Terms
NEWCASTLE JUNIOR ROLLER DERBY (NJRD)
TERMS
The club is all about the welfare and benefit of the children and NJRD understands that all the people associated with the club can affect the outcome.
Coaches, skaters, the committee, parents and public involved in derby events that are attended by NJRD operate under the following terms.
The following is not an exhaustive list but the underlying theme is to act in a way that benefits the children's experience of skating and derby play. The coaches and committee have the right to discipline any person who undermines the policies and beliefs of NJRD.
CONDUCT
You are required to conduct yourself in a manner that respects the rights, dignity and worth of all people involved in the game and training regardless of their gender, ability or cultural background.
You must be aware of and abide by the Constitution, NJRD Terms and Skate Victoria Policies and By-Laws which are provided on our website.
BULLYING
This will not be tolerated in any form whether it be rumour, face-to-face or online. Anyone affected by or aware of any bullying that is taking place must approach the Grievance Officer (or other committee member they feel comfortable talking to) so it can be dealt with in an appropriate manner.
ALCOHOL AND DRUGS
You will not be intoxicated or be under the influence of illegal drugs at any Junior Roller Derby venue or event nor will you supply any alcohol or illegal drugs to any minor.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
You will not make any public comments concerning NJRD without the permission of the Executive Committee. Nor will you push a personal agenda that is not in the interest of NJRD.
WINNING CULTURE
Whilst winning can be fun it is not the main aim of NJRD. We operate more about developing empowerment, emphasising motivation and enthusiasm, and celebrating each skater’s abilities and individuality, placing individual skater growth and development over winning.
You will not force or pressure any skater to participate in any skating activity that they are uncomfortable performing.
INJURY
Personal wellbeing is important to NJRD and we adhere to Skate Victoria’s Concussion Policy. Therefore it is important that any substantial injury of a skater is reported to the Safety Officer so it can be assessed, treated and referred as needed.
You must be aware that a coach or committee member has the right to remove a skater from training or game play if they sustain an injury that is deemed to be detrimental and can be held from further activity until appropriate medical clearance is received.
You must be aware that if a child is severely injured and requires hospital treatment then an ambulance will be called. Payment for this is not NJRD's responsibility and therefore we recommend that you hold some form of ambulance cover.
INJURY REPORTING
NJRD uses revolutionise SPORT to track injuries. It is designed to allow a sporting club, association or peak body to centralise injury reports from members, and to display aggregate data. No individual's name or club information is given and we have a strict security policy of login and password details. Further information can be obtained from a committee member.
All serious injuries are reported to Skate Victoria in accordance with the terms and conditions of membership.
FEES
Club fees allow NJRD to invest in activities for the skaters to progress their skills. Fees cover the cost of hall hire for training, venue hire for home games and annual registrations and membership payments to keep NJRD operational and secure for the future. Fees are $120 per school term. Invoices are issued during week 3 of each term. Fees are due within 14 days of the date of invoice. Parents/guardians are encouraged to discuss any difficulties that they may have in paying fees with the Treasurer who will make suitable arrangements for the payment of fees. All payment arrangements must be in writing within 14 days of an invoice being issued. If no arrangement has been made, the committee will, at 2 weeks overdue, send a reminder email and invite the parent/guardian to discuss any problems they may be having with payment of fees. At 4 weeks overdue an email will be sent informing the parent/guardian that their skater’s membership may be cancelled, or the skater may be suspended from home games if suitable arrangements cannot be made within seven days to pay the fees. At 6 weeks overdue if no arrangements have been made to pay fees, the NJRD committee reserves the right to deal with unpaid fees at their discretion, including the cancellation of membership for the skater and the parent/guardian. Should an account be in arrears on a continuing basis, membership will be cancelled for the skater and parent/guardian.
Annual membership of $5 per skater and $1 per parent/guardian is renewed at the commencement of every year and the annual payment is due within 1 month of joining or renewal as per the NJRD Constitution. Failure to pay annual membership within 1 month will result in the membership being cancelled.
Invoices for weekend training sessions, bootcamps and other derby events and games, are to be paid by the due date that is advised at the time of registering. If payment is not received by the due date then the skater will not be permitted into the session/event.
SPECTATORS AND PARENTS / GUARDIANS
NJRD recognises that children participate for their enjoyment so as a spectator you must not ridicule or yell at a child for making a mistake or not winning.
You will not engage in any kind of unsportsmanlike conduct with any official, coach, skater, or parent such as booing and taunting, refusing to shake hands, or using offensive language or gestures and will not encourage this behaviour in any child.
You will support coaches and officials working with the skaters and respect coaches and officials and their authority during games and training.
You will refrain from coaching any child during training and derby events. All of our coaches are experts in their field and Skate Victoria accredited.
