The standards we play by

Introduction

This Code of Conduct sets the standards for everyone involved with Cricket Arena CIC, across all sessions, leagues, youth clubs, holiday camps, trips, events and community activities.

It exists to make sure every Cricket Arena space is safe, welcoming, respectful and enjoyable for children, young people, adults and families.

For team-based competitions such as leagues and tournaments, team captains and group leads are asked to sign this Code to confirm they will help uphold it with their team. Captains and group leaders sign a copy, which Cricket Arena staff keep on file.

This Code sits alongside Cricket Arena's Safeguarding Policy for Children & Young People (Under-18) and any other safeguarding or welfare policies. If there is ever a conflict, the safeguarding policy and child welfare take priority.

Who this applies to

• Participants: children, young people and adults
• Parents and carers
• Spectators and supporters
• Volunteers
• Staff and coaches
• Match officials and event staff
• Visitors, guests and partners

Core principles

3.1Spirit of cricket and fair play

• Play fairly and within the Laws of Cricket and the rules of each activity.
• Show respect to teammates, opponents, officials and staff.

3.2Respect and inclusion

• Treat everyone with dignity and respect, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexuality or background.
• Challenge and report discrimination, bullying or harassment.

3.3Safety and wellbeing

• Put the safety and wellbeing of children, young people and adults at the centre of everything.
• Follow instructions from staff and officials that are designed to keep people safe.

3.4Positive role modelling

• Recognise that children and young people may copy what adults do.
• Behave in a way that sets a positive example on and off the pitch.

3.5Integrity and accountability

• Take responsibility for your actions.
• Admit mistakes, learn from them, and work with Cricket Arena staff to put things right.

Behaviour standards for everyone

These standards apply at all Cricket Arena activities and events, and anywhere you are representing Cricket Arena, including trips, tournaments, and online spaces such as WhatsApp groups and social media.

4.1Respect for officials, staff and volunteers

• Accept and respect decisions made by umpires, referees, coaches and staff, even when you disagree.
• Do not shout at, argue with, or intimidate officials, staff, volunteers or other participants.
• If you have a concern, raise it calmly with a Cricket Arena staff member at an appropriate time.

4.2Language and behaviour

Everyone must:

• Use positive and respectful language.
• Avoid swearing, insults, or mocking others.
• Never use racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic or ableist language, or threatening, abusive or intimidating language.
• Avoid aggressive shouting, confrontational body language, or behaviour that could make others feel unsafe or unwelcome.

4.3Violence, abuse and harassment

Cricket Arena has zero tolerance for:

• Physical violence, threats or attempts to harm any person.
• Bullying, in person or online, including repeated teasing, exclusion or humiliation.
• Harassment or stalking.
• Sexual harassment, sexualised comments or unwanted physical contact.
• Any behaviour that could reasonably be seen as abusive or controlling.

These behaviours may lead to immediate removal from the venue, suspension or a ban, and may be reported to the police or safeguarding services where necessary.

4.4Inclusivity and anti-discrimination

Everyone must:

• Reject and challenge racial abuse, hate speech, or discrimination of any kind.
• Respect other people's culture, faith, identity and background.
• Respect any targeted or safe-space sessions, for example girls' cricket, women-only or over-50s, including eligibility rules and boundaries.

4.5Alcohol, drugs and substances

4.6Off-pitch and online behaviour

This Code also covers behaviour:

• In changing rooms, corridors, reception areas and car parks.
• During travel for Cricket Arena trips or fixtures.
• In WhatsApp and other messaging groups created for Cricket Arena sessions.
• On social media when representing or referring to Cricket Arena, its participants or partners.

You must not:

• Share abusive or insulting content about other participants, staff or partners.
• Share photos or videos from sessions without consent, or in breach of Cricket Arena's Safeguarding Policy (see section 9).
• Use group chats to bully, exclude or harass others.

Team and group responsibility

Whether in a league team, youth club group, camp group or trip group:

• Teams and groups are responsible for promoting good behaviour among their members and supporters.
• Group leads, captains and coaches must help calm situations and refer issues to Cricket Arena staff when needed.
• Serious or repeated breaches can lead to suspension or removal of individuals, sanctions against the whole team or group, and exclusion from future Cricket Arena activities.

