Maintaining organization culture is an important responsibility for a sports administrator or leader. The group of coaches, parents and athletes will likely change each season, so it becomes particularly challenging for leaders to keep consistent cultural standards. We recommend you be proactive and clearly set expectations for the constituents of your youth sports organization or school.

A drug and alcohol abuse policy is one part of a greater set of standards wrapped in organization culture. You may not think your school or teams will have a problem with drugs, but it’s better to be forthright about the abuse policy before an incident occurs, than scrambling after the unexpected happens.

Having a drug abuse policy sends a message to all involved in your organization that you won't tolerate the presence of alcohol or controlled substances from your athletes or coaches. Additionally, having a stated policy allows you to enforce any violations efficiently and consistently.

See the sample drug abuse policy statement below, and adapt as needed to fit with your school or YSO needs.