Things coaches must do to prepare a team for the year and during the season:
Delegate your Assistant coaches, trainer, manager (team officials) as soon as possible.
Hold your parent meeting as soon as possible and delegate responsibilities such as timekeeping, treasurer, jersey handlers, contact persons, and develop your Emergency Action Plan with your trainer, call and contact persons. ( Anyone who has taken the Safety Course will be familiar with this ). Also ensure your parents are aware of the new 1 to 1 directive.
Arrange for your 5 volunteers for each of the Confederation Christmas Tournament (Dec. 27 - 30) and Minor Hockey Week (Mid Jan.). Shifts are typically for about 2 hours each. Recommend that parents who are not on the hard card volunteer for these duties.
Ensure all team officials filled out Security check, complete Confed Team Official application, Speak Out, Trainer needs Safety. You can get the necessary forms on our website or EMHA. Confederation reimburses those who pass the courses ( a receipt is required ). THERE IS A NOVEMBER 15 DEADLINE TO REGISTER ALL TEAM OFFICIALS AND RETURN ANY SECURITY CLEARANCES. THOSE REGISTERED WITHOUT SECURITY CLEARANCES WILL BE REMOVED FROM YOUR HARD CARD.
Team Hard Card w-roster, assistant coaches, trainer, manager, affiliate players must be with you for all games. You get the hard card from your director before first league game.
Good of the Game form must be completed and signed by all parents, players and team officials and turned in to director. Forms you get at the city coaches meeting at city hall.
Have a copy of Injury form at all times, player medical forms must be completed and signed and be with trainer or coach for all games.
To pick up team equipment and jerseys please contact the Equipment Team or see the board members page for phone numbers. You must make an appointment to pickup your equipment. All equipment must be returned washed and cleaned no later than 2 weeks after your final game. A $250 deposit cheque is required and will only be cashed if the equipment is not returned.
Ref fees are your responsibility to pay, you will get a cheque from the director to offset the cost. Keep receipts for later reimbursement if you have not picked up your referee money yet.
Blank Game sheets will be given to you by the director. It is the responsibility of the home team to provide game sheets and 2 timekeepers, and the game sheets must be filled out correctly. Game sheets must be dropped off with the director within 24 hours of the end of a game. Incident reports on back of game sheets must be faxed to the city director for your age category within 4 hours of the end of a game. Failure to comply with returning or faxing game sheets on time will result in coach suspensions by FEDERATION.
Permits for any exhibition game or tournament as well as team functions, special events, and the forms are available online at EMHA. You need 48 hours notice minimum for sanction numbers.
Referees arrangements are made with the referee coordinator Gary Greenough. A minimum of 48 hours notice is needed.
Treasurer should have a bank account in the team name, all team finances should go through this account. Also the team’s Treasurer should provide several times per year an up to date accounting of all team funds and the team budget.
Coaches Code of Ethics
1. The good coach believes that his job is to teach hockey, to develop his players, and to put a team of sportsmen on the ice for every game. The keys to successful coaching are
LEADERSHIP and EXAMPLE. The coach points out what is right or wrong, fair or unfair. He stresses cooperation with authority and respect for it. How he acts is more important than what he says.
2. The coach tries to give his team the will to win. He wants them to know the pride of winning, as individuals as well as members of a team. But they must also know how to lose like a sportsman. AND SO MUST HE!! A team that plays like this earns friends and respect everywhere it goes, and so does the coach.
3. Coaches must be capable of administering discipline fairly, to the superstar as well as the developing player.
4. Coaches must be responsible for their own behavior. They are leaders and teachers and their actions reflect upon the total program.
5. Coaches must be well organized and prepared both on and off the ice.
6. No abuse by coaches to referees will be tolerated. Any coach removed from a game may at the discretion of the club immediately suspend the coach in question until a hearing by the discipline committee.
7. A coach or team official that is found under the influence of drugs or alcohol while in his official capacity with the team may be suspended for the rest of the year.
