Coach & Volunteer Code of Conduct.

Section 01

Purpose & Commitment

This code translates the Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy into the daily working conduct of the adults who deliver our programme. It exists because coaching is a position of trust, and trust needs definition: clear boundaries, clear standards and clear consequences, so that nobody — coach, player, parent or the academy itself — is left guessing about what is acceptable.

By signing this code, every coach, technical staff member, volunteer and matchday official commits to upholding it in full, wherever the academy’s name is represented: at training, on matchday, on tour, online and in the community. The code is not a ceiling of behaviour but a floor; professionalism beyond it is expected and modelled by senior staff. It is reviewed annually alongside the Safeguarding Policy, and re-acknowledged in writing each season.

Section 02

Professional Conduct

Academy staff represent the institution and its values at all times when working. Professional conduct at Sporting Pearls means, at minimum:

• Treat players respectfully and maintain appropriate boundaries at all times, on and off the pitch.
• Never humiliate, degrade, belittle or use inappropriate language toward a player.
• Avoid favouritism — development opportunities, playing time and attention are distributed on footballing merit and developmental need, never on personal preference or relationship.
• Never use physical punishment, or any contact that could be interpreted as punitive or gratuitous. Physical contact is limited to what is necessary, appropriate and consented — such as qualified first aid, or coaching demonstrations announced beforehand.
• Never exploit a position of authority for personal benefit of any kind, financial or otherwise.
• Present professionally: punctual, prepared, dressed appropriately, and fit to work — never under the influence of alcohol or non-prescribed drugs when on duty.
• Act within the academy’s coaching philosophy and session plans, and raise disagreements through proper channels rather than improvising standards.
• Model the behaviour we ask of players: respect for opponents, officials, volunteers and parents.

Section 03

Coaching Practice & Safety

Safe coaching is deliberate coaching. The standards in this section exist so that every session is as safe as it can be planned to be — and so that when something goes wrong, the response is already designed.

• Plan sessions appropriate to the age, maturity, ability and medical profile of the group, and deliver them at the supervision ratios the academy sets.
• Never coach in complete isolation with an individual child. One-to-one conversations happen within sight of others.
• Check equipment and the training area before use, and record and report hazards.
• Know the emergency procedure and the location of first-aid provision, and hold current emergency contact information for the players in your care.
• Record injuries and communicate them to families on the same day.
• Never press an injured or unwell player back into activity. Caution always wins over competitive pressure.
• Follow collection and arrival procedures, and never leave a child unsupervised beyond the arranged handover.
• On trips and tours, operate under the approved travel plan, and keep adults’ and children’ accommodation separate.

Section 04

Boundaries & Relationships

Healthy coach–player relationships are a powerful force for good in young people’s lives, and the boundaries around them are what keep them healthy. The boundary lines below are absolute, and no exception is created by seniority, popularity, culture or length of service.

• No private, secret or hidden relationships with players. If a relationship with a player or family would look improper if fully visible, it is improper.
• No socialising with individual players outside academy activities, and no invitations to private premises.
• No transport of individual players outside the academy’s arranged and communicated transport, save in emergencies — recorded and reported.
• No gifts, money or preferential treatment to individual players, beyond token recognition applied openly.
• No romantic, sexual or intimate conduct toward any player, regardless of age. This is a career-ending boundary, and a matter for the authorities where a player is a child.
• No private financial dealings with players or their families, including loans, investments or business arrangements.

Section 05

Communication & Digital Contact

All communication between adults and players runs through channels that can be seen. Transparency is the rule, and it is not negotiable.

• Use approved academy channels for team communication; copy or inform parents and guardians as appropriate to the age group.
• No direct personal messages, calls or social-media contact with individual players through personal accounts.
• No private one-to-one threads where a group thread will do.
• Do not request or keep players’ personal contact details outside the academy’s official records.
• If a player contacts you personally, respond once through the proper channel, inform the Safeguarding Lead if the content gives any cause for concern, and record it.

Section 06

Photography & Media

Player welfare comes before social-media engagement. Staff and volunteers handle images of players under the rules set by the Safeguarding Policy and the academy’s media and photo consent process.

• Only take photographs of players for authorised academy purposes, on approved devices, with consent in place.
• Never publish images of identifiable players without recorded consent — and never with information that could locate or expose a child.
• Challenge and report unauthorised photography at academy activities, including by spectators.
• Respect withdrawn consent immediately, and support the removal of images from channels the academy controls.

Section 07

The Duty to Report

Safeguarding at the academy runs on one non-delegable duty: if you have a concern about a child, you pass it on. The duty is personal, immediate, and survives every excuse. The purpose of academy staff is to recognise, respond, record and report — not to conduct professional investigations.

1. Recognise — take seriously what you see, hear or feel uneasy about. Concerns do not need proof.
2. Respond — listen calmly, reassure, never promise secrecy, never investigate.
3. Record — write down what you were told or observed, promptly and in the person’s own words. Preserve messages. Never delete evidence.
4. Report — pass it to the Welfare & Safeguarding Lead without delay — in person, or through Form 10, which may also be used anonymously.

What you must never do: promise absolute secrecy, investigate allegations yourself, confront an alleged perpetrator, conduct unnecessary interviews, pressure a child for details, delay because you are uncertain, or attempt to resolve a serious concern informally. Uncertainty is a reason to report, not a reason to wait.

Section 08

Breaches & Sanctions

Breaches of this code are handled under the academy’s disciplinary procedure, proportionately and fairly, with the welfare of children the governing consideration throughout. Breaches are assessed on their facts, in categories:

• Minor breaches — lapses in professionalism, punctuality or presentation — are addressed through supervision, retraining and a documented improvement expectation.
• Serious breaches — repeated or significant breaches of boundaries, communication or safety rules — lead to formal disciplinary action, which may include removal from duties.
• Safeguarding breaches — conduct that places a child at risk, or breaches of the reporting duty — trigger the Safeguarding Policy response immediately, including escalation to external authorities where thresholds are met, and removal from contact with children while the matter is handled.

Suspension or removal in a safeguarding context is a neutral protective measure, not a finding of guilt. Where the law or an external authority takes over, the academy cooperates fully and makes no parallel findings. The academy applies the same standards to volunteers as to paid staff.

Section 09

Acknowledgement

Every coach, technical staff member, volunteer and matchday official acknowledges this code in writing at induction, and again at the start of each season. The acknowledgement is recorded by the academy alongside screening and training records. Signing is a condition of working with players — there is no opt-out, and no grandfathering of seniority.

If any provision of this code is unclear in a real situation, the correct move is to ask the Welfare & Safeguarding Lead before acting — not to interpret alone. When in doubt, ask; when worried, report.