Team Manager Handbook

Rev. March 2014

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Table of Contents I. General Administration and Communication ........................................................ 3

A. Roster Information ............................................................................................................................................................. 3

B. Team Meeting .................................................................................................................................................................... 3

C. Email Distribution List & Weekly Emails ............................................................................................................................. 3

D. MYSA Background Check .................................................................................................................................................... 4

E. Concussion Training ........................................................................................................................................................... 4

F. Team Web Page ................................................................................................................................................................. 5

G. Team Financials .................................................................................................................................................................. 5

H. Team Uniform .................................................................................................................................................................... 5

I. Practice Field Scheduling .................................................................................................................................................... 6

J. CGU Training ...................................................................................................................................................................... 6

II. League Play .............................................................................................. 6

A. Minnesota Youth Soccer Association ................................................................................................................................. 6

B. Game Schedule................................................................................................................................................................... 6

C. Player Passes & Rosters ...................................................................................................................................................... 6

D. On-site League Game Responsibilities ............................................................................................................................... 7

E. MYSA Field Directory .......................................................................................................................................................... 7

F. Referees ............................................................................................................................................................................. 8

G. Team Binder ....................................................................................................................................................................... 8

H. Game Score Reporting ....................................................................................................................................................... 8

I. Game Rescheduling Procedure .......................................................................................................................................... 8

J. MYSA District, Regional & State Tournament .................................................................................................................... 9

K. Playing nights ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9

III. Tournaments ............................................................................................ 9

A. Tournament Selection ........................................................................................................................................................ 9

B. Tournament Registration ................................................................................................................................................. 10

C. On-site Tournament Check In........................................................................................................................................... 10

IV. Miscellaneous ........................................................................................... 11

A. Fundraising ....................................................................................................................................................................... 11

B. Green Space ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11

C. Financial Aid ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11

D. Volunteer/DIBS time ........................................................................................................................................................ 12

E. Conflict Resolution ........................................................................................................................................................... 12

F. Weather Policy ................................................................................................................................................................. 12

V. Resources ............................................................................................... 13

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THANK YOU for taking on the role of team manager for your child’s team! The families on your team, your child and all of us at Cottage Grove United appreciate your willingness to volunteer and support your team! The team manager is responsible for general administration and communication between the families on the team, the coaches and the CGU board members/administration. The role of the team manager is critical to the success of the team and directly impacts the positive experience of the team. The role of the coach is to instruct the players on their soccer skills and direct the players at practices and games. The team manager handles the “off the field” responsibilities. Following is an outline of the typical responsibilities of the team manager. The coach and team manager should have an ongoing dialogue about roles and expectations for your team.

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I. General Administration and Communication

A. Roster Information You will receive an initial roster for your team from the CGU Registrar with contact information provided at registration. The Team Manager should verify all contact information and collect additional information as necessary, including: Coach(s)’ email and phone number(s) and Parent(s)/Guardian(s) phone number(s), email, and home address. Copies of the final team roster should be shared with all parents of the team. Ask your team for as many numbers and email addresses as possible. It’s a good idea to keep a copy with you at all times. You never know when you’ll need it! Please note: The official roster for all teams will be provided to managers and coaches via a link to the master. This link should not be shared with the families and is only for coaches and managers who have completed the background checks. This roster provides the most up to date information from the club registrar.

B. Team Meeting Schedule a team meeting with the coach and all parents early in the season to discuss expectations, tournament options, practice nights, etc. The coach should talk about practice/game expectations, as well as his/her philosophy and direction for the team. At the team meeting, you’ll want to collect:

A small photo of each player (1” x 1”) for the player passes A completed medical release form (must be updated and signed for each season) A copy of their birth certificate (only needed if you plan to travel out-of-state)

The medical release form can be found here: http://www.mnyouthsoccer.org/forms/medrelease.pdf. It does NOT need to be notarized unless your team will participate in an out-of-state tournament. Families can fill out these forms, scan them and send them to you via email. Digital photos can be sent via email as well. The team meeting is also a great opportunity to elicit additional help from other parents on your team, which is strongly recommended!

