Hoops

Conflicts of interests

Sorry to hear that ^anon, but the question you may ask yourself is 'what could I, or anyone else have done about that at the time?'

Agree, that the right people are likely to be out there. Also agree that organisations often lack, for whatever reason, the will or the drive to search for them.

The right person, however may also just not want to do the job!

Remember that being on a board or committee isn't everyone's cup of tea, there needs to be an incentive for them to put their time and effort into this role.

Why do these parents, or past players, officials etc... feel they want to help out their clubs or Associations, what is the attraction for them?

We sometimes look at these matter with one eye closed and don't see it from both angles too...

^Anon, that is a great theory and in practise will make sense to a point. Always the preference for an organisation to find independant people to run them, especially when it comes down to something like sporting organisations so we can avoid issues like nepatism and so on...

The problem, my friend, is that if you look at most organisations in the real world, their players and officials, who would make great club leaders often have kids playing for the organisation as well!

Unless you have big $$$ to bring in a qualified pro, you just need to be more selective when it comes time to vote these people in, perhaps.

COI, See it all the time.

Club boards appoint fellow board members to coach a team and then that same coach continues to act at board level making decisions on what goes on with the team, such as player recruitment, money spent among many other things whilst receiving some form of remuneration as well.

Boards looking after mates and disregarding the overall development of the entire club or association is what is killing grass roots basketball as they are too focused on the top level teams.

Bear "Final piece of advice, if you have Facebook, well either get rid of it or make sure you do not link to anyone under 18 years of age if you are an adult yourself, this may save you quite a lot of percieved trouble..."

Best piece of advice on this forum for a while!

Facebook is a handy way of keeping in touch with a group of underage players, but if you are a coach and want to use it, you would be well advised to set up a profile as "Coach A" and use this to communicate instead of your personal profile so it is a specific profile for a specific purpose. Keep it specifically basketball related. The Coaches own personal profile should not used.

Liking pictures of underage players vomiting at parties, and commenting on teenage girls selfies when they are in bikinis saying "UR gawjus hun!" must be avoided at all costs. I have seen some coaches behaviour on FB border on behaviour Rolf Harris would be proud of.

Yes ^anon, I know some people should not be involved in running clubs or linked to them, however answering the OP, the question is; 'How can people be on a club committee when they have 1 or more children playing at another club??'

Answer: Be up front, open, honest and transparent until you hand over the reigns to the next person. Understand you are only holding a position, one of trust and part of a team. It is not about you!

If the person in question does not possess the right attributes, well there potentially is your problem. Not saying find the perfect person, they don't exist, but find the right person and don't lose them, protect them and use your policies to help you do this...

...jealousy or envy...

^should read, sorry!

In answer to the OP, I can only offer you what I have experienced.

I have been on the board of a basketball club, then my sons moved to another basketball club to grow and devlop at a higher level of competition.

I still help out at the old club, I caoch and help run the club's committee, never had one issue at all.

I have coached many basketball teams, even against my own sons on occasions, once again, never had an issue as I have always been up front and transperant about what I do.

There are rules of operation, constitutions and policy that govern any incorporated association and every basketball club should also have adopted such guidelines of their own.

If you follow the process, have and open and honest relationship with others on your committee, then just do what you can to help it is usually seen as exactly that, nothing more to those around you with equal amounts of common sense and decency.

Problems may arrise through petty jealousy or envo, however people's egos are probably the worst thing you will encounter, outside of someone being involved who is there for their own interests or just plain and simple a crook!

People offer their time and effort in basketball for free in most cases, the clubs and Associations cannot survive without these volunteers.

Anyone who is out there doing it to help the kids and has this as their motivation should be held in high regard by their organisations, I agree that often the issues are percieved and not real!

Final piece of advice, if you have Facebook, well either get rid of it or make sure you do not link to anyone under 18 years of age if you are an adult yourself, this may save you quite a lot of percieved trouble...

A plumber is selling themselves short a bit there!

For one, a turnover of $500K is probably what a small-medium plumbing business would do. To be registered as a contractor with Consumer Affairs they need to have some formal business studies and to remain in business some business nouse in the form of seeking work, quoting, marketing etc and then they have to actually solder some bits of copper together, scratch their bum and say "it's not gunna be cheap luv.."

In terms of the OP's question, this has happened in the past, is happening now and will happen in the future. It might not be a conflict of interest as such, but it is not a good advertisement if the kids of the President of the club are playing at a different club. It implies that they do not have faith in the coaching staff at that club.

There may be a number of reason why their children are playing at a different club. They might be a former player at the club where they are on the committee and their children might be playing at the other club due to friendships/custody issues etc.

At the end of the day, they are a volunteer on a committee giving up their time and trying to make that club better. They should be congratulated for that.

Maybe start by looking at what 'conflict of interest' means? Usually relates to a situation in which the director/committee member or a family member gains - or could gain - a financial benefit because of a decision in which the director/committee member was involved in making at board/committee level.

So, there is no [legal] conflict of interest evident in the first example in which the director has kids playing at another club.

There is potential for C of I in the case of the director whose company has a contract to supply uniforms but we don't know the facts. As Knox points out, the real question is how each issue is handled. If the director in that case absented himself when the board made the decision re the uniform contract there's no issue, I'd suggest.

Most basketball committees and boards are generally made up of people with a vested interest in the club and the game, and with the best of intentions. Sometimes internal decision are made where people on the peripheral don't understand or have all the information, and therefore pass judgement incorrectly or just gossip. Most association don't like outsiders coming in and tell them how run their shop, and normally when an association /club doesn't provide the pathway that's members needs the individuals move on.