Fair Play Code

Restoring sportsmanship, integrity and respect in sport. The Fair Play Code outlines the standards of behaviour expected by everyone involved in sport in Victoria.

What are the principles of the Fair Play Code?

There are 5 principles at the heart of the Fair Play Code.

Integrity
Respect
Responsibility
Safety
Fairness.

These principles apply to everyone involved in sport in Victoria, no matter what role they play.

As an individual, team, club, league or association, or organisation - if you encounter bad behaviour, either on or off the sporting field, refer to the Fair Play Code.

Victoria's sporting organisations who receive funding from the Victorian Government are required to actively promote, adhere to and enforce the Fair Play Code.

Watch the videos below for an explaination of each of the principles, or jump to Application of the Fair Play Code.

Transcript

Fair Play Code – Integrity.

Text: Victoria State Government.

Vision: View of Meg Lanning getting ready in the stands.

Text: Fair Play Code. It’s Your Code.

Meg Lanning

I’m Meg Lanning, Captain of the Victorian and Australian Women’s Cricket teams.

Vision: View of Meg Lanning spinning the cricket bat.

Meg Lanning

The Fair Play Code sends a loud and clear message that bad behaviour, violence, cheating and intimidation has no place in sport and recreation in Victoria.

Vision: View of Meg Lanning standing on the oval holding a cricket ball.

Meg Lanning

At the heart of the Fair Play Code are the values that will encourage fair play for all.

Vision: Close-up view of cricket ball with Integrity written on it. View of the five core standards – Integrity. Respect. Responsibility. Fairness. Safety with Integrity coming to the foreground. View of Meg Lanning in the stands.

Meg Lanning

Be honest, fair and respectful, trustworthy, reliable and transparent in dealings with others.

Vision: Close-up view of the Spirit logo on Meg’s shirt.

Meg Lanning

Avoid any real or perceived conflicts of interest. Say no to performance enhancing or illicit drugs and say no to match fixing, illegal sports betting and corruption in sport. I’m Meg Lanning. Be Fair. Play Fair.

Vision: View of the 5 core standards – Integrity. Respect. Responsibility. Fairness. Safety

Text: Be Fair. Play Fair. www.sport.vic.gov.au/fair-play-code.

Text: Victoria State Government. Authorised by the Department of Health & Human Services, 50 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. Spoken by M. Lanning.

Transcript

Fair Play Code – Respect

Vision: View of Dylan Alcott playing tennis and close-up of tennis ball.

Text: Fair Play Code. It’s Your Code.

Vision: View of Dylan spinning his tennis racquet on the tennis court.

Dylan Alcott

I’m Dylan Alcott.

Vision: Close-up view of tennis net and shadow of wheelchair showing wheel turning.

Dylan Alcott

The Fair Play Code sends a loud and clear message that bad behaviour, violence, cheating and intimidation has no place in sport and recreation in Victoria.

Vision: View of Dylan holding a tennis ball with ‘respect’ written on it.

Dylan Alcott

At the heart of the Fair Play Code are the 5 core values that will encourage fair play for all.

Vision: View of the 5 core standards – Integrity. Respect. Responsibility. Fairness. Safety. View of Respect coming to the foreground. View of Dylan on the tennis court.

Dylan Alcott

With everyone involved in sport and recreation in a considerate and courteous manner with proper regard for their rights, dignity and worth.

Vision: View of a spinning tennis racquet and Dylan playing tennis.

Dylan Alcott

Refrain from any form of discrimination, harassment, bullying, abuse or child abuse and say no to victimisation or vilification of others on the basis of age, race, sex, disability, sexuality, gender identity or religion.

Vision: View of Dylan playing tennis. View of Dylan shaking hands and close-up of his wheelchair.

Dylan Alcott

Recognise and value the contribution of everyone, including volunteers, coaches, officials and administrators who give up their time to make sport and recreation happen. I’m Dylan Alcott. Be Fair. Play Fair.

Vision: View of the 5 core standards – Integrity. Respect. Responsibility. Fairness. Safety.

Text: Be Fair. Play Fair. www.sport.vic.gov.au/fair-play-code.

Text: Victoria State Government. Authorised by the Department of Health & Human Services, 50 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. Spoken by D. Alcott.

Transcript

Fair Play Code – Responsibility.

