The club has created a Code of Conduct for its members (players, coaches, staff and supporters) based on inclusion, mutual respect and consideration, fair and safe play on the pitch and providing a harassment-free sport environment. A PDF version is available.
Introduction
The San Francisco Fog is a rugby football club committed to the ethics of: (1) inclusion; (2) mutual respect and consideration; (3) fair and safe play on the pitch; and (4) providing a harassment-free sport environment. The club's mission is to be a competitive NCRFU team, while providing a welcoming, safe environment for gay men, men of color, and other individuals who share our commitment to those ethics.
Developing a team attitude and chemistry that reflects those four tenets is integral to successfully realizing our mission. It is within that spirit that the SF Fog organization asks all of its members to adhere to certain standards of conduct, which are outlined below.
These standards of conduct are intended to establish some expectations and guidelines as to what constitutes behavior consistent with our stated ethics, our club mission, and the law; and what conduct falls outside of that domain. It is not intended to inhibit your freedom of expression or being yourself; nor is it intended to unduly restrain the sometimes raucous and lewd traditions of our rugby socials or songs, or as a prohibition of members to initiate or develop a mutually consensual relationship with others from the team.
The sections below provide the club's standards of conduct expected of all its members (players, coaches, staff, and supporters), associated with each of the four principles inherent within our mission.
1. Inclusion
With the mission of our organization being to provide a welcoming, safe environment for all participants to enjoy the sport of rugby, the, S.F. Fog R.F.C and its members will not discriminate on the grounds of ethnicity, race, nationality, sexual orientation, HIV status, or religion in any matter; nor on the grounds of sex, age or disability, except as a necessary consequence of the requirements of the sport.
The current single sex orientation of the club's player roster is not discriminatory in its intent, but a genuine result of physical/gender restraints and requirements of the rugby union in which the club participates (NCRFU - Men's Division III).
2. Fair and Safe Play on the Pitch
Fair play espouses striving to win, but not at all costs.
Fog members are expected to abide by the rules and regulations of the game, in both spirit and action, as set out by the rugby union-governing bodies, referees, and coaching staff. Fog members will abide by and respect the officials' decisions, and refrain from direct commentary to officials, other than communicating through the team captain. Fog players will refrain from the use of physical force or behavior that reflects an intentional disregard for the safety of another player(s) outside of the rules of the game.
Our coaching staff is expected to demonstrate a standard of care for the individual athlete's well being, commensurate with the individual's abilities and standards of the sport. To foster an environment of safe play, it is expected that the Fog coaching staff will endeavor to understand the continuously changing rules of the game and attempt to improve coaching techniques by availing themselves of educational opportunities.
On a personal basis, safe play requires that Fog players honestly report all injuries and medical conditions that directly impact their playing capability, in a timely manner to the appropriate club medical personnel. Fog players are expected to abide by the directions and/or decisions of medical personnel and coaches, as to emergency care and restrictions on play, as well as adhering to universal safe healthcare practices in any medical situation that may arise.
3. Mutual Respect and Consideration
The San Francisco Fog R.F.C. is committed to providing an environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity.
Members are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that reflects positively upon themselves, their teammates, and the San Francisco Fog R.F.C - whether that is with other teammates, within our community, with other rugby teams, with the Northern California Rugby Football Union, USA Rugby, our coaches, referees, or spectators.
Fog members are expected to display good sportsmanship conduct in club events, both on and off the pitch.
- Sportsmanlike conduct includes showing respect and consideration in language and behavior toward all whom are in attendance at an athletic event: officials, coaches, athletes, opponents, spectators, and the media.
- Unsportsmanlike conduct includes inappropriate behavior in language, gesture, or action that demeans, physically intimidates, or endangers others, not just during athletic competition but also during other activities of the club.
- Good sportsmanship conduct also implies winning with character and losing with dignity, both with class.
4. Harassment-Free Environment
Every member of the S.F. Fog organization has the right to participate in an environment free from harassment. The San Francisco Fog R.F.C. does not tolerate harassment in connection with any of its internal or external business, sport or related activities. All members are expected to conduct themselves accordingly. Harassment is defined as any behavior fitting one or more of the following criteria:
A) Personal Harassment: Behavior, including communication, conduct or gesture, which:
(i) Is insulting, intimidating, humiliating, hurtful, malicious, degrading, or otherwise offensive to an individual or group of individuals; and
(ii) Which would be considered by a reasonable person to create an intimidating, humiliating or uncomfortable sport-related environment.
B) Sexual Harassment: Behavior involving unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors or other communication (verbal or written) or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:
(i) Such conduct might be expected to cause unreasonable embarrassment, insecurity, discomfort, offense or humiliation to another person or group; or
(ii) Submission to such conduct is made, implicitly or explicitly, a condition of participation in a sport-related activity; or as a basis for any sport-related decision.
AND (in case of either i or ii)
(iii) Such conduct has the purpose or the effect of creating an overall intimidating, hostile, offensive, or uncomfortable environment.
Member Complaints and Adjudication
The SF Fog R.F.C. Board of Directors has established procedures for members to register a complaint and to adjudicate issues related to the code of conduct. If you believe that you have a valid complaint, or feel that you should intervene on behalf of another individual; please contact a member of the Board of Directors, who will initiate the process. The San Francisco Fog R.F.C will take whatever action is needed, up to and including disciplinary or dismissal action, to prevent and correct behavior that violates the organization's code of conduct expected of its participants. The Board will handle complaints with privacy, courtesy, and without animosity.
