Grievance Policy and Procedure

Revised June 2004

The Bay Oaks Soccer Club strives to create a positive environment for our youth to learn and play soccer. Such an experience can be achieved only through the mutual efforts of the entire Bay Oaks community—coaches, parents, and players.  At times, concerns may arise about a coach, a team’s administration, an incident during a game or practice, or the club’s program in general. When an issue cannot be resolved through direct discussion at the team level, any individual affiliated with Bay Oaks can report it to the club by writing to Concerns@bayoaks.net so the issue can be addressed before it becomes more serious.  For matters and concerns that cannot be resolved informally, Bay Oaks has a grievance procedure for systematically and formally voicing and resolving those concerns. 

Bay Oaks encourages individuals to make every effort to try to resolve team issues at the team level first.  In trying to resolve concerns, it is important to remember that Bay Oaks is a volunteer-run organization with a staff of coaches that work many more hours than they are paid for.  Additionally, Bay Oaks coaches must balance the needs of individual players with the needs of the team. There will be differences of opinion on many issues, but we hope that with honest and open communication those differences can be resolved at the team level.

Grievance issues most often concern inappropriate behavior by the coach or other adults affiliated with the team.  Examples of serious issues include the following:

• The coach is not coming to practice.
• The coach is not coming to practice or games on time.
• The coach or an adult affiliated with the team is speaking to players or referees in an inappropriate manner.

Parental concerns that involve questioning the soccer judgment of the coach are NOT appropriate for grievance. Examples of issues that fall within the responsibilities and authorities of the coach, and should not be addressed as a grievance include the following:

• My child is not playing the right position.
• My child should be a starting player.
• My child’s coach is not playing the best system for the team.

The Bay Oaks Board of Directors maintains a standing grievance committee to investigate and resolve grievances.  The Bay Oaks grievance procedure is intended to produce a fair resolution in a timely and confidential manner. 

 Grievance Procedure

To initiate the grievance procedure, an individual should write to Grievance@bayoaks.net to alert the club that a formal grievance is being submitted.  All grievances must be filed in writing and sent to the Bay Oaks Grievance Committee.  

When filing a grievance, you should include the following information:

• date of the grievance filing
• name, phone number, and e-mail address of the person filing the grievance
• name of the team
• age group, boys/girls
• name of the team manager
• name of the coach
• a summary of the problem for which the grievance is being filed
• steps that have already been taken to address the problem

Your grievance letter should be sent to the Grievance Committee, Bay Oaks Soccer Club, 6114 La Salle Avenue #424, Oakland, CA 94611. The appropriate party on the Grievance Committee will reply to the complaining party within one week acknowledging receipt of the grievance and giving an estimated time frame for a resolution.

The Grievance Committee will investigate the grievance and take steps as appropriate to resolve it. These steps may include, but are not limited to, clarifying club policy, convening a meeting between the person filing the grievance and the other parties involved, interviewing other parents on the team to determine whether the grievance is a team issue, or recommending disciplinary action to the Bay Oaks Board of Directors. The Grievance Committee will notify the person submitting the grievance of the resolution. If the individual is not satisfied with the resolution, the decision can be appealed to the Bay Oaks Board of Directors.  The Bay Oaks Board of Directors is responsible for taking any disciplinary action.