[HISTORY; Adopted by the Mayor and Common Council of the
City of Gloucester City as indicated in article histories. Amendments
noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 4-4-2002 by Ord.
No. 3-2002]
As used in this ordinance, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
CODE OF CONDUCT
A written specification of the behavior of parents, guardians,
coaches, officials and any player or participant prepared by each
sports team which must at a minimum incorporate the within ordinance
and must be agreed to in writing by the parents and legal guardians
of the minor participants of each youth sports team.
[Amended 5-18-2017 by Ord. No. O15-2017]
YOUTH SPORTS EVENT
Any competition, practice or instructional event involving
one or more youth sports teams.
YOUTH SPORTS TEAM
As used herein, shall refer to any sports organization organized
pursuant to a nonprofit or similar charter which is affiliated with
or received monetary or other support from Gloucester City or regularly
utilizes any facilities owned, operated or maintained by Gloucester
City, which sports organization participates in sporting competitions
involving minors.
[Added 12-28-2016 by Ord.
No. O32-2016]
This ordinance shall apply to all Gloucester City sporting events,
all sporting events in which Gloucester city residents are participating
whether or not such sporting events are on City property, school property
or in another community.
Every sports team shall be required to establish an athletic
Code of Conduct incorporating at a minimum the requirements of this
ordinance.
The parents and guardians of each child participating in a sports
team shall be required by the sports team to execute an agreement
acknowledging receipt of said sports teams Code of Conduct and agreeing
to be bond thereby.
[Amended 11-24-2015 by Ord. No. O31-2015; 5-18-2017 by Ord. No. O15-2017]
Any parent, guest, spectator, coach, official or any player
or participant at any youth sports event who initiates a fight, scuffle
or any type of physical abuse or threats of abuse towards any player,
coach, official, parent or spectator shall be banned from attendance
at all youth sports events within the City of Gloucester City for
a period of not less than 12 months from the date of the incident.
[Amended 11-24-2015 by Ord. No. O31-2015; 5-18-2017 by Ord. No. O15-2017]
Any parent, guest, spectator, coach, official or any player
or participant at any youth sports event who enters the field of play,
court or rink during any youth sporting event for the purpose of physically
or verbally abusing or confronting coaches, players or officials shall
be banned from attendance at all youth sport events within the City
of Gloucester City for a period of not less than 12 months from the
date of the incident.
[Amended 11-24-2015 by Ord. No. O31-2015; 12-28-2016 by Ord. No. O32-2016; 5-18-2017 by Ord. No. O15-2017]
Any parent, guest, spectator, coach, official or any player
or participant in any youth sports event who verbally abuses the officials,
players or spectators, including the use of obscene or profane language,
gestures, racial, ethnic or sexual slurs, engages in actions or behavior
that causes a delay or disruption in the game, or is ejected from
the game, may be banned from all youth sports events for a period
of time which can include a lifetime ban, or could be subject to probation.
The date of suspension shall be from the time that the sports team
notifies the individual of the punishment, or if appealed, from the
date of termination by the Code of Conduct Committee.
[Amended 11-24-2015 by Ord. No. O31-2015; 5-18-2017 by Ord. No. O15-2017]
Any parent, guest, spectator, coach, official or any player
or participant at any youth sports event who throws or causes to be
deposited any object on the field of play, court or rink during any
youth sports event may be banned from attendance at all youth sports
events for a period of not less than 12 months from the date of the
incident and shall be subject to such discipline as provided for by
the applicable sports team's Code of Conduct.
[Amended 11-24-2015 by Ord. No. O31-2015; 12-28-2016 by Ord. No. O32-2016]
Any person who is banned from youth sports event for violation
of this Code of Conduct prior to being allowed to resume attendance
at any youth sports event shall be required to complete an anger management
or equivalent counseling program consisting of no less than 12 hours
of instruction and shall provide proof of satisfactory completion
to the Code of Conduct Committee. In addition, the Code of Conduct
Committee is empowered to place an individual on probation for a period
not to exceed one year. The terms of the probation shall be provided
to the individual in writing. In the event that a probation is imposed,
and the probation terms are violated, such violation shall result
in a potential ban under the terms of this ordinance.
Any parent, official, coach or spectator at any youth sporting
event shall be subject to the authority of all field officials, including
umpires and referees and elected league officials of the youth sports
team or teams sponsoring the youth sports event, or in the absence
of such persons at a youth sports team's practice or instructional
event, to the authority of the ranking youth sports team coach on
the premises. Such authority shall include the authorization to direct
any person or persons involved in any incident in violation of this
ordinance or the applicable sports team's Code of Conduct to
immediately remove themselves from the premises.
