Contents

1. Scope
2. Policy for Unwanted Behaviour
3. Confidential Contact Person/Vertrouwenscontactpersoon (VCP)
4. Code of Conduct
5. Code of Conduct for Trainers & Coaches

 

Policy for Unwanted Behaviour

At Sport N Socialize, we strive for a safe, pleasant, and sportsmanlike environment. We define this as development for youth of which they can benefit within and outside of the club, creating an environment with clear boundaries and structures for all involved, as well as having a pleasant atmosphere for everyone. Hence, socially desirable behaviour within (youth) players expresses itself as for example following the rules and keeping promises; working together, helping each other, and teamwork; respecting each other in words and actions.

As a badminton club, we must adhere to the national laws and the regulations as set by Badminton Nederland at all times, but it is also of utmost importance that we make clear agreements with all persons involved in the club, no matter their age. We do this to guarantee sportsmanship as the core value. 

If everyone adheres to these agreements, we will be working together to build a social, trusted, safe and sportsmanlike club, where you as a player/volunteer/trainer/coach will feel at home and be proud of.

Unfortunately, several cases of unwanted behaviour and/or sexual intimidation occur within sports every year. Therefore it is important we offer opportunities to make these topics accessible to discuss within our club, in line with by NOC*NSF’s approach.

 

Having established the above, how do we define unwanted and/or unacceptable behaviour?

In our club, unwanted and/or unacceptable behaviour is any form of verbal, non-verbal, digital, or physical behaviour or rapprochement, that

• Is experienced as forced and/or unwanted by the person undergoing it;
• Has a goal or consequence of affecting the person’s dignity;
• Takes place under circumstances directly related to practising a sport of which the rules and regulations do not provide.

These points are especially important when a threatening, hostile, insulting, humiliating, socially unsafe or hurting situation is created. This includes (sexual) abuse, discrimination, and bullying. If we speak of unwanted/unacceptable behaviour, the experience of the athlete is leading. This means that when an athlete says they experience unwanted behaviour, the athlete must be taken seriously. 

Unfortunately, unwanted behaviour in sports settings happens more frequently than we realise. More often than ever there is a risk of publicity for the victim, the club, the organisation, the sports federation, and the sport in general. A situation like this often has drastic consequences for the victims and the sports environment. 

In any case, we are of the opinion that every occurance of unwanted behaviour/sexual intimidation is one too many. At Sport N Socialize/Rudra United, we strive for a safe environment for everyone, no matter their age or background.

Below, you will find six definitions of unwanted and/or unacceptable behaviours. 

 

1. Sexual intimidation

This includes any form of unwanted (non-)verbal or physical behaviour with a sexual background that aims to or has a consequence to affect the person’s dignity, especially when this creates a threatening, hostile, offensive, humiliating, or hurtful situation. On the Centrum Veilige Sport Nederland website you can find publications with extensive information on sexual intimidation. This information is meant for parents, athletes, coaches, and people who are part of the organisation. This information is currently only available in Dutch.

 

2. Bullying

Bullying involves all forms of intimidating behaviour with a structural repetitive character, in which one or more people try to harm another person physically, verbally, or psychologically, whereby the other person cannot defend themselves against this behaviour. A relatively new form of bullying is digital bullying. We do not condone any type of bullying within our club.

 

3. Threatening

Bullying, discrimination, and/or insulting becomes threatening if the other person becomes scared and if the behaviour creates a sense of insecurity. Contrary to bullying, threatening is punishable by law. Systematic bullying, discrimination or insults do not need to precede threatening behaviour.

 

4. Discrimination 

Discrimination is the unequal treatment and deprivation of people based on characteristics that do not matter in a situation. Discrimination is forbidden by law in The Netherlands. Examples of grounds for discrimination: Age, sexual orientation, religion or philosophy of life, ethnicity, gender, nationality, handicap or chronic illness, political convictions, marital status, type of contract, working hours.

 

5. Abuse 

Abuse is defined as the use of functional physical or psychological violence and very serious threats with concrete physical and psychological acts of violence outside of the game and/or match. Examples of physical abuse include and are not limited to hitting, kicking, knee thrusting, headbutting, elbow strikes.

 

6. Insulting

Insults can happen verbally, through facial expressions, or by use of gestures (intended and unintended). Insulting becomes grave if it entails deliberately affecting someone’s honor or good name, in an insulting manner, despite the correctness of the accusation. 

 

Confidential Contact Person / Vertrouwenscontactpersoon (VCP)

Should you want to speak to someone about having experienced unwanted or unacceptable behaviour of any kind, we offer to get in touch with a confidential contact person (Dutch: Vertrouwenscontactpersoon. Abbreviated as VCP). A VCP holds a neutral position within the club and is formally appointed by the organisation. This is the first point of contact for questions, suspicions, notifications, complaints, and statements regarding unwanted behaviour. A VCP is available for players and their parents, volunteers, and the organisation, and takes notifications, informs about possible next steps, and takes care of procedural guidance, and has an advisory role towards the organisation. 