C. Email Distribution List & Weekly Emails Once you have your roster, you can set up your email distribution list and start communicating with your team. Remember to add any additional addresses after your team meeting. The older players usually have email addresses and like to be on the list. Sending out weekly updates to the team is a good idea– for example, an email sent on Friday afternoon would include all information needed for the following week (weekend information would have been included in the week before). That gives busy families the weekend to check email, mark their calendars and arrange carpools. It is a great way to make sure that everyone is on the same schedule for the week and is aware of the

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upcoming games/practices, etc. Be sure to remind your players to be to the field early (ask your coach how early) and to bring both their green and white jerseys for games.

D. MYSA Background Check The Minnesota Youth Soccer Association (MYSA) requires all team managers to complete a background check every year, beginning in the Fall Season (if you did the check in the Fall Season you are fine for Spring Season). You must complete the background check in order to obtain a Coach’s (Manager) pass. Please follow the directions to complete the background check:

1. Go to www.mcdowellagency.com and click on the "Client Log-in" tab found at the top right.

2. Enter the following information to login:

Club user id: MYSCTG

Password: MYSCTG

3. Click on the Request tab found at the top of the webpage.

4. Type your full name into the Electronic Signature box and mark the box next to My name entered above signifies my Electronic Signature. Click Continue to proceed.

5. Fill in the required information (name, address, date of birth, etc.) and click Continue to proceed.

6. Under Criminal Court Searches, click on Add/Edit Jurisdictions.

7. Under Search Type, click on Felony and Misdemeanor; under State, click on MN; under County/Jurisdiction, click on your county of residence. Next, you’re going to do a second search using the same criteria except under County/Jurisdiction you will click on Statewide (located at the bottom of the selection list). Click on Add Searches to Order.

8. Click on Agree and Submit Order.

9. Print a receipt for your records and log off.

E. Concussion Training In order to comply with the new state law about concussions, CGU will require all coaches and team

managers to receive concussion training. The online test/training takes about 30 minutes to

complete.

Please take the free Concussion Certification Test found here:

http://www.cdc.gov/concussion/Headsup/online_training.html

You will then need to confirm with CGU that you have taken the training here:

https://cottagegrovesoccer.sportngin.com/register/form/902128014

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F. Team Web Page Each team has its own web page on the CGU website. Access will be given to team managers at the Managers Meeting or by contacting the Director of Operations or Publicity. It is your responsibility to keep your team page updated with the current practice and game schedule, the coach and manager contact information and the team roster (last name and first initial only of players). Please do not post individual photos of players on the website for security purposes (team photos are fine!). It’s up to you to determine how much work you want to put into your team page, but it is important to have the game and practice schedule posted as a reference for your team and for our Coaching Directors. Another tool on your team page is iCal. This will automatically sync your team calendar (and updates) with registered mobile devices. Please visit the NGIN Support site for some web site tips/general instructions. A link to this site can be found through the CGU website under the HOME tab, then NGIN Set-up & Support.

G. Team Financials It is the manager’s responsibility to collect any team fees for tournaments, coaches, and/or facility rental fees not covered by CGU.

Tournaments not covered by CGU can be registered and paid for by the team manager and do not need to be paid through CGU.

All coaches’ fees must be made payable to Cottage Grove United and submitted to the Treasurer at PO Box 337, Cottage Grove, MN 55016. Please check the CGU website for deadlines.

Some winter facility rental may require that the CGU is the renter (not the individual team) for insurance purposes. In this case payment must be made to CGU by the team manager and CGU will pay the rental invoice. Payments can be given to the Treasurer or Director of Operations. Funds for paying coaches and training facilities can be held through CGU for one season. On July 31st any remaining funds in a team account with CGU will be refunded back to the team.

Please note: Teams cannot have bank accounts in the name of the team or CGU. This is a violation of CGU and CGAA rules. CGAA non-profit status requires it to account for all funds in its name. It is our recommendation that if you choose to hold team funds in a personal account, that you are completely transparent with your team on these matters.

H. Team Uniform CGU uniform should be worn as intended: full green kit (home games) and full white kit (away games). If a player should need a replacement uniform, have them contact the CGU uniform coordinator @ uniforms@cottagegrovesoccer.org.

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I. Practice Field Scheduling Typically, you do not need to schedule field space for practices. You may use the open school spaces and any Cottage Grove middle or elementary schools. Kingston Park is available for practices but please be mindful if you get moved for a scheduled game. Check the CGU website for field open/close information and updates.

