---
title: "Volunteer and Spectator Code of Conduct for NZ Sports Clubs"
url: https://tidyhq.com/blog/code-of-conduct-volunteers-spectators-nz-sports
date: 2025-08-20
updated: 2026-04-21
author: "Isaak Dury"
categories: ["Governance", "Comparisons"]
excerpt: "Your players have a code. Your coaches have a code. What about the parent on the sideline and the volunteer behind the canteen? They need one too."
---

# Volunteer and Spectator Code of Conduct for NZ Sports Clubs

> Your players have a code. Your coaches have a code. What about the parent on the sideline and the volunteer behind the canteen? They need one too.

![Ezinor by Victor Vasarely, illustrating Volunteer and Spectator Code of Conduct for NZ Sports Clubs](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/bp0k7h82/production/3f2f964535b1d193032b347d7feb6e67c94f0709-372x480.jpg?w=1200&fm=webp)

## Key takeaways

- Most NZ clubs have codes for players and coaches but nothing for the parent shouting abuse at a teenage referee
- A spectator code gives your committee authority to act - without one, you're left improvising when someone crosses the line
- Volunteer codes protect volunteers: clear expectations about data handling, conduct around children, and role boundaries
- National sporting organisation respect programmes provide ready-made frameworks - don't start from scratch

## The people your club forgot to write rules for

Last Saturday, a dad at your under\-11s match spent forty minutes screaming at the referee \- a fifteen\-year\-old girl doing her first full season through the regional football federation pathway\. Two families from the away side left at half\-time\. The ref's mum rang the federation on Monday morning\. And your committee president is now sitting at the kitchen table wondering what authority he actually has to do anything about it\.

Meanwhile, your canteen volunteer \- a lovely woman who's been there since 2019 \- has been photographing junior players and posting them to the club's unofficial Facebook group\. No consent forms\. No parental permission\. Just twenty\-five photos of other people's children, public on the internet, because nobody ever told her not to\.

Both of these situations have something in common: there's no code of conduct that covers them\.

Your club almost certainly has a code for players and coaches \- most national sporting organisations require it\. But the parent on the sideline? The volunteer handling cash? They operate in a policy vacuum\. We've covered [codes for coaches, officials, and players](/blog/code-of-conduct-coaches-players-new-zealand-sports-clubs) separately\. This article tackles the other half\. \(For the UK regulatory context, see our [UK version](/blog/code-of-conduct-volunteers-spectators-uk-sports)\.\)

## Why separate codes for volunteers and spectators

It's tempting to lump everyone into one document\. Don't\. Volunteers and spectators have fundamentally different relationships with your club, and the expectations placed on each need to reflect that\.

**Spectators** have no formal role\. They turn up, watch, go home\. But in the age of phone cameras and social media, a spectator can cause more reputational damage in thirty seconds of filmed footage than a player can in a season\. A spectator code gives the committee a framework to act \- and gives the spectator fair warning about what crossing the line looks like\.

**Volunteers** occupy positions of trust\. A canteen volunteer handles food and sometimes cash\. A team manager has access to children's contact details and medical information\. A child protection officer deals with safeguarding disclosures\. A general "behave yourself" clause doesn't cover any of that\.

And here's what people miss: a volunteer code protects the volunteer as much as the club\. When expectations around data handling, conduct with children, and financial accountability are written down, the volunteer knows exactly where they stand\. No ambiguity\. No finding out they've done something wrong only when someone complains\.

## Spectator code of conduct

Keep this to one page\. If a parent can't read it in three minutes while standing at the gate with a takeaway coffee, they won't read it at all\. Here's what it needs to cover\.

**1\. Respect match officials at all times\.** This is the single biggest issue in NZ grassroots sport\. NZ Rugby, Football NZ, NZ Cricket \- all report official numbers declining, with sideline abuse the primary driver\. Your code should be unambiguous: no verbal abuse, no intimidation, no approaching officials after the match\. This applies equally at under\-9s and senior fixtures\.

**2\. No abusive, discriminatory, or obscene language\.** Be explicit \- "inappropriate language" is too vague\. No racial abuse, no homophobic language, no sexist remarks, no sledging directed at individual players\. The Human Rights Act 1993 creates legal obligations here, and your code should reflect them in plain language\.

**3\. Do not enter the field of play\.** Unless there is a genuine medical emergency, spectators stay off the field\. This includes parents rushing onto the pitch when their child goes down \- understandable, but it creates confusion and can interfere with first aid\. The coach and first aider handle it\.

