Dubuque Bruisers Semi-Pro Football Team Team manual Policies, procedures, rules and regulations Dubuque Bruisers Mission Statement The mission of the Dubuque Bruisers is to develop talented football players into successful individuals by virtue of teamwork, leadership, integrity, faith, and common goals as part of the North American Football League. It is our goal, to develop athletes who excel on and off the field while contributing to the betterment of the Dubuque Community through various partnerships with schools and nonprofit organizations. It shall be the duty of every player, coach and staff of the team, to thoroughly familiarize him or herself with the provisions of this manual that deals specifically or generally with the duties of his/her position within the organization. For the purpose of this document, all volunteers of the team shall be considered staff. All players, coaches and staff will be held accountable for the proper performance of the duties assigned to them, as well as for strict adherence to the policies, procedures, rules and regulations adopted for the good of the organization. This manual should be considered a work in progress with occasional updates and revisions to be added as needed. There will be no excuses or justifications for anything that a player, coach or staff may do contrary to the policies, procedures, rules and regulations spelled out within this manual. Also, it is the responsibility of the player, coach or staff to report any violations of these policies, procedures, rules or regulations that they observe to the head coach, the general manager or a member of the board of directors. A violation of these policies, procedures, rules and regulations may result in termination from the team either on a temporary or permanent basis. Throughout this document, the Dubuque Bruisers Football Team, shall be referred to as the team.
Statement of Purpose The purpose of this manual is to establish and document policies, procedures, rules and regulations for the assistance, guidance and control of all players, coaches and staff of the team. A comprehensive manual is vital to our efficiency in order to clarify duties and responsibilities with regards to the team as well as to reflect our objectives. This manual allows for easy reference and updates and also spells out the general subject areas for all players, coaches or staff to refer to on a regular basis. It is apparent that policies, procedures, rules and regulations cannot be established to include every possible situation encountered by individual members, nor is it the intent of this manual to attempt to do so. Some areas must be left to the discretion and sound judgment of the individual members. All policies, procedures, rules and regulations set forth herein shall be construed in the light of reasonableness. All players, coaches and staff will be expected to conduct themselves within the framework or guidelines of these policies, procedures, rules and regulations. However, in the same vein of reasonableness, the methods outlined herein, shall be followed as closely as circumstances permit.
Policy and Procedure Table of contents Procedure # Subject Series 100 General Policies 100 Policy and Procedure manual 101 Harassment in the work place 102 Controlled substances 103 Alcoholic beverages 104 Lending money 105 Personal benefit 106 Personal use of vehicle 107 198 Reserved for future considerations 199 Policy questions Series 200 Administrative Policies 200 Annual meetings 201 Monthly BOD meetings 202 Terms of members 203 Officers of the corporation 204 Executive Committee 205 Removal of officers/members 206 Health care contract 207 Beer vendor contract 208 Soda Vendor contract 209 Concession stand contract 210 Radio contract 211 Ticket distribution 212 Equipment purchases 213 Alumni Association 214 Charitable donations 215 298 Reserved for future considerations 299 Policy questions
Series 300 Operational Policies 300 Treasurer or designee 301 V.P. of Operations or designee 302 Staff dress code 303 Staff conduct 304 Game security officers 305 Medical personnel 306 Video equipment/personnel 307 Statisticians 308 Ball/water boys/girls 309 Uniforms 310 Laundering of uniforms 311 Public Address announcer 312 Radio announcers 313 Ticket gates 314 Equipment 315 Footballs 316 Gasoline reimbursement 317 Post game social 318 Alumni game meal 319 Road game travel 320 Road game accommodations 321 Alcoholic beverages on the bus 322 Sale of beer at home games 323 Rental of Dubuque County Fields 324 Practice field permit 325 Meal vouchers 326 Game Film 327 399 Reserved for future considerations 400 Policy questions Series 400 Personnel Policies 400 Player eligibility 401 Ticket allotment 402 Personal/professional gains 403 Player contract 404 Player release 405 Player profile sheet
406 Player s personal equipment 407 Player appearances 408 Player s injuries 409 Locker room 410 Team practices 411 Uniformed conduct 412 Player meetings 413 498 Reserved for future considerations 499 Policy questions
Series 100 General Policies 100. Policy and Procedure manual Each player, coach and staff will be held responsible for the contents of this manual and will follow the procedures as set forth herein. 101. Harassment in the work place All players, coaches and staff have the right to participate in an environment free of all forms of harassment. Federal law provides for the protection of classes of persons based on race, color, sex, religion, age, disability and national origin. The team will not tolerate, condone or allow harassment of any volunteer within the organization by a fellow volunteer. Because the team regards this as serious breech of conduct, the team will take direct and immediate action to prevent such situations from happening and will work to remedy all reported instances promptly. A violation of this policy may lead to an involuntary separation from the team. 102. Controlled substances A player, coach or staff found to be in possession of illegal controlled substances will be suspended from all team activities until such matter is resolved. Termination may result from the findings. 103. Alcoholic beverages Players, coaches or staff shall not consume any alcoholic beverages just prior to or during a team function and shall conduct themselves in a professional manner while representing the team. The exemption to this is with prior approval of the board of directors. 104. Lending money As a profit, corporation in the State of Iowa, the team is prohibited from lending money to any player, coach or staff on behalf of the corporation. 105. Personal benefit No player, coach or staff shall benefit either directly or indirectly in a personal or professional manner from their relationship with the team.
