Together We Stand Tall

PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY

Williamstown Seagulls

MEMBER PROTECTION POLICY STATEMENT

The Williamstown Football Club regards violence, discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying and abuse in any form as intolerable. The Williamstown Football Club believes that all people have the right to work, play and socialise in an environment which is safe and inclusive.

This Member Protection Policy aims to promote and achieve the following values of the Williamstown Football Club:

RESPECT: To show respect to every person and organisation (both internally and externally) that we interact with, and in turn, to earn the respect of others for all that we do as individuals and as a Club.

INCLUSIVE: To be a Club that is welcoming to supporters and stakeholders from every diverse background, and has a commitment to positively contribute to the Community.

PROFESSIONAL: To undertake every task professionally and in line with industry best practice. To be innovative and to act with integrity.

PROUD: We recognise and celebrate our history and the richness of

POLICY

The Australian Football League (AFL) is formally recognised by the Australian Sports Commission as the governing body responsible for the management and development of Australian Football. While Australian Football is governed nationally through this reservation of power, the game is administered at State level by the Australian Football League (Victoria)(VFL).

The Williamstown Football Club is licenced to participate in the competition conducted by the VFL. The licence agreement provides governance relating to on-field and off-field behaviour of all people connected to the Williamstown Football Club. In accordance with its licence, the Williamstown Football Club recognises and accepts that it will at all times observe and comply with the rules, regulations, policies, guidelines, codes and codes of conduct of the VFL.

The Williamstown Football Club hereby recognises and accepts that it will observe and comply with the Australian Football Member Protection Policy that has been endorsed by the AFL Executive (as amended from time to time).

In addition, the Williamstown Football Club hereby recognises and accepts that it will observe and comply with each of the National Policies that form the Schedules to the Member Protection Policy (as amended from time to time), insofar as each of those policies are applicable to the VFL and the Williamstown Football Club. Copies of the relevant National Policies are identified below, and can be obtained from https://www.afl.com.au/policies.

Furthermore, the Williamstown Football Club recognises that the AFL Executive publishes and endorses socially responsible frameworks and guidlines to support, encourage and promote football in the community. The Williamstown Football Club supports and promotes those frameworks and guidelines.

Each of the AFL Policies and the AFL frameworks/guidelines are identified below.

AFL Policies

AFL Frameworks and Guidelines

This Member Protection Policy and each policy identified above applies to all persons reasonably connected to the Williamstown Football Club, including:

  • Individuals sitting on boards, committees and sub-committees;
  • Employees and volunteers
  • Support personnel (eg managers, physiotherapists, masseurs, trainers)
  • Coaches and assistants
  • Players
  • Members
  • Parents, guardians, spectators and sponsors to the full extent that is possible

Any person reasonably connected to the Williamstown Football Club (including those persons identified above) may breach this Policy by failing to comply with the AFL Member Protection Policy, or any relevant policy identified above (as amended from time to time).

If any person reasonably connected to the Williamstown Football Club (including those persons identified above) is reasonably suspected to have breached this Policy or any policy identified above (as amended from time to time), that person may be subject to the complaints, investigations and disciplinary procedure detailed in the Member Protection Policy.

This Policy and each of the policies and guidelines identified above will be reviewed by the Williamstown Football Club on an annual basis.

If you are under 18, you should only use the Club website with involvement of a parent or guardian. For their protection, we ask that anyone under 18 years of age does not attempt to register with the website or otherwise provide us with any personal information without the consent of a parent or legal guardian.