APRIL NEWSLETTER 2021
Hello friends,
Clubs all around the country have kick-started their 2021 season. Exciting times, especially for Victorian clubs with their first taste of competition since the end of the 2019 season.
Clubs have moved on from creating teams, finding coaches, setting up chat groups with players and parents, registrations and non-payments, uniforms... and now into the glorious chaos of match days! Clubs are also starting to notice some of the harmful habits that may have forgotten about, especially the abuse of referees and umpires.
Match officials are always in the firing line. We see this abuse in the high-stakes games of professional sport, all the way down to community level at this youngest age. For something that every club knows to be unacceptable, it remains a significant part of sports culture. Clubs know it is difficult to contain and can be hard to call out.
Part 1 of Patrick Skene's series, Sport’s ugly blind spot – abuse of officials, dives deep into the issue. What's the cost for sports clubs and young officials? When will it end?
Regards,
Tarik Bayrakli
Manager, Club Respect
CLUB RESPECT JOURNAL
Sport’s ugly blind spot – abuse of officials
By Patrick Skene
"What drives an otherwise upstanding sports fan to scream abuse at a match official? Or turn an otherwise loving parent into a seething, foaming, resentful ball of fury at an 11-year-old boy who has made a refereeing decision that did not favour their child?"
PANEL OF EXPERTISE RESPONSES
Our Panel of Expertise provides sports clubs with easy access to free, qualified and highly skilled advice. Is there something you’ve noticed in your club that’s stopping it from being safe, kind or fair?
CLUB VOX POPS
"How do you build team culture at your club?" | Coburg Little Athletics Centre
By Helen Politis
"The Centre recognises the needs of all children and ensures that regardless of ability all children can participate in a suitable athletic event. Come-and-try days are held during the season to encourage children of all abilities, including children with special needs to have a go, in an environment that is supportive and safe."
CLUB RESPECT TOOLS
The Parent | Club Respect
Club Respect places a 'right actions' lens over each role in the club. Print out all 8 info sheets and hand them out to your club members. This month we feature 'The Parent'.
Club Respect is a national harm-prevention initiative by the Dugdale Trust for Women & Girls, of which the Victorian Women’s Trust is Trustee
Club Respect
9am-5pm | Email | (03) 9642 0422 | Website
Victorian Women's Trust Ltd | ABN 20 006 403 256
The Dugdale Trust for Women & Girls | ABN 45 242 265 341
We respectfully acknowledge the wisdom of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their custodianship of the lands and waterways.
