BLACK HILLS RAPIDS SOCCER CLUB Team Manager Manual Revision 02.01.16
TABLE OF CONTENTS WELCOME... 1 TEAM MANAGER DUTIES... 1 Meetings... 1 Team Binder... 1 Communicate Practice and Game Day Logistics to Team... 2 Game or Practice Cancellations... 3 Tournament Coordinator... 3 Fundraising Coordinator... 4 Managing Team Page... 4 Black Hills Rapids Soccer Club s Team Page Policies... 5 Team Page Setup... 5 Team Settings Link... 5 Team Home Tab... 5 Roster Tab... 5 Calendar Tab... 5 News Tab... 5 Gallery Tab... 6 Discussions Tab... 6 BLACK HILLS RAPIDS SOCCER CLUB WEBSITE... 6 CODE OF CONDUCT... 6 ISSUES, CONCERNS AND FEEDBACK... 6 PRE-SEASON CHECKLIST... 6 UNIFORMS... 7 REDEEM VOLUNTEER FEES... 7 INDOOR PRACTICE SPACE PROTOCOL... 7 BLACK HILLS RAPIDS CONTACT LIST... 7 BLACK HILLS RAPIDS COMMUNICATION FLOWCHART... 8
WELCOME The Black Hills Rapids coaching staff could not focus on player development and coaching the team without your willingness to step up and manage the team. The Team Manager acts as the primary administrator and communications coordinator for the team. As a bonus, being a team manager also applies toward getting your $50 volunteer fee refunded! TEAM MANAGER DUTIES As Team Manager, you will have a number of responsibilities during the soccer seasons. These duties include:! Coordinate Team Meetings! Assemble Team Binder! Create Player Cards! Communicate practice and game day logistics to team! Tournament Coordinator! Fundraising Coordinator! Manage your Team Page on BlackHillsRapids.com We encourage you to enlist the help of other parents in fulfilling some of these responsibilities. By doing so, you can reduce your workload throughout the seasons and encourage more participation from team parents. If you do enlist parent volunteers to help with specific tasks, the team manager still maintains the leadership responsibilities for that team s organization. It is important to submit your Risk Management form to SDSSA every year as long as you are in an administrative role with the Black Hills Rapids Soccer Club. Details can be found in the Risk Management link at the bottom of the Club website. Meetings The Team Manager and the Coach must have a meeting before the start of each season to determine exactly what kind of assistance Coach needs using the above responsibilities as a guide. Following that discussion, organize a team meeting with the coach(es), players, and parents. Items to be discussed at the meeting include:! Coach s expectations of players and parents! Schedule and locations of practices, trainings, and games! How cancellations of practices and games will be communicated! How and when to communicate with the coach, with the team manager, and with Black Hills Rapids Soccer Club! Fundraising opportunities! How to access Black Hills Rapids resources (manuals, etc. on website)! Tournaments and the travel expectations Team Binder This book is necessary for the coach to have at practices and games. The head referee will check each player in before the game begins by comparing the player, player card, and roster information for that player. Your job as Team Manager is to put the cards together as follows:! Binder: Obtain a 3-ring binder and organize the following paperwork for your team: Player Medical Releases Player Cards Rosters Travel Papers 1
Guest Player Forms (More on how to use the binder is provided in Tournament section.)! Medical Releases: Every player must have a signed South Dakota State Soccer Association (SDSSA) medical release form. Please collect this form immediately from your players. These forms will be placed in the team binder, in alphabetical order, and must be present at each game. This form should have been printed through the team acceptance process during registration, but may also be reprinted from BlackHillsRapids.com. Although SDSSA has recently changed their policy such that these forms are no longer required at tournament check-in time, a recent SD tournament still required it so the Club recommends keeping them with you at check-in just to be on the safe side and not risk being turned away.! Player Cards: Every player and coach is required to have a player card issued through the Black Hills Rapids Soccer Club from SDSSA. These cards are required to play in tournaments. Once the team is formed, the Registrar will create player cards and give them to you. The coach must have all players cards on hand at every match in order to check-in the players. This means that after checking in your team remove the player cards from the binder and give to the coach for the duration of the tournament. Take photos of each player and each coach on the team Format images to 1-inch by 1-inch, print (standard copy paper is fine), cut out, and affix to the appropriate location on the player card. Laminate the cards (business card laminating pouches work very well and can be purchased at Office Depot in packages of 10) Punch a hole, and affix to a key-ring in alphabetical order, coach card on top. Use of a carabiner or key ring makes storing and removing the player cards from the Team 3-ring binder easy for the tournament check-in process. Tip: Inserting paperwork into sheet protectors makes the material more durable considering the types of weather conditions during soccer season.! Rosters: Rosters