GENERAL INFORMATION COUNTY

GENERAL INFORMATION COUNTY Arrival at the Campus The HSE Community Games National Festival will be open for arrivals from 2pm on 24 th May 2013. County Managers will be able to collect their packs and accommodation keys etc from this time at the Reception area in the Main Building. Check-in will not be open before this time. Check-in for Officials/Committees etc. at Officials Desk at Reception area in the Main Building. All those allocated accommodation in Athlone Institute of Technology campus shall produce his/her identity badge and wristband at the entrance to gain admission. On arrival participants will be met by their County Managers who will have accommodation keys and must immediately go with him/her to their accommodation and deposit their luggage etc. Participants are requested not to enter the reception area on arrival. Note: Please ensure participants travelling to the campus independently of the County have contact details for the County Manager and their own Manager. SECURITY Identity Badges Identity badges (IDs) for all participants and volunteers will be sent out before the event to County Secretaries. These ID badges must be worn at all times over the weekend. It is essential that all Secretaries have issued IDs to participants and Managers before their arrival at the National Festival. The IDs will verify the participant and allow them to take part in their event. Should a competitor arrive without an ID badge, he/she will not be allowed to take part in the competition. This rule will be strictly enforced. If a Participant, Manager or National Official loses their identity badge a replacement badge will cost 10.00 to be paid when issued. There will be spot checks during the weekend to see if participants have the correct badges or wristbands. Lanyards for the Identity badges can be ordered at a cost of 2.00 each from the HSE Community Games Head office on 090-6433388. Wristbands National Officials All registered National Officials on arrival will receive a wristband. This must be worn at all times. The band will indicate that you are a registered National Official. Managers All registered Managers on arrival will receive a wristband. This must be worn at all times. The band will indicate that you are a registered Manager. 1

WARNING: Interfering, swapping, or tampering with official ID badges or wristbands could result in expulsion from the event and/or additional disciplinary actions. Report any related issue to the Event Office. We request that all National Officials and Managers that are under 25 please bring accepted identification, e.g. Passport, Driving license or Garda ID. Counties are required to ensure that all Managers have been Garda Vetted. Please find enclosed Garda Vetting forms for this purpose. GUIDANCE FOR VOLUNTEERS, PARENTS AND PARTICIPANTS ATTENDING THE NATIONAL FESTIVAL We remind all counties whether resident or non- resident, that there must be sufficient numbers of County Managers to look after the participants; we stipulate at least 1 adult to 8 children. There should be at least one adult of each gender with mixed parties. The Community Games Code of conduct and a link to the Irish Sports Council s Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Children's Sport in Ireland is available on the Community Games website. If you have any questions or queries in relation to this please do not hesitate to contact Head Office. National Festival consent form must be completed for every participant travelling; this gives permission for travel, photographs, staying overnight and a code of conduct, which includes an agreement to behave responsibly and adhere to the HSE Community Games rules and regulations. A separate form must be completed for any medical/special needs of a participant. Both the participant and their parent/guardian must sign the consent form. Both the medical form and the parental consent forms are to be held by the County Manager but to be made available to the National Children s Officer if requested. PLEASE NOTE THESE FORMS ARE NOT TO BE RETURNED TO THE NATIONAL COMMUNITY GAMES OFFICE. National Festival consent forms must also be completed by under 18 s who are attending as Officials/Helpers and signed by their parents. It is recommended to have a meeting with parents to complete these forms, to communicate contact details, travel times, competition details, behaviour agreements and any other necessary details. This can be held either in your Community Games Area or at a specially arranged County meeting. 2

