Sharon Soccer Association Code of Conduct

In order to advance the principles of sportsmanship and fair play and to promote mutual respect among players, coaches, officials and spectators, the Sharon Soccer Association has adopted this Code of Conduct.


The Code of Conduct shall govern the actions of players, coaches and spectators. The Code is intended to provide behavioral guidance and establish clear expectations for all involved. The Code was not conceived to address every possible behavioral circumstance, however, it shall serve as SSA's standard for behavioral evaluation. It shall be the obligation of all program participants, spectators and volunteers, to comply with the terms and provisions of the Code of Conduct.

You will

You will not


Any player receiving a red card or who is ejected from a game shall (at a minimum) not participate in the next league game and will be subject to discipline from the South Shore Soccer League AND review by the SSA Board.

At the discretion of the team's Head Coach, a player may be taken out of a game or removed from any SSA-sponsored activity for conduct which is not consistent with the above Code.


Coaches, Officials, Parents and Spectators

The Board of Directors of Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association, Inc. (Mass Youth Soccer) and the leaders of the affiliated leagues are concerned about the conduct of all coaches and referees during games at all levels, from recreational to premier to ODP.  We want to ensure that games are fair, positive and enjoyable experiences for all of the children and adults involved. A soccer game should be friendly and unifying - a spirited social and athletic occasion for players, coaches, referees and spectators. To clarify expectations of coach conduct, we jointly expect all coaches to conform to this Code of Conduct:


Coach's Conduct: 


We stress two points:

Referees, especially young and inexperienced ones, are like your players and yourself, in that they need time to develop. You can play an important role in helping them to improve by letting them concentrate on the game. You can help by encouraging them, by accepting their inevitable, occasional mistakes and by offering constructive post-game comments. On the other hand, you could discourage and demoralize the referees by criticizing their decisions, by verbally abusing them and inciting, or even accepting, your own players' overly aggressive behavior. Your example is powerful, for better or worse. If you insist on fair play, if you concentrate on your players' enjoyment of the game and their overall, long term development, and if you support the referee, your players and their parents will notice. If you encourage (or allow) your players to play outside the rules, if you're overly concerned about results, and if you criticize the referee harshly, your players and their parents will also notice. Think about what you're doing during a game! Uphold the Spirit of the Game! If you follow the expectations described above, the spirit of the game will be alive and well in Massachusetts and will grow, along with the enjoyment of all. Coaches who don't follow the expectations described above will be disciplined or removed.