Parent and Athlete Handbook

Transcription

1 Parent and Athlete Handbook

2 Table of Contents GPMSA Board Members Contact List 5 Presidents Welcome Message 2018 Indoor Season 7 GPMSA Needs Volunteers Like You 9 Team Pictures 9 Season Start Date 9 Respect in Sport 9 The Game 10 LTPD Model 10 GP United Philosophy 11 GP United Team Makeup 11 GP United Evaluations 12 GP United Team Travel and Tournaments 12 GP United Apparel 13 GP United Budget GP United Sponsorship and Fundraising 14 GP United Coaches and Team Managers 14 GP United Player Commitment 15 GP United Parent Expectations 16 GP United Parent Contract 19 GP United Player Contract 21 2 P a g e

3 GPMSA Board Member Contact List Kara Sewall GPMSA Board President Christine Reid GPMSA Vice President - Indoor vp-indoor@gpmsa.ca Derek Van Tassell GPMSA Vice President - Outdoor vp-outdoor@gpmsa.ca Lenny Ramirez Director - Fundraising director-4@gpmsa.ca Chad Wnuk Director - Equipment and Apparel director-1@gpmsa.ca Jeff Haakstad Director - Public Affairs director-3@gpmsa.ca Patrick Bueckert Director - Recreational League director-2@gpmsa.ca Michelle Richardson Secretary secretary@gpmsa.ca Lynda Atamanchuk Treasurer treasurer@gpmsa.ca GPSA Admin Staff Tim Nesbitt - GPSA HR - Minor timgpsa@telus.net Dylan Cartier Executive Director - GPSA dylangpsa@telus.net Do We Need to Know Something? We want to hear from you if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for improving Grande Prairie Minor Soccer, this information booklet or our website. If you like what we are doing, please let us know that too! Please your questions, comments and suggestions to the above designate. 3 P a g e

4 Welcome Message 2018 Indoor Season On behalf of the Grande Prairie Minor Soccer Association (GPMSA) Board and Staff, I would like to welcome you to the 2018 Indoor Soccer season. GPMSA exists to promote, develop and govern the minor soccer program in Grande Prairie. We strive to provide for all children and youth in GP the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful game of soccer. We endeavor to develop all of our players, regardless of initial skill, to their full potential as soccer players, encouraging the values of good sportsmanship and of course having fun. Our Board members are committed to improving our programs, so they are more enjoyable for our players, coaches, and parents. We are also determined to better manage this program by increasing efficiencies and accountability to you. GPMSA is a community volunteer driven organization. This means with few expectations, our program is organized and run by a group of dedicated volunteers from Grande Prairie. We appreciate all our volunteers from Caches and Managers working directly with the teams other the Board Members working to improve the program and the countless volunteers that help with registration, re-season camps, inventory, tournaments, equipment, evaluations and so much more. All these people contribute hundreds of volunteer hours each year to ensure our youth can play soccer. Please show them respect and gratitude, for without these generous volunteers, we would not be able to offer this program. Please consider volunteering some of your time to make your child s soccer experience, and all other children s experiences, a great one. We welcome your comments, concerns or suggestions at any time. Please contact us sooner than later in hopes of us finding a way to help you find a solution/ answer. For other questions, please check our website at I hope you have a fantastic season! Kara Sewall GPMSA Board President 4 P a g e

5 GPMSA NEEDS VOLUNTEERS LIKE YOU!!! Our soccer programs in Grande Prairie are run solely on a volunteer basis. We are incredibly grateful for each volunteer within our organization. Please show respect and appreciation to our volunteers who give up their personal time to provide sports activities for your player. If you are not already involved, please consider volunteering some of your time to help make your child s soccer experience a success. We are always looking for Coaches, Managers, Board Members, program helpers, etc. How Can You Help? Each of the coaches you see on the field started off just like you a parent/ community member that wanted to make a difference for a child. GPMSA offers many free coaching courses and clinics, as well as covers the cost for any NCCP certification courses, upon completion. Please be advised that any person interacting with a player is required to complete a Criminal Record Check. TEAM PICTURES GP Minor Soccer and GP United will be having their photos taken this year on October 31 & November 1. Please see for schedule information. POLICIES New policies have been put in place to make soccer more efficient and smooth year to year. Please check out to educate yourself on these policies. As new ones are approved by the Board, they will be posted to the website. Many questions you may have might be answered in these policies. SEASON START DATE October 15, 2018 RESPECT IN SPORT We want our club to not just have the best players but also the best parent supporters. At least one parent from each family must complete the respect in sport online course at parents cost. If you have completed this in previous seasons, you do not have to do this again. Please provide GPSA with your certification number if you have completed this course through another sport. 5 P a g e

