Club Information - Queens Park Football Club Juniors

Sponsorship and Social Events Working Parties. Approach the club president about forming a working party, and use the club’s name, and lend your expertise and energy.

the club is a member of the Eastern Suburbs Football Association (ESFA). ESFA has board members, paid staff, and a Football Management Committee that in turn has separate Councils for boys, girls, women and men. Each Council meets monthly and all clubs are obliged to attend meetings. ESFA also has a Judiciary Committee that adjudicates all matches and a Referees Committee.

ESFA, along with about 30 other Associations across the state, is a member of Football NSW.

CLUB MEETINGS

• QP Junior Committee meetings at Coogee Bowling Club, Dolphin St on Thursdays at 6.30pm (TBC February, TBC March, TBC May, TBC July, future dates to be confirmed. Any coaches, managers, or parents are welcome to these meetings. But please advise the secretary on admin@queensparkfc.com.au that you plan to attend.

• QP Executive Committee and Social Events and Sponsorship Working Party meeting dates to be confirmed

• QP Annual General Meeting at Coogee Bowling Club, Dolphin St - date TBC

ROLE OF A COACH AND A TEAM MANAGER

COACH – ROLE DESCRIPTION
The coach is responsible for training and selecting the team for matches. The coach should negotiate training times with the players and club Committee. We expect coaches, managers and players to talk, at length, at the beginning of the season about the approach to be taken to selecting players for matches. The coach has a responsibility to try and give all players a rewarding season and likewise players have a responsibility to help the coach field competitive teams. They

co-ordinate the training sessions
decide about players, positions and strategies for matches.

TEAM MANAGER – ROLE DESCRIPTION
Each team requires a manager (a volunteer). It is up to the players to appoint a manager. Of course, it helps when a few players, parents and friends pitch in and offer to share some of the tasks. In short, the team manager is responsible to:

liaise with the uniform and equipment steward and pick up the training kit and shirts
draw up and circulate a list of all players with contact details
organize putting up and taking down of goal nets, corner flags and crowd control ropes for each match
complete and submit official score cards for each match and report results each week to the club Competition Secretary
look after the player ID cards and present them to the opposing team for scrutiny at each match
help the coach by communicating to players about training times, match times, social events etc.
collect money from each team for a security deposit per team for shirts and fines
arrange rosters for giving players refreshments during half-time at matches
facilitate discussion among players to resolve disputes
organise team photos

ROLE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE OTHER TASKS REQUIRED TO SUPPORT PLAYERS

The Club Committees has the responsibility and authority to:
recruit players, coaches, managers, Age Co-ordinators, committee members, and other volunteers to carry out the various tasks necessary to enable the formation and registration of teams in competitions recognised by Football NSW.

monitor whether all players and officials are adhering to the terms and conditions of club membership, player code of conduct, ESFA and FIFA rules and apply sanctions that can include suspension and de-registration of club membership.
set player registration fees, authorise payments, monitor and report on income and expenditure
together with ESFA organise training and match grounds
acquire and manage uniforms, gear and equipment.

Boys and Girls Executives
The people in these positions co-ordinate recruitment:

of coaches and managers in their cluster or age group
and selection of players in graded teams
and allocation of players in un-graded teams.

Small-sided Games Co-ordinators
The people in these positions:

Allocate players to teams
Recruit and appoint team coaches and managers
Plan and manage a fixture for the under 6’s and 7’s
Assist distribute uniforms and stock to players and parents
Advise and support coaches and managers

Equipment and Uniform Chief Stewards
You and the club administrator will co-ordinate the acquisition, storage and distribution of:

club uniform shirts, shorts and socks
club bags
balls, training cones and ball bags
goal nets, corner flags, and crowd ropes.

Registrar
We are required to register players participating in the ESFA competition each season. This involves:

designing and preparing the forms each season
posting the forms on the club website
arranging copies of rego forms
getting players to complete forms
receiving payments
taking digital photos
checking and collecting copies of documents (drivers licence, passport, birth cert.) to prove age for over 35's and juniors
entering details in a database
liaising with the Association to get ID cards

Competition Secretary
Compiles a weekly results list from the myScore System (automised) and forwards to ESFA by Monday 9am.
A friendly SMS or e-mail message may be needed to a handful of managers that forgot to enter their results.

