MUFA Complaint Procedure

If you have witnessed an incident that warrants the attention of the league directors, organizers and/or the MUFA board, please use the MUFA Complaint Form to let us know about the situation.

Introduction

MUFA is a volunteer-run organization and does not actively monitor the suspensions of other disc organizations, private organizations, or other sports groups in the country or have access to monitor all pending criminal charges brought forth to any past or current MUFA participants. We often rely on reports from open source media or formal complaints filed by other members.

Furthermore, we do not have the staff or volunteer capacity to actively monitor every single playing site to observe all teams or players. We rely on the MUFA community more broadly to assist in holding participants and known spectators/visitors accountable for their actions at MUFA activities. If you have a teammate, captain, or spectator of your team who engages in harmful behaviors, we ask that you and/or your team work to create a space that is safe for all MUFA players and spectators/visitors.

Reporting a Conduct Complaint or Incident

Complaints MUST be reported to the MUFA Complaint Committee using the online reporting form (link). Reports may be submitted anonymously or submitted by a second-hand witness. Please note that Anonymous complaints may have limited ability for follow-up, we welcome contact information to be provided and can ensure that we will not openly share your contact information without your permission. Submitted reports will go directly to the Complaint Committee for review. Complaints should be submitted within a reasonable timeframe, as best as possible. The deadline for submitting a complaint is 60 days following an event. Exceptions may be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

The MUFA Complaint Committee may consider the timeliness and specificity of the complaints as part of the review process. MUFA and the MUFA Complaint Committee will not reveal the name of any person submitting a complaint without explicit permission. MUFA will summarize the pertinent information about the complaint when notifying the person(s) involved in the reported incident and will include team captains in this notification process. Complaints involving verbal abuse, physical abuse or sexual misconduct against minors may be reported to law enforcement or the national governing body for ultimate by the MUFA Board, as board members and committee volunteers may be mandatory reporters of these types of incidents.

Complaints may be filed against other MUFA participants, team captains, whole teams, known spectators or others associated with a MUFA player or team at an official MUFA event/activity/game/league. For complaints made against known spectators, the individual and team associated with that spectator will be held responsible and deemed the subject of the conduct complaint.

Relevant Incidents

Generally, complaints may be filed for behavior or incidents that:

• Take place during an official MUFA event/activity/game/league (this includes immediately before, during or after the activity, and extends to the parking area of that event/activity/game/league or during any ride-sharing or carpooling activities)
• Take place at a partner/sponsor facility immediately preceding or following an official MUFA event/activity/game/league.
• Involve formal criminal charges of a violent or serious nature (i.e., an offense where someone either physically harms someone else or threatens or uses violence while committing a crime) outside of official events/activities/games/leagues, if they directly impact the safety of MUFA participants, coaches, players, and spectators. We rely on reports submitted by participants. This includes other legally binding articles, such as an issued restraining order or a no-contact order. MUFA will not actively monitor criminal reporting websites, police scanners, local media - we are not able to proactively run background checks on every single participant in our leagues. We rely on reporting forms.

MUFA reserves the right to consider any complaint outside of the relevant incidents listed above. Similarly, MUFA may choose not to take action on a complaint that is vague, lacks sufficient detail, or does not directly impact the organization or its participants.

Complaints filed with the intention of harassment or otherwise filed for non-substantive purposes are expressly prohibited. The filing of such a complaint will be considered a violation of this conduct policy and is subject to suspension under the terms of this policy.

Grounds for Discipline

Following are some types of misconduct that may subject a participant to discipline. This list is not exhaustive, but meant to serve as a list of sample behaviors that can result in suspension from any MUFA programming or events.

• Any physical acts of violence toward another participant or guest of a participant, including, but not limited to, hitting, pushing, kicking, or spitting.
• Intimidation, harassment, or abuse of power by coaches and chaperones.
• Violation of SafeSport principles, code, and guidance.
• Serious or repeated verbal threats.
• Persistent and flagrant violations of the Spirit of the Game, such as overly aggressive and dangerous play - particularly after warnings, persistent and contentious arguments over calls which unreasonably delay the game or include excessive profanity.
• Reckless behavior on the field, sidelines, or parking areas at a MUFA event/activity/game/league  or at a partner/sponsor facility (e.g. the Great Dane) immediately following a MUFA event/activity/game/league.
• Discrimination or harassment.
• Breaking the law at or immediately preceding or following a MUFA event/activity/game/league  or at a partner/sponsor facility (e.g. the Great Dane) immediately following a MUFA event/activity/game/league.
• Vandalizing, criminal trespass, disturbing the peace or other similar criminal activity at a MUFA field site.
• Abusing sponsorship or partnership agreements
• Misappropriation of funds or property of MUFA.
• Any participant with formal criminal charges involving a violent crime will have their membership suspended, until that member submits proof that charges are dropped, removed, or that documentation is provided showing treatment or other formal reconciliation required by outcome of case has been sought.

