6 September 2012

Sports Association "issues"

| AnotherOneOfMe
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Hi Rioters,

I wonder if anyone is able to impart some wisdom on how to deal with a local sporting association which is being, shall we say, just a tad difficult?

In order to protect the innocent (I’ve always wanted to say that!) I will deliberately avoid divulging which sport/association is involved.

My children play a sport, for the purposes of this article, I’ll call it XXX. They are heavily involved in XXX which, at various times during the year, can see us busy more than 4 days a week.

Recently there was a selection about something, after being invited to do so, it was requested that details be given about the decision made. Requests were ignored. I heard someone employed by XXX say to someone else that they wouldn’t respond to such requests. I complain, no result. I seek appeals information, lo and behold, the website has no information about how to appeal. I am invited to email XXX to get information about how to appeal, I am flicked off to someone else. I am ignored. I go ahead and lodge what really is an appeal about breaches of policy. I am brushed off ‘let’s meet and chat’. I don’t want to chat! I want wrongs fixed! There is so much more, I won’t go on.

Who out there keeps an eye on associations who operate as a law unto themselves, blatantly breaching their own policies? Associations who don’t even tell you how you can seek to have decisions reviewed? How can you make them accountable? Is this the time where we ask our Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation to consider this as an issue (there is an election coming up after all)?

Thoughts?

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You’re going to have to spill the beans if you want to elicit any sympathy or advice. You’re OP is too vague to be seen as anything other than a big whinge.

If you are having problems with your kids sports association, change sports. I would strongly suggest hockey. The local association is well run by some very capable volunteers. My kids although now playing in the senior comps were well looked after and love their hockey.

If you don’t want to change sports, remember your kids may not be as good as you think they are. If my kids were as good as I told everyone, they would have been in London recently in the green and gold!

Unsure what your gripe is. If it was due to selection for a representative team then they shouldnt’ have to justify it. It it was a committee decision about rules etc, then you have no right to know what the decision was unless you are on the committee. Let me know if it was something else but there aren’t many situations where

As for the policy breach, I can’t comment as I don’t know what happened or the policy. But why the hell did you ignore them when they offered to meet up and chat? Perhaps there was a simple explanation that they wanted to explain to you. Instead you fob them off. As a result of this, you have NO right to complain.

I say this from a committee members perspective – I am president of the ACT branch of a sport with small participation (less than 50 in ACT but much more elsewhere in Aus). If someone came to me with a complaine then fobbed me off after I offered to talk with them about it, I would ignore their concerns as they obviously wouldn’t aren’t interested in sorting it out.

DissolutionedHack12:24 pm 07 Sep 12

Would you like us to call you a whaaaaaaaaaaaambulance?

Why do people always look for excuses and seem to live their own lives through their children, especially when it comes to sport? Be happy that your child is playing a sport and not roaming the streets. Be happy that there are volunteers out there willing to give up their own time so your child can have the opportunity to play a sport. Most importantly move on, as I am sure all your child wants to do is play a sport with their friends and peers and enjoy themselves.

Duffbowl said :

Work your way up the sports bodies, to the national body.
Sports associations, unless incorporated, are fairly flexible in how they can deal with matters. They are not required to have constitutions or articles of association (normally) unless incorporated.

( http://www.ors.act.gov.au/community/associations )

I’m pretty sure most sports organisations are incorporated these days. I know from running a few clubs, we had to be incorporated to get insurance and also government grants. We also needed things like ABN’s, but were exempt from BAS.

Incorporated associations need a constitution, which would detail any procedures in place, but many just don’t have detailed consitutions, because they don’t have the resources/volunteers with knowledge to do so.

Work your way up the sports bodies, to the national body.
Sports associations, unless incorporated, are fairly flexible in how they can deal with matters. They are not required to have constitutions or articles of association (normally) unless incorporated.

My suggestion: big breaths, and take them up on the offer to chat. If you feel the association is being run poorly, join the executive/committee. It’s amazing how much extra insight one can gain.

As stated by the ORS on their associations page.
I want to complain about my committee.

The Act does not give the Office of Regulatory services any powers in the resolution of internal disputes with the committee. Members should attempt to resolve disputes internally, or by either calling a special or general meeting or ultimately through the court system. Prior to taking up matters throught the court system, it is recommended that the members seek legal advice.

Another option is to contact an independent third party alternative dispute resolution specialist. Services such as the Conflict Resolution Service, the Intstitute of Arbitrators and Mediators Australia (IAMA) and Lawyers Engaged in Alternative Dispute Resolution (LEADR) can be invaluable in finding solutions and may prevent the need to take costly court action. Other private mediators may also be found in the Yellow Pages. Please be aware that a fee is usually charged for arbitration and mediation services.

( http://www.ors.act.gov.au/community/associations )

You should be able to get a copy of their constitution and any article from the ACT Registrar (if it’s an ACT-based association.

If you’re having no luck with the local association, most are affiliated with a national peak body (or NSO) which should be recognised by the Aust Sports Commission. You could inquire there but it’s not something a minister is going to be interested in.

Holden Caulfield3:04 pm 06 Sep 12

Get the constitution of the association and start reading.

Then, try writing in plain English and stop pretending you’re writing a spy novel. Then we might have a bloody clue what you’re on about.

Perhaps you should just move them to a new sport? Lacrosse perhaps? (-:

The politics of selections. If your kids are in an elite sport they should take it as a learning experience. It happens to most good players without the right connections sooner or later. If nothing else, it will test your kids’ resolve – if they’re really keen they’ll keep trying and find a way to make the team next year.

What was the ‘selection about something’? I could be wrong, but it sounds like the OP’s child/children weren’t selected for a team (representative or otherwise) and the OP is now angry about it.

It worries me that your children are involved in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_rating"porn 4 days a week.

As JB said, you’d have to look at the various documents governing the operation of the organisation. That may, or may not give you any sort of satisfaction, because if it is a non-profit org they likely are not bound by rules about discrimination, so unless some sort of complaint system or information release clause is in their constitution you are probably out of luck.

colourful sydney racing identity1:58 pm 06 Sep 12

So, to sumarisem ‘I had some stuff that happened, and I didn’t like it and junk, can anyone help?’

Well you could hire a lawyer to go through the articles of association.

Or you could stop making yourself and everyone else miserable and get on with life.

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