During the course of a season the Park Orchards North Ringwood Parish Junior Football Club (PONRPJFC) can receive complaints about misconduct from a variety of sources: Yarra Junior Football League (YJFL), opposition clubs, parents or players. To ensure the complaints raised are appropriately and fairly dealt with, the Club Committee are proactive in their investigation.
Investigation
By way of information the following is the action the Club Committee will take on receipt of a complaint against a member of the club:
- All investigations are undertaken in consideration and application of procedural and judicial fairness
- Once a complaint is raised the Club will seek notification of the incident in writing, requesting full details inclusive of the identification (where possible) of the alleged player involved, the identity of potential witnesses to the incident – player, parent, official, spectator, and a detailed summary of the incident
- The Club will appoint an Investigation Officer to: review and investigate the allegation; speak to the person making the allegation; interview witnesses and the player; and make a determination as to what has occurred
- The Investigation Officer will then provide a summary and recommendation of their findings to the Committee for consideration and comment, inclusive of any proposed penalty should it be deemed appropriate
- Matters that are determined worthy of a penalty, will be addressed by the President, Director of Football and/or a nominee, directly with the Club member (if this is a child, the parents will also be required to be in attendance) and the investigation explained and the penalty applied.
Penalties
The Club’s Rules of Association at Section 7 - Discipline, suspension and expulsion of members - provides the Committee with the ability to impose sanctions on its members who they have found guilty of conduct unbecoming a member or prejudicial to the interests of the Club.
Penalties are limited to fines, suspensions or expulsion from the club and will be determined and agreed upon in accordance with the process defined in the Club’s Rules of Association.
Disputes and Mediation
Where a dispute arises from a misconduct investigation and subsequent penalty the member has available to them a course of action as defined under Section 8 – Dispute and Mediation in the Club’s Rules of Association.
Reference
This policy should be read in conjunction with the Club’s Voting and Team Award Policy.
The policy is available on the website at http://www.sharksjfc.org.au/policies.aspx.