Club United (the "Club") has a key responsibility to protect the interests of its guests whenever they use Club facilities or participate in Club sports and recreational activities.
The Club also recognizes it has a responsibility to promote family-oriented sports and recreational activities in a manner which will foster not only good sportsmanship and camaraderie but will also set an example to others in the community.
The Club expects its guests, employees and all other visitors to Club facilities to act with civility and collegiality. Offensive behavior, such as that described below, as well as behavior commonly viewed as offensive, will not be tolerated.
In the event that a guest/s or other visitors/s is shown to have offended the policies stated here, appropriate and responsible action will be taken in the interest of guest safety and preserving the good name of the Club among its guests and visitors, and within the Metro Manila community.
The Club is committed to promoting and strengthening the positive image of the Club and its guests. In light of this commitment, the Code of Conduct seeks to establish standards of behavior to ensure that the Club's operations and activities are conducted with discipline, collegiality and integrity.
The Code of Conduct also seeks to deter all conduct that could damage the Club by impairing public confidence in the honest and orderly conduct of the Club's operations and activities, or in the integrity and good character of Club guests.
To promote the reputation of the Club and to take all reasonable steps to prevent the Club from being brought into disrepute:
Guests have a right to:
- Be treated fairly, equally and with respect by the Club and their fellow guests.
- Socialize in an environment free from all forms of harassment and discrimination.
- Privacy and confidentiality concerning records, documentation and any other communication containing a guest's personal information, unless consent is otherwise provided.
- Be informed and actively involved in all Club events and offerings.
- Voice their opinions, requirements, and suggestions to Club management.
Guests must:
- Voice their opinions, requirements, and suggestions to Club management.
- Treat other guests, visitors, employees, and others who come to the Club fairly, equally, and with respect and courtesy.
- Behave responsibly and ensure they conduct themselves in a manner which will not injure the reputation of the Club.
- Not physically or verbally harass others.
- Report any inappropriate behavior of a guest to Club management.
- Abide by and uphold the Code of Conduct and Sports Integrity Policy.
- Pay any fees in relation to an event, or offering (e.g. activity or event tickets) which that guest has committed to, regardless of whether the guest attends the event or not.
- Notify the Club of any changes to address or details of themselves or dependents.
All guests of the Club are expected to conduct themselves with a high degree of personal responsibility and integrity. This does not restrict our ability to "have fun" but rather facilitates it. Our Club guests are like a team - as a team cannot function with some members failing to live up to their responsibilities to their teammates, so the Club suffers when guests don't honor their responsibilities to one another. This idea goes to all aspects of being a guest of the Club. In particular it means:
- Attending all activities you commit to on time and in a state of mind to participate.
- Being organized so that you are available for Club activities you commit to whatever your other personal commitments may be. In the event of an unavoidable absence you will give adequate notice.
Note regarding alcohol and drugs in relation to Code of Conduct:
The Club respects the right of the individual towards the consumption of alcohol, so long as guests drink responsibly. However, the consumption of alcohol is not considered to be an excuse for breaches of the Code of Conduct. If any guest causes any harm or disturbance to Club property, visitors, guests or employees, the Club reserves the right to remove the offending guest from Club property, and repeated instances of such behavior will lead to the restriction or banning of the guest from the Club. Club employees also have the right to refuse or deny any type of service to guests or visitors who appear to be intoxicated. Furthermore, the possession or use of illicit drugs are grounds for immediate termination from Club access and activity participation.
It is expected that guests will uphold the ethos of the Club in all social media interactions, as well as when speaking of or about the Club to others. Guests will not act or make statements to others in such a way that the image of the Club is brought into disrepute, nor in a way that harms the Club community.
Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, group messaging or blogs, can be an appropriate and effective communications tool and are commonly used by individuals to express their views, comments, ideas, and criticism on a whole range of issues. The Club expects guests to use social media in a respectful and responsible manner. Social media should not be used to insult, present offensive or inappropriate content, or to misrepresent the Club or any guest.
Guests are expected to show respect to others, including Club guests and the wider community. Guests are also expected to give due respect to the reputation and good name of the Club.
When using social media, guests are expected to ensure that they:
- Respect the rights and confidentiality of others.
- Do not impersonate or falsely represent another person.
- Do not bully, intimidate, abuse, harass, or threaten others.
- Do not make defamatory comments.
