PENTICTON MINOR FASTPITCH SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION
FAIR PLAY CODES

Building Athletes, Sportsmanship and Motivation

PARENTS:

1.  I will not force my child to participate in sports.

2.  I will remember that my child plays sports for his or her enjoyment, not for mine.

3.  I will encourage my child to play be the rules and to resolve conflicts without resorting to hostility or violence.

4.  I will teach my child that doing one''s best is as important as winning, so that my child will never feel defeated by the outcome of a game/event.

5.  I will make my child feel like a winner every time by offering praise for competing fairly and trying hard.

6.  I will never ridicule or yell at my child for making a mistake or losing a competition.

7.  I will remember that children learn best by example.  I will applaud good plays/performances by both my child''s team and their opponents.

8.  I will never question the official''s judgement or honesty in public.

9.  I will support all efforts to remove verbal and physical abuse from children''s sporting activities.

10.  I will respect and show appreciation for the volunteer coaches who give their time to provide sport activities for my child.

PLAYERS:

1.  I will participate because I want to, not just because my parents or coaches want me to.

2.  I will play by the rules, and in the spirit of the game.

3.  I will control my temper - fighting and "mouthing off" can spoil the activity for everybody.

4.  I will respect my opponents.

5.  I will do my best to be a true team player.

6.  I will remember that winning isn''t everything - that having fun, improvong skills, making friends and doing my best are also important.

7.  I will acknoeldge all goos plays/performances - those of my team and of those of my opponents.

8.  I will remember that coahces and officials are there to help me.  I will accept their decisions and show them respect.

SPECTATORS:

1.  I will remember that children play sport for their enjoyment.  They are not playing to entertain me.

2.  I will not have unrealisitic expectations.  I will remember that child athletes are not minature professionals and cannot be judged by professional standards.

3.  I will respect the officials'' decisions and I will encourage participants to do the same.

4.  I will never ridicule an athlete for making a mistake during a competition.  I will give positive comments that motivate and encourage continues effort.

5.  I will condemn the use of violence in any form and will express my disapproval in an appropriate manner to coaches and league officials.

6.  I will show respect for my team''s opponents, beacuse without then there would be no game.

7.  I will not use bad language, nor will I harass athletes, coaches, officials, or other spectators.

ORGANIZERS:

1.  I will do my best to see that all children are given the same chance to participate, regardless of gender, ability, ethnic background or race.

2.  I will absolutely discourage any sport program from becoming primarily an entertainment for the spectators.

3.  I will make sure that all equipemnt and facilities are safe and match the athletes'' ages and abilties.

4.  I will make sure that the age and maturity level of the children are considered in program development, rule enforcemnt and scheduling.

5.  I will remember that play is done fr its own sake and make sure that winning is kept in proper perspective.

6.  I will distribute the fair play codes to spectators, coaches, athletes, officials, parents and media.

7.  I will make sure that coaches and officials are capable of promoting fair play as well as the development of good technical skills, and I will encourage them to become certified.