skip navigation

Club Codes of Conduct

PLAYERS CODE

  • Play the game for the game’s sake
  • Be generous when you win
  • Be graceful when you lose
  • Be fair always no matter what the cost
  • Obey the laws of the game
  • Work for the good of the game
  • Accept the decision of the officials with good grace
  • Believe in the honesty of your opponents
  • Conduct yourself with honor and dignity
  • Honestly and wholeheartedly applaud the efforts of your teammates and your opponents.
The game that this Association will support must provide opportunities for:
a) Fun enjoyment and many other recreational satisfactions,
b) Achievement recognition and the pursuit of excellence relative to the skill potential,
c) Personal competitive goals and physiological needs of the participants,
d) The development of physical, mental, social and emotional fitness.

 
The type of game that the Association will not support nor tolerate is:
a) That which brings the game into disrepute,
b) That which results in physical or mental violence, and
c) That which is morally indefensible.

COACHES CODE

The United States Youth Soccer Association is very interested in having responsible and competent coaches and is willing to assist parents, ex-players and other interested persons to become better qualified. It is our hope that the Association’s programs will assist coaches to become more proficient.
The Association subscribes to the principle of teaching by example and it insists the administrators and coaches conduct themselves in such a manner as to set an example that if followed would enable every player to be a credit to the game.
The Association places the game ahead of any desire to win be it on league, District, State or National level. If administrator or coach, no matter how capable fails to control the team, or has players who consistently contravene the laws of the game, the Association will act immediately to remedy the situation. Appropriate disciplinary action can include any one or more, including suspension or expulsion to either the coach, the player, or the team.
It is held to be self evident that a team whose players are frequently incurring penalties may be judged to have a coach not capable of teaching the players to conduct themselves in a manner creditable to the game. The Association however, places itself in the same position as its coaches. Discipline comes only when absolutely necessary and only after all other avenues for remedial action have been exhausted.
A good coach is many things. He/she is a parent, an educator, a friend, a disciplinarian and a psychologist to the players. When the coach accepts the responsibility to coach a team, he or she accepts a responsibility to the team, to the players, to their parents, to the Association, and to the sport.
The coach should accept sport as a part of human activity and recognize its contribution to the enrichment of life.
Coaches should remember:
  • Soccer is a game for happiness
  • The laws of soccer should be regarded as mutual agreements, the spirit or letter of, which no one should try to evade or break.
  • No advantages except those of superior skill should be sought.
  • Officials and opponents should be treated and regarded in intention.
  • Official decisions should be accepted without looking angry no matter how unfair they may seem
  • Winning is desirable but winning at any cost defeats the purpose of the game.
  • Losing can be a triumph when the team has given its best.
  • The ideal is the greatest good to the greatest number.
In soccer as in life, treat others as you would have them treat you.

PARENTS CODE

Parents should remember:
  • Children have more need of example than criticism.
  • Make athletic participation for your child and others a positive experience.
  • Attempt to relieve the pressure of competition, not increase it. A child is easily affected by outside influences
  • Be kind to your child’s coach and to officials. The coach is a volunteer giving of personal time and money to provide a recreational activity for your child. The coach is providing a valuable community service, often without required other than the personal satisfaction of having served the community.
  • The opponents are necessary friends. Without them your child could not participate
  • Applaud good play by your team and by members of the opposing team
Between the exuberance of the winner and the disappointment of the loser we find a person called a referee. All of them follow the same creed to watch every move of every player and to call the game to the best of his/her ability.
  • Do not openly question his/her judgment and never their honesty.
  • He/she is a symbol of fair play, integrity and sportsmanship.
  • Accept the results of each game.
Encourage the child to:
  • Be gracious in victory, and
  • Turn defeat into victory by working towards improvement.
Parental evaluation carries a great deal of weight with the pre-adolescent. The attitude shown by parents at games towards their child, the opposing team, the officials and the coach influence the child’s values and behavior in spots. Criticism and disrespect for officials and opponents by over anxious or over protective parents bent on immediate success rather than long range benefits undermines the purpose of sports and brings into the game stresses beyond those of competition. When the adolescent cannot cope effectively with such stresses it contributes to behavior not in keeping with the spirit of the game.

GUIDELINES TO SOCCER PARENTHOOD

In competition someone always loses. If you win, do it gracefully, not boastfully. If you lose, do not allow your child to become negative. Encourage good sportsmanship.
  • Too much competition, too soon, can slow down a child’s progress in skill development.
  • Make fun and technique development your first priority.
  • Your child’s coach will need all the support and help you can offer. Make yourself available and volunteer your time.
  • During games, let the coach be the coach. Parental coaching from the sidelines is disruptive to the players.
  • Disagreements with the coach or officials do not belong on the public soccer field. Questions, input, and positive suggestions should be voiced to the coach and/or league in an adult atmosphere – without the youth being present.
  • Be level headed and show good manners. Support the coach’s and referee’s decisions.
  • Focus on praising other people’s children during games. Cheer for your child and your child’s team – never cheer against the opposing player or team.
  • Encourage fair play. Be respectful and expect your child to be respectful, too.
The overall purpose is for both of you to enjoy the game, and to be with your child.