J. CGU Training Coerver trainers will hold pre-season and in-season training with each team. Information

should be communicated directly with your coach. Current information will be

communicated via email and on the CGU website.

II. League Play

A. Minnesota Youth Soccer Association The Minnesota Youth Soccer Association (MYSA) was founded in 1969 as the Minnesota Junior Soccer League and was incorporated in 1987. MYSA is the governing body for youth soccer in Minnesota. They determine the district that we play, game schedules and facilitate/manage District and State Tournaments. Many resources are available on their website at: http://www.mnyouthsoccer.org/

B. Game Schedule

Rather than the mandatory meeting, MYSA is now posting schedules online. You or your

coach will receive a code to login to MYSA site and download a copy of your team’s

schedule.

C. Player Passes & Rosters CGU submits our team rosters by age group and level to MYSA which in turn provides us with an official roster and player passes for each player, coach and manager. The CGU Registrar will let you know when your player passes are ready to be picked up. You will need to assemble them and prepare them for league play. Player passes, per MYSA rules, must have a photograph of the registrant, a signature of the registrant, and must be laminated and bound together via a metal clip. Player passes are considered official identification and should never be copied nor tampered with. Using illegal passes or illegal players can have severe consequences to the player, coach, team manager and club. You or your coach MUST have the passes in order to play a game – NO PASSES, NO PLAY. Always make sure passes are returned to you/coach by the referee at the end of a game.

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Assembling passes: 1. Affix each photo (these are the 1” x 1” photos you collected at the team meeting

– or take your own photos pre-season and print them out). 2. Have each player sign the back of their pass. 3. Laminate passes with sheets provided. 4. Punch a hole through laminated passes. 5. Put passes in alphabetical order on a metal ring clip with the coach and manager

last. 6. It may be helpful to add a card or label with your contact information in the

event that the passes are accidently left with the referee or misplaced.

Be sure to allow enough time to collect all the necessary info and assemble the passes well before your first game. It is very important to keep these in a safe place to be used at each game. If lost, replacement passes are $15.00 each and require 2-3 days turnaround for replacement. No pass = No play. Contact the CGU Registrar if you need replacement passes. Please note: Passes will not be issued to players that still owe registration fees. This will be noted on the master roster.

D. On-site League Game Responsibilities The referees require two things from your team before each game: First, they need the completed player passes. Second, they need a Competitive Match Report (an official roster for the team available at: http://www.mnyouthsoccer.org/page/show/695501-forms-directory. Give the player passes and the match line up report to the referees before the start of the game (usually 30 minutes before game). Remember, no passes, no play. If you can’t get to the field 30 minutes before the game, make sure that another parent can do it for you!! If it’s a home game, you also need to provide a stamped, addressed (labels are included with your player passes) envelope for the referees so that they can send the results in to MYSA.

E. MYSA Field Directory You will need to provide field information to your team for all games. The field location codes will be provided on your master game schedule. To determine which field you are playing on and to find directions to that field, go to http://www.mnyouthsoccer.org/fields/MYSAfields.cfm and find the field that you are looking for. Directions are provided and can be cut and pasted onto your webpage and/or into your weekly email for your team’s use.

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F. Referees CGU is responsible for providing referees for all home games. The club Referee Coordinator takes care of assigning referees for all home games. The referees should be at the field at least 15 minutes before game time. If referees do not show up, call the Referee Coordinator (contact list attached). These numbers should be programmed into your cell phone for easy access.

G. Team Binder You should have your player passes, your official MYSA roster, and medical release forms with you at all games. We recommend that you organize all of this information into a plastic 3-ring binder (Tip: use one page protector for each player’s medical form and keep in alphabetical order.) It’s also a good idea to keep contact phone #s (coach, teammates, referee coordinator, etc.), the master schedule, and any other necessary paperwork with you when you travel to games.

H. Game Score Reporting Only U11 and older teams are required to report game scores to MYSA through their website. You will need to report your scores after every game - home and away. Failure to report a score by the deadline will result in a $50 fine to your team!! Since U9 and U10 teams are considered “non-competitive”, scores do NOT be reported. League standings will be kept for U11 and older teams. U11 and older teams are also eligible to play in Districts and the Minnesota State Tournament.

