RugbyWA is committed to providing the best and safest environment for participation in the sport. Players, coaches, officials and spectators have the right to be involved in Rugby Union without fear of abuse or vilification. All involved in the sport must be aware of their responsibility to encourage and support players, respect officials and appreciate the contribution of volunteer coaches and administrators.

The image of Rugby Union and public confidence in the integrity and good character of those involved in the sport will be enhanced by actively supporting the following codes of conduct.

PARTICIPANTS
All participants are entitled to:
skilled and qualified leadership;
a safe playing environment;
enjoy Rugby Union activities;
be treated with dignity.

All participants should:

Respect and play by the rules in a fair and safe manner;
Treat all coaches, officials, referees, team-mates and opposing players and team officials
with respect;
Never argue with the referees decision;
Never use offensive or discriminatory language
Never demean another person on the ground of race, colour or national/ethnic origin.
Adopt and embrace the RugbyWA Health Policy

COACHES
Coaches are the immediate link with those playing Rugby Union. It is important that they are
qualified and skilled as sport educators.

Coaches must, at all times:

Foster an enjoyment of Rugby Union;
Cater for all levels of ability;
At junior level, provide equal opportunities for participants to develop skills, gain confidence
and experience success;
Prepare and conduct sessions based on sound coaching methods and make a commitment
to update and maintain sound coaching principles and practice;
Appreciate and understand young people's growth and development;
Take into consideration the maturity and fitness level of the players, when scheduling and
determining the training programs;
Foster a learning environment in which the process is as important as the outcome;
Never ridicule or chastise young people for making mistakes;
Insist on fair play, not tolerate foul play, fighting or offensive language;
Provide safe training and playing conditions;
Insist that players not use prohibited, performance enhancing drugs;
Encourage players to demonstrate exemplary sporting behaviour in both practice and
competition;
Engender respect for the ability of opponents as well as for the judgement of officials and
opposing coaches;
Never use offensive or discriminatory language or do anything which may demean another
person on the ground of race, colour or national/ethnic origin;
Set a good example as a role model and leader.

PARENTS OF JUNIOR PLAYERS
Parents and guardians can ensure maximum benefit from sporting activity by:

Not forcing children to participate in Rugby Union;
Never ridiculing or chastising a child for making a mistake;
Insisting that children always participate according to the rules;
Placing more emphasis on the effort and performance than the outcome.
Supporting the efforts of coaches in developing appropriate sporting attitudes and behaviour;
Being courteous when communicating with players, coaches, officials and administrators;
Demonstrate a good sporting behaviour. Never criticise a referee.
Supporting all efforts to remove verbal and physical abuse from sporting activities;

OFFICIALS
Officials should:

Be consistent, objective, courteous and helpful;
Be a model of good sporting behaviour;
Keep informed of and exercise sound officiating practices;
Understand the growth and development of children;
Ensure that the "spirit of the game" is not lost by over pedantic interpretations of the rules;
Compliment participants on their efforts;
Encourage good sporting behaviour and promote respect for all participants;
Give all young people a 'fair go' regardless of their gender, ability, cultural background or
religion.

SPECTATORS
Spectators can influence the behaviour of participants and the conduct of the sport.

Spectators should:

Appreciate that young people participate in Rugby Union for their enjoyment;
Acknowledge and compliment good performances and efforts from all participants
regardless of the outcome;
Respect the decisions of officials, coaches and players;
Never ridicule or abuse a participant for making a mistake;
Never use offensive or discriminatory language or do anything which may demean another person on the ground of race, colour or national/ethnic origin;
Discourage the use of violence in any form, be it by spectators, coaches, officials or players.

SAFETY & MEDICAL CONSIDERATIONS
It is important that:

Grounds are adequately maintained and regularly checked for hazards;
Participants understand and adopt the RugbyWA health policy
Appropriate and properly fitted protective equipment (e.g. mouthguards) are used at all
training and competition sessions;
Suitable clothing and footwear is worn for all training sessions and games;
Warm-up and cool-down exercises accompany all sporting activity;
Fluid intake be encouraged before, during and after any Rugby Union activities;
Activity for young people be limited during extremes of temperature or humidity as they
have a larger skin surface area to body mass ratio and their sweat glands are less
developed;
Players be protected from the dangers of sun exposure. When not playing, participants
should wear protective clothing and apply maximum strength sunscreen on exposed skin.
Whenever possible, clubs should provide shelter from the sun.
Weight training should not be introduced into a training program until the player is 15 years
of age. Once commenced it must be carefully supervised;
There be frank and open dialogue concerning the effect of performance enhancing and
impairing drugs. Coaches, managers and other adults should learn, if possible, to recognize the symptoms of drug use;
Coaches must be made aware of any pre-existing medical conditions (e.g. epilepsy, asthma and diabetes) and should know how to deal with them in case of an emergency;
Coaches and other adults must seek and take into account medical advice when players are affected by injury or illness. Players must be fully recovered before returning to competition or training. If in doubt, a medical clearance from the treating doctor should be obtained.
Any players complaint of pain, tenderness, limitation of movement or disability must be
promptly managed and referred to appropriate medical personnel.