Code of Conduct

§ 121-10 § 121-12

ARTICLE III

Youth Sports Code of Conduct [Adopted 5-21-2002 by Ord. No. 7-2002]
§ 121-10. Definitions.

As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:

CODE OF CONDUCT — A written specification of the behavior of parents, guardians, coaches and officials prepared by each sports team, which must at a minimum incorporate the requirements of Article III of Chapter 121 of the Logan Township Code. The code of conduct shall be agreed to in writing by the parents or legal guardian of each minor participant as well as each participant of each youth sports team that receives funds from the Township of Logan or utilizes any facility owned, operated or maintained by the Township of Logan.

YOUTH SPORTS EVENT — Any competition, practice or instructional event involving one or more youth sports team.

YOUTH SPORTS TEAM — As used in this article, 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 Logan Township or the Logan Township Youth, Parks and Recreation Committee or utilizes any facilities owned, operated or maintained by Logan Township, which sports organization participates in sporting competitions involving minors.

PARK ATTENDANTS — As used in this article, shall include 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.

§ 121-11. Requirement to establish a code of conduct.
  1. Every youth sports team shall be required to establish an athletic code of conduct incorporating at a minimum the requirements of Article III of Chapter 121 of the Logan Township Code. Every visiting youth sports team shall be required to abide by the athletic code of conduct established by the hosting Logan Township youth sports team.
  2. The parents and guardians of each child participating in a youth sports team shall be required by the youth sports team to execute an agreement acknowledging receipt of said youth sports team athletic code of conduct and agreeing to be bound thereby. The parents and guardians of each child participating as part of a visiting youth sports team shall have agreed to abide by the requirements of this article as stipulated by their youth sports team, and they shall be bound thereby.
§ 121-12. Proscribed behavior or acts.
  1. Prohibitions.§ 121-12 § 121-15
    1. The initiation of a fight, scuffle or any type of physical abuse or threats of abuse towards any player, coach, official, parent or spectator.
    2. The entering of 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.
    3. The verbal abuse of officials, players or spectators, including the use of obscene or profane language or gestures, racial, ethnic or sexual slurs.
    4. Throwing or causes to be deposited any object on the field of play, court or rink during any youth sports event.
  2. All proscribed activity engaged in on the public property of the Township of Logan as herein above defined is hereby prohibited.
  3. Logan Soccer Club operating under the auspices of US Club Soccer complies with and supports the prohibited conduct policies of US Club. Detailed policies can be found here.
§ 121-13. Engaging in proscribed activities.

Persons engaging in proscribed activities shall be deemed in violation of this article and shall be subject to an action brought in the Logan Township Municipal Court.

§ 121-14. Posting of code of conduct.
  1. The code of conduct, including the proscribed activities, shall be posted, by the Township of Logan, at the entrance to each facility owned, operated or maintained by the Township of Logan that is used for youth sporting events.
  2. The code of conduct, including the proscribed activities, shall be sent, via certified mail, to each visiting youth sports team that is headquartered outside of Logan Township which may be utilizing any facility that is owned, operated or maintained by the Township of Logan.
  3. It shall be the responsibility of each Logan Township youth sports organization to provide the Township Clerk with the name and address of each visiting youth sports team that must receive notice of this code of conduct. This list shall be provided to the Township Clerk at least 60 days prior to the start of the respective season, and any additions during the season shall be forwarded to the Township Clerk at least 10 days prior to the athletic event.
§ 121-15. Authority of youth sports officials.
  1. 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 article or the applicable youth sports team’s code of conduct to immediately remove themselves from the premises.§ 121-15 § 121-18
  2. Any Logan Township police officer may be requested to assist the appropriate authority in directing the removal of any person that may be in the act of violating or had violated this article or the sponsoring youth sports team’s code of conduct.
§ 121-16. Enforcement.
  1. Any police officer or special officer duly appointed by the Mayor and Township Council is hereby authorized and empowered to take into custody any such person who may be in the act of violating the provisions of this article.
  2. The Logan Township Youth, Parks and Recreation Committee and park attendants shall, in conjunction with their duties imposed by law, diligently enforce the provisions of this article.
  3. The Logan Township Youth, Parks and Recreation Committee and any park attendant shall have the authority to request any police officer or special officer duly appointed by the Mayor and Township Council to eject from the park or recreational area any person or persons acting in violation of this article.
  4. The Logan Township Youth, Parks and Recreation Committee and any park attendant shall have the authority to request any police officer or special officer duly appointed by the Mayor and Township Council to seize and confiscate any property, thing or device in the park or recreational area, or used, in violation of this article.
  5. Any person empowered with authority in accordance with § 121-15 of this article shall have responsibility of bringing an action in the Logan Township Municipal Court against any person that violates the provisions of this article.
§ 121-17. Jurisdiction of Municipal Court.

Under N.J.S.A. 2B:12-17, the Logan Township Municipal Court has jurisdiction over violations of municipal ordinances.

§ 121-18. Violations and penalties.
  1. Any person convicted of violating this article shall be banned from attendance at all youth sports events within the Township of Logan for a period of up to 12 months from the date of the incident, at the discretion of the Logan Township Municipal Court.
  2. Any person convicted of violating this article that involved the physical abuse of any parent, guest, spectator, coach, player or official at any youth sports event shall be banned from attendance at all youth sports events within the Township of Logan for a period of 12 months from the date of the incident.
  3. Any person banned for 12 months from youth sports events for a violation of this article shall, prior to being allowed to resume attendance in any sports event, 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§ 121-18 § 121-19
    satisfactory completion to the Logan Township Municipal Court. Any banning for less than 12 months may include up to 12 hours of anger management or equivalent counseling program at the discretion of the Logan Township Municipal Court.
  4. Any person found guilty of violating this article shall be subject to a fine in an amount not to exceed $500 per violation, community service up to 50 hours, or both, which fine and/or community service will be assessed by the Municipal Court in its discretion, plus court costs.
  5. Any person who is convicted of violating this article within one year of the date of a previous violation of this article and who was fined or sentenced to community service for the previous violation shall be sentenced to a fine not less than $500 and not to exceed $1,000 and shall be sentenced to up to 100 hours of community service that shall be assessed by the Municipal Court in its discretion, plus court costs.
  6. Any person who is convicted of violating this article and previously was banned from youth sports events for a period of 12 months, who violates this article a third time, shall be banned from attending all youth sports events within the Township of Logan permanently.
  7. The anger management or equivalent counseling may be obtained from a private or public source at the expense of the person convicted of violating this article and subject to the approval of the Municipal Court. The Municipal Court shall determine the minimum criteria for such counseling in its discretion.
§ 121-19. Article in addition to other ordinances or law.

The ordinance codified in this article is in addition to and not in derogation of any other ordinance or law involving any of the subject matters contained in this article.