The Renegades Soccer Club instills and supports a strict code of conduct by which our coaches are required to abide.
As the coach of Renegades Soccer players, I understand, acknowledge, and agree that as a condition of my employment, I and the players for whom I will be responsible must abide by and comply with the USYSA (www.usyouthsoccer.org) Code of Conduct as detailed below.
See also RSC “Youth Protection: Barriers Against Abuse”
US Youth Soccer
Code of Conduct Policy
(updated 4/23/2022)
Section 101. Introduction, Purpose, and Applicability
(a) The Code of Conduct Policy of US Youth Soccer establishes the ethical standards for
governance and committee volunteers and staff of US Youth Soccer (collectively referred
to as “Representatives”) in addition to all members and participants within any and all
sanctioned programs, events, activities and competitions.
(b) The Code of Conduct Policy applies to all staff, volunteers, members and participants
who are involved or engage with any sanctioned US Youth Soccer program, event,
activity or competition.
(c) The purposes of the Code of Conduct Policy is to provide evidence of US Youth Soccer’s
commitment to the lawful and ethical conduct of its Representatives, members and
participants and to protect those who report violations of the Code of Conduct Policy
consistent with US Youth Soccer’s Whistleblower Policy.
(d) The Code of Conduct Policy is intended to supplement but not replace any applicable
state or federal laws governing behavior.
(e) Representatives, members and participants must respect and comply with US Youth
Soccer rules and regulations, observe high standards of conduct, and participate in
establishing and maintaining such high standards.
Section 102. Zero Tolerance
(a) US Youth Soccer maintains a zero tolerance regarding abuse.
(b) The US Youth Soccer Zero Tolerance for abuse extends to all representatives, members
and participants in any and all US Youth Soccer sanctioned programs, events, activities
and competitions.
(c) US Youth Soccer requires every representative, coach and volunteer to assist in creating a
safe environment for participants at and during any and all sanctioned US Youth Soccer
programs, events, activities and competitions.
Section 103. Prohibited Substances
(a) US Youth Soccer prohibits the use and possession of illegal drugs, alcohol, or, in the case
of minors, tobacco for any and all coaches and participants at any and all sanctioned
programs, events, activities and competitions.
Section 104. Prohibited Activities and Sexual Misconduct
(a) US Youth Soccer prohibits nudity and any indecent exposure by any representative,
member or participant at any sanctioned programs, events, activities and competitions.
1. An example of prohibited physical contact include a coach asking a minor athlete
to sit in their lap or cuddling during training or while on an overnight trip.
(b) US Youth Soccer prohibits any representative, member or participant from engaging in
sexually oriented conversations at any sanctioned programs, events, activities and
competitions. This includes sharing information about one’s own personal relationships,
dating or sexual activities.
(c) US Youth Soccer prohibits the possession of any sexually oriented materials to include
magazines and videos while participating at any sanctioned program, event, activity and
competition.
Section 105. Physical, Verbal and Emotional Misconduct
(a) The following definitions describe the prohibited conduct for this section:
1. Physical Misconduct - any interaction with another person that inflicts physical
injury upon another person or reasonably threatens to cause physical injury to
another person. Physical Misconduct does not include professionally accepted (in
youth soccer) coaching methods of skill enhancement, physical conditioning,
team building, appropriate discipline, inspiring motivation, or improved athlete
performance. Appropriate physical contact occurs in public when contact is
designed for the benefit of the athlete and does not meet an emotional or other
need of an adult, and free of potentially creating a physical or sexual intimacy. US
Youth Soccer prohibits representatives, members and participants from engaging
in any other form of physical contact with and or between athletes.
2. Verbal Misconduct - any objectively inappropriate use of language aimed at
another person that a reasonable person would find degrading or threatening.
3. Emotional Misconduct - any conduct that is objectively and reasonably deemed
to have caused harm to another person’s psychological or intellectual functioning,
which may be exhibited by emotional damage such as severe anxiety, depression,
withdrawal, or aggression. When an act qualifies as Emotional Misconduct is
determined objectively, and not whether harm is intended or results from the
behaviors. Emotional Misconduct includes, but is not limited to
a) Verbal Acts: any acts that involve repeated and excessive verbal assaults
or attacks against someone personally in a manner that serves no
productive training or motivational purpose.
b) Physical Acts: any acts that involve repeated and/or severe physically
aggressive behaviors, including but not limited to, throwing sport
equipment, water bottles or chairs at or in the presence of others, punching
walls, windows or other objects.
c) Acts that Deny Attention or Support: any acts that involve ignoring or
isolating a person for extended periods of time, including routinely or
arbitrarily excluding an athlete from practice.
