Coloured Shirt Program
Sport, Venues and Indigenous Development’s Coloured Shirt Program (CSP) was launched in Darwin in March 2010. Northern Territory Hockey and Touch Football Northern Territory are piloting the program in partnership with the Northern Territory Government.
The aims of the CSP are to:
- Make new officials easily identifiable, so that they can be recognised and supported.
- Raise awareness and increase the recognition and support of new officials.
- Assist in reducing pressure and lessening abuse and conflict directed towards new officials.
- Create a culture of support towards these new officials via the education of players, spectators, coaches and the media.
The initiative will involve all the ‘new’ officials in the participating sports recruited during the implementation phase of the program, and existing officials who are still considered to be ‘inexperienced’.
The participating sports, with the support of the Northern Territory Government, will help to begin to build a culture of support for officials.
Newly trained officials will be provided with an identifiable coloured officials’ shirt. Sports will provide mentoring and support to the new official and promote and raise awareness of the program and its aims, to members.
Inexperienced officials will be encouraged to progress from their coloured shirt into the recognised officiating shirt of their sport within a negotiated time frame. However, it is recommended that no official be forced to change shirts until they feel confident to do so.
The Northern Territory Government would like to acknowledge and thank the Office for Recreation and Sport, Government of South Australia for their support and assistance in the development of our Coloured Shirt Program.
For further information or to become involved in the Coloured Shirt Program, please contact:
Sport Development
Sport, Venues and Indigenous Development
Department of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport
PO Box 1448, DARWIN NT 0801
Tel 08 8982 2358
Fax 08 8982 2320
Email participation.dsr@nt.gov.au