Grievance and Child Protection Officer for Juniors (tbc)
This role requires continual development of the club's policies, procedures and advice to handle child protection and grievance matters. New resources - websites, videos, books and posters - continue to be developed and the officer should advise club members how to obtain them. But more immediately, the person in this role will manage grievances and child protection issues. He or she will also occasionally represent the club when members are called before the ESFA judiciary committee. The person in this role should have experience in administering competitive sports, be mature, confident, have highly developed written skills, and experience in conflict resolution. Chris Conway has commenced in this position in 2007.

Club Delegates at Monthly Association Meetings
Each month all the clubs are required to attend a meeting of the Association to learn about, discuss and decide on new rules and initiatives. There are currently 2 Councils that meet in the evenings for about one hour each month at the Botany offices of ESFA. The respective Councils are for:

junior boys and girls

Delegates should have extensive football experience with the Club, deep knowledge of the rules, and a commitment to representing the views of club members (as opposed to your own views). This role is interesting and enables you to meet officials from other clubs and gain an understanding of how the competition is run.

Coaching Co-ordinator
He or she will:

recruit and appoint coaches and managers
recruit Age Co-ordinators
co-ordinate selection of players in graded teams. This will be done with Age Co-ordinators and coaches.
encourage coaches to do Junior License courses.

SPONSORSHIP AND SOCIAL EVENTS WORKING PARTIES
At a team level there are numerous end-of-season social functions. In 2007 the Seniors convened one for all 20 teams at the Coogee Bowling Club. But each season, members suggest there should be more. Ideas range from performing arts evenings, trivia nights, fun and novelty events, formal award functions, and excursions to Sydney FC matches. With the current small number of committee members, the club has not had the capacity to respond to these ideas. We welcome offers by club members to initiate and organise events. We can support working parties.

These types of events can help build club spirit and branding. In turn they lend themselves to being sponsored by local businesses. Perhaps sponsorship deals could be negotiated that not only cover the expense of the events, but support the club to pay for:

• fottballs and negotiate naming privileges
• corner flags and crowd ropes and negotiate naming privileges
• equity scholarships for refugee and asylum seeker families
• specialist goalkeeping equipment for various senior and junior teams
• senior and junior teams to get first-aid kits
• senior or/and junior player's football bags and negotiate naming privileges
• development of new spaces or sections on the club website and negotiate advertising space
• printing costs of the club handbook for a particular season
• a strategic fund to enable the club negotiate partnerships with local governments or schools to get exclusive use of grounds and facilities.

SMALL GRANT APPLICATIONS
Occasionally there are small grant schemes the club can apply to. For example, the federal Department of Family and Community Services is currently inviting sporting clubs run by volunteers to apply for small equipment grants. See www.facsia.gov.au Would you be willing to prepare draft applications on behalf of the club?

CLUB SECRETARY
The club sec.:
• receives and handles all official correspondence. This includes liaison with ESFA about all matters, including fixture details.
• post notices on club website about wet weather and ground closures and many other things
• refers enquiries from prospective players to respective Age Co-ordinators and Registrars
• answers enquiries from current players and refers them to various committee members where possible.

TREASURER
This position is responsible for drawing up budgets, monitoring income and expenditure, and organising payments.

CLUB PRESIDENT
This position is responsible for continually devising and managing structures and processes to enable the above tasks to be undertaken. This means consulting coaches, managers, players, parents, other clubs and ESFA. The president influences strategic directions; for example, playing an important role establishing new competitions for over 35 women and junior girls. The re-structuring of the club into separate Juniors and Seniors Committees will require us to prepare proposals to amend the club constitution. The president also has a responsibility to develop and implement strategies to educate members about football rules, policies and procedures. This sometimes requires 'putting out fires' and enforcing the rules.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP

