Coach responsibilities

As a coach, you’re in a unique and influential position to build supportive, nurturing relationships and become a trusted adult that young tennis players turn to for guidance. With this trust comes a critical duty of care – a responsibility to ensure that your influence promotes safety, respect and personal growth.

Because coaches are often viewed as authority figures, a power imbalance naturally exists in the coach-player relationship. This power imbalance can lead to unintended harm if a coach is not aware of the impact of this dynamic.

This imbalance can:

• increase a child’s desire to please – even at the cost of their safety or comfort.
• create a barrier for them to speak up about something they don't like, or which makes them feel uncomfortable.
• leave them vulnerable to emotional abuse, manipulation or coercion.

That’s why Tennis Australia enforces strict safeguarding policies to ensure the relationship stays safe, supportive and professional. 

Under Tennis Australia’s Safeguarding Children Code of Conduct, Travel and Accommodation Guidelines, and Social Media Policy, your duty of care means putting a child’s wellbeing first. It is important to always consider how your actions could be perceived by others.

During coaching sessions and match play, you are expected to:

• communicate transparently and appropriately, involving parents as needed – everyone should feel comfortable sharing feedback or concerns.
• be alert to signs of physical or emotional abuse and take action if something doesn’t feel right.
• avoid physical contact.
• respect professional boundaries – avoid discussing personal issues unless relevant to the child’s wellbeing or performance.
• treat all players equally – no favourites, no secrecy (e.g. gifts or “special treatment”).
• be up to date with your Working with Children Check and safeguarding training.

Travel and Accommodation is an extremely high-risk area for coaches and requires careful consideration and planning. Always refer to Tennis Australia’s Travel and Accommodation Guidelines to help guide you when travelling with young players.

If you are supervising travel for events like training camps, tournaments or competitions, you must:

• get written consent from each child’s parent or carer.
• share the accommodation address and contact details with families.
• never transport a child in your personal vehicle without written parental consent.
• never travel one-on-one with a child unless absolutely unavoidable, and only with appropriate safeguards in place.

When communicating digitally with players:

• use group chats that include parents – never private messages.
• avoid taking images and videos unless for training purposes – preferably with the player's device and always with consent.
• keep your personal social media separate – don’t friend or follow players.
• limit communication to practical matters, such as scheduling, training plans or team announcements.
• avoid messaging during inappropriate hours (such as late at night).