d) Criminal Conduct: Any act or conduct described as emotional abuse or
misconduct under federal or state law (e.g. child abuse, child neglect)
would be considered a type of impermissible Emotional Misconduct under
this Policy.
e) Stalking: Stalking occurs when a person purposefully engages in a course
of conduct directed at a specific person, and knows or should know, that
the course of conduct would cause a reasonable person to (i) fear for their
safety, (ii) fear for the safety of a third person, or (iii) experience
substantial emotional distress. “Course of conduct” means at least two or
more acts in which a person directly, indirectly, or through third parties,
by any action, method, device, or means, follows, monitors, observes,
surveils, threatens, or communicates to or about another person, or
interferes with another person’s property. “Substantial emotional distress”
means significant mental suffering or anguish. Stalking also includes
“cyber-stalking,” wherein a person stalks another using electronic media,
such as the internet, social media networks, blogs, cell phones, texts, or
other similar devices or forms of contact.
Section 106. One-on-One Interactions
(a) Observable and interruptible
1. One-on-One interactions between minors and an adult (who is not the minor’s
legal guardian) are permitted if they occur at an observable and interruptible
distance by another adult.
2. Isolated, one-on-one interactions between minors and an adult (who is not the
minor’s legal guardian) is prohibited, except under emergency circumstances.
(b) Meetings
1. Meetings between adults and minors may only occur if another adult is present,
except under emergency circumstances. Such meetings must occur where
interactions can be easily observed and at an interruptible distance from another
adult.
2. If a one-on-one meeting takes place in an office, the door to the office must
remain unlocked and open. If available, it will occur in an office that (if available)
has windows, with the windows, blinds, and/or curtains remaining open during
the meeting.
(c) Individual training sessions
1. Individual training sessions between adults and minors are permitted if the
training session is observable and interruptible by another adult. The adult must
obtain the written permission of the minor’s legal guardian in advance of the
individual training session. Parents, guardians, and other caretakers must be
allowed to observe the training session. Permission for individual training
sessions must be obtained at least every six months.
Section 107. Massages and rubdowns
(a) Licensed, certified professional
1. Any massage or rubdown performed by an adult on a minor athlete is prohibited
unless such adult is a licensed massage therapist.
2. Any massage or rubdown by a licensed professional must be conducted in open
and interruptible locations. Any massage of a minor athlete must be done with at
least one other adult present and must never be done with only the minor athlete
and licensed massage therapist in the room.
3. Even if the coach is a licensed massage therapist, the coach shall not perform a
rubdown or massage of an athlete under any circumstances.
Section 108. Locker rooms, rest rooms and changing areas
(b) Use of recording devices
1. Use of any device’s (including a cell phone’s) recording capabilities, including
voice recording, still cameras and video cameras in locker rooms, rest rooms,
changing areas, or similar spaces is prohibited. Exceptions may be made for
media and championship celebrations, provided that such expectations are
approved in advance and two or more adults are present.
(c) Undress
1. Under no circumstances shall an unrelated adult be undressed (disrobed or partial
or full nudity where private body parts are exposed) in front of minor athletes.
(d) Isolated one-on-one interactions
1. At no time are unrelated adults permitted to be alone with a minor in a locker
room, rest room, or changing area except under emergency circumstances.
(e) Monitoring
1. US Youth Soccer regularly and randomly monitors the use of locker rooms, rest
rooms and changing areas at facilities under our jurisdiction to ensure compliance
with these policies.
(f) Safe spaces
1. Every effort should be made to provide private changing spaces for any youth that
requests such an accommodation.
(g) Non-exclusive facility
1. If US Youth Soccer uses a facility not under our jurisdiction (for, e.g., training or
competition or similar events) and the facility is used by multiple constituents,
adults are nonetheless required to adhere to the rules set forth here.
Section 109. Social media and electronic communications
(h) Content
1. “Social Media Misconduct” is the use of rumors or false statements about
someone to diminish that person’s reputation using electronic communications. It
includes, but is not limited to, the use of social media or other technology to
harass, frighten, intimidate, humiliate and/or socially exclude someone, and/or
asking others to do the same.
2. All electronic communication originating from participating adults to amateur
athletes who are minors must be professional in nature and should generally be
group-based and should always be readily available to share with the athlete’s
family, the Club, and USYS.
(i) Open and transparent
1. If a participating adult needs to communicate directly with an amateur athlete who
is a minor via electronic communications, another participating adult or the
minor’s legal guardian will be copied.
2. If a minor athlete communicates to the participating adult privately first, then the
participating adult should respond to the minor athlete with a copy to another
participating adult or the minor’s legal guardian.
3. A participating adult communicating electronically to the entire team will copy
another participating adult.
