Free cheerleading template, no account
Free Cheerleading Code of Conduct Template
A cheerleading code of conduct for the places cheer behavior goes wrong: the skills an athlete has been cleared for, spotting, the surface, a reported injury, the crowd and the sideline. Athletes and parents each get their own commitments, on one page, with one place to sign.
What a cheerleading code of conduct needs that a general one does not
A general code covers respect, effort and turning up, and the document above already carries those: how athletes treat teammates, opponents, coaches and officials, and how they behave in team group chats and on social media. These are the cheer rules it adds for athletes, each one there because it is the thing that actually goes wrong in a gym. Skill, spotting and surface rules are set by your program and its governing body, so edit these to match what yours requires.
- Stunting and tumbling limits. Which skills an athlete may attempt is set by the program and its governing body, and cleared by a coach who has watched the athlete perform them. The rule is the athlete's part: attempt only what has been cleared, with the spotting the program requires, and ask when unsure. The document says: “I will only attempt stunts and tumbling my coach has cleared me for, with the spotting my program requires.”
- Spotting. In stunting, one athlete's safety depends on others paying attention. The rule asks every athlete to take the role seriously and to do it the way the coach has trained them, and it leaves the method to the coach. The document says: “I will take spotting seriously and do it the way my coach has trained me to.”
- Safe surfaces. Surfaces and matting for stunting and tumbling are set by the program and its governing body. The rule asks athletes to use only what the program allows, and to say so if a space is not set up the way the program requires. The document says: “I will only stunt or tumble on the surfaces and matting my program allows.”
- Reporting injuries. Pushing through pain is how a small injury becomes a larger one, and in a stunt group an injury can affect teammates as well as the athlete. The rule asks for the report to be made straight away, and treats it as the right thing to do. The document says: “I will report an injury straight away rather than pushing through it, because an injury can affect my teammates as well as me.”
- In front of a crowd. Cheer is a performance, and the crowd is part of it. The rule asks athletes to keep their words and gestures appropriate on the mat, in the stands and online, which includes how they speak about other squads. The document says: “I will remember the crowd is watching, and keep my words and gestures appropriate at all times.”
- Uniform and appearance. A uniform worn correctly is part of how a squad looks and part of how it is held together. The rule asks athletes to wear it the way the program requires, including hair and jewelry, and the program decides what that is. The document says: “I will wear my full uniform correctly, with hair and jewelry as our squad requires.”
Parents and the mat
The code above also carries a section for parents and spectators, signed by the same page. These are the commitments in it, and what each one is for.
- Do not distract stunt groups. When an athlete is stunting, the group and its spotters need to keep their attention on the stunt. The rule asks parents not to call out to their child at that moment, and to cheer as soon as the stunt is finished. The document says: “I will not call out to my child while they are stunting, so the group and its spotters can keep their attention on the stunt.”
- Practice and warm-up areas. The practice and warm-up areas are working spaces, and a coach needs them clear. The rule asks parents to stay out unless a coach invites them in. The document says: “I will stay out of the practice and warm-up areas unless a coach invites me in.”
- Photos and video. Cheer parents film a lot, and a phone held up in the wrong place blocks the view of the people behind or crowds the mat. The rule asks parents to film from where they sit. The document says: “I will film from where I am sitting rather than blocking sightlines or crowding the mat.”
- Skills and placements. Which skills an athlete does, which stunt group they are in and which role they play are the coaches' decisions, made on skill, trust and what the group needs. The rule asks parents to leave them to the coaches and to take questions to the coach privately. The document says: “I will leave decisions about skills, stunt positions and placements to the coaches.”
- Supporting every squad. Cheer is a team activity that is performed in front of other teams. The rule asks parents to applaud every squad, not only their child's, which is also how the athletes learn to do it. The document says: “I will applaud every squad performing, not only my child's.”
Safety rules belong to the program, not the code
A code of conduct states what people promise to do. It is not the document that sets which skills are allowed, who may spot, what matting is required or what a coach must be certified to run, and it should not try to be.
- Skill levels and clearance. Your program, its governing body and your insurer set them, and your coaches clear each athlete. Point to yours in the team rules section rather than copying it, because it changes.
- Spotting and surfaces. Who spots, how, and what surface and matting are required are program and governing body rules. The code asks athletes to follow them.
- Coaching qualifications. What a coach has to be trained or certified to run is set outside the code, and a program should keep that record where a family can ask about it.
- Head injuries. Many programs, leagues and states require a separate sign-off before an athlete practices. The concussion acknowledgment generator makes one, and the code of conduct sits beside it.
Cheerleading player code of conduct versus parent code of conduct
The document above carries both and is signed once: the athlete's commitments and the parent's, on one page. That is the simplest thing to hand out and the hardest to lose. Some programs prefer two pages, because the athlete code gets read aloud at the first practice while the parent one goes home with the family. If yours does, the general player code of conduct and parent and spectator code of conduct generators each make one on its own, and you can carry the cheer lines from this page into either.
