Why is it necessary for coaches and clubs to have legal responsibilities? Is there a law for negligence that coaches and basketball clubs are liable to? The fact of the matter is that in the past few years there have been a lot of court cases and this had proved that even basketball coaches and clubs are not immune from any kind of prosecution. The primary reason being that during games and training sessions it is the organizers, coaches, clubs who take care of the players.

Legal responsibilities of coaches are only the extension of an arm of their goals and mission to be one of the best athletic coaches. When narrowed down, their responsibilities lie in giving advices to their athletes as well as how they supervise and manage the participation in the sport.

Their responsibilities legally with their players lie within the boundaries of:

  • Giving the right guidance and advice
  • Offer advice that is only within their levels of qualification

The legal and ethical responsibilities of both clubs and coaches go hand in hand. In fact it is so synonymous with each other that it is difficult to point out the difference between the two, although it is a serious issue and both have their own legal parts to play.

Health and Safety
It is the responsibility of the coach to ensure that players who are training and playing under his/her guidance follow safety and health norms. They must have direct and immediate access to emergency services and first aid facilities just incase any injury arises and needs to be taken care of immediately. If at all these normal standards as well as practices are not applied then he stands liable if the evidence shows up as well.

It is the legal responsibility of the club to ensure that the coaches are given adequate charge of safety measures as well as emergency services just incase there is a need for medical aid. The process has to be smooth with not much authorization required as it may affect the health and safety of the players involved.

Protection from Abuse
It is the duty of the coaches to protect its players from four different types of abuse.

  • Emotional abuse (involves threatening or taunting)
  • Neglect (not providing adequate nutrition and food)
  • Physical abuse (hitting the players etc)
  • Sexual abuse (showing the students pornographic material etc)

If the coach notices that a player is undergoing any kind of abuse it is his obligation to take immediate action against it.

It is the duty of the club to recognize abuses physical, sexual, and emotional or even neglect and give it a proper legal outcome. Trying to keep it under wraps will only cause further legal implications.

Supplements
It is the responsibility of the coach to ensure that their athletes are educated about drug use and abuse. They also need to ensure that they give their players general nutritional advice.

The clubs also have a legal and ethical responsibility if any of its players are caught using drug supplements or abusing its use.
There are several other responsibilities of both coaches and clubs. However these are just the few basic ones.

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