are issued by the Club a week or less prior to a tournament. This is not done automatically upon registering for a tournament. The Club has made this an online process and the online form can be found in the Team Managers section at BlackHillsRapids.com. The state roster is the official record of valid and verified team members for the season. Rosters must be presented to the game official before every tournament. It is important to confirm that the player s number on both the Team Page roster and the official state roster match the number on their uniform. Please contact the Club Registrar regarding any discrepancies. Keep two copies of current roster in binder prior to each tournament.! Traveling Papers: If your team is traveling out of state for a tournament, you must obtain travel papers from the SDSSA website and keep two copies in the binder with your rosters.! Guest Player Forms: There are times when guest players are needed for your team. If a player is not an official member of the Black Hills Rapids, a guest player application must be submitted through SDSSA. Two copies for each guest player for a specific tournament must be kept in the binder. Communicate Practice and Game Day Logistics to Team Effective communication with your team is critical to your success as a team manager. A definitive and consistent plan for communication with your team is required. This will also help ensure that the families email inboxes are not flooded with emails from the team.! Distribute your cell phone number to all families and make sure to have your cell phone with you on game and practice days. This will ensure that you can provide direction if issues arise.! Determine your communications methods (email, text, phone calls)! Set a standard expectation early in the season with the frequency of your communication! Send out a weekly communication with the schedule for the week and any other necessary information. This should be done over the weekend so that families can plan their upcoming week. OR Use the Team Calendar function in your Team Page to coordinate dates and direct your families here for up-todate scheduling information.! Establish a protocol for communicating emergency information (a last minute cancellation or field change) 2
! Send out other information as needed throughout the season and the off-season (This also includes any information that the Club may ask the team manager to pass along to their team.)! Communicate Pre-Game Day Items. Ensure game day availability of all players, which uniform combination should be worn, what time to arrive at game, where game is located, directions to the field, how long it takes to drive to the fields, and any other pertinent information.! Let the coach know which players will be absent. Standard email, text messaging and phone calls may be all you need to effectively communicate with your team. However, team communication tools are also available through your Team Page accessed via BlackHillsRapids.com. Game or Practice Cancellations The (TD), technical staff, or team coach(es) will make the decision to cancel activities at any fields we use. Please check the Black Hills Rapids website before you leave for the soccer fields. The Club or coach will try to provide information regarding cancellations as early as possible. If you are playing an away game, check that club's website for information about their fields before heading out. We also recommend that you opt into receiving the Club s SMS/Texting service. Details on how to opt in can be found in the FAQs section of our website. No outdoor practice shall be held if the temperature is lower than 40 degrees Fahrenheit or a wind chill lower than 35 degrees Fahrenheit at the start of the practice. No outdoor practice shall be held if the temperature is higher than 90 degrees Fahrenheit or the heat index higher than 95 degrees Fahrenheit. The rescheduling of games due to weather is dependent upon field availability and will be communicated by the TD or s of Player Development (DOPD). Tournament Coordinator Tournaments offer a great opportunity for players to gain additional experience and are generally regarded as excellent team building opportunities. Tournaments are determined by the competitive directors and will be chosen locally or regionally depending upon the needs, abilities, and desires of the team. Tournament locations should be discussed with the parents prior to the start of the season. The available tournaments range widely based on the age group of your team and your team s level of play (competitive or developmental). Please let the Club know if your team places in a tournament so that your team may be recognized on the Club website or Facebook!! Communication with families Communicate tournament details and get confirmation from each family as to their participation in the tournament. Fees will be charged through our player account system so you as Team Manager won t need to be a collection service.! Registration To play in a tournament you will need to: Initiate the registration process through Black Hills Rapids via the Tournament Registration Request form. This form can be found in the Team Managers section. Each tournament has its own rules and procedures. Be sure to check tournament-specific websites for details you ll