ESSC Inclusion, Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Racism Policy
This past year was one for the books. It came with many emotions, and shone a light on many societal deficiencies; particularly, on the widespread marginalization, exclusion, and systemic racism on BIPOC communities and individuals. We are committed to learning and developing a long-term strategy for inclusiveness within our leagues, tournaments, and events. While we may have felt we were an inclusive organization before, we’ve learned a lot about how we can improve and better voice our Club values to our players. We know we have an opportunity to use our voice for positive change. This is why we’ve created our SSC Inclusion, Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Racism Policy.
We recognize that racism, discrimination, harassment, bullying, and violence is harmful to our community, not only for the group(s) targeted, but for all ESSC participants. We are committed to creating and maintaining a safe sport environment which is free of discrimination and harassment, where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, can contribute fully and have equal opportunities.
With the policy comes many next steps. Some have already occurred, some are in progress, and many will be ongoing. These next steps include, but are not limited to:
- Ensuring all players read and agree to this policy upon registering.
- Renewing and updating our Zero Tolerance Policy for leagues, tournaments and events.
- Revising gendered rules and language in league and tournament rulebooks, as applicable.
- For those who are already registered for our Spring leagues, changes have been made to rules for a variety of sports, including Slo-Pitch, Soccer, Ball Hockey, Flag Football and Volleyball. We are currently working on rulebook updates and rollout online – please ensure you and your teammates review the rulebook prior to your first game.
- Continuous workplace training for all staff, focused on inclusion and allyship.
- Reviewing our hiring policies to become a better equal opportunity employer.
- Providing resources for players on how to be an ally on and off the field.
We know that it doesn’t stop there; this is just the start. It’s a movement, not a moment. If you have any recommendations on how the ESSC can improve this policy, and/or better support Inclusion, Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Racism within our leagues, please contact us. We are open to feedback in order to become better champions for marginalized communities.
We would also like to take a minute to thank all of the BIPOC and LGBTQ2S+ consultants who worked with us to build, revise and finalize our policy, provide input and suggestions for next steps, and who have opened the door to frequent communications with the Club so that we may continuously improve. Your input and guidance is incredibly valuable to us.