Text: Victoria State Government.

Vision: View of Western Bulldogs sign and Lin Jong standing in front of it. View of Lin playing with the football.

Text: Fair Play Code. It’s Your Code.

Vision: View of Lin Jong.

Lin Jong

I’m Lin Jong from the Western Bulldogs Football Club.

Vision: View of Lin in front of goal posts.

Lin Jong

The Fair Play Code sends a loud and clear message that bad behaviour, violence, cheating and intimidation has no place in sport and recreation in Victoria.

Vision: View of Lin holding a football with ‘responsibility’ written on it.

Lin Jong

At the heart of the Fair Play Code are the values that will encourage fair play for all.

Vision: View of the 5 core standards – Integrity. Respect. Responsibility. Fairness. Safety with Responsibility coming to the foreground. View of Lin in front of trophy cabinet.

Lin Jong

Consider and accept the consequences of your actions and decisions.

Vision: View of trophies. View of Lin’s reflection in the cabinet.

Lin Jong

Be a positive role model by displaying self-control, respect and care towards everyone involved in sport and recreation.

Vision: View of Lin playing with the football on the AFL grounds.

Lin Jong

Understand the possible consequences of breaching the Fair Play Code and immediately report any potential breaches to appropriate authorities.

Vision: View of Lin in stands.

Lin Jong

I’m Lin Jong. Be Fair. Play Fair.

Vision: View of the 5 core standards – Integrity. Respect. Responsibility. Fairness. Safety.

Text: Be Fair. Play Fair. www.sport.vic.gov.au/fair-play-code.

Text: Victoria State Government. Authorised by the Department of Health & Human Services, 50 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. Spoken by L Jong.

Transcript

Fair Play Code – Safety

Text: Victoria State Government.

Vision: View of player receiving physiotherapy from Dr Rio.

Text: Fair Play Code. It’s Your Code.

Dr Ebony Rio

I’m Doctor Ebony Rio, Sports Physiotherapist at the Victorian Institute of Sport.

Vision: View of Dr Rio watching sport.

Dr Ebony Rio

The Fair Play Code sends a loud and clear message that bad behaviour, violence, cheating and intimidation has no place in sport and recreation in Victoria.

Vision: View of Safety signage being held by Dr Rio.

Dr Ebony Rio

At the heart of the Fair Play Code are the 5 core values that will encourage fair play for all.

Vision: View of the 5 core standards – Integrity. Respect. Responsibility. Fairness. Safety. View of Safety coming to the foreground. View of player receiving physiotherapy from Dr Rio.

Dr Ebony Rio

Provide a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment that places the health, welfare and wellbeing of participants above all else.

Vision: View of weight being fitted to bar and athlete lifting that bar.

Dr Ebony Rio

Take all reasonable steps to ensure equipment, facilities and programs meet health and safety standards and are appropriate to the age and ability of participants.

Vision: View of athlete using gym equipment. View of Dr Rio working with athlete.

Dr Ebony Rio

Support policies and practises in relation to injury management, return to play, adverse weather and child safe standards, show concern and caution towards others who may be sick or injured, and immediately report any safety issues to appropriate authorities.

Vision: View of Dr Rio speaking from the running track.

Dr Ebony Rio

I’m Doctor Ebony Rio. Be fair. Play Fair.

Vision: View of the 5 core standards – Integrity. Respect. Responsibility. Fairness. Safety.

Text: Be Fair. Play Fair. www.sport.vic.gov.au/fair-play-code.

Text: Victoria State Government. Authorised by the Department of Health & Human Services, 50 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. Spoken by E. Rio.

Transcript

Fair Play Code – Fairness.

Text: Victoria State Government.

Vision: View of Indiana Budimir and others. View of Indiana shaking hands with a player and blowing a whistle.

Text: Fair Play Code. It’s Your Code.

Vision: View of Indiana talking with other umpires.

Indiana Budimir

I’m Indiana Budimir and I’m an AFL umpire.

Vision: View of AFL players lined up for game. View of umpire’s hands behind back.

Indiana Budimir

The Fair Play Code sends a loud and clear message that bad behaviour, violence, cheating and intimidation has no place in sport and recreation in Victoria.

Vision: View of Indiana blowing the whistle to start game and holding the football.

