AIBU to feel frustrated by non-members disrupting junior cricket training?

[Pinkgin00]

My son has joined a cricket club this year. The club is very welcoming and inclusive, and he has really enjoyed being part of it. We paid for his junior membership at the start of the season and he attends training on Friday evenings and matches on Sundays.

For whatever reason, the club coach hasn't ended up taking this age group and the sessions are instead being run by a parent volunteer. I have no issue with this and really appreciate anyone who gives up their time to volunteer and organise training.

There is just one thing that has become increasingly frustrating. From the beginning of the season, there has been a group of girls who regularly turn up to the Friday training. They aren't members of the club or part of the team, however, they're allowed to join in with the training each week.

Again, I don't have an issue with the girls wanting to join in, and I completely understand the club wanting to be welcoming and inclusive. The problem is that they tend to only participate in the parts they enjoy. For example, they'll happily join in with the batting, but as soon as the group moves on to fielding, they often run back to the park or start doing cartwheels and messing around. The coach never says anything.

This then becomes quite disruptive because the coach is trying to split the children into teams and organise drills or games, but some of the children simply disappear whenever it's their turn to field. It makes the session quite disorganised and, I feel, isn't fair on the children who are actually members of the club and are there to take part in the full training session.

I absolutely don't want to come across as though I don't want other children to be included, I just think there needs to be a bit of a boundary. If children who aren't members are allowed to join in, perhaps they should be expected to participate properly for the full duration.

Am I being unreasonable in feeling frustrated by this? I don't want to make an issue out of something minor, particularly given how much we like the club, but it is starting to feel unfair to the children who have actually paid to be members and turn up every week expecting a proper training session. So would you be annoyed by this and say something to the club or just let it go?

The club must have rules of conduct etc? That participants must be members who pay their dues and are fully involved? You can’t put this in the volunteer parent who is just doing their best! I’d raise it with the club captain/chair/whatever they are called.

Yes exactly, I am absolutely not blaming the parent, he is doing a great job. The club won't know these children are doing this unless someone tells them.

I think you should bring this to the attention of the club officials.

As you say, it isn't fair on those who turn up to work on all the skills and commit to learning, to have people dropping in and out like that.

Plus, there is an element of sharing the cost. I am all for youngsters being able to have two free sessions or a month to see if they enjoy it or whatever, but after that, they should contribute like everyone else.

It also raises issues around safety and safeguarding, if these youngsters aren't registered with the club - what if there are injuries ?

I doubt they’d be covered by insurance etc if they’ve not done paperwork. It’s pretty dodgy

Yeah he coach just needs to give the kids a flyer for their parents and say get them to get in touch if they want to join in. I'd email whoever runs the club but make a point of saying what a great job the volunteer is doing though.

Eh? Why haven't you told the club that non-members are attending?

I am involved in a number of membership clubs and this would be a major problem at any of them. For a start, they're not insured. And the club needs the membership fees! Yabu to not do anything...

Yeah I am not begrudging any child having a couple of free taster sessions, but this has gone further than that. It doesn't help that training is on a friday, and with the summer we are having and good weather, the parents are having drinks at the club and just letting the kids run about. The girls are in my sons year group at school so I know who the parents are.

I think I will have to say something, I hadn't even thought about the insurance aspect.