Additional responsibilities for captains and group leaders

This section includes, but is not limited to, league captains, school staff, youth workers, coaches and trip leaders bringing groups to Cricket Arena activities.

6.1Age and eligibility compliance

• Ensure all participants meet the age, gender or eligibility criteria for the specific programme or event.
• Do not play or include ineligible participants, for example adults in junior sessions, or under-age players in age-restricted activities.
• Non-compliance may result in match or result penalties, suspension of individuals, or sanctions against the team or group including bans from future events.

6.2Attendance and timekeeping

• Ensure teams and groups arrive on time, ready to start sessions or fixtures.
• Communicate any issues, such as late arrival or absence, to Cricket Arena staff as early as possible.

6.3Fees and administration

• Ensure match fees, registration fees or trip payments are made on time, in line with the rules of the specific programme or competition.
• Support Cricket Arena by sharing accurate information, for example player lists and medical information where appropriate.

6.4On-the-day conduct

• Support officials and staff in applying this Code of Conduct.
• Help de-escalate tensions between participants, parents and supporters.
• Encourage positive touchline behaviour: cheering and support rather than criticism or negativity.

Spirit of cricket

Cricket Arena expects all players, coaches and supporters to uphold the Spirit of Cricket:

• Play fair: do not cheat or exploit loopholes in rules.
• Show respect: to opponents, teammates, officials, staff, volunteers and spectators.
• Accept decisions: once a decision is made, move on and focus on the game.
• No abuse: no abusive language, sledging or targeting individuals.
• No deliberate danger: do not intentionally endanger others physically or emotionally.

Prohibited actions include, but are not limited to, aggressively challenging umpire or referee decisions; refusing to comply with staff safety instructions; deliberate time-wasting or manipulation of rules; and any form of violence or threat.

Safeguarding

Cricket Arena is committed to a safe environment for children, young people and adults at risk. All activity will follow Cricket Arena's Safeguarding Policy for Children & Young People (Under-18) and any other relevant national guidance or governing body requirements.

Staff and volunteers are required to:

• Complete appropriate safeguarding checks, for example DBS, and training.
• Follow the adult code of conduct in the Safeguarding Policy, including maintaining clear professional boundaries and avoiding one-to-one situations in closed or unobservable spaces unless essential and risk-assessed.
• Report any safeguarding concern immediately to the Designated Safeguarding Officer (Johnny Younis), the Deputy DSO (Jawad Akhtar), or a senior staff member. Contact details are in section 11.

Participants, parents and carers should:

• Speak to a coach, youth worker or staff member if they are worried about someone's safety.
• Use the reporting routes in section 11 of this Code, or those provided on our website and in programme information.

This Code does not replace the full Safeguarding Policy, which provides detailed procedures, contact details and reporting routes.

Media and social media

Cricket Arena is a community organisation and we use photography, video and social media to celebrate our participants and share positive stories about our programmes. All media use must be positive, respectful and safe for children and young people, and must follow this Code and Cricket Arena's Safeguarding Policy.

9.1Consent and under-18s

Cricket Arena will always prioritise the safety and privacy of young people over publicity or marketing.

• Written parent or carer consent for photography and video is collected at registration for under-18s, in line with our Safeguarding Policy.
• Parents and carers can withdraw consent at any time. Their child will be added to a media opt-out list and we will take reasonable steps to ensure they are excluded from images, recordings and live streams.

Where we use images or stories involving under-18s, we will:

• Never publish a child's full name together with a photo or video.
• Avoid publishing personal details such as school, address, or contact information.
• Where a recognisable face is shown, either not name the young person at all, or use only a first initial (for example “J said…”) for quotes and case studies.
• Where we use a young person's full first name, not show a clear, identifiable image of their face alongside it.

9.2Taking photos and videos yourself

Everyone involved in Cricket Arena activities, including parents, carers, participants and volunteers, must:

• Only take photos or videos where it is appropriate, safe and respectful to do so.
• Respect the media consent status of children and young people, for example not photographing those who are opted out.
• Seek consent before taking, and especially before sharing, images of other people, particularly children and young people.
• Never share images that could embarrass, shame or put someone at risk.
• Not tag or name children or young people online without clear permission from them and, where appropriate, from their parent or carer.

