Best Practices Presentation. ADAM HAYDUK, Executive Director Vancouver Thunderbirds MHA

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1 Best Practices Presentation ADAM HAYDUK, Executive Director Vancouver Thunderbirds MHA

2 Entering 5th year as Vancouver Thunderbird MHA Executive Director Over last 5 years, VTMHA has grown from: * 890 players on 57 teams in 2007/08 TO * 1032 players on 67 teams in 2010/11

3 Focus on recruitment/retention of coaches and development first, players will follow.

4 Increased the amount of skill development ice times for our players Skill sessions run in house by our paid, fulltime Director of Hockey Operations Initiation skills ice time was increased from 1.5 hours per week to 3.25 hours per week Atom and Pee Wee House skills sessions Don t ignore the players that registered for minor hockey for the first time in H3 or H4 some of them are future rep players Weekly goalie sessions provided free of charge: 1.5 hours/week

5 For this coming season, our development is increasing again to: Over 4 hours per week of initiation skill development time All pre-novice teams (H1/H2) are on the ice twice a week with their teams plus weekly skill development sessions All novice teams (H3/H4) are on the ice three times a week with their teams plus weekly skills sessions Atom, pee wee, and bantam house skill sessions continue Goalie development program continues Rep skill development program is being introduced Referee development program revamped

6 With the exception of the rep skills programs, all extra skill development programs are FREE OF CHARGE to our players and families This is partly possible to slightly higher registration fees than most associations but also due to over $170,000 of fundraising and grants over the course of a year

7 2008/09 Coach Recruitment Also Began Media was used to distribute message that we pay our coaches.

8 VTMHA successfully recruited coaches (and still do) because word is out we treat our coaches well Word paid has been scaled back to Treat coaches well and generously cover expenses Parents began to assume that paid means they can hold coaches to the standard, pressure, and expectation that of NHL coaches coaching in a hockey-crazed market

9 Vancouver Thunderbird MHA does the following for our coaches Provides a generous honorarium Covers all costs associated with coach certifications, criminal record check, and other Hockey Canada or BC Hockey required certifications Actively seeks out opportunities for our coaches to participate in Coaching Day in BC events, Canucks First Strides Program, BC Hockey High Performance events and programs Cover the registration and hotel costs to attend the Kamloops Professional Coaches conference Coaches always feel they can immediately get a hold of someone for help: Director of Hockey, Executive Director, Vice President, or Administrator Foster camaraderie among our coaches and provide in-house coach development

10 We thought that paying our coaches is what would help us attract and keep them. We were wrong

11 For the purpose of this presentation, I surveyed several Vancouver Thunderbird coaches and other coaches from outside our association about what s important to them. Here are the results

12 #1 SUPPORT Help with parents Effective communication channels to support coaches when dealing with disciplinary issues Coach development + mentorship Clinics Constructive post-season feedback Strong effort to foster culture of respect, commitment, and accountability in the association Patience from the association Scheduling to accommodate around the coaches work commitments

13 #2 STRONG PLAYER DEVELOPMENT Coaches want to see that players are being developed from a young age and that the development is carried through into house and rep Association policies that foster commitment and respect Coaches want to coach strong teams and skilled players

14 #3 ADVANCEMENT & OPPORTUNITIES Coaches want to commit to a program long term as long as they see a chance of moving up through the ranks and are provided opportunities for development (i.e. Kamloops Coaches Conference and BC Hockey High Performance Program) If I don t feel I can learn anymore from an association or that my development has stalled, I can t stay. Coaches want to learn and develop their skills as much as players do.

15 #4 NOT BE OUT OF POCKET TO COACH Many coaches work full time jobs and have bills, but volunteering cannot cost them money. Assistance with creating a season schedule (practices and games) that work around a coach s work commitments saves them from having to take time off work and eliminate conflict with the boss. Tournament costs should be covered by the team budget

16 A significant by-product of everything that has been discussed Development from Hockey 1 and well past atom house and rep Put the time and resources into developing coaches Provide experiences and opportunities for your players Make sure players don t miss out on BC Hockey opportunities that are made available (i.e. High Performance Program, PCAHA Scholarship games, scholarships, Canucks First Strides, etc) Reward player accomplishments Van Tbirds covers the costs of any players that makes a U16 or U17 team while they are active players with the T-birds

17 Deal with situations immediately when they arise Parent/player/coach conflicts are inevitable have an association representative available to deal with it and hear the parents/players/coaches out Demanding parents with above-average players simply require additional time Someone will need to spend time listening to their concerns and thoughts If your association takes the position that such things are annoying and can t be bothered with, they will go where someone will listen to them.

18 Thank you for your time.