need to supply to pour Player Accounts Manager for event registration as well as check-in details you as the Team Manager will need in order to streamline check-in for your team(s). Remember that these must be submitted no later than 30 days before the deadline of the tournament you desire to attend. Please check the tournament s website for these details and fill out the online form accordingly. Much of what is required to fill out on the BHRSC online form will come directly from each specific tournament s website so be sure to familiarize yourself with these sites after your tournament list comes out. If the tournament you desire to attend is known to fill up quickly or has any other special circumstances that will require our Player Accounts Manager to process more quickly, please indicate the reasons for so in the appropriate field on this form. Tournament Fees: The Club will process your request, pay the tournament fees on behalf of your team, and then charge each player account after the final roster process for the tournament fees. The director from each individual tournament will notify you upon acceptance. 3
Identify any players who will not be playing in the tournament. We suggest using Google forms to issue surveys to your parents so you can get their commitment. Use a field that captures their name committing to that specific event and then you can keep the list for future reference if a parent tells you they didn t commit to an event. Must submit event roster via the link on the Team Managers page. Event rosters are essential for accurate billing for tournaments as well as for friendlies, Champions League, or any other time a coach will be submitting their expenses. For Academy: Clearly identify those participating in the event that are already part of the team roster (first and last names) as well as first and last names of any guest players. For Select: Clearly identify (first and last name) the following in the relevant fields within the online form: Players who are participating in the event Players who are injured and cannot play Players told by the coach that they are not playing in the tournament Players who gave 60 days notice that they could not attend that tournament [All rostered players for a Select team should appear somewhere on this list for every event] For Large Teams with multiple coaches, please use the fields on the online tournament form to designate specific coaches for each event for reimbursement purposes. Only the acting head coach is eligible for expense reimbursement as per the BHRSC Policy Manual. Obtain traveling papers if traveling out of state. If you are short on players for the tournament, the coach can ask other teams for guest players to fill out the roster. Protocol as per BHRSC policy is to ask for players from your age bracket s white level first, other BHRSC teams next, guests from a different the organization last. The first two categories would be considered visiting players, the last category would be considered a true guest player. If the coach notifies you of a guest player, the team manager will initiate the paperwork. It is entirely the responsibility of the coach to determine if guest players are required and desired. Add the tournament documentation to the team binder prior to the start of the tournament. Travel Logistics Communicate tournament directions, hotel information, and any other information relevant to the team s participation. Also ensure that each player has transportation to the tournament. Fundraising Coordinator The Black Hills Rapids has many fundraising opportunities to offset soccer expenses. Depending on how much fundraising your team participates in, it may alleviate a good amount of work on your end if you enlist a comanager to handle the fundraising portion. Meeting notices will go out regarding fundraising and the fundraising manager will decide which to participate in and coordinate with the team. Some fundraisers are true fundraisers (selling various items) and due to IRS regulations, the proceeds from these fundraisers must be distributed evenly amongst the members of the team, including donations to the team or a player. Some fundraising is considered a rebate by the IRS. This would include the Shop with Scrip program and the proceeds thereof are allowed to be assigned to that children of the family that generates the rebate. All team and individual fundraising proceeds are automatically posted to the appropriate player accounts. Managing Team Page Blue Sombrero is Black Hills Rapids Soccer Club s website and registration software provider. As part of that software, each team is assigned a very functional and easy to use team communication tool called the Team Page. To access your Team Page, click on the LOGIN button on the Black Hills Rapids website and enter your account user name and password. Click on the team page link found in the participant s information box. (If you do not have a child playing on the team, click on the VOLUNTEER tab.) Click on the team page link. Please contact the Club at info@blackhillsrapids.com if you need any assistance with this. 4