Investigation of Complaints

The Complaint Committee will evaluate all reports and determine the need for additional investigation based on the timeliness and details of the report. The Committee may request witness statements as necessary to fully investigate a complaint. If a complaint has been made against a specific player (or team), that player and team captain(s) will be notified by email. League commissioners/coordinators or coaches may also be included, depending on the complaint and the activity/league during which the incident took place. The subject and team captain(s) will be asked to submit their account of the incident and may provide additional witnesses to contact.

The Complaint Committee will take all information submitted (the complaint, all responses from the subject, and any other details from participants or witnesses) under consideration before determining an outcome from the conduct review.

Notification Process

If the Complaint Committee deems the complaint to be credible, the Notification Process will be followed for complaints made against individuals or groups, depending on the context of the complaint:

Adult Programming (Event/Activity/Game/League )-Related Complaints:

• Team captains will be notified for complaints made against an individual on their active team or against their team as a whole.
• The whole team may be notified for complaints made against a team captain or their team as a whole.

Youth Programming (Event/Activity/Game/League)-Related Complaints:

• Parents/guardians, coaches, and the MUFA Youth Chair will be notified regarding complaints filed against a youth player/participant.
• Other coaches and the MUFA Youth Chair will be notified after a complaint against a parent, chaperone or coach. Parents and participants will be notified as more information is made available if the complaint involves active leagues or teams directly affected by the complaint.

Outcomes of the Review Process

After conducting the review process, the Complaint Committee will determine an outcome to the complaint. The Committee will consider the frequency of complaints against a specific player, spectator, and/or team when determining any disciplinary outcomes.

Examples of outcomes and disciplinary actions are as follows:

• No action taken.
• Official Warning of subject.
• Suspension or disqualification of subject in current or future events/activities/games/leagues.
• Permanent suspension of the subject from specific or future events/activities/games/leagues.
• Other action as deemed appropriate by the Complaint Committee.

After an outcome is determined by the Complaint Committee, including any required confirmation by MUFA’s Board of Directors, the Committee will execute the decision and inform all relevant parties of the outcome and subsequent actions to be taken. 

Violations of any disciplinary action will result in further sanction.

Complaint Committee

The Complaint Committee will consist of at least one MUFA Board member and at least two non-Board members appointed by the MUFA Board. The MUFA Board may appoint an alternate temporary member of the Complaint Committee for a specific review in case any of the typically appointed individuals has a conflict of interest with a specific conduct review. The MUFA Board may also engage additional individuals for youth programming-related complaints or bring in subject matter experts for consultation during the complaint investigation or outcome. 

The MUFA Board member(s) will act as chair of the Complaint Committee.

In the event a participant is suspended, they may not attend or participate in games or other activities during the suspension period. The MUFA Board may choose to refund part of league fees, depending on the circumstance of suspension.

Coaching-Related Suspensions

Generally, MUFA will follow USA Ultimate coaching suspensions for programming resulting in USA Ultimate Sanctioned events (e.g. tournaments, training sessions, leagues).

Suspended coaches may submit a written appeal to the MUFA Board to reduce or eliminate a coaching suspension for non-USA Ultimate Sanctioned activities or programming. Written appeals should contain information about the suspension and formal documentation of steps that a coach has taken to remediate the situation, particularly as it relates to coaching. The MUFA Board may refer the appeal to the Complaint Committee for a recommendation. Due to the responsibility and power dynamics of coaching, the Complaint Committee may bring in outside experts, ask for additional documentation, or other requests during the appeal process. Reinstated coaches may have additional training, requirements, or guidelines that must be followed in order to maintain coaching status within MUFA.

Note: If a suspended coach is reinstated by MUFA, they are ineligible to coach teams that play at USA Ultimate sanctioned events during the length of their USA Ultimate coaching suspension.