**4\. No filming or photographing children without consent\.** This is a significant issue in NZ grassroots sport, and it sits at the intersection of the Privacy Act 2020, child safety, and basic parental rights\. Your code should state clearly: no photos or videos of other people's children without the consent of their parent or guardian\. No posting images to social media without permission\. If your club has a photography policy \(and it should\), reference it here\.

**5\. No alcohol outside designated areas\.** If your club has a licensed bar or a designated area for alcohol, spectators need to keep drinks within that zone\. No cans on the sideline during junior fixtures\. If your ground operates under specific conditions from the council \- many council reserves prohibit alcohol entirely \- reference those conditions in the code\.

**6\. Support both teams\.** Encourage positive support for your own side\. But require basic respect for the opposition\. Cheering is fine\. Targeting individual opposition players \- especially children \- is not\.

**7\. Follow all ground and facility rules\.** This is your catch\-all\. Smoking areas, parking, dogs on leads, staying behind marked boundaries\. Whatever your ground rules are, reference them here so they carry the same enforcement weight as the rest of the code\.

**8\. Report concerns through proper channels\.** If a spectator sees something concerning, they should know who to tell\. Name the role \(not the person, because people change\): club child protection officer, duty manager, team manager\. Give them a clear path that doesn't involve confrontation or social media\.

**9\. Comply with directions from club officials\.** If a committee member, ground manager, or duty volunteer asks a spectator to move, lower their voice, or leave a restricted area, the expectation is compliance\. This clause gives your officials the backing they need to act on match day\.

## Volunteer code of conduct

Volunteers often have access to people, information, or resources that ordinary members don't\. In New Zealand sport, some volunteer roles carry formal safeguarding responsibilities that make a code of conduct not just useful but essential\.

**1\. Hold a current police vet where required\.** If the role involves regular unsupervised contact with children \- team manager for a junior side, child protection officer, coaching assistant \- a police vet is expected\. Your national sporting organisation will specify which roles require vetting\. The club should maintain a register of vetting dates and renewal timelines\.

**2\. Maintain confidentiality of member information\.** Under the Privacy Act 2020, your club is an "agency" handling personal information\. Volunteers handling membership data, medical details, or contact lists must treat that information as confidential\. No sharing phone numbers outside club business\. No discussing a member's overdue subs with people who don't need to know\. No forwarding the membership list without authorisation\.

**3\. Behave appropriately around children and young people\.** This goes beyond the police vet\. Volunteers should never be alone with a child in an unobservable space\. Private communication with juniors via personal phone, WhatsApp, or social media is not acceptable \- use official club channels\. These expectations should align with your national sporting organisation's child protection framework\.

**4\. Follow responsible service of alcohol guidelines\.** If your club holds a licence under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012, volunteers serving alcohol should know the basics: don't serve anyone under 18, don't serve someone visibly intoxicated, know where to find the licensing conditions\. Your duty manager holds legal responsibilities \- make sure they understand them\.

**5\. Maintain food safety standards\.** Under the Food Act 2014, even volunteer\-run food operations need to be registered with the local council and follow a food control plan or national programme\. Handwashing, temperature control, allergen awareness \- a basic food safety standard protects the volunteer from liability as much as it protects the people eating the sausage rolls\.

**6\. Handle club finances with accountability\.** Volunteers who collect money \- gate takings, canteen revenue, fundraising proceeds \- must follow the club's financial procedures\. Receipts, cash counts with two people present, prompt banking\. No IOUs\. No "I'll sort it out next week\."

**7\. Report incidents and concerns promptly\.** If a volunteer witnesses an injury, a safeguarding concern, or a policy breach, they should report it to the child protection officer or committee as soon as practicable\. Reporting should be expected, not optional, with no negative consequences for good\-faith reports\.

**8\. Represent the club positively\.** No public criticism of the club on social media while in a volunteer capacity, no airing internal disputes externally\. Opinions go through proper channels, not the club's Facebook page\.

**9\. Do not use club resources for personal purposes\.** Club equipment, email lists, and member databases are for club business only\. A volunteer who uses the mailing list to promote a side business is crossing a line that should already be drawn\.

**10\. Understand the boundaries of your role\.** A canteen volunteer doesn't influence team selection\. A team manager doesn't authorise expenditure\. Role clarity prevents overreach and protects everyone\.

## Getting people to actually read them

A code of conduct that lives in a ring binder in the secretary's spare room achieves nothing\. Here's how to make yours visible\.