Anyone who has a question or issue related to coaching must approach the Coaching Coordinator or Grievance Officer (or other committee member they feel comfortable with) so it can be dealt with in an appropriate manner. At no time should any member, spectator, parent / guardian approach a coach.
Spectators, parents and guardians are not to enter the track at any point during training. Children must be supervised by a responsible adult at all times at training and events.
SKATERS CONDUCT & ATTENDANCE
NJRD recognises that all children learn at a different pace however they are all part of the club and must conduct themselves accordingly.
You must listen at all times to the coach’s and club official's instruction and treat the coach, club officials, fellow club members and spectators with respect.
You will not use profanity at any time and will treat all other skaters, coaches, officials and members with respect.
Bullying of any kind will not be tolerated.
To be eligible to hold your level and attend derby games you must attend more than 50% of either Wednesday or Sunday training. Attendance is recorded via QR code at each training session and it is the skater's responsibility to sign on. If you are unable to record attendance it is your responsibility to see a committee member to have attendance taken or you will be marked absent.
SAFETY AND HYGIENE
You need to wear safety gear (helmet, mouthguard, elbow, wrist and knee pads) at all times whilst wearing skates during training sessions and derby games. Skates and safety gear must be in working order, a coach or committee member has the right to remove a skater from training or game play if their safety gear or skates are deemed to not be safe.
You will skate safely during training sessions and not endanger fellow skaters and if you need to leave the training area during training you must let the coach know.
Your Skate Victoria insurance does not cover you outside the training or derby event venue and therefore you must take skates off during these times.
Safety gear needs to be washed regularly to reduce offensive odours and bacteria. Use of aerosol spray and other perfume sprays is not allowed in enclosed areas as this can trigger asthma attacks.
No gear is to be left on or spectators to be seated on the bottom step at the training venue.
HOME TEAMS
NJRD has 2 home teams, The Frogstompers and The Scrimming Jets. Only bout ready skaters (ie: Level 2, 3, 4) are eligible to be on a home team. Home teams may change from year to year at the discretion of the head coach. Skaters and/or parents/guardians are not allowed to influence the decision making of the head coach when teams are being organised and cannot choose a home team. Upon the return to training each year, home teams will be announced and the decision is final. It is a requirement that the home team uniform is to be worn at every home game to identify teams. There are 2 home team uniform options and skaters will choose their preference of either a singlet and arm bands or a tee with the skaters derby number printed on the sleeves. Arm bands must be worn with the singlet. If the skater does not like to wear armbands, then the tee option should be chosen. Printed numbers on arm bands and sleeves of tees assist the very complex roles of referees and non skating officials to identify players quickly and efficiently. During bouts, skaters may be penalised if the numbers written in texta become illegible.
DERBY NAMES AND NUMBERS
Derby names and numbers need to be approved by the NJRD committee in the first instance. Parents/guardians will need to notify the club through a process advised by the committee of their skaters derby name and number for approval. Names need to be deemed appropriate and skaters cannot have the same number as another skater in the league.
TRAINING UNIFORM
NJRD logo printed derby singlets and t-shirts can be purchased from our merch provider Roller Derby Heaven. Singlets and t-shirts are to be printed with derby names and numbers which assists our coaches to identify skaters during training. The merch flyer with ordering instructions is available on the NJRD members page under the files tab, the NJRD website or in person at training you can ask a committee member.
SKATER PROGRESSION
Learn to skate, Levels 1, 2 and 3 progress through levels under rolling assessment and at minimum must complete a full term (ie: 10 or 11 weeks) of the skills specific to each level. It will be at the coaches discretion at the end of each term if a skater has met competency and the required attendance to level up. If a skater commences the following term in the same level, and has met competency by mid term, they may be levelled up. Skaters will be kept informed by coaches during training what skills they need to keep working on. Parents/guardians are not to approach the coaches and are asked to direct all questions/concerns to the coach coordinator or other committee member.
PHOTOGRAPHY AND SOCIAL MEDIA
NJRD utilises a private Facebook group (Members Only NJRD) to communicate with members.
NJRD use a variety of social media platforms, brochures and websites for marketing and promotion purposes. By joining as a member, or if you are a visiting skater, you accept that you may be photographed or filmed and used without remuneration.
If you do not wish for your child to be photographed please see a committee member.
PASSWORD ACCESS
The revolutionise SPORT platform is used to register members. Each member has a username and password and it is your responsibility to ensure that it remains safe and is only accessed by parents/guardians or skater members.
If you have issues with logging in please see the Secretary to have your password reset.
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
NJRD aims to be an inclusive and transparent sporting organisation committed to equitable and open communication between skaters, coaches, carers and committee members.
In the event of a grievance that cannot be resolved at an informal level, the grievance procedure shall be activated as outlined in the NJRD Constitution.
The committee maintains a Grievance Officer to oversee this process if necessary.