Creating a digital pact for your club

A pact, not a rulebook

The word matters. A rulebook is handed down and forgotten. A pact is agreed by the people who will live by it: players, parents, coaches and volunteers. Paediatric guidance on family media plans makes a similar point for homes — rules work better when they fit a family’s own routines and values and are discussed with children. A club is a bigger family; the principle holds.

Step 1: listen

Run short conversations with each group: a few minutes at the end of training for players, a moment at a parents’ meeting, a coaches’ session. Ask what works well online around the club, and what worries people. You will hear different priorities — that is the point.

Step 2: write it short

Aim for one page. A good pact covers a few areas, each in plain language:

• Team chats: who is included, what tone, what does not belong there.
• Photos and videos: what the club posts, what consent is needed, what is never shared.
• Communication times: when adults message young players, and when replies are not expected.
• Respect: no online comments about opponents, officials or teammates that would not be acceptable at the ground.
• Concerns: who to tell, and what will happen next.

Step 3: different versions for different ages

The same values can be written in simpler language for younger players and in more detail for older ones and adults. Parents of under-18s should see the version that applies to their child.

Step 4: make it live

• Present it at the start of the season, not buried in a membership form.
• Captains help explain it to their teams.
• Refer to it when praising good behaviour, not only when something goes wrong.
• Review it every season. Platforms and habits change.

Common objections

‘We’re a sports club, not a school.’ True — but a club already shapes behaviour through its values; this simply says where those values apply. ‘Players won’t follow it.’ Some won’t, at first. A pact still gives everyone a shared reference point when something goes wrong, which is far better than improvising.

Where Sport Social Smart fits

A pact sets expectations; weekly conversations keep them alive. That is what our programme is designed to support. The programme is in preparation. Access will be available at launch.