CORVALLIS, Ore. – Measures intended to improve the conduct in the sport of men's soccer were approved by the Cascade Collegiate Conference Council of Athletic Directors (CAD), the conference announced Thursday.
Additional suspensions mandated by the conference will be added to the sport rule penalty when egregious behavior and ejections from contests take place. Also, head coaches will be subject to possible suspensions from games based on accumulation of suspensions in specific areas of conduct by players and assistant coaches.
The conference’s Conduct and Competition Committee presented the new policies for consideration at the CAD meeting and they were approved with overwhelming support.
"The CCC has never been afraid to lead," stated Matt Sayre, Southern Oregon University Director of Athletics and Chair of the Conduct and Competition Committee. "Men's soccer has a climate of behavior – especially toward officials – that, to be very blunt, is unacceptable and detracts from what it can be. We want to be intentional and hold coaches and student-athletes more accountable for conduct that is consistent with our conference’s expectations."
Coaches and student-athletes will face the mandatory additional suspensions when ejected from contests for:
- Showing dissent by word of mouth or action to decisions made by the referee.
- Engaging in hostile or abusive language or harassment that refers to race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or national origin, or other abusive, threatening or obscene language, behavior or conduct.
- Violent behavior II which is an unwarranted excessive act or use of force, which is malicious and so extreme and severe that it places a participant in danger of physical injury.
- Fighting which is defined as a deliberate strike or punch or an attempt to strike or punch another player, official, coach or bench personnel in a malicious manner.
"I am very proud of our Conduct and Competition Committee and the Council of ADs for taking this bold step and insisting that conduct amongst our coaches and student-athletes improve in men's soccer," stated CCC Commissioner Robert Cashell. "The berating and intimidation of officials, the hostile/abusive language and the actions on the pitch that are intentional in terms of potential injury to others have no place in the game."
The
enhanced policies will be in place beginning fall of 2023.