Tips for coaches

As a coach you will be in a unique situation where you will be connected to athletes, officials, club members and parents of athletes. Coaches are also often in the role of an influencer to the many different groups. It is important how you as the coach, use social media but also how you liaise, interact and observe all members of your sporting club, both on the field and off the field.

• Be familiar with and uphold your sport/club policies in relation to social media
  • Understand expected conduct and appropriate use
  • Understand what to do if issues arise
  • Understand how to report concerns
• Sport/club Coach Code of Conduct applies online as it would “on the field”;
• As you would outline to players/athletes expected “on the field” behaviour, talk to them about respectful and appropriate conduct on social media;
• Model good online behaviour, and
• Inform players and/or parents if you want to video the athlete as a tool to analyse and improve performance. Be specific about content storage and deletion.

Coaches and online connection with players/parents

• Avoid connecting with players and parents online through personal social media accounts. It is recommended to communicate and connect on a professional account. This should also be documented in the club policy.

• If you have set up a specific online communications tool, such as group app, then it should be monitored by staff/committee/managers
  • Set guidelines for use of the group app
  • Identify who is the moderator(s)
  • Establish consequences for a breach of appropriate use