6 THE GAME Indoor 2018 We encourage parents to educate themselves on the rules of the game. Here are some links found on the Alberta Soccer Association website that may help you. 2018/19 Alberta Rules of Indoor Soccer (boarded): /19 Summary of Changes to the Rules of Indoor Soccer (boarded) Changes.pdf 2018/19 Modified Soccer rules for Indoor (7v7, 8v8, 9v9) Grande Prairie Minor Soccer Association uses the model of LTPD to develop programs appropriate for young athletes. Further information than the overview provided below can be found at: 6 P a g e

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8 GP United Guidelines GP United is the competitive stream of minor soccer in Grande Prairie. Evaluations are conducted each season to place players on teams according to a variety of factors including, but not limited to, skill, teamwork, and attitude. GP United aims to put our strongest teams forward, while ensuring the kids still have fun and develop a love of soccer. Philosophy It is the belief of GPMSA to prepare players for life by giving them the opportunity to participate in a high performance, team oriented, development focused, professionally run soccer organization. GP United Club will build, create and foster a vibrant community of members dedicated to a lifelong passion for the game of soccer. The club is looking to build on its past success to deliver a soccer program that focuses on the following: Promoting the technical and athletic development of all players at the highest level. Providing an affordable program that is operated on a pay for use basis. Developing and attracting the best coaching staff available. Team Makeup It s the philosophy of the Club to provide athletes with as much continuity as possible through their GP United playing experience. In accordance with this philosophy, teams will be assembled by age group to establish cores for both outdoor and indoor seasons. This will better establish continuity and consistency within the team environment throughout a player s development with GP United. If we don t have the numbers they will be grouped together in U8 or U18 at the discretion of the Technical Committee. 8 P a g e

9 Player Evaluations GP United Indoor fields teams of players, both male and female teams, in the U9 to U17 age groups. Teams will be assembled and compete in the highest divisions possible based on the direction from Technical Committee and team coaching staff. Evaluations may consist of practices, technical sessions, formal evaluation sessions, parent/player discussions/interviews, coach evaluations, and previous season metrics as deemed necessary by the technical director. The following qualities will be evaluated throughout the evaluation period: Athletics Player s ability to demonstrate solid athletic performance. Evaluators assess a player s quickness, speed, endurance, and strength. Technical Player s ability with the ball at their feet. Technical evaluation will focus on dribbling, passing and touch. Game Sense Player s ability to grasp soccer concepts and think in a composed and creative manner. Game Sense is identified by a player s presence and decision making on and off the ball. Character Traits This is where intangibles come into play such as second effort, leadership, communication and establishing a positive presence and commitment to the program. Tournaments and Travel GP United teams are encouraged to participate in tournaments within Alberta/ BC/ Saskatchewan and surrounding communities. Out of province travel must be approved by the club s Technical Committee. For the 2018 season, the following tournament policy has been put in place for coaches: U9, 1 tournament and one weekend of friendlies U11, 2 tournaments U13 and older, 3 tournaments The club does not cover any team travel costs. It will be up to each team to manage the financial budget of the travel involved. Adjustments have been made to player fees to cover the cost of hotels and food allocations for non-parent coaches. Healthy eating habits is very important for all athletes, whether at home or on the road. Teams should try to plan healthy meals and snacks between games. There should be a team itinerary created by the team manager, coach or travel coordinator. This must be followed by all involved with the team. These travel plans are not for family vacations but for team building, development and a positive culture for everyone involved. 9 P a g e

10 Apparel This summer, GP United changed their logo. As such, new clothing and apparel items will be distributed to all players (and interested parents) at an additional cost to parents. All players must wear their given jerseys during games, and wear club apparel with pride. GPMSA will be conducting a United Clothing purchase evening (date TBD) where ALL players will be expected to purchase the following: o Hoodie o Track pants o 2 pairs of shorts o 2 pairs of socks Budget GP United is a not for profit organization run by volunteers. Costs associated with running the program vary based on technical recommendations. Each team will have a different budget due to the following items, as decided in part by the coaching staff: Number of practices per week, and location Tournaments & Travel Locations Program improvement fees Insurance fees (non-negotiable) Equipment costs (non-negotiable) Raffle Ticket Fundraising entire organization Other fees set out by GPSA/ GPMSA to cover costs of the program Please be aware that sponsorships and fundraising are available for the 2018 season. Please see section pertaining to this information. 10 P a g e