All coaches and team Managers are encouraged to complete the Basic awareness course in Code of Ethics and Child Protection before attending the National Festival. All coaches, team Managers and officials must complete the Community Games Garda Vetting procedure before travelling. Adults must not share a room with a child. An adult must not enter children s accommodation on his/her own. In the case of an emergency if an adult needs to enter children s accommodation and another adult is not available he/she should ensure that other children are present. Children should not sleep in a room on their own. The County Managers have the overall responsibility for the children s well-being, behaviour and sleeping arrangements. The National Children s Officer should be contacted if any concerns arise with regards to the children in their care. A written report by a County Manager should be given to the National Children s Officer, through the Event Office or a member of the National Security team for any accidents or any other problems and concerns involving a child in their care. Non-residents are not permitted to be in the Campus after hours. No one is permitted to be on the Campus without an identification badge and correct wristband. No one is permitted to be on the Campus who is not responsible to a County Manager or the Activities Director. Observance of rules regarding places and times is strictly required. Each County is responsible for safety and security in their allocated area and has no authority to interfere with other Counties. Any issues that arise should be reported to National Security. Effective Safety and Security is based on respect, understanding and trust. The nominated Security official for each County must attend the Safety and Security briefing meeting at 8.00 p.m. on Friday, 24 th May 2013 in the Douglas Hyde Theatre, in the main building of AIT campus. To prevent situations arising where a County neglects its duty, the Board of Directors, through the Security Committee, will appoint officials to carry out patrols around the Centre to see that counties are carrying out their security function and they deal directly with County Managers only. Participants/Volunteers Participants shall be subject to the direction of their County management team and event officials. No participant may leave the Athlone Institute of Technology campus without the permission of his/her Team Manager. He/she shall report back on his/her return. When a participant is leaving the campus with permission, the parents or guardians must officially sign the child out with the County and if the child is returned, sign them back in with the County. All participants must be in their respective accommodation and in bed with lights out by 11.30 p.m. on Friday and 12 (midnight) on Saturday night. Participants must respect the environment and the facilities provided for their use during their time at the National Festival. Preserve and protect the equipment, venues and other property of AIT by appropriate and careful use. Avoid causing any damage and report any damage to an event official. Participants should be on time and suitably prepared, including their attire for activity or events. 3

It is essential that participants know their Team Manager(s). Participants may not remain on the campus unless they are under the supervision of their Team and County Manager. Resident and non-resident participants must have their Identity badges on them at all times over the weekend. Male and female participants can mix in communal areas. They are not allowed to enter each other s rooms. Participants must wear their County tracksuits at all times; the tracksuit top must be worn to the disco at night. All participants, coaches and Managers must abide by the Community Games Code of Conduct Failure to obey the rules or instruction may result in expulsion from the National Festival. Photographs In regards to the Swimming and Gymnastics competitions, there will be no filming or taking of photographs in the pool area allowed other than the Community Games official photographer. This will be strictly enforced. We would like to make sure that all participants and volunteers are aware that it is illegal to take or have in possession inappropriate photographs of children on their cameras or mobile phones or social networking sites. Any reports of this type of activity will be passed on to An Garda Síochana immediately. Community Games recommend that cameras and camera phones should not be allowed in changing room areas due to possible inappropriate. First Aid There will be First Aid cover on site 24 hours a day over the weekend. During the day nurses will provide additional medical support. In the event of a medical emergency please notify an Event Official. All accidents and incidents must be reported to the Event Office. Emergency Contacts Athlone Garda Station Telephone: 090 6498550 Ballinasloe General Hospital Telephone: 090 9648248/375 Mid-doc: 1850-302702 4

INFORMATION The event office can be contacted on 086 0264974 or 090 6433388 The Information desk is available at the Reception Area in the Main Building. All official information etc. regarding HSE Community Games activities may be had at this information point. Opening hours: Weekend 1: 24 th -26 th May 2013 Friday, 24 th May 2013 2.00p.m. to 8.30p.m. Counties will not be checked in before this time Saturday, 25 th May 2013 8.00 a.m. to 8.30 p.m. Sunday, 26 th May 2013 8.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. Meals for Resident participants, Managers and officials are available in the Canteen in the Main building. The Meals follow our Healthy Eating Guidelines. Admissions to the dining-room will be for those with a valid ID badge and wristband only, competitors, Managers and officials must wear their ID at all times. Participants must be on time for all meals. All participants must obey the directions of the Event officials, particularly stewards and security. Finance The competition venues will be open to spectators and visitors from 8.30a.m. to 8.30p.m. (Or the end of competition if later). Admission Charges: Adults: 10.00 (day or weekend) Children: Free of Charge OAP: 5.00 All visitors and spectators will park their cars in the car parks as directed by signage, car parking attendants and Gardai. Admission charges will be collected from pedestrians on entry to the AIT campus or off campus venues. The entrances to AIT s campus are marked clearly on the map. Any non-resident must leave the campus by 8.30p.m., or by the end of competition if later. Programmes Programmes will be on sale in the reception area in AIT s main building as well as specific designated points on the campus, and at off campus venues from 5.00 p.m. on Friday, 24 th May 2013 5

