Clifton Barfefoot Bravehearts Game Plan

Barefoot Brave Hearts

Game Plan

2 Clifton Barefoot Brave Hearts Sports Game Plan

Sports Strategy & Policy Document Developed July 2000, Revisions: August 2002, July 2003, June 2005,

July 2008, December 2009, April 2012 v.11

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction ....................................................................................................... 3

2. All about Sport at Clifton ................................................................................ 4

3. The Bigger Picture ............................................................................................ 5

4. Sports Philosophy and Tactics ........................................................................ 6


1. INTRODUCTION

This Game Plan clearly describes and defines sport at Clifton so that there is consistency in understanding across all stakeholder groups. A key purpose of this document is to provide a framework for coaches to achieve consistency in all teams and sports. It is intended to be a ‘live’ document that is constantly referred and adhered to. It is to be noted, however, that several items under review or design are marked with an asterisk. A time frame for the development of these items is given in Appendix 1. This document will be reviewed and updated annually by the Headmaster and Director of Sport in conjunction with key stakeholders.

Barefoot Brave Hearts

Game Plan


2. ALL ABOUT SPORT AT CLIFTON

“Playing is our passion, Winning is our aim, Defeat is our inspiration,

Participation is the game”. - Sarvesh Parakh (modified from “my” to” our”)

Sport at Clifton is an important dimension in the broad scope of primary

phase learning. The profile of sport will operate alongside academics and

the arts; when managed in the fuller context of the curriculum, our prime

motivation for offering sport is to provide opportunities for our children to

grow:

1. Sportsmanship (Clifton values: integrity, effort, good manners, fair play, tolerance)

o The game, rules and strategy o To do the right thing o Etiquette

2. Be better tomorrow than today (Clifton values: effort, integrity)

o Skill o Effort o Passion o Tenacity

3. Contribution to team (Clifton values: integrity, effort, fair play,

tolerance, citizenship)

o Team first (no “I” in team) o Loyalty o Commitment (digging deep)


3. THE BIGGER PICTURE

1. VISION (DESIRED FUTURE STATE)

Provide a safe, wholesome environment that inspires and grows children who love to be active. Our Barefoot Brave Hearts. “Playing is our passion, Winning is our aim, Defeat is our inspiration, Participation is the game”. - Sarvesh Parakh (“my” modified to “our”)

2. MISSION (WHAT WE DO TO ACHIEVE OUR VISION)

To do so through passionate, motivated coaches who execute a well-designed sports programme* in a manner that is fun, uplifting and effective. *the sports programme comprises the Barefoot Brave Hearts Game Plan, The Coaching Game Plan and is linked to other specific projects.

3. VALUES (THE FRAMEWORK WITHIN WHICH WE OPERATE) a. Citizenship b. Tolerance c. Integrity (be true to yourself) d. Honesty (be true to others) e. Whole hearted effort f. Fair play g. Good manners

4. THE KEY SUCCESS FACTOR

While there are many elements that affect sport, we believe the key success factor to be effective, passionate coaches. For this reason a separate Coaching Game Plan, supported by coaching manuals for each sport, will be established. #1


5. STAKEHOLDERS

Understanding who the key stakeholders are and what their involvement is assists us with communicating and managing expectations. The groups are as follows:

o Players (Barefoot Brave Hearts) o Coaches o Parents o Teachers

6. BRANDING#6

Clifton is excited about incorporating creative ways to develop a common language within sport. The design element of this project is under way and is anticipated to run alongside the Coaching Game Plan.

4. SPORTS PHILOSOPHY AND TACTICS

7. SPORTSMANSHIP

“Playing is our passion, Winning is our aim, Defeat is our inspiration, Participation is the game”. - Sarvesh Parakh (“my” modified to “our”) The Coaching Game Plan is intended to define how Clifton plans to deliver consistently against this objective. #1

8. COMPETITIVE SPORT

The definition of competition: “the aim to win through healthy rivalry with clearly defined objectives”. The “aim to win” requires behaviours such as whole-hearted effort, sportsmanship, teamwork, positive attitude, tenacity, skills development and passion.