How to write cheerleading code of conduct consequences
The weakest sentence in most codes of conduct is the last one. "May result in consequences" is true and enforces nothing. Cheer gives you a better ladder than most activities, because a coach controls who is in which stunt group and which routine.
- A conversation first. After practice, with the athlete, and with a parent if it was bigger than a missed count.
- Stepping out of a group. For a safety matter, an athlete steps out until the coach is satisfied. It is not a punishment, and it should not be presented as one.
- Sitting out a performance. For repeated or serious conduct, after a conversation with the family.
- A meeting with the director. For anything involving safety, harassment, or an adult.
Consequences should follow your program's rules, your league's requirements and your organization's policies, so check them before you promise a removal. Consequences for a safety matter are for the coach and the director to decide and should not be handled in public. Write the ladder into the team rules section of the document, in your own words.
Getting it signed, and getting it read
A code nobody has read changes nothing. Three habits make the difference.
- Hand it out with registration. Families who agree before the first practice are far easier than families asked after the first incident. It travels well with the cheerleading registration form.
- Read the safety rules aloud at the first practice. Two minutes, with the athletes. They hear it from you, and they hear that it applies to everyone, including the most experienced.
- Keep one copy and give one copy. A signed page in the file is what makes a later conversation short.
Other sports, and the general version
This is the cheerleading version. The general player code of conduct works for any sport, and the cheerleading forms and templates page lists the other 5 cheerleading documents.
Playbook Logix provides customizable templates for informational and administrative use. They are not legal advice and will not meet the requirements of every organization, sport or jurisdiction. Review anything you intend to rely on with your own attorney or your insurance carrier, and check your league and state requirements.
Common questions
Who should sign a cheerleading code of conduct?
The athlete and a parent or guardian, on the same page. A ten-year-old can promise to attempt only what a coach has cleared and to report an injury straight away, but it is the parent who promises to leave decisions about skills and placements to the coaches, and a code only one of them has signed covers half the problem. The signature block on this one has both.
Does the code say which skills are allowed?
No. It says an athlete will attempt only what a coach has cleared, with the spotting and on the surfaces the program allows. Which skills are allowed at which level is set by your program, its governing body and your insurer, and a code of conduct is the wrong place to state it.
What should a cheerleading code say about spotting?
That an athlete takes it seriously and does it the way a coach has trained them to. Who may spot, and how, is set by your program and its governing body. The code states the commitment and leaves the method to your coaches.
Why does the code ask parents not to call out during a stunt?
So the group and its spotters can keep their attention on the stunt. The rule is about the moment the athlete is stunting, not about cheering. Parents are encouraged to cheer loudly for every squad, and to wait for the stunt to finish before calling out.
What should we do when a parent breaks the code?
Speak to them privately and soon, with the page in your hand, and do it as a person with authority rather than as a coach in the middle of practice. A written code does most of its work here: you are pointing at a line they signed, not offering an opinion.
Can I use it for school, recreational or all-star cheer?
Yes. Edit the sections to match your program, change the examples in the team rules section, and delete the parent section if your program does not ask parents to sign. Choosing the Adult participants option removes the parent and guardian wording.
More cheerleading tools
The rest of the cheerleading toolkit
Cheerleading Registration Form
Tumbling and stunting background, last season's level, uniform and shoe sizes, and injury questions, on a form for sign-up day.
Open the generatorCheerleading Tryout Evaluation Form
A scoring grid for jumps, tumbling, stunting, motions, dance and projection, with a table for the jumps and counts you record.
Open the generatorCheerleading Player Evaluation Form
A mid-season report for a parent: cheer skills against the age group, a section for each role, and room for words.
Open the generatorCheerleading Tryouts & Evaluation Guide
A 90-minute run of show, seven stations from jumps to voice, a staffing plan, how to assign roles, and a safety plan.
Read the guideCheerleading Uniform & Equipment Checkout
Uniform set, warm-ups, bow and poms, with set number, size, condition and replacement cost, and a return date.
Open the generatorOnce you have filled it in
Playbook Logix
Collect the cheerleading code of conduct online
Playbook Logix is registration, rosters, payments, schedules and team messaging for youth and adult sports, in one place. A signed page is only useful if you can find it again. This is how Playbook Logix collects the same agreement without a folder.
Make it part of registering
Add an Agreement question to the registration form and a parent has to check it before the form will submit. It works on every plan, including the free one.
How it worksOr collect a typed signature
On the Coach plan and above, upload the code once and each parent signs on their phone by typing their name. The date and the child it covers are recorded, a list shows who has signed, and families with something unsigned are reminded automatically. A signed paper copy can be marked as received.
How it worksPost it where it cannot be buried
Pin the code to the team message board and ask parents to tap Acknowledge, so you can see who has read it and who has not, instead of hoping forty people read a group text.
How it worksThe Starter plan is free, and the iPhone and Android app is free on every plan. Anything described above as Coach plan and above needs a paid plan. See the plans or the mobile app. Nothing you type into the template above is sent to us, whether or not you ever sign up.
Get every family to sign before the first game
Playbook Logix collects signed documents with registration, so the code of conduct is on file before the first practice and not in a folder in somebody's truck.