For the attention of all club secretaries, players, managers, supporters and referees.

At the start of January, we held a league meeting, which the majority of club secretaries attended. During the meeting, the issue of discipline was raised and discussed in full. At this time, we have highlighted to the club secretaries that discipline in the league is at its worst point collectively since our inception in 1979 and it is a matter which we are not prepared to allow to continue.

The league's mission statement sets out how we wish to run the league and the behaviour of those who participate. We repeat it below as a reminder:

To enable Christian and non-Christian men alike to participate in a capably organised league in a manner, both on and off the field of play, that is morally, decently and ethically sound of action and speech and is honouring to the name of Jesus Christ.

During the meeting, much was said about how the professional game is portrayed, how certain players and incidents influence those who watch or play and how society’s general influence drives the behaviour of those taking part in the league.

This is not a view we share.

We believe that the standards we set ourselves and each other, should be at the highest level. If this is higher than football and/or society in general, then we should stretch ourselves to be the best we can be, rather than fall to the lowest common denominator.

This does not mean that games should be non-competitive, or stripped of every emotion that only football can bring.

It does mean however, that:

• We respect the referee’s decision, even if we do not agree at the time.
• If the referee is prepared to discuss a decision with you, any observations or comments are made in an appropriate manner.
• Please remember the referee is a human being like you and will be simply doing their best to manage the game to the best of their ability. Sometimes mistakes will occur, this is human nature, much as you will make mistakes during the game e.g. a mis-placed pass, missing a shot or tackle, making a tactical mistake.
• We do not swear.
  We have a provided an instruction to all referees that within this league, if a referee hears and is able to identify if a player is swearing, the player is dismissed. We appreciate that sometimes it may be difficult to manage this, but this is the only way we can implement a fair and consistent approach to this issue.
• If you remain unhappy with any decisions during a game, you do not vent your anger at the official. There are mechanisms in place for issues that arise during the game to be reported via your club secretary and any discussion should be directed via the club secretary. The club secretary is expected to take a step back and provide a reasoned commentary if it is deemed necessary to report it.
• We behave in an appropriate manner to each other. This includes not trash talking to an opposition player/official, use inappropriate language or dive to gain an advantage.

If you find it difficult to accept the above points, then we suggest that you consider if this is the right league for you as a player or club. We do not wish to lose any individual or team, we want the league to operate for Christians and non-Christians alike.

However, if matters do not improve, we are prepared to take those actions available to us to raise the standards of the league and make this a place where teams and officials alike can enjoy playing/officiating football to the highest standards.

Finally, we ask that you take care when using social networking sites e.g. Twitter, Facebook etc. Comments can be read by many people and those that are inappropriate can lead to the intervention of the league and/or the F.A.

The Management Committee
West Midlands Christian Football League