1. Aims of Sport in Redfield College.
a. Formation of boys’ character is our primary goal in organising sport. According to The Redfield Sports Code, sport, and in particular team sport, contribute to the formation of the boys who participate.
b. The Code particularly encourages participation by all boys in team sports. No one sport is favoured. Our aim is that boys are involved in some team sport. Parents involved in assisting sport in the College are asked to make as their primary goal the formation of the boys’ characters. It does not matter particularly which sport a boy chooses.
2. Administration of Sport at Redfield
a. PARED Board expects that the Headmaster assisted by the College executive (known as the School Committee) will oversee all activities carrying the Redfield name.
b. College Sportsmaster is responsible for all sport played in the College name. He is responsible for implementing College policies in sport. He reports to the Headmaster.
c. Sports clubs organised under the auspices of Redfield see themselves as a support for the work of the Sportsmaster.
d. Sportsmaster will convene a meeting with club presidents once each term.
3. Aim of parental help for sport in the College:
a. to assist the Sportsmaster by help with administration of a particular sport, by suggestions and advice to the Sportsmaster, by mobilising parental support, and by implementing College policies in sport;
b. to facilitate friendships between parents as they work on the common project of sport for their sons;
c. to actively foster character formation and sportsmanship in the boys;
d. promotion of the College.
4. Specific Guidelines
a. Sportsmaster’s responsibility for sport in the College
The sportsmaster is responsible for sport in the College. The Sportsmaster is a member ex officio of any sporting club committees. His nominee may attend in his place. When he speaks on the needs of the College it is obviously important that he finds unqualified support from parents involved in any particular club.
Sportsmaster establishes systems whereby he is able effectively to work with the Presidents and committees of clubs, and through them with the coaches and manager of teams. He must encourage committee and parental initiative, look for advice from the sporting club committees, and take up proposals from these committees to the School Committee.
He must keep a close monitoring control on the performance of Redfield teams, following closely both the sportsmanship of the boys, and the success of their teams. He is responsible to ensure that the Redfield College Sporting Code is put into practice on the playing field. He is responsible for ensuring that feedback from coaches and managers, which could be of use to tutors or parents, is passed on based on a monthly team report form which he receives from each coach or manager. He will work closely with the Presidents of the various clubs.
The Sportsmaster needs to oversee nomination of teams in competition. Teams should not be nominated without clear provisions for management and coaching. Sporting contributions to the Red, or to club websites, are under the direction of the club committees on behalf of the Sportsmaster.
b. Sportsmanship and team discipline
Ultimately the College Sportsmaster is responsible for conduct of all players taking the field in Redfield’s name. Any more serious lack of discipline (a sending off, or a player on report) involving a Redfield player must be notified to the President and the Sportsmaster by team coach or manager by the Monday following a weekend game. Sportsmaster, and possibly also club, will take whatever disciplinary action is required and notify the student’s tutor, if the boy is a Redfield student, so that the tutor is able to turn the incident into an educational opportunity. In the event of any more serious incident, or involvement of external judiciaries, etc, the Headmaster must also be notified.
c. Registration policy
The various clubs work together to organise sport for Redfield boys. Where several clubs are fielding teams in the same season, eg football and rugby, clubs give full cooperation to each other. This suggests that both committees agree on common registration procedures, a common calendar for registrations, a common approach to campaigning for players, and a full sharing of information.
Non Redfield students are welcome to play for Redfield provided they abide by the Redfield Sporting Code. There should be a clear majority of Redfield players in any team, as one of the most attractive features of the College to parents is the confidence in the peer group in which their son is mixing. Exceptions to this guideline should be asked of the Headmaster prior to such teams being entered in competitions and prior to any commitments that such teams will be viable.
d. Registration procedure
Parents are to be encouraged to allow their son to play the sport of his choice, although theirs is the final word in the choice of sport. Parents ought to hold their children to the consequences of decisions to register in a particular team, not allowing them to pull out of teams after seasons have begun, etc. However some flexibility may be needed when parents change decisions after registration but before the season has begun, provided the viability of teams is not threatened. The educational principle is simply that commitments to others should be honoured. These commitments are much more serious if the welfare of others is affected.
The dynamics of such choices by the boy and parents are complex. Peer group influences, respect for the adults and coaches involved, sporting background of parents, and parental fears of injuries all can influence the decision. Not every eventuality can be foreseen, so good will must be assumed on the part of all involved. It is important that a spirit of full cooperation between the clubs is maintained, and that boys are given as much freedom as possible in their decision. Communication, upfrontness and flexibility are the bottom line. The aim is that boys play some winter team sport.
Timeframe
Week 1 of Term I A common information sheet distributed to parents by the Sportsmaster with full details about winter sport registrations and the school policy on participation in team sports. Joint registration form sent to all students.