106. Personal use of vehicle No player, coach or staff may use their personal vehicle while performing team duties without having a proof of insurance document on file with the V.P. of Operations. 107. 198. Reserved for future consideration 199. Policy questions Please direct any inquiries regarding the policies in series 100, to the V.P. of the specific area or to the board of directors. Series 200 Administrative Policies 200. Annual meetings The board of directors shall hold an annual meeting, open to the public during the month of February each year. 201. Monthly Board of Director Meetings The Board of Directors shall hold their monthly meetings on the second Wednesday of each month to discuss corporation matters in accordance with the established corporate by-laws. 202. Terms of members Each committee chairperson, corporate officer, head coach and general manager shall serve one (1) year terms and may be reelected for subsequent years in accordance with established corporate by-laws. 203. Officers of the corporation Elections for officers of the corporation shall be held at the first meeting after the annual meeting each calendar year. Officers shall consist of: President Vice President of Administration Vice President of Operations Secretary Treasurer
204. Executive Committee The Executive Committee of the Board of Directors shall consist of the board President, V.P. of Administration, V.P. of Operations, Secretary and the Treasurer. 205. Removal of officers/members Officers and board members may be removed for cause as per the established corporate bylaws. Any member of the Board of Directors missing three (3) consecutive meetings without good cause may be subject to removal from the board. 206. Health care contract The Executive Committee of the team, with the approval of the Board of Directors, shall, at the beginning of each season, enter into a contract with a local health care facility for the purpose of securing medical staff for the team. This is not available at this time. 207. Beer vendor contract The Concessions Manager, with the approval of the Board of Directors, shall enter into a contract with a beer vendor at the beginning of each season. 208. Soda vendor contract The Concessions Manager, with the approval of the Board of Directors, shall enter into a contract with a soda vendor for each season. 209. Concession stand contract The Executive Committee, with the approval of the Board of Directors, shall enter into a contract with the City of Dubuque for concession stand services prior to November of each contract year. 210. Radio contract The Executive Committee, with the approval of the Board of Directors, shall enter into a contract with a local radio station for the rights to broadcast the games each year. 211. Ticket distribution Printed game tickets shall be the responsibility of the V.P. of Operations who will assign a ticket manager to handle both the complimentary and game day ticket distribution.
212. Equipment purchases No equipment shall be purchased without the prior approval of the V.P. of the specific area with confirmation from the Treasurer as to budget allocation. 213. Alumni Association The Dubuque Bruisers Alumni Association, while affiliated with the team, is not a direct by-product of the team. 214. Charitable donations All donations received for the benefit of the team, shall be reported to the Board of directors for review and approval. 215. 298. Reserved for future consideration 299. Policy questions Please direct any inquiries regarding the policies in series 200, to the VP of Administration. Series 300 Operational Policies 300. Treasurer or designee The Treasurer or designee shall be present at all home games. The treasurer or designee shall take all game receipts to the appropriate location. 301. VP of Operations or designee The V.P. of Operations or her/his designee shall be present at all home games to ensure the smooth flow of the game. 302. Staff dress code All staff personnel volunteering during a game shall wear the same designated team shirt and shall keep this team shirt tucked in. This shirt shall be issued to the staff at the beginning of the season and it will be their responsibility to launder it and wear it at the games. On days of inclement/cold weather, it is recommended that staff wear some form of team jacket (not issued).