A. Upon a determination by a majority vote of the highest ranking elected
official and the governing board of a youth sports team that a parent,
guest, spectator, coach or official at any youth sports event sponsored
by such youth sports team has violated a provision of this ordinance
or the Code of Conduct of the youth sports team, such official shall
forward to such violator a notice via regular and certified mail indicating
the date and location and nature of the violation and the period of
banning or other action to be taken in response to such violation.
B. Any person receiving such a notice who wishes to contest same shall
appeal to the Gloucester City Code of Conduct Committee within seven
calendar days of the mailing of said notice by forwarding a copy of
said notice with a written request for appeal specifically setting
forth the basis of such persons contest of the notice of violation
via personal delivery or certified mail to the Chairperson of the
Code of Conduct Committee at 512 Monmouth Street, Gloucester City,
New Jersey.
C. Upon receipt of such an appeal, the Code of Conduct Committee shall
convene within seven days and provide an opportunity for said person
and any interested person to appear and be heard with respect to the
occurrence of any violation and the action taken by the youth sports
team.
D. The Code of Conduct Committee shall be authorized to hear testimony
under oath, review affidavits and such other information or documentation
relevant to the violation and, upon a majority vote of the members
of the Committee present and voting at the hearing, may sustain, overturn
or modify the youth sports team's recommended period of banning
or other action taken in response to the such violation consistent
with this ordinance, youth sports teams bylaws or the Code of Conduct.
The Code of Conduct Committee shall be authorized to expand any recommended
period of banning up to and including a lifetime ban.
[Amended 11-24-2015 by Ord. No. O31-2015]
E. All notices of violation and banning shall remain in effect until
overturned or modified by the Code of Conduct Committee.
F. In the event any notice of violation is not appealed within seven
days of such notice, said notice of violation and the action taken
by the youth sports team official, including banning from youth sports
events, shall become final.
[Adopted 4-4-2002 by Ord.
No. 4-2002]
As used in this ordinance, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
YOUTH SPORTS TEAM
As used herein, shall refer to any sports organization organized
pursuant to a nonprofit or similar charter which is affiliated with
or received monetary or other support from Gloucester City or regularly
utilizes any facilities owned, operated or maintained by Gloucester
City, which sports organization participates in sporting competitions
involving minors.
[Amended 12-28-2016 by Ord. No. O31-2016]
The Code of Conduct Committee shall be made up of the president
or designee of each youth sports team who is duly elected pursuant
to the by-laws or rules and regulations governing each respective
youth sports team. The Committee shall also include the athletic directors,
or designee of Gloucester City High School and Gloucester Catholic
High School; the superintendent of public works or designee; the Chief
of Police or designee; the Mayor or designee; one councilman from
the Borough Council; the City Administrator who shall act as secretary
and be a non-voting member; and the City Solicitor who shall preside
over any hearings, but shall be a non-voting member.
Each youth sports team shall annually advise in writing the
Gloucester City Clerk of the name, address and telephone number of
its duly elected president who shall serve on the Code of Conduct
Committee commensurate with his/her term of office with the youth
sports team.
Each youth sports team shall notify the City Clerk in writing
promptly upon any change of the identity of the youth sports team's
president.
Any youth sports team president serving on the Code of Conduct
Committee may designate an active member of such youth sports team
to appear and act as his/her designee with full voting powers at any
meeting of the Code of Conduct Committee.
In the event the same person is the president of more than one
youth sports team, said person shall serve on the Code of Conduct
Committee as a representative of only one youth sports team and shall
designate an active member of such other youth sports teams to appear
and act at a Code of Conduct Committee Meeting with full voting powers.
The Code of Conduct Committee shall be charged with enforcing
the provisions of the ordinance establishing a Youth Sports Code of
Conduct, Ord. No. 3-2002.
The Code of Conduct Committee shall meet in January of each
year to elect a Chairman, Secretary and such other officers as the
Code of Conduct Committee shall deem appropriate, and may meet as
often as is necessary to conduct its business and for the purposes
of enforcing the provisions of the ordinance establishing a Youth
Sports Code of Conduct, Ord. No. 3-2002.
The Code of Conduct Committee may establish rules and procedures
as it deems appropriate for the conduct of its business and, in default
thereof, shall operate pursuant to Roberts Rules of Order to the extent
they are not in conflict with the within ordinance or the ordinance
establishing a Youth Sports Code of Conduct, Ord. No. 3-2002.