DOCUMENTS & LINKS
For sporting clubs and associations and the
physically active.
Every year in hot weather Sports Medicine Australia (SMA) receives requests
from sporting clubs and associations, individuals and members of the media asking:
- Should our sporting event be modified or cancelled?
- Should our training be modified or cancelled?
- When is it safe to play sport or be physically active in the heat?
To help organisations, coaches, teachers and other individuals when conducting sport
in hot weather, SMA has produced this revised set of guidelines. These new
guidelines are based on the latest research as well as the expertise of SMA’s medical
and scientific members.
Click the link below to find out more.
Australians are justifiably proud of the place sport has in their daily lives. What is equally important to us is the way the game is played and the manner in which our sportsmen and women conduct themselves. Unfortunately, some people fail to live up to the traditional value of sport. Worse still, young people can be influenced and the rest of their sporting lives coloured by these experiences.
These Codes of Behaviour identify a series of key principles on which Players, Parents and Spectators, and Coaches, should base their sporting involvement. These codes will ensure that young people develop good sporting behaviours and have an enjoyable experience of sport, which will encourage them to remain involved throughout their lives.
Players
- Play by the rules at all times.
- Never argue with the Referee or Official. If you disagree; have your Captain, Coach or Manager approach them during a break, at half time or after the game to ask any necessary questions.
- Control your temper. Verbal abuse and sledging other players, deliberately distracting, deliberately fouling or provoking an opponent is not acceptable behaviour and is not permitted in any sport.
- Treat all participants in your sport as you would like to be treated.
- Do not interfere with, bully or take unfair advantage of any player.
- Participate for your own enjoyment, not just to please parents and coaches.
- Play for the fun and “love of the game”, while improving your skills and feel good about yourself.
- Work equally hard for yourself and your team – your team’s performance will benefit and so will your own.
- Applaud all good play whether by your team or by your opponents team.
- Co-operate with your coach, team -mates and opponents. Without them, there would be no game.
- Be polite, considerate and well mannered at all times, as your behaviour reflects on the rest of your team and the soccer community.
- Remember to be a “good sport”.
- Don’t be a bully.
Parents/Spectators
- If children are interested, encourage them to play sport. However, if a child is not willing to play, do not force them.
- Focus upon the child’s efforts and performance rather than winning or losing. This assists the child in setting realistic goals related to his/her ability, by reducing the emphasis on winning.
- Teach children that an honest effort is as important as victory, so that the result of each game is accepted without undue disappointment.
- Encourage children to always play according to the rules.
- NEVER ridicule or yell at a child for making a mistake or losing the game
- Remember that children are involved in organised sports for their enjoyment, not yours.
- Remember that children learn best from example. Applaud good plays by both teams. If you disagree with an official, raise the issue through the appropriate channels rather than question the official’s judgment and honesty in public. Remember, most officials volunteer their time and effort for your child’s involvement.
- Support all efforts to remove verbal and physical abuse from sporting activities.
- Recognise the value and importance of volunteer coaches. They give their time and resources to provide recreational activities for the children and deserve your support.
- Respect official’s decisions (coaches, managers, referees and linesmen) and teach your child to do likewise.
- Show your appreciation of volunteer coaches, managers, officials and administrators. Without them, your child could not participate.
- Be aware that if your behaviour is unacceptable, then a club official may escort you from the field.
- Parents MUST abide by the decisions of West Wanderers United Soccer & Sporting Club Inc. and to respect their decisions.
Coaches
- Remember that young people participate for pleasure and winning is only part of the fun.
- Never ridicule or yell at a young player for making a mistake or losing a game.
- Operate within the rules and spirit of the game and teach your players to do the same.
- Display control, respect and professionalism to all involved with the sport and encourage players to do the same.
- Remember that young people need a coach they can respect. Be generous with your praise when it is deserved and set a good example.
- Be reasonable in your demands on young players’ time, energy, concentration and enthusiasm.
- Ensure that the time players spend with you is a positive experience.
- Teach your players to follow the rules.
- Insist on fair and disciplined play, do not tolerate foul play, fighting or foul language. Be prepared to take off an offending player.
- Avoid overplaying the talented players.
- Develop team respect for the ability of opponents and for the judgement of officials and opposing coaches.
- Follow the advice of a physician when determining when an injured player is ready to recommence training or competition.
- Ensure your coaching drills are appropriate to the age and ability of the players.
Small Sided Football is a modified form of 11-a-side football, designed to meet the needs of players between the under 6 and 11 age groups, who have very different developmental characteristics and needs to adult players.
The following links provide further information on Small Sided Football.
Parent information Small Sided Games 2013
West Wanderers Football Club Inc is a strong supporter of the referees that make our competitive fixtures possible. The Club under no circumstances will tolerate any further, abuse of referees from its players, coaching staff or supporters and will make every effort to discipline those found to be falling short of our expectations.
Putting yourself in the shoes of a referee.
