Disciplinary Protocol For Suspensions and Bans

*NOTE: This protocol relates to competitions administered directly by TRL Australia – North Brisbane, East Brisbane, South Brisbane, West Brisbane, Logan, Gold Coast, Ipswich.

Context and Background

TRL is a social sport. Per our terms and conditions there is no place for any anti-social behaviour at our Competitions. As such, if reports of anti-social behaviour are made by on-site Venue Managers or Referees, it is likely that suspensions and/or bans will be invoked depending on the severity of the incident. For example, any violent act will often attract a life ban.

Furthermore, TRL does not have the resources or money to spend gathering witness statements and verbal accounts for every incident that occurs. TRL is not a law enforcement body or investigative body. TRL will rely on incident reports completed by trained Venue Management personnel and witness statements provided by TRL Referees and other staff when making decisions around suspensions and bans. Only in certain circumstances will a suspension/ban be reviewed/investigated further and for this to happen, the aggrieved party must follow the process outlined further below under the section “Appeals Process”.

When will TRL allow an appeal of a suspension/ban decision?

TRL will only allow an appeal of a suspension or ban where the length is at least one season long. In other words, any suspension that is for a period less than one season cannot be appealed. The decision in these scenarios, is final, with no recourse for further discussion or dispute.

Appeal process

If the suspension/ban is for one season or longer (e.g. life ban) the suspended/banned party can lodge an appeal but must follow the steps outlined below. TRL will not investigate a matter unless all steps have been followed. All of the below must be actioned within two weeks of the suspension/ban notice. The submission of an appeal simply facilitates TRL further investigating the incident. TRL makes no representations around overturning or amending the decision regardless of the information delivered by the appellant.

1. The banned party must provide a written statement as to why the ban should be lifted including all relevant arguments. This statement must be made in email form and sent to hello@trl.com.au
2. Accompanying this email outlined in “1.” must be three signed (and attached) witness statements (by three separate people) pertaining to the incident that have been provided in a Statutory Declaration format and witnessed by a Justice of the Peace outlining what happened and any circumstances that might warrant TRL changing its decision.
3. (This step is only applicable where the suspension/ban relates to a violent or threatening incident (or has some other potential criminal application)). Evidence is supplied to demonstrate that a third party law enforcement body such as the QLD Police is investigating the matter and that the banned player, is potentially the primary victim in the dispute. In this situation, TRL will re-open its investigation and work with the third party law enforcement body to garner more information. This information may (or may not) affect the decision.

    

   In relation to point “3.” it must be remembered that TRL is not a law enforcement body so if it has to make a decision to ban a player on account of a violent act, if the player in question disputes TRL’s position, they need to prove that TRL’s position needs amending – logically this will require a third party such as the QLD Police to validate these claims.