- Do not use offensive or threatening language, or resort to personal abuse towards each other or guests of the general community.
- Do not post content that is hateful, threatening, pornographic, or incites violence against others.
- Do not post content that harms the reputation and good standing of the Club or those within its community.
A breach of this policy will be considered by Club management and will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. A breach of this Code of Conduct may involve a breach of other Club policies and should be read in conjunction with the Code of Conduct.
The Club is committed to ensuring that the safety, welfare, and well-being of child guests are maintained at all times during their presence in Club facilities, and while participating in sport and recreation activities run by the Club.
The Club aims to promote a safe environment for all children and young people, and to assist guests, visitors, employees, and staff in recognizing child abuse and following the appropriate reporting/notification procedures.
This Policy applies to the following, whether they are in a paid or unpaid/voluntary capacity:
- Guests and other visitors;
- Employees and volunteers;
- Activity leaders;
- Athletes and players;
- Referees and other officials; and
- Parents, guardians, spectators and sponsors to the full extent that is possible.
Administrators, officials, activity leaders, players and volunteers often have a high level of contact with children in the sporting environment and play a major role in the successful operation of sports and recreational activities.
Key responsibilities involve:
- Awareness of the magnitude and importance of child protection issues in sport and recreation.
- Awareness of the definitions and indicators of child abuse.
- The ability to recognize an abusive situation.
- The use of discretion in determining when it is appropriate to report suspected cases of child abuse.
- Knowledge and understanding of the requirements arising from recent child protection legislation.
- Recognition that as an activity leader, sports participant, or volunteer, you are in a position of power and influence over young children in your care and must behave in an appropriate manner to ensure that their safety and well-being are maintained.
Every person bound by this Policy must always place the safety and welfare of children above all other considerations.
The Club acknowledges that guests, visitors, activity leaders, employees, and volunteers provide a valuable contribution to the positive experiences of children who are Club visitors. The Club aims to ensure this continues and to protect the safety and welfare of its child guests.
Several measures will be used to achieve this, such as:
- Prohibiting any form of abuse against children.
- Following the relevant requirements for screening for people whose role requires them to have direct and unsupervised contact with children.
- Providing procedures for raising concerns or complaints.
- Providing information to those involved in Club sports and recreational activities on child abuse and child protection.
The Club requires that any child who is abused or anyone who reasonably suspects that a child has been or is being abused by someone who is a Club guest, or within a Club sports and recreation program, must report it immediately to the police and any relevant government agency.
All allegations of child abuse will be dealt with promptly, seriously, sensitively and confidentially. A person will not be victimized for reporting an allegation of child abuse and the privacy of all persons concerned will be respected.
- Guests shall not engage in any "Doping Practice" as that term is defined by the International Olympic Committee.
- Guests shall comply with the Club safety policies for activity leaders, referees, and players.
- Guests shall not repeatedly breach the rules of the game at play relating to foul play or misconduct.
- Guests shall not abuse, threaten or intimidate a referee, umpire, judge or other game official, whether on or off the field; or a selector, coach, or manager of another team official.
- Guests shall not show unnecessary obvious dissension, displeasure, or disapproval toward a referee, umpire, judge, or other game official, his or her decision, or generally following a decision of a match official.
- Guests shall not use crude or abusive language or gestures towards referees, umpires, judges, or other match officials or spectators.
- Guests shall not do anything which is likely to intimidate, offend, insult, or humiliate another participant on the ground of religion, sexual orientation, disability, race, color, or national or ethnic origin of the person.
- Guests shall not conduct themselves in any manner, or engage in any activity, whether on or off the field, that would impair public confidence in the honest and orderly conduct of Club activities; or in the integrity and good character of participants.
- Guests shall not do anything which adversely affects or reflects on or discredits the Club, team, competition, or sponsor; including, but not limited to any illegal act or any act of dishonesty or fraud.
The positive image of the Club is in particular affected by the conduct of its sports participants towards sporting event officials. The Club also expects non-playing guests to respect such officials and to abide by the Code of Conduct.
In light of this, the Club endorses substituting a sports/recreational event participant immediately should he or she show inappropriate conduct towards a sporting event official.