4. Amateur athletes who are minors may “friend” the organization’s official page.
(j) Prohibited electronic communications
1. Participating adults are not permitted to communicate privately via electronic
communications with amateur athletes who are minors, except under emergency
circumstances.
2. Participating adults are not permitted to “private message,” “instant message,”
“direct message”, or send photos via Snapchat or Instagram to a minor athlete
privately.
3. Participating adults are not permitted to maintain social media connections with
minors; such adults are not permitted to accept new personal page requests on
social media platforms from amateur athletes who are minors and existing social
media connections with amateur athletes who are minors shall be discontinued.
(k) Request to discontinue
1. Legal guardians may request in writing that their child not be contacted through
any form of electronic communication by the organization or by the
organization’s participating adults. The organization will abide by any such
request that their child not be contacted via electronic communication, absent
emergency circumstances.
Section 110. Local travel
(a) Transportation
1. US Youth Soccer does not arrange for local travel.
2. Participating adults who are not also acting as a legal guardian, shall not ride in a
vehicle alone with an unrelated athlete who is a minor, absent emergency
circumstances, and may only drive with at least two other minor athletes or
another adult at all times, unless otherwise agreed to in writing by the minor
athlete’s parent/legal guardian in advance of each local travel.
Section 111. Team travel
(b) Team/competition travel
1. When only one participating adult and one minor athlete travel to a competition,
the
(c) minor athlete must have his/her legal guardian’s written permission in advance and for
each competition to travel alone with the participating adult.
(d) Hotel rooms
1. Participating adults shall not share a hotel room or other sleeping arrangement
with a minor athlete (unless the participating adult is the legal guardian, sibling,
or is otherwise related to the minor athlete).
(e) Meetings
1. Meetings shall be conducted consistent with US Youth Soccer’s policy for one on-one interactions – i.e., any such meeting shall be observable and interruptible.
2. Meetings shall not be conducted in a hotel room.
Section 112. Bullying
(a) US Youth Soccer prohibits representatives, members and participants from engaging in
any unwanted physical, verbal, social, sexual or criminal behaviors that are:
1. aggressive
2. directed at another person, and
3. intended to or causing to intimidate, hurt, control, or diminish the other person
emotionally, physically or sexually.
Section 113. Harassment
(a) US Youth Soccer prohibits representatives, members and participants from engaging in
any repeated and/or severe conduct that:
1. Causes fear, humiliation or annoyance.
2. Offends or degrades.
3. Creates a Hostile Environment (as defined herein)
4. Reflects discriminatory bias in an attempt to establish dominance, superiority or
power over an individual or group based on gender, age, race, ethnicity, sexual
orientation, gender identity/expression, religion, national origin, or mental or
physical disability; any act or conduct described as harassment under federal or
state law.
(b) Conduct may not rise to the level of Harassment if it is:
1. Inadvertently saying or doing something hurtful.
2. Purposefully saying or doing something hurtful, but not as part of a pattern of
behavior.
3. Arising from conflict or struggle between persons who perceive they have
incompatible views and/or positions.
(c) A “Hostile Environment” exists when the conduct is sufficiently severe, persistent, and/or
pervasive such that it interferes with, limits, or deprives any individual of the opportunity
to participate in any Covered Program or activity. Conduct must be deemed severe,
persistent, or pervasive from both a subjective and objective perspective. A Hostile
Environment can be created by persistent or pervasive conduct or by a single or isolated
incident that is sufficiently severe. The more severe the conduct, the less need there is to
show a repetitive series of incidents to prove a Hostile Environment, particularly if the
conduct is physical. A single incident of sexual contact, for example, may be sufficiently
severe to constitute a Hostile Environment. In contrast, the perceived offensiveness of a
single verbal or written expression, standing alone, is typically not sufficient to constitute
a Hostile Environment. Whether a Hostile Environment exists depends on the totality of
known circumstances, including, but not limited to:
1. Severity of the conduct.
2. Whether the conduct was physically threatening.
3. The effect of the conduct on the victim’s mental or emotional state.
4. Whether the conduct was directed at more than one person.
5. Whether the conduct arose in the context of other discriminatory conduct.
6. Whether the conduct unreasonably interfered with any person’s participation in
sports, education or work programs or activities.
7. Whether the conduct implicates concerns related to protected speech.
Section 114. Hazing
(a) US Youth Soccer US Youth Soccer prohibits representatives, members and participants
from engaging in any activity that could be defined as hazing at any sanctioned program,
event, activity or competition.
Section 115. Mandatory Reporting
(a) US Youth Soccer requires all representatives, members and participants to immediately
report any violations or suspected violations of the US Youth Soccer Code of Conduct
Policy during any sanctioned programs, events, activities and competitions to a team