Unacceptable Behaviour Policy

It is the policy of Cowdenbeath Football Club to protect the rights of all members of the public, supporters, players, officials and members of staff, in so far as it is possible to do so, and to attempt first to prevent and then to respond effectively to any abusive, offensive or unacceptable behaviour.

To continue the drive to stamp out racism, Cowdenbeath Football Club will commit to the UEFA Ten Point Plan of Action for Professional Football Clubs. This requires us to …

1 Issue a statement saying the club will not tolerate racism, spelling out the action it will take against those engaged in racist chanting. The statement should be printed in all match programmes and displayed permanently and prominently around the ground.

2 Make public address announcements condemning racist chanting at matches.

3 Make it a condition for season ticket holders that they do not take part in racist abuse.

4 Take action to prevent the sale of racist literature inside and outside the ground.

5 Take disciplinary action against players who engage in racial abuse.

6 Contact other clubs to make sure they understand the club's policy on racism.

7 Encourage a common strategy between stewards and police for dealing with racist abuse.

8 Remove all racist graffiti from the ground as a matter of urgency.

9 Adopt an equal opportunities policy in relation to employment and service provision.

10 Work with all other groups and agencies, such as the players union, supporters, schools, voluntary organisations, youth clubs, sponsors, local authorities, local businesses and police, to develop pro-active programmes and make progress to raise awareness of campaigning to eliminate racial abuse and discrimination.

Cowdenbeath Football Club will not limit unacceptable behaviour to racism, though. Any form of behaviour which discriminates on the basis of race, religion, sex or sexual orientation is unacceptable.

Examples of measures Cowdenbeath Football Club might consider

(Measures in bold have been put into place or used during the year 2007-2008)

Preventative Measures

• To participate in organised events reflecting key anti-discrimination issues
• Weblink from club website to one or more of the various anti-discrimination websites
• Implement a system to assist supporters in the self policing of supporter conduct at matches
• Offer the tangible support of its players and officials in the form of club publicity including:

•  1st team player and manager attendance at events/launches

•  player and manager anti-discrimination interviews

• Anti-discriminatory pre-match & half-time PA announcements
• Anti-discrimination perimeter hoarding
• Full participation in anti-discrimination weeks of action
• Provision of competition prizes (signed shirt, football and match tickets)
• By incorporating a clear policy against discrimination within the club and incorporating this policy in supporter charters and communicating it around the stadium and on the club website
• By adopting UEFA's Ten Point Plan against Racism
• Ensure that every match ticket carries a warning that a breach of the club's rules on Unacceptable Conduct will lead to exclusion from the ground
• The exclusion (by devising strategy and liaison with local authority) of unacceptable material from within the stadium and its immediate surroundings including the removal of such material following any event at the stadium
• Appropriate pre-match and half-time entertainment to reflect a positive image of the club and challenge any motions of discrimination amongst club supporters
• Praising and reinforcing good behaviour
• Develop a strategy to identify offending “supporters” at home matches by agreeing a course of action with police and stewards to enable these “supporters” to be removed and barred
• Develop a strategy to identify offending “supporters” at away matches by agreeing a course of action with local police and opposition clubs to enable these “supporters” to be removed and barred

Responsive Actions

• Use of consistent, effective enforcement measures where unacceptable conduct is evident amongst supporters, including the use of warnings, short term and permanent bans
• Take disciplinary action against any employee or official at the club who engages in Unacceptable Conduct

•  Publicise the action taken by the club and make this available to the media as a deterrent to others

•  Keep clear records of the number of supporters ejected from the stadium and make this freely available.