Black Hills Rapids Soccer Club s Team Page Policies BHR Soccer Club advises that team manager volunteers be smart Internet technology users when creating and using the Team Pages. Common sense rules of Internet use and etiquette should still apply to anything not specifically spelled out in the BHRSC Social Media and Electronic Policy. Use of the Team Pages should be for BHR Soccer Club related activities and events. If at any time you have questions regarding the Team Page s proper use (content or otherwise) please contact us at info@blackhillsrapids.com. All BHR Team Pages may be periodically reviewed to ensure they convey the spirit of Black Hills Rapids Soccer Club. Team Page Setup The Team Page is very easy to set up and to manage content. Please note that the only people who can setup these pages, manage the content of the pages, and use the email feature of these pages are team personnel and website administrators. These are the assigned coaches, assistant coaches, and team managers for each team. If you are not team personnel, these options are not available to you on the Team Page. To get the page customized for your team, you will manage the content in Team Settings. Team Settings Link To get to Team Settings, click on the little gear symbol in the upper right hand corner of the Home Page (just under the grey toolbar). The following settings can be adjusted through this page. Be sure to click on the Save Settings button after any changes are made.! Privacy Settings The default settings allow commenting in the Discussions forum and allow sharing.! Social Settings This will allow you to link team social media sites such as Vimeo, Facebook, or Twitter feeds. To use the Calendar function, create a Google calendar and then embed the calendar code here.! Team Sponsors Please ignore this function as it is not permissible for a team to seek out their own sponsors.! Team Photo Click on the camera button in the upper right hand corner to change the photo. You will then have the option to replace the default image by uploading the new one. Team Home Tab Your team s families can view current discussions and team calendar through this tab. Roster Tab You can print rosters for your parents through this tab as well as view details about your team s admin. Team Personnel: You can select which data is displayed on the Roster page for each coach and team manager. For the coaches and team managers, BHR recommends displaying the role, name, phone, and email. It is not recommended to display the address for these personnel. To add a photo or biography of a coach, click on the pencil in the Settings column. Team Roster: In this section, you can select (by marking the check box) which data is displayed on the Roster page for each player. BHR recommends displaying the name (first/last), jersey number, phone, address (maybe only the city to facilitate carpooling), and email for each player. The email address that displays here is the player s email address that is set up in the participant information in the family account. Most younger players will not have this email address. For older teams, this player email address will be used more frequently. To add a photo for a player, click on the pencil in the Settings column. The player may also add their picture from the Roster page by clicking on the pencil in their player box. Calendar Tab If you choose to use a Google calendar to manage schedules and communicate you re your team, here is where your families can view and print it. (Note: for parents who use Gmail through their smart phones, they may link the google calendar straight through their phones and the program will populate their phone s calendars with the team s calendar.) News Tab Click on the Manage News button to add fresh news or edit old news and keep your families up to date with the team s accomplishments. 5
Gallery Tab Here is where you can upload photos and video to personalize your team page. You can upload photos from a google account, your computer, or link to a Flickr account. Discussions Tab Here you can send messages to the team or to an individual member. The team-wide messages posted here show up on the Home Tab. Simply compose your message here, attach any relevant files if necessary, select who you need it to go to (check the Include Team Participants box) and hit the OK button. Messages are sent to the primary and secondary email addresses on the family account and to the player email address. It is good practice to always send emails to both the parents and the players email addresses. For liability reasons, parents should always receive a copy of team correspondence via email or text! Realizing that texting is often the preferred communication method, when texting with your team, it is the Club s preference that you use group texting at all times. If individual texts must be sent, these texts should be sent to the adult and NOT to the player. Other than at practices, it is best to not communicate directly with a player without also including the parent. BLACK HILLS RAPIDS SOCCER CLUB WEBSITE Valuable information can be found on the club website at www.blackhillsrapids.com. The BHR Policy manual, online forms for tournament registration, and ordering uniforms from soccer.com are just a few examples of resources found on the site. Important tools for team managers include:! Field Locations in the site links on the bottom of the homepage! Resources for Team Managers in the site links on the bottom