Cricket Arena staff or officials may ask people to stop filming or taking photos if there are safeguarding or privacy concerns, or if it goes against our policies.

9.3Cricket Arena social media channels

• Content posted on Cricket Arena's official channels will be used to positively promote our programmes, participants and partners.
• We will apply the rules above on names, faces and initials for under-18s on all official platforms: website, Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and others.
• Any live streams will only be carried out on official channels and overseen by a safeguarding lead, in line with our Safeguarding Policy.
• We will not publish content that is abusive, discriminatory or humiliating; unsafe or inappropriate for a youth-friendly audience; or contrary to our Safeguarding Policy or this Code.

9.4Volunteers, staff and tagging

Volunteers, staff and partners are welcome to tag Cricket Arena or share positive content relating to our programmes, as long as it is respectful, in line with this Code and the Safeguarding Policy, does not show children or young people in a way that is unsafe, embarrassing or overly personal, and follows the rules on consent, anonymity and opt-out for under-18s.

Anyone posting about Cricket Arena must avoid sharing confidential or sensitive information about participants, staff or partners; must not use Cricket Arena's name or logo alongside offensive, discriminatory or inappropriate content; and must remove or edit posts if requested by Cricket Arena where there are safeguarding, privacy or reputational concerns.

9.5Direct contact and messaging

• Staff and volunteers may use WhatsApp and similar messaging apps to contact young people directly where this is the quickest and most practical way to share information about Cricket Arena activities: attendance, timings, lifts, venue changes, behaviour reminders.
• Messages should be friendly but professional, and kept focused on Cricket Arena activities, not ongoing personal or social chat.
• Where appropriate, parents and carers should be included or informed, especially for younger participants.
• Staff and volunteers should avoid long, late-night or overly personal one-to-one conversations with under-18s. If a young person needs to talk about something more serious or personal, staff should encourage them to speak in person at a session where possible, or help them find the right support, in line with the Safeguarding Policy.
• If a message from a young person raises a concern about their safety or wellbeing, staff and volunteers must keep their replies calm, supportive and appropriate, and pass the concern to the Designated Safeguarding Officer, following the Safeguarding Policy.

Where group chats are used, for example team or session WhatsApp groups, they should be focused on activity information (times, fixtures, kit, lifts, behaviour expectations); must not be used for bullying, exclusion, arguments or sharing inappropriate content; and must have a responsible adult admin who can remove content or members if necessary.

Disciplinary actions and levels

If this Code is breached, Cricket Arena may use the following levels of response. The appropriate level is decided by staff based on the severity and frequency of the behaviour.

Cricket Arena reserves the right to:

• Remove any person from a venue or activity immediately where safety is at risk.
• Refuse or withdraw future bookings or registrations by individuals, teams or groups who do not abide by this Code.

Reporting concerns and whistleblowing

• Any participant, parent, carer, staff member, volunteer or spectator can report concerns about behaviour or safety.
• Concerns can be raised to the lead coach, youth worker or official at the session, or to the Designated Safeguarding Officer using the details below.
• Staff and volunteers will complete incident or safeguarding reports after serious breaches or concerns.
• People raising concerns in good faith will be supported and protected as far as possible, in line with our whistleblowing procedures.

Johnny Younis, Designated Safeguarding Officer

Speak to the lead coach or a member of Cricket Arena staff at the session, or send us a message marked for the Designated Safeguarding Officer.

Jawad Akhtar, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Officer

Acts when the DSO is unavailable, or where a concern involves the DSO.

In an emergency

Where a child is at immediate risk, call 999. For non-emergency police, call 101.

Acknowledgement

By attending or taking part in Cricket Arena activities, you acknowledge that this Code of Conduct has been made available to you, and that you agree to follow it and support others to do the same.

For youth programmes, parents and carers will be asked to confirm that they understand and support this Code, and that they will help their child or young person to follow it.

Cricket Arena CIC may review and update this Code of Conduct periodically to keep it in line with best practice, safeguarding requirements and the needs of our community.