11 Fundraising/ Sponsorship We are fortunate to be living in such a generous community. So, sponsorship is permitted this season - it can be directed to anything desired of your team. Please touch base your team managers/ team coaches to discuss potential sponsorship, if interested. TEAM FUNDRAISING has been reinstated for this season. Fundraising requests, and appropriate paperwork, MUST be approved by the board prior to its commencement. If we do this incorrectly, we lose our license. Please contact your team manager, GPSA or GPMSA for further details. Fundraising money can ONLY be towards pitch time and tournament fees. They CANNOT go towards clothing/ equipment/ team bonding experiences. GP United Coaches Our club coaches are expected to help with the technical, tactical and physical development of all players associated with the LTPD Model. By being a role model for our youth, our coaches follow guidelines for many different procedure guidelines for things such as playing time, encouragement, positivity and work rate. GPMSA encourages, and provides, certification and course opportunities for coaches to improve their skills and coaching abilities. Team Managers Every team is expected to have a team management system in place. We recommend the minimum management system is a Team Manager to help the coaching staff focus on their tasks at hand. Any managers, parent helpers, trainers, coaches, etc. have a criminal record check completed and on file with GPSA and be vetted by the GPMSA technical committee. 11 P a g e

12 Player Commitment GP United requires a higher level of commitment from players, their parents and coaches. As such, the following information will help clarify our exepectations: Our club expects that all players should have an approximate attendance percentage of at least 75% for all team activities. Proper communication to the team s head coach and/or manager regarding upcoming absences is mandatory. Poor attendance at practice may an have impact on playing time in games at coach s discretion. Obligations toward the Game 1. Come prepared to learn and give coaches and trainers my complete attention. Their purpose is to make me a better player and my team a better team. 2. Practice on my own, make every effort to develop my own sporting ability, in terms of skill, technique, tactics and stamina. 3. Control my temper and not retaliate, even if I disagree with a decision. Displays of temper will not be tolerated on the field or in playing area. 4. Show good sportsmanship before, during, and after games, conduct myself with honor and dignity. Avoid all forms of gamesmanship and time-wasting. 5. Always have regard to the best interests of the game, including where publicly expressing an opinion on the game and any aspect of it, including others involved in the game. 6. Not use inappropriate language. 7. Set a positive example for others, particularly young players and supporters. Obligations towards the Team 1. Make every effort consistent with Fair Play and the Laws of the Game to help the teams win. 2. Resist any influence that might, or might be seen to, bring into question commitment to the team winning. 3. Respect your team mates. Respect for the Laws of the Game and Competition Rules 1. Know and abide by the Laws, rules and spirit of the game, and the competition rules. 2. Accept success and failure, victory and defeat, equally. Respect towards Opponents 1. Treat opponents with due respect always, regardless of the result of the game. 12 P a g e

13 2. Safeguard the physical fitness of opponents, avoid violence and reckless play. Respect towards the Referees 1. Accept the decision of the Referee without protest. 2. Show due respect towards Referee. Respect towards Team Officials 1. Abide by the instructions of their Coach and Team Officials provided they do not contradict the spirit of this Code. 2. Show due respect towards the Team Officials of the opposition. If a player is not committed to the club and team guidelines, playing time can be affected. Expectations of Parents Parents and Guardians must understand that a player s commitment to their team is contingent on a resource to get them to and from games, practices and technical/athletic sessions. This is most important for our younger players who have joined GP United and rely on their parents to do so. We appreciate all that you do to allow the kids to enjoy the game of soccer. To help your child, get the most from our program, please ensure that the player is prompt in their arrival and departure from team events. Players are expected to be in attendance 30 minutes prior to games, 15 minutes prior to practice and 30 minutes prior to friendly games. Consistent variance from this could result in loss of playing time and potential benching. Parents are traditionally welcome to observe practices; however, they must refrain from comment and direct interaction with their child during the session. Occasionally sessions may be closed based on the coach s request, after approval from the board has been granted. Parents are encouraged to attend all games and support the team as one unit. At no time should parents coach, criticize, confront or make negative comments regarding the team, their opposition, the officiating or the coaching. Parents under no circumstances are to coach the players while on the field. Generic applauds, and cheers are welcomed for the team in general. The kids deserve to hear your approval! Comments such as Shoot, Pass, Get it, are counter-productive. Kids need to think freely and discover the game themselves to truly develop. Sideline support should be balanced and team oriented. There is nothing they need more than a full bleacher of fans. Parents must abide by the 48-hour rule regarding coaching concerns. Refrain from approaching coaching staff at the soccer centers, game or practice facilities. Parents expected to encourage their children to discuss their concerns and playing issues directly with the coaching staff. All parent concerns need to be 13 P a g e