I will make myself familiar with the advice and rules described on the Queens Park Football Club and ESFA websites. I will also abide by the codes of conduct for players, officials and parents found in the club’s handbook and website.
I understand that the viability of each team relies on people willing to volunteer as coaches and managers. In addition to the 200 coaches and managers, the club relies on volunteers to carry out various other tasks necessary to support players at training and in matches. A small sample of these tasks include: organizing goal nets, balls, reporting match results, and advising players about training and match times.
I understand that a team may not be viable if no-one takes on the role of coach and manager. I accept that while club committee members and Age Co-ordinators will help facilitate the recruitment of a coach and manager, ultimately the success of the recruitment will depend on the willingness of either junior players’ parents .
As a player or parent I accept that while team managers or/and coaches may e-mail changes in time and venue to matches or training sessions, that it is ultimately my responsibility to find out. For example, not all read their e-mails diligently and I understand that my manager and coach may not want to always ring or SMS the whole team for every change. I can find out by either going to the club or ESFA website, or ringing the team manager myself.
I accept that the team coach and manager must register as team officials with the club and Eastern Suburbs Football Association (ESFA) according to the instructions on the club website. I also accept that the club committees reserve the final right to appoint and dismiss a coach and manager.
I understand that the team manager is required to report results of matches according to the instructions on the Queens Park Football Club website.
I accept that the club is not required to give refunds once payment is made.
I understand that Queens Park FC may have the same name as Queens Park grounds, but has no direct authority over management of the grounds or any other park grounds. Indeed the club, like many other competing users of sporting grounds, must pay hiring fees for training and matches.
I understand that registration fees are more expensive than rugby and Australian Rules football because grassroots football clubs do not enjoy subsidies from elite clubs or state and national bodies. Indeed it is the opposite and I understand that my registration payment includes a levy to Football Federation Australia, fees for Football NSW, ESFA; training gear, goal nets, shirts, ground fees, accident support cover, office services, storage, training for coaches, referees fees (for juniors), plus more.
I understand that the fixture (ie match times) is drawn up by the Eastern Suburbs Football Association (ESFA) in consultation with all clubs. Queens Park club delegates will represent to ESFA the preferred match times of our members. But I appreciate that it is not always possible for the fixture to meet my first preferences for match times.
I accept the rule of ESFA that any requests for fixture changes and other matters can only be made by designated committee members of Queens Park Football Club.
Club officials (who include coaches and managers) are governed by the club’s code of conduct, grievance and child protection guidelines but I accept that parents of junior players are responsible for the safety and wellbeing of their children in club training sessions and games. Club officials are, for example, not responsible for team players that are left unattended by their parents at training sessions. Parents are responsible for the timely dropping off and picking up of their children at training and match sessions. The Club is not liable for any injuries sustained by a player on or off the field of play.
I understand and accept that selection of players cannot only be decided in the interests of a particular team, but should be done in the interests of the whole club. Where teams are not graded, friendship ties will be important but understand that they cannot always be taken into account. If, for example, a squad has more players than another squad the club committee reserves the right to advocate on behalf of the smaller team. Where teams are graded merit will be important. Trials will be an important means to aid in selection decisions. But the club committee reserves the right to exercise discretion to choose players even when they cannot participate in the trials. Should a graded team lose players during the season, the coach of that team with a club committee member can request a player from a lower graded team. In these cases, while the interests of particular players and coaches will be taken into account, the interest of the whole club will prevail.
If the club has not succeeded in recruiting a paid 'field dresser' I will support my team manager, when playing at Queens Park or a designated home ground to take responsibility for dressing and undressing fields. This involves collecting, transporting and setting up goal nets, crowd control ropes, stakes and corner posts when I am first up on a particular match day. When my team is playing the final match for the day on a particular pitch I will remind and help my team-mates to pack up the equipment and return it. The club website will have details.
I will wear the full club uniform. This includes a shirt, club socks and club shorts. In past seasons some players have chosen to wear black shorts instead of the club shorts. There are two reasons we will now require club shorts, socks and shirts be worn. The first is that the club has to purchase stock up to one year in advance and when players do not purchase that stock it makes our planning and finances unnecessarily difficult. The second reason is that the Association has advised they will fine clubs with players who do not wear full uniforms.
I will give the club a security deposit of $25 before the first competition match of the season. This will be collected by my team manager. The club reserves the right to keep or return only part of the deposit if:

one or more particular player/s in a particular team does not return their club shirt at the end of the season.
my team does not return the training kit.
my team is responsible for the loss of goal nets, crowd control ropes, stakes, and corner posts
my team incurs a fine from either the club or Association.

I understand that the club’s Committee reserves the right to suspend the membership of a player or official if they do not adhere to these terms and conditions, or do not abide by the Queens Park FC codes of conduct for players, officials and parents. In the case of junior players, this includes their parents or guardians.
I understand that the club does not support or make payments to coaches. However, the club supports parents of junior players giving gifts to coaches at the end of a season. The club cannot organise any payment or employment contract with a coach. If parents do wish to recruit a coach with gifts then the following rules apply:

all players or parents must agree to making an equal contribution to all gifts made before the end of the season. This is for the obvious reason that if one player or parent or group of players or parents makes a larger contribution than others in the team, this may be seen as purchasing favour from the coach. Individual players and parents can only give personal gifts to a coach or manager after the last competitive game.
All gifts for junior team coaches must be disclosed to the club secretary and president. They will then, for the record and to ensure transparency, e-mail these disclosures to all team members.