of the homepage! Tournament Registration Form! Event Final Roster Form! Team Page Help Guides CODE OF CONDUCT It is important to work with those attending your team s event to get the most from the experience and exhibit positive conduct. At Black Hills Rapids Soccer Club one of our distinguishing traits is our club-wide expectation for good sportsmanship both on and off the field. The Club values the reputation we have earned as a club with zero tolerance for negative behavior. This high standard is expected from coaches, trainers, players, staff, volunteers, team mangers, and members. ISSUES, CONCERNS AND FEEDBACK The Black Hills Rapids Soccer Club encourages constructive dialogue and open communication between parents, players, and coaches. If a concern or complaint arises, please avoid voicing those concerns either in front of the entire team or through team email lists. To facilitate resolution and provide an avenue for concerns to be expressed in a manner that is fair to all the parties involved, please refer to the Black Hills Rapids Soccer Club Flowchart at the end of this manual. PRE-SEASON CHECKLIST The following is a guide to getting your team ready to play for the fall season.! Schedule a meeting with the coach(es) to determine exactly what assistance your coach needs.! Organize the team meeting with the coach(es), players, and parents.! Collect player photos, signed medical waivers, and signed team commitment papers.! Assemble the Team Binder.! Confirm that each player has ordered their team uniform.! Confirm that each player s uniform has been received from soccer.com. 6
! Set up/customize your Team Page on the BHR website! Determine your communications vehicle (email, text, phone calls, other online tools) and establish a protocol for communicating regular and emergency information (a last minute cancellation or field change). UNIFORMS Every player must be in a Black Hills Rapids Soccer Club uniform in order to compete in a match. Well before the first game of the season or the first game of an early season tournament, it is vital to confirm that each player has obtained their team uniform. Ensure that each player s uniform has been received from soccer.com. Work with soccer.com and the Club in the event that there is a uniform issue. Uniform numbers are assigned by the Club and these are communicated to soccer.com by the Uniform Coordinator. It is important that the number on the uniform matches the player s number on the roster. At the conclusion of the year, ask families that may be leaving the Black Hills Rapids Soccer Club if they may be interested in donating their uniform. These uniforms will be given to families receiving scholarship assistance. To place a uniform order: From the BHR website, click on Uniforms and Spirit Wear on the homepage. Then click on Black Hills Rapids Store. This will take you to the uniform order page. REDEEM VOLUNTEER FEES Thank you for helping make your team s soccer year a success! Please remember to visit the Volunteer Link at the bottom of the website and click on the Volunteer Form to submit your manager hours and request your $50 volunteer fee to be refunded. INDOOR PRACTICE SPACE PROTOCOL The BHRSC will secure training space for the indoor (winter) season. The technical staff, in coordination with the Club Scheduler, will allocate that space based on the needs conveyed to the Scheduler. That space will be charged to the teams accordingly. We recognize that there may be times when a team wants space different from what the Club secures. In that event, in order for our kids to be covered by insurance, BHRSC must be the one to secure the contract for that space. Please direct those requests to scheduler@blackhillsrapids.com for assistance. Only once we ve secured the contract will we be issued an insurance liability certificate for that location. If you do not adhere to this procedure, your kids will not be covered in the event of an accident. BLACK HILLS RAPIDS CONTACT LIST Charity Doyle, Darlene Smith, Registrar (to be filled) Dave Sharp, of Player Development-Select Luis Usera, of Player Development-Academy Josh Valder, of Coaching-Recreational executivedirector@backhillsrapids.com registrar@blackhillsrapids.com technicaldirector@blackhillsrapids.com dsharp@blackhillsrapids.com lusera@blackhillsrapids.com jvalder@blackhillsrapids.com Mailing Address PO Box 273 Rapid City, SD 57709 Office Phone Number 605.341.3846 7
BLACK HILLS RAPIDS COMMUNICATION FLOWCHART AREA LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2 LEVEL 3 LEVEL 4 LEVEL 5 Registration Membership & Member Relations Player Accounts Marketing Finance Facilities Website Internal Club-wide External IT Registrar Player Account Manager Marketing & Coordinator Groundskeeper Marketing & Coordinator or Marketing & Coordinator IT Coordinator ADMINISTRATIVE Treasurer Marketing & Coordinator Treasurer Treasurer ATHLETICS & COACHING Games Team Manager Team Coach DOPD or DOC Team Team Manager Team Coach DOPD or DOC Discipline Team Coach DOPD or DOC Practices Team Manager Team Coach DOPD or DOC Curriculum Team Coach DOPD or DOC Additional Training Tournaments Camps Uniforms DOPD or DOC Tournament Uniform Coordinator OTHER Policy Team Coach DOPD or DOC Fundraising Sponsorships Team Manager Fundraising Committee Chair 8