GUIDANCE FOR CLUBS ON EQUITY, EQUALITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

This article was published on 6.4.2023 and can be viewed, printed or circulated here

All clubs should keep in mind the legal obligation on all organisations under the Equal Status Act 2000-2018 that prohibits discrimination under nine grounds - gender, marital status, family status, age, disability, sexual orientation, race, religion, and membership of the Traveller community.

Cricket Leinster is committed to eliminating discrimination and to actively nurturing an inclusive environment within club cricket.

The CL Child Safeguarding & Inclusion Committee of Cricket Leinster has laid out the following practical guideline for all stakeholders – club administrators, players, coaches, volunteers, parents, spectators:

• We ask clubs to work towards an Inclusion Policy and build steadily upon it each year.

• Club administrators are asked to review their club policies to ensure that they are inclusive and do not put any barrier to joining the club or being fully involved in the club.

• Be aware of unconscious bias especially during team selection and avoid where possible. Ideally, every player who wants a chance and is capable of playing at a higher level should be given an opportunity.

• Sometimes more junior players are given a chance over people in lower teams who may have played at that level for a long time. It may feel like a club is fast-tracking future stars. Whilst it is important to promote and encourage junior players, it is equally important to provide appropriate opportunities for an adult player too.

• Club leaders are asked to continuously assess the players throughout the season and provide appropriate opportunities for all players without any prejudice or bias.

• Be mindful of religious/cultural requirements in arranging matches e.g., Ramadan, other festivals.

• If you offer Teas during matches, be mindful of cultural and dietary requirements such as Halal, Kosher, Vegetarian, Vegan etc. Perhaps a courtesy call to the visiting captain around dietary requirements and any additional needs will show the commitment towards inclusion.

• Where possible, have the Pride flag on display to show the club’s commitment to inclusion.

• All players are reminded to be mindful of their on-field and off-field behaviour especially around offensive language. As much as possible, please stick to the common language that is understandable by both teams and officials during the match. Make the long day worthwhile for all!

• Where possible, try to provide gender neutral and accessible toilets (we are very much aware that not all clubs are in a position to provide those facilities).

• We ask all club administrators to consciously check if there are any barriers for club members to join the management committee/team if they want to.

• We encourage clubs to appoint an inclusion officer.

• If a club member or any visiting member has additional needs, we ask the club to communicate with them to make sure the club understands their needs and provides reasonable care towards their needs.

• Clubs should have a mechanism for any member to raise a complaint/suggestion/comment discreetly should they have an issue.

• Clubs with youth teams are asked to cultivate five principles of Fair Play among their youth members:
o Respect the officials (umpires, scorers, coaches etc)
o Respect all players (on your own team and on the other team)
o Respect the grounds and gear
o Be honest
o Always give 100%

• Clubs are encouraged to reward positive behaviour among youth players. One suggestion is to have Fair Player of the Season/Month/Week.

• Where possible, all clubs are encouraged to run Table Cricket in their clubs. If you don’t have the facilities to set it up, perhaps you can link with other clubs in their area who have Table Cricket and offer this service to anyone who will benefit from this format of cricket. Support for table cricket at club level is available via your local CL Development Officer or via the Cricket Leinster website.

A small conscious effort towards inclusion from each one of us will make our sport a positive experience for all.