ensure that I can get home and sleep / eat/ refuel in readiness for the next training session.

Competitions:

At competitions, whether they be open meets, national events, or club galas, I will always behave in a manner that shows respect to my coach, the officers, my teammates, and the members of all competing organisations.

• I understand that I will be required to attend events and galas that the Lead Coach has advised/selected me for, unless agreed otherwise by prior arrangement with the relevant official and coach.
• I understand that I must wear appropriate swimwear, tracksuits, T-shirts/shorts, and Sharks Team hats as per the rules laid down by the organisation.
• I will report to my coach and/or team manager on arrival on poolside.
• I will ensure that I arrive in plenty of time of the warmup so that I am prepared and ready for my races.
• I will warm up before the event as directed by the coach in charge on that day and ensure I fully prepare myself for the race.
• I will come to the open meet with my list of events/ times etc for each session.
• I will be part of the team. This means I will stay with the team on poolside.
• If I must leave poolside for any reason, I will inform, and in some cases, get the consent of the team manager/coach before doing so.
• After my race, I will report to my coach for feedback, first before I speak to my family/friends.
• I will support my teammates. Everyone likes to be supported and they will be supporting me in return.
• I will swim down after the race if possible, as advised by my coach.
• My behaviour in the swim down facility must be appropriate and respectful to other users always.
• I will never leave an event until either the gala is complete, or I have the explicit agreement of the coach or team manager.
• I understand that when I am using the changing facilities that I am to use these quickly so that I can leave in a timely manner to get home to sleep / refuel etc in readiness for the next day of competition.

Breaches of this Code of Conduct may result in disciplinary action being taken against you by the club committee.