Information available for new parents at the Orientation Day for New Parents (early in Term I)
Common Registration Day for Winter Sport Liaison between presidents and Sportsmaster will occur immediately after registration to ensure that, in a spirit of cooperation, teams have the numbers to be viable. Agreements may be made to approach some boys to transfer codes if necessary. Non participants in any winter team sport are noted and followed up, inviting them to commit themselves to at least one or other winter sport. All agree that only boys who are undecided may be approached through their parents, or by the Sportsmaster. Both Presidents agree that no boy who has registered will be approached to change code without the explicit authorisation of the President of the club with which he is registered.
NB. It is inappropriate for adults, who are not the parents of the child, to be approaching any child to register in a different code to that which they played the year before.
By a nominated Friday in Early February Sportsmaster receives back parentally signed registration forms confirming boy’s choice of winter sport. Sportsmaster and presidents come together to plan out the winter sporting teams.
e. Financial issues
The guiding principles are:
i. as sporting facilities are developed and upgraded at the service of the clubs, it is desirable that clubs to contribute systematically to these expenses;
ii. the College needs to be in a position to direct priorities in larger expenditures at the service of sport in the College;
iii. clubs will be in the best position to make some suggestions regarding the best and most appropriate facilities for the various sports.
Registration fees
Registrations fees must cover any Association fees, hire fees for sports uniform, and possibly levies for purchase of equipment needed for the sport. Registration fees need not cover a contribution to capital facilities which will be contributed to by canteen profits.
Club registration fees for Redfield boys can be invoiced with their school tuition fees. PARED administration is happy to provide this service in support of the clubs. PARED accountant will treat income for each club in the same fashion as for any faculty in the college. Funds will be available exclusively for use by the given club. Information for winter sport invoicing must reach the PARED administration before the end of Term I for inclusion on Term II invoices.
Grounds and Capital Facilities
Clubs will contribute to the upkeep of grounds and the development of capital sports facilities in the College by profits raised from the canteen.
Club budget
Club committees should decide on equipment needs for the coming season. Treasurer should liaise with Sportsmaster to see what is, or will be, available from the sportsroom, and should calculate registration fees and requests to the School Committee for special purchases out of the sports budget of the College. Special activities run by College sporting clubs should be either foreseen in the club budget for the year to be funded by registration fees, or self funded.The Sportsmaster must be briefed and, on behalf of the College, approve levels of registration fees. It is expected that in each club, registration fees and yearly budgets will be tabled for discussion at Club Committee meetings.
Canteens
In principle Clubs should cooperate in the running of the Canteen. Details need to be decided at the start of season by coordination between Sportsmaster and Club Presidents. Canteen income goes into grounds and facilities.
Sponsorship
Discrete sponsorship is permissible in many cases and should be approved by the Sportsmaster.
f. Decisions by Sports Committees requiring ratification by the School
It is requested that minutes of the sporting club meetings, annual budgets and statements, etc, are passed on to the Headmaster via the Sportsmaster. Club committees are asked to bear in mind that as some decisions can impact on the College or on the other sporting clubs (eg: duties for College staff, use of grounds, conduct and presentation of players, appointment of coaches and managers, formation of teams in which there is a substantial membership of non Redfield players) and that such decisions will need further discussion with the Headmaster and/or executives of other clubs prior to action.
Essentially, each club is asked to see itself as a service to College.
g. Communication and cooperation
Coaches and managers with Sportsmaster
Coaches and Managers are asked to work closely with the Sportsmaster.. Any special achievements of players should be noted, and any misconduct, and action taken, reported. Sportsmaster will liaise with tutors on the basis of this information.
Liaison of sporting committees with School Committee
Sportsmaster, being the ex officio committee member of all sporting clubs, is the normal point of liaison between sporting club committees and the Headmaster and School Committee.
Cooperation and communication between committees of the different sporting clubs
Presidents of sporting clubs maintain full and open communication on any matter which may affect the other code. This constant spirit of cooperation is necessary so that an appropriate spirit is maintained amongst other parents involved in sport.
h. Grounds closure
The Sports master and groundsman should come to agreement by 1pm on the Friday concerning whether fields are playable (or by 1pm on the day of training). If grounds are closed for training, a recorded message will be posted on the Current Sports Information hotline 9651 0325 (updated before 2pm if grounds are closed) . Sportsmaster is responsible for contacting coaches and managers holding trainings that afternoon (or in his absence, the College Office).
When the recorded message indicates that fields are closed, ALL TRAINING will be cancelled (no exceptions) and a message will be circulated to Redfield students. If there is any doubt over the condition of the grounds parents should call the info line to find out if training is cancelled. Parents should discuss a plan for their son regarding transport arrangements when grounds are closed. Students should be notified so they can catch their normal buses home. These measures should eliminate the need for boys to go to the office to call parents.
i. Sports uniform
Changes to the uniform of any teams representing the College should be approved by the Sportmaster and Headmaster