8. Equal ice time for all and in all situations is mandated by Confederation Hockey. There will be no short shifting or short benching of players.
9. REMEMBER, COACHING IS A PRIVILEGE, NOT A SELF-SERVING OBLIGATION, AND THE POSITIONS ARE NOT HANDED OUT LIGHTLY!! TREAT THE POSITION AND RESPONSIBILITIES WITH RESPECT!!
Coach Selection, Evaluation, and Responsibilities
Selection Criteria
Coaches will be selected on the basis of five categories. These categories, in no particular order include:
- Certification
- Experience
- Past Performance
- Seniority
- How they relate to (communicate with) kids
Coach selection is not automatic if you have coached previously with Confederation Hockey.
In many cases we have many qualified coaches for a team. Confederation appoints the coach based upon the top score in the above 5 categories and may at their discretion appoint the entire coaching staff based upon the above.
Evaluation
- All Head Coaches and Assistant Coaches will be evaluated by players, parents, Category Directors and Hockey Operations two times per year and results shared with coaches to improve their coaching and communication ability. Coaches with negative reports may at the discretion of the club be removed from coaching. In most cases, the club will endeavor to work with coaches to provide the best coaching product for our players development and enjoyment.
- In an effort to provide a quality hockey program, Confederation Hockey Club will select coaches it feels best meet the objectives of the program offered, governing bodies, and the game itself. These coaches will be selected, after team placement, and shall be appointed by the Evaluation committee. In the event of a number of candidates, then the selection process shall to be utilized.
- Abusive or overtly competitive coaches will not be tolerated and will be not given coaching assignments.
Head Coach Responsibilities
- Have the proper certification for the age level you are coaching and maintain credentials
- Attend Club Development Coaching Clinics that apply to your age level you are coaching
- Pass along information from the club that is directed to parents.
- Attend the Confederation Christmas Tournament
- Participate in the Confederation Fund Raising Raffle
- Delegate team responsibilities to parent volunteers, including parent liaison
- Having 5 volunteers for the Christmas and MHW Tournaments, this is NOT optional
- Responding to any Club requests for information
- All prospective coaches including assistant coaches must volunteer for player evaluations
- Give an on-time unbiased post season player evaluation and ranking to your Category Director
- Hold at least 2 parent meetings to keep the parents informed
- Provide pre-planned practices and positive bench management skills for the players
Handling Difficult Circumstances
- In all circumstances be open, direct and honest.
- Do not let emotions boil over, especially you as the Head Coach.
- Enforce a 24 hour cooling off period amongst everyone involved on the team before a contentious issue is discussed.
Remember that everyone is governed by the Good of the Game Code.
If a City Director suspends you, anyone on your staff, or any player you will not argue the suspension. You can engage in dialogue to find justification. The best way to deal with City Directors is to be pleasant and understanding. You do not want a City Director on the wrong side of the fence with you as they have the authority and will exercise if necessary suspension of travel permits, exhibition games, special events, etc, and can ask the Club for your removal as Head Coach.
Parents
- Appoint a parent liaison to take up issues with coaching staff or head coach
- Have 1 parent meeting at the beginning of the year shortly after the first practice
- Try to have at least 2 more parent meetings throughout the year
- Keep parents informed not guessing
- Do not let meetings get emotional
- Parents that are outside of the Good of the Game Code need to be reminded.
- Do not be afraid to get the club involved on cases that become difficult.
- The Category Director will get involved and if necessary the Discipline Committee
- Ask parents to refrain from “coaching” from the stands or leaning over the glass
- Have clear limits set on “talking hockey”, phone calls to the house, cell phone, etc.
- Get parents involved on the club, delegate duties to many.
- Parents with small children must be told to be responsible for them at all times.
- Small children are never allowed on the bench during games or practices.
Players
- Unruly and undisciplined players can ruin the hockey experience for all others
- Players must be reminded that playing hockey is a privilege not a right.
- Directors are instructed to watch penalty minutes, suspensions
- Younger players must stay focused on the bench and not push, shove, etc.
