Sledging: witty banter or abuse?

[johnydep]

Sledging: witty banter or abuse?

Is there a difference between sledging and abuse? ‘Sledging’ is an insult designed to distract or break another athlete’s concentration.

It can often be light-hearted and sometimes offensive. Sledging has many vocal supporters who see it as good-humoured banter and equally as many people who condemn it as poor sportsmanship.

Arguably, sledging may have a place between grown men on a cricket pitch, but it is a very different proposition when comments are aimed at a young girl from her male teammates or opponents.

All verbal abuse is inappropriate; even if it’s considered mild. It can seriously impact a person’s self esteem and performance. People subjected to such abuse can become aggressive, fearful and resentful, and it can cause them to lose interest in the sport and drop out. Continued abuse or abuse involving harassment, vilification, threats of physical harm and/or the abuse of children can be unlawful.

As an administrator, you’re responsible for creating a positive environment where everyone, including players, are treated with respect.

• Don’t ignore the behaviour.
• Talk to the coach about the verbal abuse and discuss a plan to deal with it.
• Consider offering mediation for the players concerned so the issue can be resolved.
• Contact your state sporting organisation (or an external authority) if you don’t feel confident dealing with the issue.
• You may need to issue a written warning – this emphasizes the seriousness of the offence and provides a record if there should be a re-occurrence.
• If the abuse is extreme or unlawful take immediate action by reporting it to the relevant authorities. This may include suspending the person/s making the insulting comments while the matter is being investigated.
• In cases of serious verbal abuse, provide support to the person who has been verbally abused.
• Monitor the situation.

The development and implementation of good policies and effective complaint handling procedures will help to create a culture in which female participants feel safe and able to report incidents of abuse. Policies concerning such offences may also act as a deterrent.

Play by the Rules has developed the Club Toolkit, which includes a range of useful policy templates. Simply add your club’s logo or use them as a starting point to write your own policies. These include a Member Protection Policy, Code of Behaviour template and Team Selection Juniors Policy.

You should also visit the About Complaints section on the Play by the Rules website. It features an interactive Complaint Handling Tool and includes lots of useful information about complaint management.

Play by the Rules offers free online training, information and resources for clubs and sporting organisations to ensure everyone involved in sport can do so in enjoyable, safe environments, free from discrimination or harassment.