England Netball appreciates the vital support parents/carers give their child for them to be involved in netball. Finding a good club and understanding how they work and what you can expect for your child, is important to you. We are providing this Guidance to help you know what to look out for, what to ask and who does what within a club.
Your support for your child gives them the opportunities to play and develop through their sport. You pay for the fees, give lifts, stand on the side lines and support your child through the ups and downs of their sport. Whether your child is playing purely for the fun of it, or has aspirations to be a Performance Athlete, they will win and lose in competitive play. Your response to their play, their development and their limits as well as their successes, has a significant impact on how your child, and their team mates, respond to the challenges of competitive sport.
Codes of Conduct
The Codes of Conduct for Parents or Carers set out the expected standards of behaviour. Knowing what these are and discussing them with your child will help them understand how the netball environment operates.
Keeping in touch with the club is important. Regular chats with the coach about your child’s development will help you support them achieving to their best ability.
Additional Needs
If your child has any additional needs, make sure the club know about them and that you have agreed the way in which they will meet those needs.
Transport
Transport arrangements need to be clearly communicated, to ensure that the club knows who will be dropping off and collecting, especially if it is not going to be you. Punctuality is very important. If you are unable to collect when you planned to, be sure to let your child and the club know. Wherever possible, emergency contacts will be used, but otherwise the coach will have to contact Children’s Services after a reasonable period of time, to ensure your child is safe.
Advice for Parents
We have worked with the CPSU to help develop resources for all sports to show parents how their behaviour can impact on their child’s enjoyment of their sport.
Your club may arrange a session for parents to induct you into the club’s expectations for their members and parents and they may hold a training session to use these resources.
Playing Safe
Every affiliated club has a Club Safeguarding Officer, before your child joins a club, it’s a good idea for you to visit and get a feel for how the club runs and what sort of environment your child will be in. As well as providing your child with good netball playing opportunities, the club should have adequate arrangements in place to ensure your child’s safety whilst with the club. You can arrange to talk to the coach about what is provided, how the development of your child will be supported and what competition play they may get. You can also talk to the club management or Club Safeguarding Officer to find out about what the club has in place to ensure the safety of the children, both in the club and away at events.
The club may provide a welcome pack or similar, which tells you what you need to know and you should check to see that they do what they say they do. Watching a session, seeing how the members interact and what impression you get of the culture within that club, should help you assess whether this is the right club for your child. Often the child has selected the club, because their friends are there, but you should still satisfy yourself that you are comfortable that it is the best place for them.
Have a look at the documents below, which will explain the England Netball’s expected standards of conduct, safeguarding and inclusion which the club is required to operate by. We also provide guidance for you and your child, if things are not going well, if there are problems they are facing which they may not be coping with or which you do not feel confident in dealing with, Parents Guide to Supporting Your Child.
We take the well-being of all our young people very seriously and recognise the benefit which sport can bring to their personal development. Clubs should be a safe and supportive environment for their members and there are often adults within the club who become role models for the young people they are responsible for. We aim to provide relevant, practical resources for these adults, for you and for your child, to support them. The websites listed below can help with understanding some of the issues affecting young people and how they may respond. They are designed for parents and young people, and give helpful advice specific to particular issues.
If you wish to meet with any of the personnel at the club, remember that they are probably volunteers and there are many demands on their time.
Sport survives and grows thanks to the considerable contribution of volunteers. Maybe you would enjoy being further involved in the club and could offer your time to help run the sort of club your child can benefit from. Click here to find out more about volunteering.