That when we win we celebrate with humility; while losing inspires us to be better than we were the day before.

Clifton’s policy regarding competitive sport is as follows:

Grade 1 and 2 The objective at this age is for children to be exposed to a variety of traditional sports in a manner that is fun, builds awareness, introduces skill, sportsmanship, whole-hearted effort, team work and encourages participation. There is no competition at this level although children do participate at inter-house and Clifton events. Under 9 and above We endeavour to arrange competitive fixtures with other schools for two traditional sports#2 per term. In addition, children participate at inter-house events. In principle, Clifton strives to select the best possible team in each age group for each sport.

9. TEAM AND SQUAD SELECTION

When selecting at the beginning of a season, the intention is that the teams and squads will remain stable. This is to ensure that each group has the opportunity to learn to work together, to be inspired to loyalty and to engender tolerance. That having been said, changes may become necessary during the season. Team selection is the responsibility of the team coach in collaboration with the selection committee. Many factors influence the selection of players for not only the team but for the role they will be chosen to play there. The following provides insight into some of these considerations.


1. Ability of each child, relative to the positions required

The coach will evaluate the strengths of each child, as well as focal points for improvement, relative to where each might make the most valuable contribution to the team. Children will be selected primarily on merit. Note: Merit = skill, ability, team contribution, effort, knowledge of the game, sportsmanship

2. Team dynamics As far as possible Clifton coaches are looking to develop stability within a team so that they learn to work well together. If, for example, a child has performed poorly in a match, the coach may elect to keep him/her in the team both in the interest of continuity and to promote the confidence of the player.

3. Individual development Particularly in the lower age groups, the coach and selection committee may elect to ‘try’ children in different positions, even if not optimal, in order to provide them with exposure for personal development.

4. Context – who are we playing When setting fixtures, consideration will be given to the skill level of the opposition teams relative to Clifton’s. For example, teams will play strength on strength by prior arrangement.

5. Squad vs. Team Team = The number of Brave Hearts required according to the rules of the game Squad = Given that Clifton is a small co-ed school there will be age groups where there are more children than the number required for a team (according to the rules of the game) but insufficient to make up another full team. In such instances a squad will be formed. When selecting Brave Hearts for the team (for fixtures) from the squad, the principle of “strength on strength” will apply.


Selection Evaluation Form

The coach and selection committee will use a selection evaluation form

when making changes to a team or squad during the season. This form

will provide a framework to assist the decision and to ensure

consistency and fairness.

10. INDIVIDUAL SPORT “TEAM” SELECTION

o Swimming squads are selected on merit only (times). Note: to avoid fatigue and support team development, swimmers may not swim all events they have qualified to swim for.

o Tennis teams consist of U11 and open teams which are determined by the external league structures. All teams are selected on merit to build the strongest teams. Note, however, that U11 consists of the best players from U9 – U11.

o Squash selection is driven by performance on the ladder open to all age groups.

11. CAPTAINCY SELECTION#9

The selection of captains will be applied as follows: o At junior to U11, the captaincy is rotated with the exception of the

U11 A and U10 A teams. o At the open level, the captain is selected by the coach o House captains are voted by the Brave Hearts

12. TEAM SELECTION COMMUNICATION

At the beginning of each term, once the coach and selection committee have decided on the teams, these will be posted on the notice board and the website. Should changes occur during the term, the coach will be responsible for advising the affected player/s of the decision. Coaches will communicate the reason for the change in a manner that maintains self-esteem and is motivational. Where appropriate they will assist players with establishing personal development plans. #1


It is the responsibility of the child to update the parent of this discussion. Should the parent have further concerns, they are encouraged to discuss these with their child and the coach in an appropriate forum. If that should not be satisfactory, the Head of Sport may be approached to help achieve a resolution. This procedure will be developed further in the communication project. #8

13. COMPULSORY SPORTS POLICY

Clifton has elected to implement two compulsory sports per term for boys and girls. #2 Rationale The schools that provide healthy competition for Clifton are the larger schools, with several teams in each age group, who want to play only against schools that can offer all their teams a game.

