SCICOH SHARKS FOOTBALL & CHEER
ETHICS & EXPECTATIONS
Youth football and cheer play a vital role in encouraging children's physical, social, and emotional growth. Therefore, parents, coaches, and officials must encourage their youth athletes to embrace the values of good sportsmanship, discipline, and character development.
GENERAL CONDUCT & BEHAVIOR
PLAYERS:
Have fun!
Be a good sport - win or lose.
Be honest, and fair. Always show good sportsmanship and respect to all coaches, players, officials, volunteers, and fans regardless of race, creed, color, nationality, or gender.
Be a team player. Everyone learns, develops, and improves at a different pace and sometimes in different manners. Football & Cheerleading are TEAM sports. A team’s success is never attributed to any one specific player or group of players.
Players shall encourage and support their fellow team members, regardless of any player’s ability or skill set.
Do not criticize or become aggressively verbal/physical with your fellow teammates, your coaches, officials, volunteers, an opposing team, its players, fans, or coaches. Officials will issue warnings and/or remove a player from gameplay.
Players are to arrive, with all necessary equipment, and ready to participate at the scheduled time set by coaches for any practice or game.
Player’s cell phones and personal items are to remain set aside in a safe place/stored in their equipment bag. Players are not to be taking photos or videos while they are participating in a game or practice, -on the field or on the sidelines as it becomes a distraction.
Be respectful on any social media platform and do not harass, taunt, tease, message, post or comment in a negative manner to or about any fellow team member, opponent, coach, official, volunteer, parent/guardian etc.
Leave with what you came with: all gear, clothing water bottles, personal items, trash, etc.
PARENTS:
Parents and Guardians are vital to the development of young athletes. They must set a positive example whether sitting in the stands or helping as a volunteer. All adults involved in youth sports should be positive role models of good sportsmanship and lead by example on and off the playing field.
Have fun!
Be honest, and fair. Always show good sportsmanship and respect to all coaches, players, volunteers, officials, and fans regardless of race, creed, color, nationality, or gender.
Be supportive. Give constructive criticism during a private moment, never in front of other parents, players, officials, spectators, etc.
Support your coaches, players, and officials and help teach the value of commitment to the teams, sportsmanship, ethical conduct, and fair play. Refrain from excessive “sideline coaching” from the stands.
Parents/Guardians/Fans are prohibited from being on the sidelines, or on the field during a game or practice unless they are a coach or game day volunteer performing an assigned task. Please watch from behind the fence and/or in the stands.
Accept the gameplay decisions of officials on the field as being fair and called to the best of their ability.
Refrain from using profanity.
Do not criticize an opposing team, its players, fans, coaches, or team with negative or offensive words or gestures.
Abide by and respect the EMT decisions in all matters of a player’s health, injuries, and physical ability to continue game play. SciCoh Coaches and Board of Director Members also abide by, and cannot override any decision, judgment, or advisement given by the onsite EMT or additional EMTs that may be called to the game site for assistance.
Parents/guardians are expected to drop off and pick up their players at their team’s scheduled time.
Be respectful on any social media platform and not harass, taunt, tease, message, post or comment in a negative manner to or about any fellow team member, opponent, coach, official, volunteer, parent/guardian, etc.
Any football player that misses the pre-game weigh-in is disqualified for that game day’s play as outlined in the Old Colony Football League’s (OCYFL) Bylaws.
Leave with what you came with: all your player’s, gear clothing water bottles, personal items, trash etc.
HEALTH & SAFETY
The use of tobacco of any kind, alcohol, drugs, and possession of any weapon is strictly prohibited at any time on, or off the field for any practice or game.
Players are expected to maintain healthy eating and hydration habits. Do not come to practices or games hungry and dehydrated. If a player’s weight becomes a concern for game participation, it is expected to be addressed appropriately and healthily.
Any player, parent/guardian, fan, official, coach, or volunteer, who physically assaults (including but not limited to; pushing, hitting, slapping, spitting, kicking, or using an object to physically strike another person) will be banned from all SciCoh home and away events. If a physical altercation occurs between adults 18+, police will be called to assist.
Any football player removed from gameplay for an injury where the EMT does not clear that player’s return to the remaining duration of gameplay must remove their helmet where it will be placed off the field.
Any player suspected of having a concussion must be removed from gameplay immediately. If an EMT believes that a player has a concussion, the parents/guardians are expected to have their player evaluated by a doctor as soon as possible.
A dated and signed Doctors note clearing a player of a suspected concussion, or physical injury; any player placed in a cast, or a player placed in a doctor’s concussion protocol steps MUST be submitted to SciCoh Football and Cheer President Kristen MacDonald for return to practices and games. This procedure is required for each incident that may occur where a doctor evaluation is necessary for physical injury or concussion.
ONLY an EMT can approve of a player’s return to gameplay. Coaches, parents/guardians, officials, volunteers, or SciCoh Board of Director Members CAN NOT clear any player’s return to gameplay, even if it is their own child in question and even if the parent/coach are licensed medical professionals themselves. Anyone who disrespects, argues with, or disputes an EMT’s decision will be asked to leave the game site.
DISCIPLINE
If any incident arises involving any SciCoh Football & Cheer player, parent/guardian, or coach, that may call for disciplinary action - the incident will be reviewed by the SciCoh Board of Directors and/or by the Old Colony Football League (OCYFL) Board of Directors. All SciCoh Football & Cheer Blue (Varsity) games are filmed, and this film may be used to review incidents. Disciplinary action is decided on by SciCoh Football & Cheer Board of Directors and/or by the OCYFL. Inappropriate behavior is cause for immediate ejection from the practice or game site. Repeat offenses will result in being barred from future games and league-sponsored activities.
Please contact your head coach or SciCoh Board of Directors for any questions or concerns. For complete OCYFL Bylaws, please visit scicohfootball.com or https://www.leagueathletics.com/?org=ocyfl.com
2023 SciCoh Football & Cheer Board of Directors: Dan Boylen* (Treasurer), Chad Brandolini* (Marketing & Social Media), Gina Desmond, Julie Diab, Kate Fardink (Co-Vice President Cheer), Colleen Geary, Jamie Giacomozzi, Andrea Gillis* (Secretary), Sheila Mahoney (Co-Vice President Cheer), Eric Morley (OCYFL Rep), Joe Norris (OCYFL Rep), and Cate Reimels* (Vice President of Football). * SciCoh Executive Board Member.