303. Staff conduct All personnel representing the team shall conduct themselves in a manner consistent with our policies and shall refrain from using profane language, arguing with staff, officials, fans, drinking alcoholic beverages before or during games or otherwise engaging in conduct deemed detrimental to the team s professional image. 304. Game security officers The team shall employ a minimum of three (3) off-duty, uniformed law enforcement officers for game security purposes at an agreed upon rate of pay. One officer will act as the officer-in-charge of the event and will be responsible for the actions of all other officers. The team will provide the law enforcement agency with a copy our workers compensation insurance policy, if applicable. 305. Medical personnel The medical personnel shall then be considered as any other volunteer of the team. The medical personnel shall be afforded the same rights to the post game social, team travel and team accommodations as the rest of the team personnel. The team shall not be held responsible for the actions or inactions of the medical personnel. 306. Video equipment/personnel The team shall own all of the needed video equipment and shall be responsible for maintenance and storage. The video camera operator shall work at the direction of the head coach through the General Manager. They shall follow the same code of conduct as for all other staff. 307. Statisticians The statisticians shall work at the direction of the VP of Operations and shall be current on all league mandates with regard to their position. They shall submit statistics for each game directly to the head coach only. They shall follow the same code of conduct as for all other staff. 308. Ball/ water boys/girls No ball boys/girls or water boys/girls shall be allowed on the sidelines during a game until they have reached at least 12 years of age. They shall follow the same code of conduct as for all other staff.
309. Uniforms The game jerseys, game pants, game socks and game belts are all owned and controlled by the team and must adhere strictly to the NAFL s uniform code. Any unauthorized altering of these uniforms is strictly prohibited. Any needed tailoring will be authorized only by the head coach and handled through the General Manager. Players must return uniforms to a designated area after each use. Uniform numbers may not be traded between players without the permission of General Manager. 310. Laundering of uniforms The team shall be responsible for laundering the uniforms after each use. The team will enter into an agreement with a laundry facility for these services and will make arrangements for the drop off and pick up of the uniforms. No player shall launder his own uniform without prior approval of the General Manager. 311. Public Address Announcer The team shall assign a volunteer to this duty for each home game and shall be responsible for their content. The General Manager or designee shall provide the announcer with the necessary information for the game. The announcer shall serve the team and may be released without cause. The content of the pre-game/game music shall be at the direction of the V.P. of Operations with input from the head coach. 312. Radio announcers The team shall assign a volunteer (s) to this duty for each game and shall be responsible for their content. The General Manager or designee shall provide the announcers with the necessary information for their duties. The radio announcers shall serve the team and may be released without cause. 313. Ticket gates The ticket gates shall open at least one (1) hour prior to the starting time. The team and the City of Dubuque prohibit any carry-ins. 314. Equipment The team shall supply necessary equipment to each player with the exception of a mouth guard, helmet, pads, shoes, socks, supporter and/or special needs equipment. All football equipment, owned by the team and signed out to a player, will be kept in the equipment room when not in use. The player will sign out for issued equipment and will return same at the end of their time with the team. Anyone not returning Bruiser equipment when scheduled to do so may be subject to legal actions in the team s effort to recover the due equipment.
315. Footballs The team shall use only the specified game ball as designated by the league office. This game ball will not be a blem or second ball. Blems or seconds may be used for practice only. 316. Gasoline reimbursement Players qualifying for gasoline reimbursement must live outside of a thirty (30) mile radius from Dubuque City Limits. Players qualifying for reimbursement must contact the General Manager or designee and complete the gasoline reimbursement form prior to receiving any reimbursement. Players shall be reimbursed based upon an established formula. Players will only be reimbursed for practices that they attend. Gasoline reimbursement is not available at this time. 317. Post game social The team will hold a post game social (meal) after each home game; players and coaches are expected to participate and may invite one (1) guest. Staff is encouraged to participate and also may invite one (1) guest. Additional guests may join the festivities only after reimbursing the General Manager or designee for the meal. Waiving of this fee is prohibited. The team maintains the right to substitute meal money to players, coaches and staff when necessary. 318. Alumni game meal The Alumni Association will host the post game social on the night of the annual Alumni Event and the opponents will be invited to attend with the Bruisers. The team shall distribute the normal post game social funds to the Alumni Association to cover the costs of our team and of the opponent s team. 319. Road game travel The team will provide bus transportation to and from most opponents fields for road games. All players, coaches and staff are required to travel on this bus unless prior arrangements are made with the General Manager or designee. Each player, coach and staff will be responsible for their own transportation when none is provided by the team. 320. Road game accommodations The team will not provide lodging for overnight games as approved by the VP of Operations and the head coach. Any player requesting special accommodations or requesting additional nights lodging will do so at their own expense.