Given that Clifton is relatively small and that we wish to play sport competitively, in order to produce a sufficient number of teams at a fair level of play it is necessary for all the children to participate in the traditional sports.

14. SPORTS OFFERED BY SEASON

Boys:

Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 4

Cricket Rugby Hockey Cricket

Swimming Cross country Athletics Swimming

Soccer Tennis Squash

Girls:

Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 4

Tennis Hockey Soccer Basketball

Swimming Cross country Athletics Swimming

Tennis Squash

Note: there are several sports offered privately, such as horse riding and squash.


15. COMPULSORY SPORTS

The details of compulsory sport will be published on the website.

16. AGE APPROPRIATE PLAY

It is Clifton’s intent to play a child in their own age group with the following notes and exceptions: o Only children who are U9 in Grade 2 would play ‘up’ o Children who are young in grade 3 won’t play ‘down’ o Expressly talented individuals who are younger in a grade may

remain with their peer group but this is at the discretion of the coach and the selection committee

o Some schools demand age appropriate placement which may affect team selection An older child playing ‘down’ or with the younger group is seldom going to occur

17. PROVINCIAL/REGIONAL SPORT Clifton participates in provincial sports as follows: o From U12: Rugby, Cricket, Hockey, Tennis o From U10: Golf and Swimming o No age limit: Horse Riding, Squash

18. SPORT FOR GIRLS – FIXTURES Currently there are fewer fixtures for girls on Saturdays than for boys for the following reasons:

o The majority of primary schools do not play girls’ fixtures on

Saturdays: competition occurs during the week only. o Many of the schools only have one team per age group. o At this time, most schools do not play basketball or soccer and very

few fixtures are available. o Netball is played by other schools but in the same term as hockey.

If introduced, netball would inevitably clash with hockey.


Note: Clifton girls are unable to play hockey on the Michaelhouse artificial turf because it is not available to us in the Michaelhouse hockey season. Our boys are fortunate in that they play their hockey in the Michaelhouse off-season.

Clifton is looking to develop a strategic plan in response to this challenge for girls during the second term 2012.#3

19. PHYSICAL EDUCATION PE is compulsory and occurs during the academic day as depicted below. The full schedule is available on the website.

20. PRACTICE SCHEDULES

When planning practice schedules and fixtures the following is taken into account:

h. Maximising use of facilities i. Utilising the potential of staff j. Offering maximum practice time per sport k. Limiting clashes between fixtures and practices l. Managing practices within the broader curriculum m. Managing “burn-out” of staff and children

There are approximately 16 practice sessions per term per sport the

schedule of which is available on the website.

21. FIXTURES

Playing matches against other schools provides our Brave Hearts an exciting opportunity to experience competition and to participate in a team.

Most fixtures are played on Saturdays, which is a demand placed on Clifton by other schools. Clifton strives to set approximately six competitive fixtures per term from U9 up.


Context for fixture setting:

o Independent schools attempt to collectively coordinate schedules; however, most of the fixture setting is ‘negotiated’ on a ‘school to school’ basis which means that Clifton is often affected by other schools’ schedules.

o Larger schools with four or five teams per age group mostly do not favour fixtures with smaller schools who only have an A and B team because many of their teams would not get to play

o Galas and tennis matches are only set during the week o Girls’ sport, with the exception of hockey, has fixtures during the

week

22. REPORTING AND FEEDBACK

At the end of each term, coaches will provide a written report on each child. Clifton is striving to develop coaches to a point where they are able to provide information such as: #1

Core skills evaluation

Top area of focus for improvement

Biggest achievement/value/contribution

Narrative on child’s attitude towards o Team, self, winning, trying

23. RECOGNITION, AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Junior Primary The approach in the Junior Primary is to encourage skills development rather than to single out a player for any sort of recognition.