Additionally, if it turns out to be necessary, NOC*NSF’s registration system for sexual intimidation can be consulted through intervention of a VCP. The club’s VCP then forwards the player to the confidant of Badminton Nederland or NOC*NSF. This confidant will then assist with a potential follow-up (within Strafrecht or Tuchtrecht). Evidently, all information will be treated as confidential. 

To emphasise: If you feel you have experienced unwanted and/or unacceptable behaviour such as described above, you can get in touch with our club’s VCP. At present, our club’s VCP is Mariette Mambwe. You can reach her through +31612793593.

Due to the size and international character of the club, we are still searching for more VCPs. Should you be interested in taking that role, please send an email to info@sportnsocialize.com. NOC*NSF offers courses in fulfilling a role as VCP within sports clubs and we are happy to fund this, should you wish to take on this role.

Code of Conduct

General

• We meet our promises.
• We show respect to each other within and outside of the club, to the person and another’s belongings.
• We address each other on unwanted behaviour and use of language.
• We are open to constructive criticism.
• The work done by volunteers is appreciated.
• Drug use and excessive drinking is not tolerated.

 

Social Behaviour

• I accept and respect others as they are and do not discriminate. Everyone counts within the club.
• I take into account another person’s indicated boundaries.
• I do not harass another person.
• I do not cause harm to another.
• In no way do I abuse my position of power.
• I do not curse and no not make any mean jokes or comments about others.
• I do not ignore another person.
• I do not take part in bullying, gossiping, or laughing at someone.
• I do not fight, I do not use any weapons, I do not threaten another, I do not bring any weapons.
• I do not come too close and do not touch another person against their will. 
• I do not give another person unwanted sexual attention.
• I do not ask inappropriate questions and do not make any inappropriate comments about someone’s personal life or appearance.
• If someone hinders or harasses me, I will ask them to stop. If that does not work, I will ask another person for help.
• I help others to keep to these agreements and will speak to those who do not. I will report this to the board if necessary.

 

Sportsmanship

We play badminton with respect for everyone and hold sportsmanship and honesty in high regard. Our aim is to increase our badminton qualities and our enjoyment of the game, and as team players we show involvement with our team and the club.

• We appreciate and show respect to our fellow players and opponents.
• We appreciate and show respect to referees, trainers, and coaches.
• We respect the possessions of other badminton players and those of the badminton club.
• We intend to win a match honestly and show our losses in a sportsmanlike manner.
• We attend matches/training sessions/recreational sessions with enjoyment and ensure this enjoyment is enlarged by working together on technique and playing together.
• We attend training sessions/matches and will not leave our team behind. If we cannot attend, we will notify the people involved in advance. 
• We end each match with a word of gratitude or congratulations to the opponent(s).
• We help each other to respect the above agreements.

 

Code of Conduct for Trainers and Coaches

At Sport N Socialize, we believe it is of the utmost importance that everyone feels safe and welcome. For these reasons, our trainers, coaches, and voluntary trainers follow a code of conduct.

NOC*NSF and Centrum Veilige Sport have constructed a code of conduct for sports trainers/coaches that are also acknowledged by Badminton Nederland. These codes indicate the boundaries in the contact between trainers/coaches/voluntary trainers (hereafter summed up as supervisor) and pupils and have therefore been created to minimize the risks for undesirable behavior between supervisor and athlete. This code of conduct can be enforced. Exceeding one or multiple points in the code of conduct can result in disciplinary proceedings with disciplinary sanctions from Badminton Nederland.

At Sport N Socialize, we exercise the code of conduct for trainers, coaches, and voluntary trainers as stated below.

1. The supervisor must provide an atmosphere in which the athlete feels safe.
2. The trainer/coach/volunteer trainer shall refrain from treating the athlete in a way that affects the athlete’s dignity, and from penetrating further into the athlete’s private life than is necessary for the joint goal.
3. The supervisor shall refrain from any form of abuse (of power) or sexual intimidation towards the athlete.
4. Sexual acts and sexual relations between the supervisor and the young athlete up to the age of eightteen are under no circumstances permitted and are considered sexual abuse.
5. The supervisor may not touch the athlete in such a way that the athlete and/or the trainer/coach/volunteer trainer can reasonably expect to experience this touch as sexual or erotic in nature, as will usually be the case with deliberate touching of genitals, buttocks and breasts.
6. The supervisor shall refrain from verbal intimacies of a sexual nature.
7. During training moments (and internships for future trainers), competitions and trips, the supervisor will treat the athlete and the space in which the athlete is located, such as a changing room or hotel room, in a reserved and respectful manner.
8. The supervisor has the duty to protect the athlete against damage and abuse (of power) as a result of sexual intimidation. In case it is known or arranged who represents the interests of the (youth) athlete, the supervisor is obliged to cooperate with these persons or bodies, so that they can perform their work properly.
9. The supervisor will not give the athlete any (im)material compensation with the apparent intention of asking for compensation. The supervisor also does not accept any financial reward or gifts from the athlete that are disproportionate to the usual or agreed remuneration.
10. The facilitator will actively ensure that these rules are observed by everyone involved with the athlete. If they identify behavior that is not in accordance with these rules, they will address the person in question.
11. In those cases in which the code of conduct does not (directly) provide, it is the supervisor’s responsibility to act in the spirit of this.