Residents/Non residents For the first weekend of the National Festival (24 th -26 th May 2013) the Resident price is 120.00 i.e. Residents will stay for Friday, Saturday night and Sunday night. Meals will include, Friday Evening Dinner, Saturday: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner and Sunday: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Monday: Breakfast. The non-resident price is 25.00. Resident participants and Managers will have to bring their own bedding sleeping bag, pillow (or sheet and duvet) as this is not included in the cost by the providers. National Officials will have bedding provided. Cancellations at the National Festival There will be no refund for cancellations of residents at the National Festival Weekend 1 and counties must have paid 50% of their bill by the Friday 17 th May 2013 and the remainder before or on departure. (If there are late/unavoidable non-resident changes these may be pursued with the Treasurer after full payment is made.) There are no resident cancellations allowed after 26 th April 2013. If you wish to cancel any non resident competitors after Monday 13 th May please wait and do this with the Finance office in AIT on Friday 24 th May. There are no cancellations of under 18 National Officials, if for some reason that an under 18 official cannot attend, Counties are expected to find a suitable replacement and advise Head Office of this change. The County will be charged 120 if no replacement is found. County Managers We request that all non-resident Counties have a County Manger(s) on site for the duration of the event. Please ensure participants and/or their parents have this person s contact number and that they have the contacts for all of their own County s Managers/Officials to facilitate communication and resolve any issues should this be necessary. All Managers must be registered with (Head Office) for the National Festival weekend and they will receive an ID badge and wristband indicating same. Without this band they will not be permitted access to some areas or to the campus itself unless they pay the admission fee (non refundable). We would also like to re-iterate, that we must have sufficient numbers of Managers registered as Managers for the May weekend. All registered Managers will be given an ID badge and wrist and indicating same. On arrival to Athlone, the County Manager will receive a pack which in addition to other items will contain the accommodation keys and the list of allocation. The Defence Forces have requested that on leaving AIT, each County must return the camp beds to the rooms in which they were originally found and as per the allocation that is included in the pack. Please remember to ensure that accommodation is left as it is found. Please report any damage to the event office before leaving. 6

National Officials We would like to urge Counties to send in nominations for National Official positions at the National Festival in May. Every County must supply a National Security Official (this is not the County Security Manager), one carparking official, and a steward. The National Festival cannot operate without these positions filled. Please note that Over 18 National officials must stay in the National Officials accommodation, they will not be accommodated with County. There will be no exceptions. Opening Jamboree Event At the National Festival in May on the Saturday morning there will be an Opening Ceremony event in the New Sports Arena at 9.00am. Counties are requested to have all competitors attend this fun event which should be an exciting and enjoyable event. Amenities a) Amusement Park b) Disco for Residents only Please see timetable for venue and time. c) Youth Area (Bouncy Castles, face painting etc) Timetable The timetable is available on our website www.communitygames.ie. We would like to encourage counties and areas including participants, parents and volunteers to visit the Community Games website as it contains the most up to date information. Results A Results notice board will be erected close to the Reception of the main AIT Building where results will be displayed. Results will be available on our website www.communitygames.ie as they are ratified. They will also be available to County Secretaries and PROs. Hard copies will only be made available if requested before the National Festival. Appeals Appeal forms are available from the Event Office and are included in the County Pack. Appeals in individual events at National level must be signed by the County Manager or County Secretary and lodged with the Event Office in the reception area in the Main Building, accompanied by the appeal fee of one hundred euros ( 100) within thirty minutes after the result has officially been made known. 7

Appeals in team events at National level must be signed by the County Manager or County Secretary and lodged into the Event Office accompanied by the appeal fee of two hundred Euros ( 200), within thirty minutes after the result has officially been made known. Return of Trophies All winners of trophies from 2012 must return these trophies by 26 th April. Property All property is kept on the Campus at owner's risk. Each County shall be responsible for its own lost property, to check their County accommodation and to take home all their property left by their residents. Community Games will not be responsible for any lost property. Press office Press office will be located in the Main Building beside the Event Office. A computer and internet access will be available for Press and PROs. Appendix 1 3 Team Round Robin: Method of Selecting 1 st, 2 nd & 3 rd in the event of each team having a win Weekend 1 (24 th -26 th May) Activity First Method Second Method (if needed) Badminton: Points System Chess: Draughts: Handball: Count back Scores Count back Scores Aces Indoor Soccer: Goal Difference The time the 1 st Goal was scored Table Tennis: Aces 8

HSE Community Games National Festival 2013 Weekend Participant Replacement Form Individual Competitions Only County: Event / Competition: (Eg. Art Girls U16) Cancel Name: Area: Replace with: Name: Address: Area: Date of Birth: Participants Signature: Note: replacement must have taken part in County final of event being entered as a replacement. I certify that the information contained on this form is correct to the best of my knowledge. County Secretary Signature: Date: / / Participant Signature: 9