General Code of Conduct

Introduction

The development of a national code of conduct across Irish sport is intended to incorporate respect for, and the elimination of abuse towards, referees, officials, coaches and players, and to help promote good practice within all sport. This Tenpin Ireland General Code of Conduct is based on the Sport Ireland national code of conduct template.

The code outlines the good practice required of everyone participating in the sport, whatever their role, and aims to create an atmosphere of fairness, integrity and respect among participants, coaches, athletes, officials and supporters. It covers behaviour before, during and after sport or training, in any sporting environment, and addresses the minimum levels of behaviour, conduct and good practice for: participants; coaches, selectors and assistants; supporters; parents and guardians; referees and officials; and committees.

It also emphasises the role of parents, guardians and supporters in supporting the positive development of young participants and avoiding actions that can have a lasting emotional effect on them.

Positive conduct

Everyone involved — coaches, selectors, assistants, supporters, parents and guardians, referees, officials and other personnel — should:

• Adopt this code as the basic level of agreement between Tenpin Ireland and everyone involved in the sport.
• Ensure the sport is played and conducted with disciplined and sporting behaviour, recognising it is not enough to rely solely on referees or officials to uphold the code.
• Take responsibility and accountability for their own conduct under Tenpin Ireland's policies and procedures.
• Respect fellow participants, members, officials, volunteers and opponents regardless of gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, age, disability, race, religion, or membership of the Traveller community.
• Respect the decisions of all referees, officials and committees.
• Maintain, demonstrate and promote the highest standards of respect, integrity and personal conduct, and act as good role models.
• Promote fair play, encourage and applaud good performances and effort from participants and opponents alike, regardless of the result, and thank opponents and officials at the end.
• Ensure all activities are inclusive and allow all players to participate in an enjoyable way.
• Put the welfare of participants first, and ensure safety is paramount.
• Coaches and officials: be qualified and up to date with the latest rules, coaching knowledge and skills, and participate in continuous professional development when required.
• If working with under-18s, undertake agreed Garda Vetting and/or background police checks in the relevant jurisdictions, and attend child safeguarding training where required by Tenpin Ireland and Sport Ireland guidance.
• Communicate decisions to participants effectively and constructively, appropriate to the age groups taking part, deal with dissent firmly and fairly, and maintain composure regardless of circumstances.
• Report breaches of the code to the appropriate person or committee, cooperate with any investigation, and ensure complaints — including rumours — are not ignored and are dealt with under the relevant procedures.
• Report incidents and accidents to the relevant persons, and to parents or guardians where a child under 18 is involved.
• Keep and store all documentation securely and confidentially, and maintain policies and procedures in the best interests of participants and of Tenpin Ireland.

Breaches of the code

No one involved in the sport may:

• Shout at, argue with, or abuse — physically or verbally — referees, officials, participants, supporters, parents, guardians, coaches or opponents at any time.
• Use violence, or use unfair or bullying tactics to gain advantage or isolate other participants.
• Use unacceptable, foul or provocative language, gestures or behaviour, including racial, sectarian or homophobic references, towards any participant, coach, official or supporter.
• Abuse, threaten or intimidate a referee, official, participant or volunteer, on or off the sporting environment, or aggressively challenge an official's decision or integrity.
• Ridicule or scold a participant for making a mistake, berate their own child or any other child for their standard of play, or embarrass a child with sarcastic remarks.
• Do anything likely to intimidate, offend, insult, humiliate or discriminate against any person on the grounds of gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, age, disability, race, religion, or membership of the Traveller community.
• Use social media to abuse, taunt, bully, undermine or racially abuse participants, opponents, coaches, officials, volunteers or others, or to distribute offensive content.
• Publish, or cause to be published, criticism of how Tenpin Ireland or any committee handled or resolved a dispute or disciplinary matter.
• Behave in any way that infringes the rules of the sport or seeks unfair advantage, enter the sporting environment without authorisation, or engage in any other unsporting behaviour.

Reporting and sanctions

Breaches of this code should be reported to the appropriate person or committee within Tenpin Ireland, under the reporting and complaints procedure. Breaches will be investigated by the relevant Tenpin Ireland committee, and disciplinary proceedings conducted in accordance with Tenpin Ireland's disciplinary procedures. Potential sanctions include:

• A caution, a warning as to future conduct, or a reprimand.
• A monetary fine.
• A requirement to replay the game at a time and venue thought fit.
• Forfeiture of competition points, and/or their granting to another player or players.
• The banning of supporters from an event.
• Suspension or expulsion, in part or in full, of a team, player or person for an appropriate period.
• Such other penalty or sanction as may be deemed appropriate.

Conduct giving rise to an alleged breach is assessed against the code in effect at the time the alleged breach occurred. Incidents of alleged or suspected criminal behaviour should be reported to the relevant authorities.

Who this code covers

Role	Meaning
Participants	Anyone taking part in a sporting activity, formally or informally, within an NGB recognised by Sport Ireland.
Coaches, selectors, assistants	Those who develop participants' skills, select teams and squads, or provide back-up to those roles (lifts, equipment checks, and so on).
Supporters	Anyone actively interested in and wishing success for a team or player.
Parents / guardians	The parent or guardian of a participant.
Referees / officials	Those charged with ensuring the rules of an activity are adhered to — referees, judges, umpires and similar.

Members are asked to sign a self-declaration acknowledging that they have read, understood and accepted this code of conduct. Developed with the assistance of Sport Ireland.