Sport's club president inappropriate behaviour

[CoolRower]

I'm on the board of a sport's club, not in the UK. Next week we have a meeting to discuss what to do about the 55 year old club president and coach. He was seen by other coaches at a sport's event closely hugging and playing with the hair of some of the 12-13 year old girls. It was an overnight event with camping and he had been drinking. The mother of one girl has complained. The president has agreed to resign as a coach, but wants to continue in his role as president.

I feel very uncomfortable about this.
However he does a huge amount for the club, there is no complaint he has done anything criminal and some of the other board members are worried about his mental health and slide into alcoholism if he loses the presidency and therefore all club contact.

AIBU to think he should be made to resign as president or is this an overreaction?

He was behaving inappropriately with teenaged girls, your club should have a safeguarding process and your sport governing body definitely will.

So you suspend him without prejudice and report the safeguarding concerns to your sport governing body, and follow the process.

Sweeping this kind of thing under the carpet because “reasons” has caused generations of harm to young people. The only responsible way to deal with it is properly.

He does a huge amount for the club... I wonder why!

Thank you that is really helpful. We don't have a safeguarding process, which is an omission I need to raise, but I have managed to find a safeguarding hotline number for the national governing body. I think a lot of countries are quite a few years behind the UK on this sort of issue. I feel a lot more informed going into the meeting now.

Thank you that is really helpful. We don't have a safeguarding process, which is an omission I need to raise, but I have managed to find a safeguarding hotline number for the national governing body. I think a lot of countries are quite a few years behind the UK on this sort of issue. I feel a lot more informed going into the meeting now.