I. Game Rescheduling Procedure

If a game needs to be rescheduled for whatever reason (weather, team conflict, etc…) the procedure to reschedule is as follows:

1. Contact the opposing team and agree on a few acceptable dates to reschedule.

2. If it’s a home game, you are required to secure the field and referees for the game.

Complete the Game Reschedule Form on the CGU website. (Follow tabs Competitive, Coaches, and then Game Reschedules). This will initiate contact with both the Referee and Fields Coordinators.

3. You will receive an email confirming the change once reviewed/rescheduled (usually 24-48 hours).

4. Then, you need to create an official reschedule request on the MYSA game reporting

website. Once that’s done, the website will automatically email the opposing team

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manager. They will need to go to the website and officially “accept” the rescheduled game. This updates all official schedules for you and the field/ref coordinators.

5. Once your reschedule is finalized, be sure to update your team webpage and notify your team of the new day/time/location of the game. All requests to reschedule games for anticipated events should be made within a 2 week grace period after the league schedule is available. In cases where the game has to be rescheduled because of weather related or referee issues, the game must be rescheduled within 48 hours. In any rescheduling situation, good communication is needed between all parties. A forfeit results in a significant fine, as well as a loss on the team’s record.

J. MYSA District, Regional & State Tournament In the competitive age groups (U11 & older), teams are eligible for postseason play at the Districts and the Minnesota State Tournaments. All teams will play in the State Tournament Qualifiers, there is no direct seeds to the State Tournament. You will need to “declare” on the game reporting webpage whether or not the team is interested in postseason district and state tournaments by a certain date. Not all teams will qualify to go (you’ll get information on how many teams can qualify at the Mandatory Managers Meeting). HOWEVER, if you declare “yes” and qualify, you must play or the team WILL BE FINED! Make sure that your coach and team agree that they are available and willing to go if the team qualifies!!

K. Playing nights For the summer season, playing nights are listed on the MYSA website at: http://www.mnyouthsoccer.org/leagues/playingnights.cfm. For the fall season, teams will play on Saturday and/or Sunday.

III. Tournaments

A. Tournament Selection CGU has guidelines on the number and location of tournaments for each age group and level which the club will provide you with, as well as a list of tournament options/dates. If you choose to travel out of state, the team is responsible for the coaches travel expenses, meals and hotel accommodations. You will also need to have your players’ medical release forms notarized and obtain a “travel permit” if you’re going out of state. You can apply for this form online on the MYSA website under “forms”. It is recommended that you apply for this more than 30 days in advance to save yourself $50.

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B. Tournament Registration U9 & U10 Teams – The Club will register Competitive teams for the MYSA Fall Jamboree. The cost for this tournament is included in the registration fee. All CGU teams will also be expected to register for and participate in our annual Runnin’ with the Wolves tournament. Registration for the RWTW tournament is done by the team managers through NGIN, using the code 14RWTWCGU to waive any fees. U9-U12 Academy Teams – The Club will register Academy teams for the MYSA Fall Jamboree (U9 & U10) or the MYSA State Tournament (U11 & U12) and two additional tournaments to be determined by the Competitive Directors. The cost for these tournaments is included in the registration fee. All CGU teams will also be expected to register for and participate in our annual Runnin’ with the Wolves tournament. Registration for the RWTW tournament is done by the team managers through NGIN, using the code 14RWTWCGU to waive any fees. U11+ Teams – Teams usually participate in at least three tournaments. Team managers are required to register their team for any desired tournaments. To find tournaments go to: http://www.thetournamentcenter.com/. Tournament information starts becoming available in January as the tournaments begin posting their schedules. Typically, the registration process is done online through the hosting club’s website and requires payment at the time of registration. Each U11+ team is responsible for their own tournament fees and expenses. All CGU teams will also be expected to register for and participate in our annual Runnin’ with the Wolves tournament. Registration for the RWTW tournament is done by the team managers through NGIN, using the code 14RWTWCGU to waive any fees. It is important to get input from your coach and families when selecting tournaments, so it’s a good idea to take a poll ASAP for your team on their availability during the summer months. A good website to use for this is www.doodle.com. Also, many tournament registration deadlines occur months before the actual tournament so it’s important to identify your tournaments early and mark the registration deadlines on your calendar.

