Dealing with difficult people in clubs, including performers, parents, coaches, audience or volunteers requires a proactive approach combining clear communication, structured policies, and emotional intelligence to maintain a safe, positive environment. 

Key Strategies for Dealing with Difficult People and Situations

• Establish Clear Expectations: Create and enforce Codes of Conduct for all stakeholders. 
• Proactively Communication Acceptable Behaviours: Communicate to all stakeholders through meetings or emails.
• De-escalation Training for Club Leaders: Train coaches and volunteers to use calm, non-verbal body language, active listening, and “I” statements to reduce tension rather than escalate it. 
• Private Intervention: Address poor behaviour privately rather than publicly, which avoids embarrassing the individual and reduces defensiveness.
• Preventitive Redirection: Redirect difficult or highly vocal personalities into constructive roles.

Grievance Policies and Procedures

Having a grievance policy is essential for any club. It protects members and promotes fairness. A grievance policy gives everyone, members, volunteers, coaches and parents a safe and structured way to raise concerns. Without it, people may feel unheard or fear backlash for speaking up.

A grievance policy prevents conflicts from escalating. Small issues can grow into major disputes if not handled early. A clear process helps resolve problems quickly, calmly, and consistently. It ensures transparency and trust as when members know how decisions are made and how complaints are handled, it creates a culture of openness and accountability. This builds confidence in the club’s leadership.

It also protects the club legally and reputationally, especially as clubs with children and volunteers have duties of care, and shows the club takes concerns seriously and follows proper procedures, reducing the risk of legal issues or reputational harm.

A grievance policy also sets expectations for behaviour. The policy outlines what is acceptable and what happens when standards aren’t met. This helps maintain a positive, safe, and respectful environment for everyone.

Available Training

Australian Sports Commission - Respectful Behaviours Program

Vic Sport Dealing with Difficult People and Situaitons

Sports Community - Managing Conflict and Creating Safe Environments

Member Protection Information Officer

From Play by the Rules:

Member Protection Information Officers (MPIOs) are an integral part of all levels of Australian sport, especially grassroots sport. MPIOs are there to listen to issues raised by members of any sport before triaging and referring them to the right place to find a resolution. The MPIO is responsible for providing information about a person's rights, responsibilities and options to an individual making a complaint or raising a concern, as well as information support during the process.

MPIOs don’t handle complaints or investigate grievances, and they don’t mediate between members or stakeholders. They’re also separate from the relevant Integrity Manager or the person(s) in authority regarding complaints, disputes and resolutions in your sport. MPIOs are an impartial party who are there to help guide people in the right direction.

MPIOs can be based within a club, association, a state sporting organisation, a national sporting organisation, or a national sporting organisation for people with disability.

Play by the Rules - MPIO Training

Member Protection Information Policy Template

Further information regarding MPIOs and Child Safety can be found here.