**Display the spectator code at the ground\.** Weatherproof board at the entrance \- right where people walk in, not tucked behind the goalposts\. If your national sporting organisation provides signage \(NZ Rugby and Football NZ both do\), use it\.

**Include both codes in registration\.** Every new member, every new volunteer, every family that registers a junior player receives a copy as part of sign\-up\.

**Require digital acknowledgement\.** A checkbox saying "I have read and agree to the club's code of conduct" creates a timestamped record\. That record is what gives the committee authority to enforce the code later\. Without it, the code is a suggestion\.

**Mention them at pre\-season events\.** Thirty seconds at the first training night, the AGM, or the season launch BBQ\. No lecture\. Just visibility\.

## When someone breaches the code

This is where clubs get stuck\. The code exists\. Someone's breached it\. Now what?

Keep it proportionate\. A parent who gets a bit loud once is not the same as one who abuses an official every week for a month\.

- **First minor breach:** A quiet word from a committee member\. Calm, private, factual\. "We noticed X\. Our code says Y\."
- **Second breach or first serious breach:** Written notice and a meeting with the committee\. Hear their side\. Document it\.
- **Continued or serious breach:** Suspension from matches, volunteering, or facilities for a defined period\. Committee votes\. It goes in the minutes\.

Under the Incorporated Societies Act 2022, your constitution must include a dispute resolution procedure consistent with natural justice\. Make sure your enforcement process aligns with it \- the person needs to know the allegation, have a chance to respond, and have access to an appeal\.

Document every stage\. If a situation escalates to your national sporting organisation or the police, you need a paper trail showing the club acted reasonably and in accordance with its own policies\.

Geoff Wilson makes this point in his framework for grassroots club governance \- the clubs that handle issues well are the ones that set expectations before problems arise\. We've reviewed his approach in our [book review](/blog/leading-grassroots-sports-club-geoff-wilson-book-review)\.

## How TidyHQ helps

TidyHQ's [membership management](/products/memberships) lets you attach policy documents to your registration forms, so every member acknowledges the code as part of signing up\. That acknowledgement is timestamped and stored against their record\. If you ever need to demonstrate someone was informed, the evidence is there\.

You can also track volunteer\-specific requirements \- police vetting reference numbers and renewal dates, food safety certificates, first aid qualifications\. When a police vet is approaching its recommended renewal date, you'll know before the volunteer's next fixture, not six months later during a review\.

## Frequently asked questions

### Do we need a solicitor to write our code of conduct?

No\. Your national sporting organisation almost certainly provides a template \- check NZ Rugby's community resources, Football NZ's respect programme, or your sport's equivalent\. The important thing is clarity, specificity, and committee approval\. If you're dealing with a serious complaint or a matter involving child welfare, that's when professional advice might be warranted\. But for the document itself, plain language from people who understand your club beats legal drafting from someone who doesn't\.

### Can we actually ban a spectator from our ground?

If your club controls the venue \(owned or leased\), generally yes\. If you use council grounds \- as many NZ clubs do \- check your ground allocation agreement\. The council may need to be involved in any trespass action under the Trespass Act 1980\. Either way, any exclusion should follow a fair process: the person knows what they're alleged to have done, has a chance to respond, and receives the decision in writing\.

### Should volunteers acknowledge the code every year or just once?

Every year, at re\-registration\. People forget\. National sporting organisation guidance changes\. An annual acknowledgement refreshes the record so you're never relying on a signature from four seasons ago\. Two seconds during online registration \- no good reason not to\.

Your players have a code\. Your coaches have a code\. But the parent screaming at a teenage referee and the volunteer posting photos of other people's children to Facebook? They've been operating without written expectations \- and the committee has been hoping for the best\.

Hope is not a governance strategy\. Write the codes\. Keep them short\. Get them signed\. And when someone crosses the line, you'll have the authority \- and the evidence \- to act\.

## References

- [Sport New Zealand](https://sportnz.org.nz/) \- Community sport resources on spectator and volunteer behaviour management
- [NZ Rugby](https://www.nzrugby.co.nz/) \- Respect and responsibility programmes for community rugby
- [Football NZ](https://www.footballnz.co.nz/) \- Fair play resources and sideline behaviour guidance for grassroots football
- [Office of the Privacy Commissioner](https://www.privacy.org.nz/) \- Privacy Act 2020 obligations for volunteer organisations handling personal information
- [Volunteering New Zealand](https://www.volunteeringnz.org.nz/) \- Volunteer management standards and best practice for NZ organisations

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Header image: *Ezinor* by Victor Vasarely, via [WikiArt](https://www.wikiart.org/en/victor-vasarely)

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