Indiana Budimir

At the heart of the Fair Play Code are the values that will encourage fair play for all.

Vision: View of the 5 core standards – Integrity. Respect. Responsibility. Fairness. Safety with Fairness coming to the foreground. View of Indiana shaking hands with players at the end of a game.

Indiana Budimir

Understanding and playing by the rules and spirit of sport and recreation is important. Be consistent and impartial.

Vision: View of Indiana throwing football into game. View of players sitting on ground.

Indiana Budimir

Be a good sport by encouraging and praising fair play over winning at all costs and provide a fair go to people of all abilities to help them reach their full potential. I’m Indiana Budimir. Be fair. Play fair.

Vision: View of the 5 core standards – Integrity. Respect. Responsibility. Fairness. Safety

Text: Be Fair. Play Fair. www.sport.vic.gov.au/fair-play-code.

Text: Victoria State Government. Authorised by the Department of Health & Human Services, 50 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. Spoken by I Budimir.

Application of the Fair Play Code

The Fair Play Code outlines appropriate standards of behaviour to enable every Victorian to be involved in fair, safe and welcoming sport and active recreation. The Fair Play Code is guided by the 5 principles of Integrity, Safety, Respect, Fairness and Responsibility.

The information below provides detail on the application of the Fair Play Code and advice on how it can be applied within your organisation.

Organisation application

The Fair Play Code applies to:

Victorian community clubs
Victorian associations and leagues
Victorian state sporting associations
Victorian based national sporting organisations
Regional Sports Assemblies and Victorian Regional Academies of Sport
Victorian government funded high-performance organisations
Victorian local government authorities receiving funding from the Victorian Government
any organisation with a funding agreement in place with Sport and Recreation Victoria (SRV).

Individual application

The Fair Play Code applies to every person involved in sport and active recreation in Victoria, including:

players
parents
spectators
coaches
administrators
officials
members.

Commitments under the Fair Play Code

Local council

Ensure all sport and active recreation organisations using council facilities are promoting the Fair Play Code.
Ensure Fair Play Code messaging is available and visible at all council facilities.

Officials and volunteers

Be informed about, abide by, and promote compliance with the Fair Play Code.
Report potential Fair Play Code breaches to the appropriate authorities.

Players/participants

Understand the Fair Play Code and how it applies when participating in sport. This includes understanding your rights and obligations as a player/participant.
Calling out all forms of bad behaviour.

Parents

Educate children about the importance of demonstrating good sportsmanship and modelling these behaviours.
Understand the actions that can be taken when there is a potential breach of the Fair Play Code.

Spectators and members of the public

Abide by the Fair Play Code when attending sport and recreation training, events and activities.
Encourage good sportsmanship and positive behaviours at all times.

State sporting associations and active recreation bodies

Include the Fair Play Code in your policy documentation.
Ensure your organisation has systems and processes in place to manage a complaint or breach of the Fair Play Code.

Leagues, associations and clubs

Actively adhere to and promote the Fair Play Code throughout your networks and at your facilities.
Educate everyone in your organisation about the Fair Play Code and ensure it’s part of any induction process.
Make sure the Fair Play Code is readily available and visible to everyone.

Organisations and the Fair Play Code

How does the Fair Play Code apply to organisation policies?

The Fair Play Code should be referenced in the relevant policies. For example:

Member Protection
Child Safeguarding
Complaints
Disputes
Discipline Policies.

Ensuring the Fair Play Code is included in the relevant policies allows organisations to effectively manage breaches of the Fair Play Code under the applicable policy.

Where an organisation has their own Code of Conduct, it is expected that Code of Conduct aligns with the principles of the Fair Play Code and clearly outlines expected standards of behaviour for all involved in their organisation.

Organisations receiving funding from the Victorian Government through SRV are required to adhere to and promote the Fair Play Code.

It is the responsibility of all Victorian organisations to support fair, inclusive and safe activities by ensuring the principles of the Fair Play Code are being adhered to.

What does being a Fair Play Organisation mean?

Being a Fair Play Organisation means supporting good sportsmanship, exercising integrity and respect, and speaking out against bad behaviour.

Organisations receiving Victorian Government funding must adhere to and promote the Fair Play Code.

How do I become a Fair Play Organisation?