the coach must complete the necessary forms to register as an official coach with the club secretary
there must be an active team manager (see club website for role description).
the coach will, if registered properly with the club and ESFA, be covered by accident support cover in the same way as any other club coach, no more, no less.
the coach is bound by the same club terms of membership and code of conduct as any other coach.I understand that I can influence or change the policies and procedures of the club by taking on the role of an Age Co-ordinator and by joining or standing for election to the Junior, Senior or Executive Committee.

PARENT AND SPECTATOR CODE OF CONDUCT

Parents need to understand the philosophy of Jounior Football and it will be through your support, assistance and positive behaviour the right environment will be created for your child to enjoy their football experience.

As a parent :
• Remember that children participate in sport for their enjoyment, not yours
• Encourage children to participate, do not force them
• Let children play and learn by doing, limit constant instruction
• Focus on your child’s efforts and performance rather than whether they win or lose
• Encourage children to play according to the rules and spirit of the game
• Encourage children and teams to keep control of ball
• Ensure that the time players spend with you is a positive experience. All young people are deserving of equal attention and opportunities
• Never ridicule or yell at a child or team for making a mistake or losing
• Remember that children learn best by example. Appreciate good performance and skilful plays by all participants
• ‘Smart supporting’ – not loud and intense but calm, relaxed and at all times positive
• Respect officials’ decisions and teach children to do likewise
• Show appreciation for volunteer coaches, officials and administrators. Without them, your child could not participate
• Respect the rights, dignity and worth of every young person regardless of their gender, ability, cultural background or religion

CLUB CODE OF CONDUCT

This is the 2nd season the club has a written code of conduct. We welcome suggestions about further developing it. There are various football and sporting codes of conduct that can be readily found on the internet by doing a Google search. For this first edition we do not intend to be comprehensive, but instead will highlight aspects of conduct that have in past years been problematic.

Referees and linesmen may, in your view, make mistakes. But you must play by the rules and never argue with the officials. The way to report and possibly address the shortcomings of officials is to submit a written report to the club's grievance officer. See the club's grievance rules and procedures.
In the case of junior games - coaches, managers and parents have a particular responsibility to prevent sledging and criticism of referees. In many cases, the referees are themselves juniors. And you should understand that it is intimidating when adults sledge and criticise them.
Sledging other players, deliberately distracting or provoking an opponent are not acceptable or permitted behaviours in any sport.
Retaliation to, is just as bad as initiation of, un-sporting behaviour. For example, if someone yells abuse at you this does not justify you responding with similar abuse. If someone hits you this does not justify you hitting back. Retaliation will be penalised. You must exercise restraint. The best way to see that un-sporting behaviour is punished is to follow the club's grievance rules and procedures.
Turn up to training or negotiate with the coach, manager and team mates about your availabilities. Turn up to matches well before kick-off.
Never ridicule a player for making a mistake or not coming first.
Be reasonable in demands on players' time, energy and enthusiasm.
Any physical contact with a young person should be appropriate to the situation and necessary for the player's skill development.
Respect the rights, dignity and worth of every young person regardless of their gender, ability, cultural background or religion.
While not all players in a team will necessarily receive equal time in matches, make a point of supporting and encouraging all players to be an important part of the team.
Stay behind the crown control ropes with the exception of the coach. This enables the referees to see the sidelines.
Do not stand behind the back line during matches. This is to prevent sledging and distraction of goalkeepers.
Please refrain from smoking around the playing fields
Football NSW Smoking Policy

EASTERN SUBURBS FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION (ESFA)

ESFA administers the following competitions:

junior boys and girls
senior men and women
premier mens
knock-out Cup

That includes drawing up the fixtures, setting and enforcing the rules, publishing league tables for the age groups U10 and older.

In 2009, there were over 8,000 players in the winter competitions. In the last three years there has been 36% growth in player numbers. There are about 10 junior and 20 senior clubs in the eastern suburbs.

More information can be found at www.esfa.com.au

FEES

Where do your fees go?
Here are some of the major expenditure items.

Payment to the Eastern Suburbs Football Association
Insurance
Storage
Ground fees
Administration
Balls, shirts, bags, whistle and other equipment
Advertising
Referee fees
Reimbursment for coaches to do courses