14 first addressed directly to the coaching staff. If concerns are not dealt with, please fill out the online complaint form and submit to GPSA office which will be forwarded to GPMSA board for consideration. We will do all we can to be as open as possible to players and parents concerns. We are here to facilitate their growth. Please educate yourself about the game of soccer. Parents are asked to refrain from discussing team concerns within earshot of their aspiring athlete. The children adopt our thinking, and issues with coaches, players and parents should be reserved as adult issues and isolated from the impressionable athlete. Parents are expected to ensure that all athletes are well equipped for their sessions. Please ensure that all player equipment is safe and suitable for the athlete s development. A simple do you have everything may not be enough. Please ensure that the athlete has their gear, water bottle, and has the required nutrition/hydration for the activity. Code of Conduct for Parents Remember that children play for FUN. Applaud effort and good play as well as success. Always respect the match officials decisions. Remain outside the field of play and within the spectators area. Let the team official do their job and not confuse the players by telling them what to do. In other words, let the coach be the coach. Respect the team official s decisions during game play. Respect the team officials and GP United rules for conflict resolution. Ex. 48 Hour Rule (you will wait 48 hours before approaching the club, coaches or administration will issues, around team selection, or player conflicts, etc. Support your team officials with respect to team and/or player discipline. Encourage the players to respect the opposition, referee and match officials. Do not criticize a player for making a mistake mistakes are part of learning. Never engage in, or tolerate, offensive, insulting, or abusive language or behavior. Understand that if you do not follow the Code, any or all the following actions may be taken by the Grande Prairie Minor Soccer Association Board. I may be: Issued with a verbal warning from GPMSA Board or league official required to meet with the club committee obliged to leave the match venue by the team or league official Requested by the club not to attend future games required to leave the GP United program along with any dependents 14 P a g e

15 Parent Contract 1. I/We understand the commitments and expectations laid forth in the Team Handbook and agree to diligently follow them. 2. I/We affirm that my child will exert effort to maintain a high level of academic achievement. 3. I/We, as a spectator, will exhibit a high level of sportsmanship at contests. 4. I/We will follow appropriate procedures in communicating concerns to coaches. 5. I/We hereby authorize and consent to our child s participation in Club athletics and sports. 6. I/We understand that the sport in which our child will be participating is potentially dangerous, and that physical injuries may occur to our child requiring emergency medical care and treatment. 7. I/We assume the risk of injury to our child that may occur in an athletic activity. 8. I/we agree to release and hold harmless the GP United Club, its members, the Club Coordinator, Technical Director, the member of the executive, all coaches, and any and all other of their agents, servants, and/or employees and agree to indemnify each of them from any claims, costs, suits, actions, judgment, and expenses arising from our child s participation in Club athletics. 9. I/We hereby give our consent and authorize the GP United Club and its agents, servants, and/or employees to consent on our behalf and on behalf of our child, to emergency medical care and treatment in the event we are unable to be notified by reasonable attempts of the need for such emergency medical care and treatment. 10. I/We hereby give our consent to allow any picks or videos of my child to be used to promote the club through our website, posters, advertising, etc. Signature of Parent/ Legal Guardian Date Team Signature of Parent/ Legal Guardian Date Team 15 P a g e

16 Player Contract 1. I understand the commitments and expectations laid forth in the Team Handbook and agree to diligently follow them. 2. I will do my very best to maintain a high level of academic achievement. 3. I will always exhibit a high level of sportsmanship at contests. 4. I will follow appropriate procedures in communicating concerns to coaches. 5. I understand that I am partaking in a club athletic activity and that, consequently, all Alberta Club expectations, rules and policies apply. 6. I realize that being a member of the GP United Club makes me an ambassador of Grande Prairie, Alberta on the local and provincial scenes. My behavior will show respect towards this privileged responsibility. Signature of Athlete Date Team 16 P a g e