Download the WBCA Code of Ethics (PDF).
ATLANTA (April 17, 2018) — The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Board of Directors has adopted a simplified code of ethics that defines the values and behavioral standards to which the WBCA community of coaches will be expected to adhere. The board also has established a new fund to assist member coaches who experience financial hardship through no fault of their own. Both actions were taken during the board’s in-person meeting during the 2018 WBCA Convention, which was held March 29 in conjunction with the 2018 NCAA Women’s Final Four in Columbus, Ohio.
Formerly a seven-page document, the simplified code of ethics consists of a series of bullet points that fit on a single page. Individuals applying for new or renewed membership in the WBCA will be required to acknowledge they have read and agree to abide by the terms of the code as a condition of their membership. The board authorized its executive committee to move forward with developing bylaws and policies necessary to hold accountable members who may violate the code.
“We coaches are increasingly under a microscope, and this revised code will remind us all that we simply must do the right thing,” said WBCA President Jen Rizzotti, head women's basketball coach at George Washington University. “It is direct and to the point, providing us all with common-sense guidelines that will better ensure we conduct ourselves professionally, according to the rules, and with civility to our players, administrators, game officials, fans and each other.”
The newly established WBCA Benevolent Fund will be managed by a five-member committee of retired coaches and administrators who will establish guidelines for accepting and reviewing applications for assistance from member coaches. Financial aid may be in the form of grants or loans.
“Each year there are assistant coaches who find themselves unemployed simply because their head coaches lose their jobs or otherwise leave their positions,” Rizzotti said. “We don’t want to lose these coaches to other professions. We hope the financial assistance the WBCA is able to provide from this fund will benefit them as they seek another coaching position in our sport.”
About the WBCA
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to the organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. Visit www.WBCA.org for more details about the Association.
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