You can become a Fair Play Organisation by:

making sure the Fair Play Code is visible throughout your facility and constantly promote its values and principles
promoting positive behaviour
calling out bad behaviour
using the Fair Play Code Implementation and Action Plan Tool to assist your organisation in implementing better policies and practices that support fair, inclusive and safe sport.

The Fair Play Code Implementation and Action Plan

The new Fair Play Code Implementation and Action Plan is the best tool to assist organisations in applying the Fair Play Code.

The Plan provides practical step-by-step actions against each of the 5 Fair Play Code principles.

Download the Fair Play Code Implementation and Action Plan

Download: Fair Play Code Implementation and Action Plan ( , 247.4 KB)

Download: Fair Play Code Implementation and Action Plan - Accessible ( , 177.0 KB)

What is the Fair Play Code for Tenants Form?

Organisations or local councils who seek funding from the Victorian Government for a sporting facility must complete the Fair Play Code for Tenants.

Please note:

all fields of the form must be completed by an authorised representative of the organisation.
the form must be included as part of the funding application.
the organisation must actively adhere to and promote the Fair Play Code to be eligible for funding.

How can I promote my club, league or association as a Fair Play organisation?

To promote the Fair Play code, you can:

promote the Fair Play Code via social media channels and on your website
download the Fair Play Code posters, 'Our club is a fair play club' poster (PDF 75.5 KB) and supporting information to display at your venue. See Supporting Resources
make sure your members know the Fair Play Code, and include it in your induction process for new members.

How do I deal with breaches of the Fair Play Code?

It is the responsibility of every organisation to ensure breaches of the Fair Play Code are acted on and managed appropriately.

Breaches should be managed against your organisations relevant policy, utilising the systems and processes your sport has in place.

Including details of the Fair Play Code and its behavioural expectations within your policies will ensure you have the support of a formal policy to act on breaches.

Fair Play Code breaches should be reported to the appropriate organisation:

your state sporting association
Vicsport - represents sport organisations in Victoria
Sport Integrity Australia – provides national policy direction and complaints support on integrity issues for those sports that are signed up to the National Integrity Framework
Sport Australia – provides strategic guidance, leadership and funding for sports in Australia
the Commission for Children and Young People is the regulatory body for the Victorian Child Safe Standards. It provides publications, useful links, resources and support for the Child Safe Standards and the Reportable Conduct Scheme.
the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission provides a range of functions and services to protect and promote human rights in Victoria. It can investigate complaints where someone has experienced discrimination, sexual harassment, victimisation or racial and religious vilification
Club Help – a service supporting Clubs to operate so that everyone feels welcome, safe and respected
National Sports Tribunal – an Australian Government service which provides independent, effective and efficient dispute resolution services to sporting bodies, athletes and support personnel.

Who are our Fair Play ambassadors?

Dylan Alcott – former international wheelchair tennis champion
Indiana Budimir – community AFL football umpire
Meg Lanning – professional Australian cricketer
Dr Ebonie Rio – Victorian Institute of Sport physiotherapist
Lin Jong – former Western Bulldogs player.

Supporting Resources

Posters and promotional material

LGBTIQA+ inclusion in sport and active recreation resources

Organisations

Proud2Play

Proud 2 Play approaches LGBTI+ inclusion in sport from all angles to provide grassroots organisations, clubs, state and national sporting organisations and other sporting associations with education, inclusive policies and procedures, inclusive events and improvements in LGBTI+ visibility in their sport.

Visit the Proud2Play website.

Play by the Rules

Play by the Rules provides information, resources, tools and free online training to increase the capacity and capability of administrators, coaches, officials, players, parents and spectators to assist them in preventing and dealing with discrimination, harassment, child safety, inclusion and integrity issues in sport.

Visit the Play by the Rules website.

Download Fair Play Code LGBTIQA+ Trans and Gender Diverse Resources (DOCX 173.62 KB) .

Further information and assistance

For more information about the Fair Play Code or to receive promotional material for your organisation, contact sportprograms@sport.vic.gov.au.

For support for sporting organisations to put policies and guidelines in place to deal with unlawful or inappropriate behaviour like abuse, harassment, unfair treatment and discrimination, see Play by the Rules.

Fair Play Code

On this page:

What are the principles of the Fair Play Code?