Player Safety at Clarington Flag Football

Player Code of Conduct

Every player registered with Clarington Flag Football agrees to uphold the following standards. These are not just rules. They are the foundation of what makes this league worth being part of.

• Play hard, play fair, and respect the game. Flag football is built on trust between players, coaches, and officials. Honor that trust every time you step on the field.
• Respect every player, coach, official, and spectator regardless of skill level, team, or outcome. There is no place for trash talk, taunting, or disrespectful behavior on our fields.
• Accept the decisions of referees and league officials without argument. If you have a concern, bring it to your coach calmly and let them address it through the proper process.
• Win with class and lose with grace. How you handle both outcomes says more about your character than the final score ever will.
• Take care of all equipment issued to you, including your jersey, flag belt, and mouthguard. Damaged or lost equipment is your responsibility.
• Arrive on time, warmed up, and ready to play. Your teammates and coaches are counting on you.
• Keep the sidelines and field areas clean. Pick up after yourself and leave the facility better than you found it.
• Report any injury, illness, or unsafe condition to your coach immediately. Do not play through a head injury. Ever.
• Support your teammates. Celebrate their successes. Help them through their mistakes. A team that lifts each other up is a team that grows together.
• Represent Clarington Flag Football with pride. You are not just playing for yourself. You are representing your team, your community, and this league every time you put on that jersey.

Parent and Spectator Code of Conduct

Parents and spectators play a huge role in the experience our athletes have. Positive sidelines make better athletes. We ask every parent, guardian, and spectator to commit to the following.

• Remember that these are youth athletes playing a sport for fun, fitness, and personal growth. Keep that perspective at all times, especially when things get competitive.
• Cheer for your child and their teammates. Cheer for good plays by both teams. Never direct negative comments toward players, coaches, or officials from either team.
• Respect all coaches and officials. They are volunteers and certified officials giving their time to make this league possible. Disagreements with calls or decisions are not handled on the sidelines.
• Never approach a referee or opposing coach during or after a game to dispute a call or decision. If you have a legitimate concern, contact the league coordinator after the game.
• Do not coach your child from the sidelines during a game. It creates confusion, undermines the coach, and puts pressure on your athlete that does not belong there.
• Model the behavior you want your child to display. They are watching you. How you handle frustration, disagreement, and defeat teaches them far more than any coach ever could.
• Remain on the sidelines at all times. Do not enter the field or approach the team bench area from the moment players warm up until they leave the field at the end of the game.
• Set an example for your athlete through your own behavior. Your athlete is watching.
• Please remember that this is a growing league and our organizers and volunteers are doing their very best to create a safe and positive experience for everyone. We ask that you exercise patience as we continue to grow.

NFL FLAG Football Health and Safety Policy

The purpose of this policy is to ensure the safety, health, and well-being of all players, volunteer parent coaches, officials, and spectators participating in Clarington Flag Football activities.

1. Field Safety

Before every game night, fields are inspected for uneven terrain, debris, or hazards. Fields are properly marked and maintained to meet league standards. Any obstacles that could pose a risk to players are removed before play begins.

2. Required Player Safety Gear

3. Injury Response and First Aid

Each field has a fully stocked first aid kit with supplies for treating cuts, bruises, sprains, and other minor injuries. An Emergency Action Plan (EAP) is communicated to all coaches, officials, and volunteers at the start of each season. Quick access to emergency medical services is maintained at all times during game nights.

4. Health and Hygiene

Families are encouraged to perform health assessments before attending games. Hand hygiene is promoted and sanitizing stations are provided when possible. Local health guidelines regarding communicable diseases are followed at all times.

5. Code of Conduct

All participants are expected to maintain a safe and respectful environment free of violence, bullying, drugs, tobacco, and alcohol. Sportsmanship and mutual respect among players, coaches, officials, league operators, and spectators is expected and enforced.

Safe Sport

What is Safe Sport?

Safe Sport is the ability to build an athlete's skills in a safe and respectful environment together with constantly improving practices to certify the wellbeing of all participants. With access to training, rules, regulations, guidelines, and policies, these resources allow safe sport to be conducted at every level.

Why is Safe Sport Important?

These young athletes put their trust in our organization to provide a fun and safe experience. We want to deliver an experience for these athletes that allows them to reach their top goals while also reducing as much risk as possible. This is important for the athletes and their health, as well as their success. We want our players to always be happy and healthy.

All coaches and officials with Clarington Flag Football are required to complete Safe Sport training before working with athletes.

Rowan's Law and Concussion Awareness

Football Ontario and Clarington Flag Football take concussions seriously. We are committed to fostering a positive and healthy environment for all athletes. A concussion is a brain injury that cannot be seen on x-rays, CT scans, or MRIs. It affects the way your child may think and remember things, and can cause a wide range of symptoms.

Recognizing a Concussion

A child does not need to be knocked out to have a concussion. Watch for any of the following signs.

What Causes a Concussion

Any blow to the head, face, or neck, or a blow to the body that causes a sudden jarring of the head, may cause a concussion. This includes a helmet-to-head contact or being knocked to the ground.

Ways to Help Prevent Concussions

• NCCP Making Head Way in Sport Training
• Wearing proper equipment that fits correctly
• Respecting the rules of the sport
• Open dialogue between coaches, trainers, and athletes

Rowan's Law Requirements

New rules requiring the review of Concussion Awareness Resources and Concussion Codes of Conduct came into effect on July 1, 2019. Rowan's Law requires all coaches and team trainers to review government-approved Concussion Awareness Resources every year.

The requirements for sport organizations include:

• Ensure that athletes under 26 years of age, parents of athletes under 18, coaches, team trainers, and officials confirm every year that they have reviewed Ontario's Concussion Awareness Resources
• Establish a Concussion Code of Conduct that sets out rules of behavior to support concussion prevention
• Establish a Removal-from-Sport and Return-to-Sport protocol

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Rowan's Law: Concussion Awareness Resources ontario.ca - Official Ontario government concussion awareness resources

Football Ontario Concussion Protocol Policy