Maintaining the integrity of both the Club and its guests is one of its highest priorities; to this end, any Club guest involvement in, or activities supporting, sports betting corruption, will not be tolerated and are grounds for termination of any Club guest involved in such activities. Examples of sports betting corruption include but are not limited to:
- Match fixing - the corrupt manipulation of the result of a sporting event by players, officials, or other participants.
- Spot fixing - the corrupt manipulation of a specific in-play element of a sporting event.
- Misuse of inside information - the misuse of privileged information about a sporting event known by a participant which is not in the public domain.
Again, the above is not an exhaustive list. Involvement in any sports betting activity which is intended for corrupt or illegal purposes shall constitute grounds for termination from access to Club facilities and participation in Club activities.
Activity participants are expected to attend training and activities not under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The Code of Conduct and the manner in which it is implemented shall be communicated to guests by a minimum of:
- Making the Policy freely accessible on the Club Website.
- Presenting the Code of Conduct on a regular basis to Club guests.
- Oral communication of the Sports Integrity Policy to sports and recreational activity participants prior to the beginning of any sporting season.
Role of the Constitution and By-Laws in the Code of Conduct
Article 5 of the Club's Constitution and By-Laws deals with the Disciplining of Guests:
The Board may commence or cause to be commenced disciplinary proceedings against a guest who has allegedly:
(a) breached, failed, refused or neglected to comply with a provision of this Constitution, the Club's rules, regulations, or policies, or any resolution or determination of the Board or any duly authorized committee;
(b) acted in a manner unbecoming of a guest, or prejudicial to the purposes and interests of the Club; or
(c) brought the Club or any other guest into disrepute.
That guest will be subject to and will submit unreservedly to the jurisdiction, procedures, penalties, and the appeal mechanisms of the Club as provided in the Club's rules and regulations.
A breach of the Code of Conduct can be about an act, behavior, omission, situation, or decision that someone thinks a breach of this Code. Situations will always vary. They may be about individual or group behavior; they may be extremely serious or relatively minor; they may be about a single incident or a series of incidents; and the person about whom the allegation is made may admit to the allegations or emphatically deny them.
Such infringements shall be addressed by Club management in their sole discretion.
General principles to be followed when dealing with a minor infringement by a Club guest:
- Advise the guest in a confidential manner of the infringement
- Maintain a calm attitude
- Seek the guest's version of events
- Consultation between the guests and Club management to determine if infringement has occurred and sanction if required
- Advise the guest & Club management
- Communicate to the guest the infringement and sanction
The discipline imposed at this level may vary from counseling and a request for verbal or written apology through to a maximum of suspending the guest from Club facilities and activities. Where it is determined that discipline greater than this is to be considered, Club management shall impose its penalty.
A Club management representative shall counsel the guest for such infringements in the first instance.
Club management in accordance with Article 5 of the Constitution shall address such infringements.
Irrespective of the level that the discipline is imposed, the following factors should be considered:
- Nature and seriousness of the behavior or incidents;
- In a case where action is taken concurrently with or in lieu of a resolution of a formal complaint, the wishes of the complainant;
- If the individual concerned knew or should have known that the behavior was a breach of the Code of Conduct;
- Level of contrition of the offending party;
- The effect of the proposed disciplinary measures on the offending party including any personal, professional, or financial consequences;
- If there have been relevant prior warnings or disciplinary action; and/or
- If there are any mitigating circumstances such that the offending party shouldn't be disciplined at all or not disciplined so seriously.
All complaints will be kept confidential and will not be disclosed to another person without the complainant's consent except if law requires disclosure or if disclosure is necessary to effectively deal with the complaint.
General principles to be followed when completing a report of a complaint:
- Treat all complaints seriously.
- Deal with complaints promptly, with sensitivity and confidentiality.
- Maintain a calm attitude.
- Ask the complainant if they will consent to you taking notes.
- Write the description of the complaint /problem using the complainants own words (as much as is possible).
- Find out the nature of the relationship between the complainant and the person complained about (for example, coach/competitor, team guests, etc.) and if there is any relevant history.
- Take note of the facts and do not pre-judge the situation.
- Ask the complainant whether they fear victimization or other consequence/s.
- Find out what outcome the complainant wants and if they need any support.
- Ask the complainant how they want to the complaint to be dealt with under the policy.
- Keep the complaint confidential and do not disclose it to another person without the complainant's consent (except if disclosure is required by law; (for example, a report to government authorities) or if disclosure is necessary to effectively deal with the complaint.