C. On-site Tournament Check-In Each tournament has a different set of rules for on-site check-in. Typically, you will need to bring your player passes, roster, and medical release forms to a check-in station prior to your first tournament game. Putting these items in alphabetical order will ensure that the process goes quickly. The check-in station may or may not be located at the location of your game. You should receive either a packet of information in the mail or emailed information from the tournament director on this-- read this carefully so as not to miss anything.

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IV. Miscellaneous

A. Fundraising The CG United Soccer Club Board of Directors understands the importance of fundraising to offset tournament costs, training fees, and other team activities. Due to the potential dollar amounts that can be raised and the fiscal liability and accountability as a 501c Non-profit organization, CG United Soccer Club and CGAA needs to account for all fundraising. All teams that want to fundraise or receive a sponsorship must follow the steps outlined below and receive approval for all fundraising/sponsorship activities.

1. A Team must submit a request for approval on the Fundraising Page of the CG United Soccer Club Website.

2. An approval will be emailed within 24 to 48 hours of submitted form.

3. Once fundraising is complete, the Team is required to submit a check to the Club Administrator for the total amount raised (made out to CG United Soccer) along with a Financial Summary Form (found on the fundraising page).

4. Within 7 days, the Club Administrator will return the funds (via check) to the Team, along with a receipt for the Fundraising Event or Sponsorship.

5. At this time the CG United Soccer Club cannot allow any fundraising that is individual based, i.e. each individual on a team receives payment for their fundraising efforts. All teams need to be able to receive one payment and it is then the team’s responsibility to distribute the funds to each individual player as appropriate.

6. If any team violates the fundraising policy, their team’s ability to fundraise will be suspended for the remainder of the Season.

Several times throughout the year, we will also be doing fundraising as a Club to support scholarships, equipment updates and field/facility improvements. Please support these efforts as it allows us to maintain the costs of CG United Soccer.

B. Green Space Our growing number of teams poses some field demand issues. Keep in mind that your team can always practice on “green space” (open grassy areas throughout Cottage Grove). While it’s always better to be on a lined field with goals, green space is better than nothing.

C. Financial Aid CGU offers Financial Aid (up to 50% of the registration fee) for players in need. Limited

resources are available and all applications will be evaluated by the CGU Board based on

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need. If a family is interested in seeking Financial Aid, please ask them to complete the

Financial Aid Application and return it to: CGU Soccer, PO Box 337, Cottage Grove, MN

55016. Families will be contacted once the application has been processed and a decision

has been made. More information is available on the CGU website under the REGISTRATION

tab, then Financial Aid.

D. Volunteer/DIBS time Every family in the Competitive (Traveling) Soccer Program is required to fulfill 4 hours of

volunteer time with the Club. If a family wishes to opt out of this requirement they can

submit a check for $250.00 (opt-out fee) to CG United Soccer Club at time of player

registration. If a family does not opt-out, and does not fulfill their volunteer requirements,

they will be charged a $350 fee.

In the Competitive program, the following people are exempt from fulfilling DIBS time: Head

Coach, up to two Assistant Coaches, and the Team Manager. Parents that volunteer as Head

Coach for our Pre-Academy (Rec) program are also exempt.

Volunteering is important to our club to maintain the level of programming that we offer

and keep the per player costs of soccer down. Many opportunities to volunteer are offered

through-out the season, including the Runnin’ with the Wolves Tournament, East District

Girl’s Playoffs, and the Pre-Academy Summer Tournament. More information about the

volunteer policy and the DIBS program is available on the CGU website under the ABOUT

tab, then Volunteer.

E. Conflict Resolution The manager is NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR CONFLICT RESOLUTION. If there is an issue on your team, refer the parent first to the coach. If the conflict remains or isn’t solvable by the coach, have them contact the appropriate Competitive Director or you can turn the issue over to the Competitive Director. Competitive Director’s names and contact information are listed under Resources, as well as on the CGU webpage.

F. Weather Policy The MYSA weather guidelines can be found here: http://www.mnyouthsoccer.org/weather.cfm. Games will be played as scheduled unless lightning is spotted within 5 miles of the game. Games will be called at the field by the referees if necessary. Please reference the MYSA website for more detailed information. When in doubt, show up! It may not be violent weather at the game site, and if you don’t show up you will forfeit.