321. Alcoholic beverages on the bus The team will neither provide nor condone any alcoholic beverages on the team bus at any time. Use of such beverages will be strictly prohibited. 322. Sale of beer at home games The team may vend beer before and during all home games. Beer sales will conclude with no less than 5 minutes left on the official game clock. Beer sales are not available at this time. 323. Rental of the Dubuque Bruisers Stadium The General Manager or designee shall be responsible for contacting and contracting with the City of Dubuque for use of the Dubuque Bruisers Stadium. The General Manager or designee shall provide the City of Dubuque, through the Park, Recreation and Cultural Services department, a copy of that year s game and practice schedules. The General Manager or designee shall contact the city with any deviations in the practice or game schedule. 324. Practice field permit The General Manager or designee shall be responsible for contacting the School District and filing a conditional use permit for the use of Thomas Jefferson Middle Schools and Veteran s Memorial Park practice field at the beginning of each season. 325. Meal Vouchers Dubuque Bruisers will not provide free concessions to volunteers of the organization other than the meals as provided in Policy and Procedure 317. 326. Game film Game film is not to be recorded, bought or given away by any one except Dubuque Bruisers video personnel. Any one caught doing so will be persecuted under U.S. Copy Right Laws. 327. 399. Reserved for future consideration 400. Policy Questions Please direct any inquiries regarding the policies in series 300, to the VP of Operations.
Series 400 Personnel Policies 400. Player eligibility Players must be at least 18 years of age and have completed their high school football eligibility. No player may play for any other team or be in any other league regardless of whether it is contact or non contact football. 401. Ticket allotment Each player, coach or staff will be allowed a maximum of two (2) complimentary tickets for each home game; players, coaches and staff will receive these tickets at the Thursday night practice and will receive them on a basis of one (1) for each practice they attend in a week. Players, coaches and staff must attend Tuesday s practice to qualify for any complimentary tickets. Players, coaches and staff may leave will call tickets with the General Manager or designee after completing the necessary information on the designated envelope. 402. Personal/professional gains No player, coach or staff shall use, sell or give away these tickets in exchange for any personal gain. 403. Player contract All players on the team shall sign a designated contract binding that individual to the team for the remainder of the season. No player shall practice or be issued any equipment without first signing a team contract. 404. Player release Players bound by contract to the team may only be released at the discretion or approval of the Head Coach. All team equipment must be returned to and checked in by the Equipment Manager who will then notify the head coach of any non-compliance. No player will be released from the team s contract until all equipment has been returned and verified by the General Manager. 405. Player profile sheet It is the responsibility of all players to notify the General Manager or designee of any changes made to their Player Profile Sheet.
406. Player s personal equipment Any player supplying his own equipment for practices and games shall notify the equipment manager and have the equipment thoroughly checked for compliance with the NAFL guidelines. This equipment may be stored in the equipment room at the Dubuque Bruisers Stadium. 407. Player appearances From time to time, the team may request that players, coaches or staff be available to represent the team in non-football related functions. It is requested, but not required that players, coaches and staff make every effort to attend these functions. No player, coach or staff may represent the team at any function without prior approval of the board of directors. There will be no expectation of individual compensation for their appearance. 408. Player s injuries Any player injured while performing his duties on the practice field or during a game, must report his injuries to the on-duty trainer immediately. Any injury not reported to the trainer within 24 hours of occurring will be deemed to have occurred away from the team. 409. Locker room Locker room is off limits to non-personnel until which time as the head coach allows visitors. There will be no loud boom boxes allowed in the locker room. 410. Team practices All players must check in with the Player Personnel Manager or designee at The Dubuque Bruisers Stadium prior to participating in practice. Practices are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday evenings at Thomas Jefferson Middle School and Veterans Memorial Park and will begin promptly at 6:00pm. Any deviation from this schedule will be at the discretion of the head coach only. 411. Uniformed conduct While in a team uniform, no player may smoke, drink alcoholic beverages, eat, curse, argue or otherwise engage in activities detrimental to the good of the team. No player shall enter into an argument with a game official or a team official while in uniform. While on the sidelines, in uniform, no player shall walk to the stands and engage in conversation with the fans.
412. Player meetings There will be no players only meetings scheduled unless the head coach authorizes such a meetings. All team meetings will be scheduled by the head coach. 413. 498. Reserved for future consideration 499. Policy questions Please direct any inquiries regarding the policies in series 400, to the head coach or the general manager.