We all have our gripes with referees, and a lot of us even believe we could do a better job. But before we play our next game, let's stop and consider for one moment what it would be like to referee it...
As you walk out onto the field you realise that it is critical that you enforce the rules evenly, keep the game fair and make sure the rules are applied to every player in a consistent manner. Given the passion and one-eyed views of the players, coaching staff and crowd, you appreciate that this is going to be difficult. A lot of the decisions you make are not going to rest easily with everyone, it is literally impossible to keep everyone happy.
If you are one of the better referees, you do however realise that the game is not about you. After all, there are kids playing football in streets in Brazil, in parks in England and on fields all over the world without a referee, but we will never see a referee officiating a game without players. The game is played for the players and supporters and as referee, we provide a service to the game, but we are not the game.
So, as the referee, consider the following scenarios, would you be more likely or less likely to award decisions in favour of a Wanderers player if:
- the Wanderers player has already been warned, and doesn't seem interested in 'taking the hint';
- the Wanderers player complains verbally every time he is penalised;
- the Wanderers coaching staff complain from the sideline every time the team is penalised; and
- the Wanderers crowd (including parents) yell abuse every time a decision goes against the team.
Furthermore, as the referee, would you be more likely or less likely to award in favour of a better behaved opposition team under these circumstances?
The reality is referees are human, and their decisions are affected by occurrences such as those scenarios listed above, especially if the situation has been 'brewing' for years. The good news is, referee's human frailties also provide an opportunity if we are clever enough to capitalise on them. There is an art to effectively managing on-field relationships with referees, and a well disciplined approach, led by a strictly enforced code of conduct (enforced by the coach off the field, and the captain on the field) will provide Wanderers teams with the opportunity to fare better than their opponents, when it comes to 50/50 refereeing decisions.
We think it's time to stop blaming the referees and start taking responsibility as a club for how we are perceived by referees, which may have historically led to our downfall at crucial times in prior seasons.
We, as a club, will reap what we sow.
We have the potential to change our own behaviour, but we are in no position whatsoever to change the referees or "make them better".
Here are some ways we can go about it:
- Acknowledge that the referee is not the enemy. Lose the 'victim mentality'. If we believe we are going to be dealt with harshly by a referee before the game even starts, chances are we are going to be spot on. It's called a self-fulfilling prophecy.
- Acknowledge that we will get favourable and unfavourable decisions at different times. Expect this before we walk onto the field, then we will not need to display disgust and can get on with the game. Rest assured that the decisions will 'even out' over time.
- Be pleasant to the referee. Say things like "Sorry Sir" if we commit an obvious foul. This makes the ref's job easier, and he/she will relax a bit and 'warm' to our team.
- Play fair. For example, if we are in your attacking half, and know we had the last touch before the ball went out, and the linesman/referee got the decision incorrect, 'fess up once in a while. That small gesture often pays dividends for the rest of the game.
- The coach and captain of the team need to constantly ensure that their players do not step out of line in a way that would be detrimental to the team's goal of maintaining a healthy reputation for being a 'pleasant team to referee'.
While this may seem difficult at first, we need to remember that the game is not about ourselves and our own egos. It is about what is going to be best for our team. And keep in mind, what good can possibly come from any Wanderers player, coach or crowd member that expresses disapproval at a refereeing decision? How many times have you seen a referee change a decision based on 'input' from the crowd? Disagreeing is therefore futile, and only brings our team harm, not good.
As a club, we need to take responsibility for the things we can control (our own behaviour), and stop worrying about the things we cannot (the ref's). The end result? The degree of animosity at our games will reduce and everyone will enjoy themselves more, regardless of the result. The blame game will cease, and we can look forward to a season of football games where the players were the key focus, not the performances of the referees.
2018
Premiers Under 13A Wedgetails
Premiers Under 13B Waratahs and Minor premiers
Premiers Under 16/17A Wolves and Minor Premiers.
2013
Premiers Under 12A Wolves
Premiers Under 13B Waves
Runners Up - Under 15A Whirlwinds
2012
Club Champions
Premiers - Under 12A Wipeouts, Under 16 Girls Wildcats
Runners Up - Under 13A Wizards, Under 14A Wolves and Colts
Minor Premiers - U16 Girls Wildcats, U13A Wizards
2011
Premiers - Colts, U12A Wizards
Runners Up - U14/15B Wolverines, U13A Whirlwinds
Minor Premiers - Colts, U16 Girls Wildcats, U14/15B Wolverines
2010
Premiers - U13A Wolves, U11A Wizards (Undefeated)
Runners Up - U14/15A Wranglers
Minor Premiers - U14/15A Wranglers, U13A Wolves, U11A Wizards
2009
Premiers - U12A Wolves (Undefeated)
Minor Premiers - U12A Wolves
2008
Club Champions
Premiers - Mens Premier, U13A Wranglers
Minor Premiers - U13A Wranglers