Mini & Junior Code of Conduct
Helping Our Young Players Be Their Best

At Orrell RUFC, we want every young player to feel safe, make friends, develop their skills and enjoy being part of our club.

Our Mini & Junior Section is about much more than learning to play rugby. It's about building confidence, developing friendships, learning to work as a team and understanding the values that make rugby such a special sport.

As parents and guardians, you play an important part in that journey. By working together, we can ensure that every child has a positive experience, both on and off the pitch.

Our Code of Conduct for Young Players sets out the standards we ask our young players to follow whenever they take part in rugby activities at Orrell RUFC or represent the club elsewhere.

Our Values – TREDS

Everything we do at Orrell RUFC is guided by the five core values of rugby union:

• Teamwork – supporting one another and working together.
• Respect – treating teammates, opponents, coaches and match officials with consideration.
• Enjoyment – remembering that rugby should be fun.
• Discipline – following the rules, listening to coaches and taking responsibility for our actions.
• Sportsmanship – playing fairly, respecting opponents and accepting the result with good grace.

We encourage our young players to demonstrate these values at training, during matches, at club events and whenever they wear the black and amber shirt.

What Does Our Code of Conduct Cover?

Our child-friendly Code of Conduct explains what we expect from our young players in eight key areas.

1. Everyone Has the Right to Feel Safe

Every child deserves to feel safe, included and respected. Bullying, intimidation, discrimination and deliberately hurting others have no place at our club. We encourage children to speak to a coach or trusted adult if they are hurt, upset or worried.

2. We Respect Our Coaches and Volunteers

Our coaches, team managers and volunteers give their time to help our young players learn and develop. We ask players to listen to instructions, follow guidance, show good manners and treat everyone with respect.

3. We Are Good Teammates

Rugby is a team sport, and every player matters. We encourage our young players to support their teammates, include others, celebrate achievements and help one another through challenges.

4. We Play Safely and Follow Instructions

Players are expected to follow their coaches' instructions, use equipment safely, respect club facilities and tell a responsible adult if they are injured, feel unwell or need help.

5. We Respect Our Club

We ask all players to look after our pitches, equipment and facilities, respect others using them and take pride in representing Orrell RUFC.

6. We Follow TREDS

Our five core values guide how we behave, how we treat others and how we approach the game. We want our players to understand that being a good rugby player means more than what happens on the pitch.

7. What Happens If We Don't Follow the Code?

Children make mistakes, and these can be opportunities to learn. Coaches will address inappropriate behaviour, explain what needs to change and, where appropriate, involve parents or guardians. More serious or repeated concerns will be handled through the club's relevant procedures.

8. Our Promise to Orrell RUFC

By being part of our club, we ask every young player to do their best to follow the Code, support their teammates and help make Orrell RUFC a welcoming place for everyone.

Working Together With Parents and Guardians

We ask parents and guardians to support the principles of the Code and help their children understand why positive behaviour matters.

Encouragement, patience and a positive example from the touchline make a real difference to a young player's confidence and enjoyment.

We want our children to learn from their mistakes, celebrate their progress and develop a lifelong love of rugby in an environment where they feel valued and supported.

Safeguarding at Orrell RUFC

Our Code of Conduct works alongside the club's safeguarding policies and procedures. It does not replace them.

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. If you have a concern about the welfare of a child or young person, or about inappropriate behaviour, please raise it with the club's Safeguarding Officer or another appropriate club official.

For further information, including our safeguarding policies, guidance and reporting procedures, please visit our dedicated Safeguarding section.

Read Our Mini & Junior Code of Conduct

We've produced a dedicated Mini & Junior Code of Conduct for Young Players to help our children understand what it means to be part of Orrell RUFC.

The illustrated guide explains our expectations in a clear, accessible way and includes a Player Agreement for young players and their parents or guardians to acknowledge.

We encourage every family to read the Code together and discuss what it means to be a good teammate and a proud member of Orrell RUFC.

At Orrell RUFC, we want our young players to learn, improve, make friends and have fun.

By living our values of Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline and Sportsmanship, we can help ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive.

Everyone deserves to feel safe. Everyone deserves respect. Everyone belongs.

Orrell RUFC — Keeping the Future Black and Amber.