Poor behaviour from fellow players, coaches, parents and spectators can have a devastating effect on our young people’s experience of sport. Bullying, harassment, aggression and a disregard for the concept of fair play are some of the top reasons tamariki and rangatahi turn their back on sports and activities that they love.
Tasman Rugby Union (TRU) had followed the traditional method of addressing poor behaviour by adults, but it wasn’t proving effective in reducing the number of incidents. As the governing body of rugby in the region they made the decision to tackle the problem in a new way.
Poor behaviour, although not widespread, was still occurring and reducing the positive experience of rugby for all involved, including the referees.
There were an unacceptable number of yellow and red cards, incidences of coaches abusing either players or opposition spectators and inconsistencies around the field set up at different venues. Tasman Rugby Union was fielding complaints directly as people bypassed clubs and teams. The issue was particularly prevalent in the under 14 to under 18 grades.
Initially, the TRU community team brought together a group of stakeholders from different age grade clubs to hold a forum about collective action toward improvement.
The first forum meeting was held at Riwaka Rugby Club in June 2017 with three TRU staff, the TRU Senior Chairman, the Nelson Bays Junior Advisory Board Chairman and three key club Rugby delegates in attendance. Further meetings followed covering topics such as the future structure of the age grade competition minimum host responsibilities. From these discussions, the idea of rewarding teams for showing good behaviour was developed.
“By inviting clubs personal to be in on the planning stage, we had them onboard from the start. We knew there would be adjustments required along the way, but this was mostly ironed out in the first month. “
Mark Cochrane, Tasman Rugby Union
The idea was to incentivize teams by rewarding fair play and sportsmanship in age-grade rugby games (under 14 – under 18 and secondary school girls) and to reduce the emphasis on winning the grade or trophy by all costs – a major factor in the negative behaviour occurring.
This positive initiative aimed to encourage teams to play in the ‘spirit of the game’ based on the Tasman Community Rugby values. The reward being the whole team having a free day at a local paintball centre.
The points system was kept simple. At the completion of each game the referee rates each team based on four categories:
- Player behaviour
- Coach/manager behaviour
- Supporter’s behaviour
- Field set up
Each category is rated out of 5 points (Poor = 1 point, Excellent = 5 points – Total 20 points). Tasman Rugby collates the scores each week and shares the results via the ‘Tasman Rugby Union’ Facebook page. At the completion of the season, the teams in each grade with the highest average score win the reward.
The results of the new system have been nothing short of remarkable. While only being in place for two seasons there have been significant positive changes. Firstly, the reduction of yellow and red card incidences at games. Yellow cards dropped from 40 in 2017, to 27 in 2018 and 17 in 2019. Red Cards dropped from seven in 2017, to three in 2018 to three in 2019. The total over the two years dropped a huge 57% from 49 to 21.
“Ultimately, we have learnt about the power of implementing positive changes in our game by advocating positive behaviours that benefit everyone involved. By rewarding the desired behaviours using the participants as the drivers of change, we have seen real positive changes in behaviour.”
Mark Cochrane, Tasman Rugby Union
The second positive outcome was the ownership teams have taken over their coaches, spectators and hosting responsibilities. Rather than TRU having to deal with incidences of poor behavior, the players regulate this themselves with the reward incentive.
Finally, the referees can give feedback to the union via the TRU app, which can be followed up directly with teams, coaches and clubs. This provides a simple and streamlined system for the referees and removes the possibility of coach interference or conflict. This also provides a great feedback loop for all games across the region.
“The Tasman Rugby Union would encourage other organisations and codes to give this initiative a go. All you need is a reward that children prize more than winning the season trophy and a positive attitude.”
Mark Cochrane, Tasman Rugby Union
Image Credits: Tasman Rugby Union