Trustworthiness. All participants shall:
- Be honest, and never deceive, cheat or steal;
- Have the courage to do the right thing;
- Work to build a good reputation;
- Demonstrate loyalty to family, friends, teammates, and country.
Respect. All participants shall:
- Treat others with respect, and be considerate of the feelings of others;
- Demonstrate a tolerance toward differences;
- Use good manners, and avoid offensive language and taunting;
- Never slander, degrade, threaten, hurt or hit anyone; and
- Deal peacefully with anger, insults and disagreements.
Responsibility. All participants shall:
- Use self-control and self-discipline;
- Be accountable for all choices and actions;
- Demonstrate reliability; and
- Exhibit supportive behavior and a positive attitude.
Fairness. All participants shall:
- Adhere to all laws, rules, policies, and guidelines;
- Be open-mined and demonstrate the ability to listen to others;
- Not pass blame carelessly;
- Share equitably and take turns for a particular situation as appropriate; and
- Never take advantage of others.
Caring. All participants shall:
- Demonstrate compassion, kindness, and forgiveness; and
- Provide assistance to others in need when appropriate.
Citizenship. All participants shall:
- Respect authority and demonstrate cooperation; and
- Properly care for all equipment, uniforms, facilities, and playing fields.
General. All Athletes shall recognize that being a member of the community carries with it responsibilities and rewards, and they shall not only embrace those responsibilities, but also conduct themselves both on and off the playing field/facility in a way that exhibits respect for others and them self.
Specific Principles. All Athletes shall therefore resolve themselves to conduct them self with dignity as an athlete and as a citizen of the community, recognizing and accepting that they shall:
- Accept accountability for all behavior and its outcomes;
- Honor obligations and promises;
- Exercise self-control;
- Be willing to be fair with others in dealings on and off the playing field/facility;
- Take pride in themselves and their accomplishments, but never at the expense of demeaning another person or group;
- Respect the efforts of others;
- Respect authority;
- Play by the spirit, not just the letter, of the rules of the game/event; and
- Strive to make the community better through support and contribution as a member and as a citizen.
General. All parents' and guardians' shall pledge to provide positive support, care, and encouragement for their child participating in the activities of VTD Sports by following this Code of Conduct.
Specific Principles. All parents' and guardians' shall therefore resolve to conduct themselves with dignity as a citizen of the community, recognizing and accepting that they shall:
- Encourage good sportsmanship by demonstrating positive support for all players, coaches, and officials at every game, practice, or other youth sports event;
- Place the emotional and physical well-being of their child and the other Athletes ahead of a personal desire to win;
- Support efforts to create and maintain a safe and healthy environment;
- Support coaches and officials working with their child, in order to encourage a positive and enjoyable experience for all;
- Demand a sports environment that is free of drugs, tobacco, and alcohol, and refrain from their use at all youth sports events;
- Do their very best to make youth sports fun, and remember that it is a game for youth;
- Encourage their child to treat other players, coaches, spectators, officials, and others with respect regardless of race, sex, creed, or ability; and
- Promise to help their child enjoy the youth sports experience in whatever way possible, such as being a respectable fan, assisting with coaching, or providing transportation.
General. The primary function of a coach is to facilitate the youth sports environment, and educate Athletes through participation and competition. Each Athlete shall be treated as though he or she is the coaches' own child, and his or her welfare shall be considered uppermost at all times. All coaches shall be aware that they have a tremendous influence on the well being of the Athletes, and thus, shall never place the value of winning above the value of instilling the highest ideals of character.
Specific Principles. All Coaches shall therefore resolve to conduct themselves with dignity as a citizen of the community, recognizing and accepting that they shall:
- Uphold the honor and dignity of the profession;
- Set an example of the highest ethical and moral conduct in all personal contact with athletes, sports officials, parents/guardians, spectators, and the public;
- Take an active role in the prevention of drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse;
- Avoid the use of alcohol and tobacco products when in contact with athletes;
- Master the rules and teach them to his or her team members;
- Not seek an advantage by circumvention of the spirit or letter of the rules;
- Take responsibility for the actions of their players, parents and spectators;
- Exert an influence to enhance sportsmanship conduct by spectators or others;
- Not indulge in conduct which would incite players or spectators against the officials;
- Respect and support the decision of the officials; and
- Meet and exchange cordial greetings with the opposing coach to set the correct tone for the event before and after a particular game;
General. The primary function of an official is to apply the rules fairly in the sports environment.
Specific Principles. All Officials and Umpires shall therefore resolve to conduct themselves with dignity as a citizen of the community, recognizing and accepting that they shall:
- Uphold the honor and dignity of the profession;
- Set an example of the highest ethical and moral conduct in all personal contact with athletes, coaches, parents/guardians, spectators, and the public;
- Take an active role in the prevention of drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse;
- Avoid the use of alcohol and tobacco products when in contact with athletes and whenever in uniform;
- Master the rules to apply them fairly to all participants, teams, coaches and spectators;
- Not seek an advantage by circumvention of the spirit or letter of the rules; and
- Meet and exchange cordial greetings with the coaches to set the correct tone for the event before and after a game;
General. The primary function of commissioner is to serve their local community in their sport and to promote participation in all VTD events in their area.
Specific Principles. All commissioners shall therefore resolve to conduct themselves with dignity as a citizen of the community, recognizing and accepting that they shall:
- Be actively involved in their sport on a regular basis or resign from their position;
- Uphold the honor and dignity of VTD Sports as it's representative in the community;
- Return calls and emails in a timely manner;
- Participate in scheduled conference calls and meetings whenever possible to communicate the needs of their community and to guide the direction of the sport;
- Be available to coaches, league directors, tournament directors and umpires;
- Attend local league and organizational meetings whenever available in their local area to learn the needs and communicate them to other commissioners to guide the direction of the sport;
- Set an example of the highest ethical and moral conduct in all personal contact with athletes, officials, coaches, parents/guardians, spectators, and the public;
- Take an active role in the prevention of drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse;
- Avoid the use of alcohol and tobacco products when in contact with athletes; and
- Not seek an unfair advantage because of their position in any situation;
Responsibility. Responsibility for enforcement of this Code of Conduct shall reside with a Board of Commissioners of VTD Sports.
Spectators. For implementation of this Code of Conduct, spectators who are directly associated with a particular Athlete shall comply with the same criteria as for Parents'/Guardians', and the same enforcement action shall apply.
Enforcement Action. A Board of Commissioners of VTD Sports shall take whatever measures necessary to enforce this Code of Conduct, up to and including any of the following actions:
- Removal or suspension of an Athlete from the program due to his or her failure to comply with this Code of Conduct;
- Removal or suspension of an Athlete from the program due to the failure of his or her Parent/Guardian to comply with this Code of Conduct; or
- Dismissal or suspension of a Coach from the program due to his or her failure to comply with this Code of Conduct.