Laurier Athletics - Waterloo Campus

Coaches have the responsibility to

1. Treat everyone fairly within the context of their activity, regardless of gender, place of origin, colour, sexual orientation, religion, political belief, or economic status.
2. Direct comments or criticism at the performance rather than the athlete.
3. Consistently display high personal standards and project a favourable image of their sport and of coaching.
    a. Refrain from public criticism of fellow coaches; especially when speaking to the media or recruiting athletes.
    b. Abstain from the use of tobacco products while in the presence of her/his athletes and discourage their use by athletes.
    c. Abstain from drinking alcoholic beverages when working with athletes.
    d. Discourage the use of alcohol in conjunction with athletic events or victory celebrations at the playing site.
    e. Refrain from the use of profane, insulting, un-inclusive, harassing or otherwise offensive language in the conduct of his/her duties.
4. Ensure that the activity being undertaken is suitable for the age, experience, ability and fitness level of the athletes and educate athletes as to their responsibilities in contributing to a safe environment.
5. Communicate and co-operate with registered medical practitioners in the diagnoses, treatment and management of their athletes' medical and psychological problems. Consider the athletes' future health and well being as foremost when making decisions regarding an injured athletes' ability to continue playing or training.
6. Recognize and accept when to refer athletes to other coaches or sport specialists. Allow athletes' goals to take precedence over their own.
7. Regularly seek ways of increasing professional development and self-awareness.
8. Treat opponents and officials with due respect, both in victory and defeat and encourage athletes to act accordingly. Actively encourage athletes to uphold the rules of their sport and the spirit of such rules.
9. In the case of minors, communicate and co-operate with the athlete's parents or legal guardians, involving them in management decisions pertaining to their child's development.
10. In an educational institution, be aware of the academic pressures placed on student-athletes and conduct practices and games in a manner to allow academic success.
11. Ensure they have completed all necessary/required education/training as deemed by the institution, league governing bodies, or the department of athletics & recreation, including but not limited to Safe Sport training before commencement of all coaching and as required during their coaching tenure. Failure to do so will result in the termination of your coaching role.
12. Obtain and submit an up-to-date Vulnerable Sector Check.

Coaches must

1. Ensure the safety of the student athletes, student staff, student trainers and student S&C interns with whom they work.
2. At no time become intimately and/ or sexually involved with their athletes. This includes requests for sexual favours or threat of reprisal for the rejection of such requests.
3. Respect a student athlete's dignity; verbal or physical behaviours that constitute harassment or abuse are unacceptable (definition of harassment is attached).
4. Never advocate or condone the use of drugs or other banned performance enhancing substances.
5. Never provide any student athletes, student staff, student trainers and student S&C interns with alcohol, drugs or illegal items/substances. 

Coaches will

1. Be concerned primarily with the well-being, safety, protection, and future of the student athlete. There must be a balance between the development of performance and the social, emotional, intellectual, and physical needs of the individual.
2. Avoid compromising the present and future health of student-athletes by cooperating with sport medicine professionals during the diagnosis, treatment, and management of student athlete’s medical and psychological treatments.
3. Not engage in an intimate and/or sexual relationship with a student-athletes, student staff, student trainers or student S&C interns.
4. Actively discourage the use of drugs (other than those medically prescribed), performance enhancing substances alcohol, cannabis and/or tobacco, especially during travel or other athletics events or other related activities.
5. Respect all medical processes including return to learn/play as determined by their respective university medical professionals.
6. Be responsible for setting and monitoring the boundaries between a working relationship and friendship with their student-athletes. Coaches must realize that certain situations or friendly words and actions could be misinterpreted, not only by the student-athlete, but also by outsiders (or other members of a team or group of student-athletes) motivated by jealousy, dislike, or mistrust, and could lead to allegations of misconduct or impropriety.
7. Communicate and co-operate with other coaches, officials, and allied professionals in the best interests of their student-athletes.
8. Encourage student-athletes to participate within the rules of their sport. Coaches should actively seek to discourage and condemn such action and encourage student-athletes to obey the spirit of the rules.
9. Treat opponents with due respect, both in victory and defeat, and encourage their student athletes to act in a similar manner. A key role for a coach is to prepare student-athletes to respond to success and failure in a dignified manner.
10. Accept responsibility for the conduct of their student-athletes and discourage inappropriate behaviour in training, competition, and away from the sporting arena.
11. Accept the role of officials in ensuring that competitions are conducted fairly and according to establish rules.
12. Always demonstrate proper decorum towards officials and opposing teams, refraining from use of profane language or verbal harassment and personal attacks on officials and other coaches.
13. Accept responsibility for their own conduct and engage in always supporting an ethical workplace and profession while carrying out their duties as an OUA coach.
14. The coach is privileged to have regular contact with student-athletes. A coach must not attempt to exert undue influence over the student-athlete to obtain personal benefit or reward.
15. Take all reasonable steps to ensure an inclusive and safe environment and protect student athletes from any form of maltreatment.
16. Speak positively about other institutions and the league within all recruiting processes.
17. Abide by all recruiting, eligibility and financial awards rules, processes, and policies, and will not misrepresent or offer inducements to recruits which fall outside of allowable OUA and U SPORTS parameters.