Coaches Encouragement and Recognition It is the expectation of coaches to constantly provide constructive, building and motivational feedback to all players. #1

Senior Primary Awards#1 Clifton does not award colours or a mass of trophies. Current research indicates that players know their value and their worth and it is this knowledge that provides true recognition.


Currently there are several team and individual awards

1. Sportsman of the year (grade 7) 2. Sportswoman of the year (grade 7) 3. Sportsmanship Award (Girls) 4. Sportsmanship Award (Boys) 5. Team with the most points in inter-house gala and athletics 6. Athletics and Swimming age group champion trophies are

awarded to the child who has earned the most points for their house in the age group.

Recognition The weekly Clifton’s Headmaster newsletter focuses on recognising helpfulness, good sportsmanship, effort and teamwork achieved in a sport. Commendations from other schools, parents and outside bodies are announced as and when received, at assemblies and in the weekly newsletter.

24. COMMUNICATION

a. Practice Schedule The times and days of practice will appear on the co-curricular programme by the end of the previous term on the website. Midweek fixtures may affect this schedule.

b. Sport Team Announcements Deadlines for team list publication on the website, notice board and in the JP homework books

c. Weekly Sports Fixtures Schedule

The weekly sports schedule of fixtures will appear on the website under the “Sports Info” tab on the Friday of the preceding week.

d. Cancellations and Last Minute Changes

As a rule sports fixtures are only cancelled because of poor weather, illness or colleague school cancellation.


25. RESOURCES AND STRUCTURING This is seen as critical to the success of the Coaching Game Plan; and is currently under design.#5

26. PARENT COACHING SUPPORT

Clifton sport welcomes appropriate and constructive involvement and input from external resources, including parents. Should an external resource be an expert in his/her field of sport, Clifton would welcome the opportunity to explore synergies.

Should such a resource be available, in order to assist Clifton with estimating the potential synergy, it is requested that such suggestions are presented to the Director of Sport.

In order to ensure a positive impact; typically, Clifton would welcome such input in the form of consultation, primarily in training coaches and will not consider direct coaching responsibilities.

27. TEAM IMAGE

a. Codes of Conduct Clifton expects that all stakeholders will support the values of the Barefoot Brave Hearts Game Plan and consequently believes that specific behavioural guidelines are not necessary. However, this will be reviewed along with the Branding Project. #6

b. Uniforms

Refer to the website summary for uniforms.

28. MEDICAL Two fully qualified nursing sisters co-ordinate and manage all aspects of the medical/first aid support offered by the school. A fully equipped Sanatorium is always available and additional qualified personnel are


brought in during peak fixture times. This is the case particularly during the rugby season and at various horse riding events.

Please note that the Coaches Game Plan will incorporate aspects such as first aid training for coaches.

29. TRANSPORT

Due to our location we will provide transport to all sporting fixtures for day-scholars and boarders. The Director of Sport is responsible for transport to sports fixtures and this must be managed in conjunction with the other transport requirements. Assistance from parents for transport is always welcomed and encouraged. Should any parent be travelling to or from a fixture, and willing and able to assist, it would be greatly appreciated. Please advise the Director of Sport in advance. We make the assumption that only parents with 3rd Party Insurance will volunteer.

30. FACILITIES

Clifton management look to the Board to provide funding for sporting facilities. An annual review of the facilities is conducted and a list of priorities for expenditure periodically updated.

Capital Expenditure #7

The most recent project, now completed, is the heating of the swimming pool which was funded by the Parents’ Association. The 10 year plan is to develop an indoor centre in year six and an artificial hockey surface in year 10. Maintenance An annual maintenance plan is in place.


31. EQUIPMENT

The head of sport is responsible for ensuring a quarterly pre- and post-season inventory evaluation for each sport. This supports the maintenance policy for all inventories.

32. BUDGET

The head of sport is responsible for establishing and presenting an annual budget to the Board for non-capital items. Note: all updates to this document will be available on the Clifton website.

Clifton Barfefoot Bravehearts Game Plan

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