Let us know about your complaint
With so many clubs and members across Team UOP there may be times that you witness or experience behaviours or actions you don't agree with. Our complaints process allows us to offer support to you.
If you are a member of Team UoP and you are concerned about:
- Negative or inappropriate behaviour or misconduct by Team UoP members or clubs
- A particular incident you were part of or witnessed
- Club culture
- Initiations or forced activities
- A committee member or a whole committee
Please tell us about your experience so we can offer you support and look into the details you give us.
Team UoP conduct expectations
- Represent your club with pride and respect
- Positively represent the University and Team UoP, raising the profile of sport and the University
- Develop your club’s inclusivity, celebrating diversity and empowering fellow members to reach their full potential
- Behave in a way that won’t bring your club or University into disrepute, both during sporting activity and at social events, and when wearing the Team UoP club uniform/kit/the UoP logo
Team UoP club committee expectations
- Take responsibility for the culture created within their club
- Abuse of position may result in withdrawal of the role and its responsibility
- Be in the best condition to carry out their role, not being impacted by drug or alcohol usage
- Ensure they make their President or Sport and Recreation staff aware of any issues they are having carrying out their role, capacity/suitability wise or if they have mental health concerns
- Ensure all club equipment is kept in good condition and stored appropriately and tidily while maintaining an up-to-date inventory of club equipment
- Ensure their supporters and fans behave in a respectable way
- It is the responsibility of the President to ensure that their club members have paid the relevant membership fees and that all those playing in fixtures are fully paid members otherwise they will not be permitted to play or take part in club activities
- It is the responsibility of the committee to not allow initiations, harassment or bullying to take place during club activity be that training, matches, socials, on social media or other communication channels
What is misconduct?
Examples of irresponsible behaviour and misconduct include, but are not limited to:
- Misconduct at matches and training sessions e.g. use of violent, disorderly, threatening, intimidating or offensive behaviour or language
- Bullying and harassment, including racism and homophobia. Including online or through other forms of communication such as text/WhatsApp
- Retaining information on a complaint or serious incident that involves any Team UoP clubs, committee, members or anyone linked to Team UoP, by not making Sport and Recreation aware of the complaint or serious incident
- Breaking the Student Conduct Policy, as set out by the University
- Anti-social behaviour off the pitch at club socials whether on or off campus, that impacts Team UoP's reputation or someone’s wellbeing. Clubs have a responsibility for any club-organised activity, this includes no initiations/hazings, including social events that may be deemed a ‘club tradition’ but are inappropriate
- Causing damage or harm to any University of Portsmouth student, staff member, Team UoP coach, spectator or visiting sports team
- Theft, misappropriation or misuse of University property or owned equipment i.e. equipment bought through your club budget
- Breaching rules set out by your sport’s NGB, BUCS and competition or event organisers
- Failure to comply with the University’s social media guidance
Before your complaint
When raising your concerns, it will be helpful for you to include the following information:
- The background to your complaint (please give as much detail as possible)
- The names of anyone involved in the complaint
- Details of any informal attempts you have already made at resolving the complaint and details of the member of staff, student or Team UoP club with whom you discussed the matter
- Why any outcomes of the informal attempts are not satisfactory
- The desired outcome of your complaint
If you cannot submit your complaint in writing, please contact Sport and Recreation by telephone at 023 9284 5555 and speak to Zoe Monk. We will take details of your complaint and confirm them with you before starting an investigation.
For group complaints - you may act as the main point of contact for a number of students who wish to raise the same concerns. This is a group complaint. As the main point of contact, you will be expected to communicate with the rest of the group involved.
Dealing with your complaint
How long it takes to resolve your concerns will depend on the nature of your complaint.
Once our staff in Sport and Recreation have received your complaint, they may want to arrange a meeting with you to discuss the details and give information on the next steps. You can bring someone with you if you are asked to attend a meeting. This could be a friend or student representative from UPSU.
We always work to deal with your complaint as quickly as possible, in more complex cases your complaint may need to be considered using the University’s formal procedures. If this happens we will talk you through the procedure and let you know if it may be necessary to share your complaint with members of staff who will investigate the complaint. We handle your correspondence sensitively and will only disclose information to individual members of staff as appropriate.
After your complaint
If you're unhappy with the outcome of your complaint through Sport and Recreation, you can contact the University’s Complaints Team
If you are named in a complaint (as an individual or part of a team, committee, or club) you will be contacted by email by a member of the Sport and Recreation department to inform you. Depending on the nature of the complaint, sometimes a suspension on your Team UoP club activity will be put in place whilst the complaint is being investigated - you'll be told if this will happen and the exact details in the email you receive. Within this time you'll be offered welfare support and be given a point of contact for staff in Sport and Recreation, for communication and to ask any questions you may have. You can also access more wellbeing support here (link back to our resources/signposting page please).
In the next steps, you'll be asked to either give a statement or come to a meeting with a member of staff to give your account. If you are asked to attend a meeting, you can bring someone with you. This could be a friend or student representative from UPSU.
In the meeting, the member of staff you're seeing will often ask you questions about the complaint and your involvement. The objective of the statement or meeting is to gather as much information as possible to then assess if the complaint will be dealt with within Sport and Recreation's Team UoP Code of Conduct and disciplinary procedure, or escalated to your Head of School to investigate through the University's Student Conduct Policy and disciplinary procedure.
Once the complaint investigation has been completed, you will be told of the outcome and any Team UoP sanctions that are given will be explained to you. You have the right to appeal to the Director of Sport and Recreation for any sanctions you receive, details of the appeals process will be sent to you via email if you receive a sanction.
If you receive any sanctions, your Team UoP Club President will be made aware so they can manage this with you and within the club.
You will be asked to attend a meeting with your Head of School, they will then investigate the complaint and notify you of the outcome and any sanctions they give.
Once this process has been completed, you will go through the Sport and Recreation disciplinary process and may receive further sanctions that relate directly to Team UoP. You have the right to appeal to the Director of Sport and Recreation for any Team UoP sanctions you receive, details of the appeals process will be sent to you via email if you receive a sanction.
Make a complaint
To submit your complaint, please fill out the Team UOP Working Together form below and a member of staff will get in touch with you soon.