- Appoint 1 team official with keeping the younger players in line, tying skates, filling water bottles etc. This could be a good job for the Trainer at the younger age groups.
- Contact age categories players must remain in control of their emotions.
- Players consistently playing outside the rules or Good of the Game Code are subject to team and club discipline.
- Coaches are allowed to restrict playing time and remove players from the bench area or practice area if they are being disruptive
- Disruptive / undisciplined players should have a meeting with the coaching staff and parents to curb the offensive behavior. There should be clear guidelines in writing as to what the expectations are.
Coaches
- A coaching staff will make or break the year for the team and kids. Choose wisely.
- The club has the right to assign all Team Officials and remove Team Officials
- Fill the hard card. You never know when you need extra help.
- Only team officials are allowed on the ice or on the bench during games and practices
- Watch for “Split Hockey Personality” These are people who display a calm demeanor away from the arena but once they get behind a bench get aggressive, argumentative, and temperamental.
- Confederation reserves the right to remove coaches for the above behavior.
- Do not tolerate from your staff referee baiting, insulting of players on any team
- Make sure the assistant coaches know the Head Coach has final say on bench management and practice planning, however a good Head Coach will get his staff very involved and respect earned both ways. A good head coach listens to his staff!
- Remove from the bench area a parent who consistently fights with their player on the bench
- Watch for coaches that favor playing time for their player and/or group of friends over others. We have an equal ice time for all policy regardless of the situation or time remaining in the game.
- Opposing coaches can be an issue sometimes; do not get into it with an opposing coach on the ice or on/off the bench. Learn to “let it go.”
- Remember opposing coaches are governed by Good of the Game Code as well.
Referees
- Referees are not governed by Federation but by the NEZ Referee Council.
- Complaining to the Director, other coaches, the President, or anyone on Federation Council does nothing to get you heard, but only makes you look like a complainer.
- Referees are not obligated to explain calls to coaches and can skate away.
- Getting upset at the referees by you and/or your staff only gets your players upset
- Upset players will spend even more time in the penalty box
- Do not get upset with the new referees in Novice and sometimes Atom. These kids while some may look older than they are, many have just turned 13. Remember what you were like at 13 and could you have managed to referee a game with confidence. Allow them to make mistakes and learn from them, which will make them better referees.
- Never attempt to “coach” young referees. That simply intimidates them and makes them more nervous and mistake prone.
- Referees have pretty good memories; they will know a coach who gives them problems.
- Referees are not perfect. They will make fewer mistakes in a game than you however.
- Never yell, curse or make gestures at officials. You may get a game misconduct and a resulting call from the Discipline Chairman of Confederation or a Category Director.
- Do not discuss calls or non calls at the post game handshake. They are under no obligation to answer to these and younger referees find this very intimidating.
- You have no rights to critique a referee with him at any time. Remember, you are seeing the game from a different vantage point. Referee a game and you will realize it is not easy and your perspective changes. Refereeing is a judgment. Sometimes they will be wrong. The sun will still rise in the morning.
- You are still able to get suspended from the game once the final buzzer has sounded; and this suspension will carry over to the next game and will result in a phone call at least from the Discipline Chair of Confederation Hockey.
- If you have anything to say to a referee, a friendly approachable manner would be best, and between periods or perhaps an extended break. But remember they are NOT obligated to speak to coaches.
- Should a need be felt to report a referee, ONLY the Head Coach can issue the complaint, it should first be approved by our Category Director, and the complaint must follow the referee complaint guidelines on the NWZ Referee Website which can be accessed via the EMHA website.
- Never, ever approach a referee once off the rink or approach the referee room. This goes for all parents, players and team officials. Failure to observe this rule will result in immediate suspension pending review by the Discipline Committee and could be subjected to very severe penalties by FEDERATION.
- Finally have your coaches respect the referee and their decisions and referees will respect you back. This will pay off big dividends to you and the team(s) you coach down the road.