CODE OF CONDUCT

Match Fit exists to build a football community where men can improve their physical and mental wellbeing through regular football, friendship and shared experiences.

Football is the hook. Community is the point.

Whether you're returning to football after years away or playing every week, our aim is to make Match Fit somewhere you genuinely look forward to being part of.

Everyone deserves to feel welcome. Three things guide how we play and how we treat each other.

Community

We encourage every member to:

• Welcome new players.
• Get to know the people in your squad.
• Support teammates both on and off the pitch.
• Help create an environment people genuinely enjoy being part of.
• Leave the club in a better place than you found it.

Wellbeing

We play for:

• Fitness
• Mental wellbeing
• Friendship
• Routine
• Fun

Winning games is great. Helping someone enjoy football again is even better.

Fair Play

Competitive football is part of Match Fit. Winning at all costs isn't. We expect members to:

• Play the ball, not the player.
• Respect referees and their decisions.
• Compete hard, but fairly.
• Win and lose with humility.
• Celebrate good football, whoever produces it.

Strong players lift weaker players. They don't bully them.

Please help create the type of football we'd all want to play every Friday.

Safety

• Reckless tackles have no place at Match Fit.
• Adjust your intensity to the players around you.
• Respect injuries. If someone is hurt, stop play immediately.

Respect

• Respect referees.
• Respect opponents.
• Respect teammates.
• Disagreements happen. They're settled with a handshake, not an argument.

Squad First

• Captains should encourage squad rotation where appropriate.
• Giving a less experienced player five minutes up front can be more valuable than winning 25-0.
• Everyone deserves meaningful involvement.

WhatsApp & Social Media

Football banter is encouraged. We don't want to sanitise personality or emotion. However, we do expect members to avoid:

• Bullying or harassment
• Racism
• Sexism
• Homophobia
• Discrimination of any kind
• Personal abuse
• Deliberately provoking conflict

Please keep politics and religion away from Match Fit channels so everyone feels welcome. Represent Match Fit positively both online and offline.

Reliability

If you've committed to playing, please do your best to attend. If something changes, let your captain know as early as possible. Reliable attendance helps everyone enjoy the league.

Respect

Our organisers, referees and captains all give up their own time to make Match Fit happen. Please treat them with the same respect you'd expect yourself.

Facilities & Equipment

Please help look after:

• Pitches
• Goals
• Footballs
• Bibs
• Shared equipment

Leave facilities as you'd hope to find them.

Participation is at your own risk. You are responsible for ensuring you are medically fit to play.

If you:

• have an injury,
• have a medical condition,
• are taking medication that could affect your participation,

please let an organiser know before kick-off. This information will be treated sensitively.

If you feel unwell during a session, stop playing immediately and tell someone. Anyone whose behaviour is significantly affected by alcohol or drugs may be refused participation.

The overwhelming majority of players will never need to think about this section. However, to protect the community, Match Fit reserves the right to investigate behaviour that falls below our standards.

Depending on the circumstances, action may include:

• Informal conversation
• Formal warning
• Permanent removal from Match Fit

Where appropriate, decisions will be made fairly and proportionately.