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V. Resources CGU Club Contacts

Please remember when calling to be mindful that these board members are VOLUNTEERS,

they are not paid for their time. Please do not make phone calls to board members after

9pm or drop by their homes without calling first.

Boys’ Competitive Director

Kevin Valento comp_boys@cottagegrovesoccer.org

Club Administrator Lynn Mitchell 651.983.0622 clubadmin@cottagegrovesoccer.org

Director of Operations Dennis Neitz 651.775.5908 dirops@cottagegrovesoccer.org

Equipment Randy Lynch equipment@cottagegrovesoccer.org Fields & Facilities Mike Buth 651.775.8099

fields@cottagegrovesoccer.org Girls’ Competitive Director Todd

Abrahamson comp_girls@cottagegrovesoccer.org

Member-At-Large Jennifer Meyer memberatlarge@cottagegrovesoccer.org President Jim Bollback president@cottagegrovesoccer.org Publicity Stacey Rustad 651.261.8361

publicity@cottagegrovesoccer.org Referee Coordinator Colleen Hase 612.804.8478

fields@cottagegrovesoccer.org Registrar Beth Schult registrar@cottagegrovesoccer.org Secretary Kristin Degel secretary@cottagegrovesoccer.org Tournaments (RWTW) Dave Gutzman tournaments@cottagegrovesoccer.org Treasurer Aaron Pust treasurer@cottagegrovesoccer.org

Uniforms Jason West uniforms@cottagegrovesoccer.org Volunteers/Fundraising Kim Burns volunteer@cottagegrovesoccer.org

Helpful Websites

MYSA: www.mnyouthsoccer.org

Tournaments: www.thetournamentcenter.com

NGIN Support: www.ngin.com

Polling/Voting site: www.doodle.com

www.RainedOut.com

Any Other Questions? Please contact Kristin Degel at: secretary@cottagegrovesoccer.org

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CGAA Code of Conduct

This is the new CGAA code of conduct. In an effort to have consistent expectations across the

organization, we have created a policy that encompasses all divisions. Some divisions must additionally

adhere to their sports governing body’s rules and requirements. Where these are stricter, members

involved in those sports must adhere to the more stringent rule.

COTTAGE GROVE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

The Mission of Cottage Grove Athletic Association (“CGAA”)

CGAA provides youth sports programs that serve youth-players of all abilities in the Cottage Grove Area. The objective of these programs is to develop youth-players with confidence, loyalty, teamwork, and outstanding sportsmanship, in addition to the individual skills required in each sport. The results of our efforts will be stronger more confident members of our community and future leaders. CGAA is a nonprofit 501(c) 3 volunteer organization committed to promoting quality coaching, ethical conduct and parental involvement.

CONDUCT

General Conduct

Youth sports are an important way to introduce children to organized sports, teamwork, and competition within a fun environment. CGAA believes that sportsmanship is an expectation so please let the players play, let the coaches coach, let the officials officiate, and let the spectators be positive. It is important for all players, coaches, and spectators accept victory with grace and defeat with dignity.

At tournaments, especially involving travel, coaches and parents are required to maintain a level of appropriate behavior including sobriety and class when around youth members of the society. Exposing youth to inappropriate behavior may result in disciplinary action.

Coach Conduct

Coaches are who the players look up to as a model for how to behave on and off the field. Do not take this responsibility lightly. Coaches represent CGAA, and as such, are expected to maintain a high level of integrity and responsible behavior. Inappropriate conduct includes but is not limited to:

Engagement of an official before, during or after the game Violation of sport specific rules (i.e. playing time, etc.) Any physical contact of any sort with a player, opposing coach or player, official, or

spectator Use of foul or demeaning language Inappropriate gestures

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Knowingly playing an ineligible player

The conduct of the players, coaching staff, and parents is the responsibility of the coach.

Player Conduct

Players must respect all aspects of the game including coaches, officials, teammates, opponents, and fans. Players should always uphold the highest standard of sportsmanship. The use of the following will not be tolerated and are strictly prohibited:

Foul language, Inappropriate gestures, Taunting Negative comments/attitudes Any of the player conduct policies that may be violated by using Social Media sites.

Players are not allowed to question or challenge the judgment decisions of the “officials”. As in all team sports, you win and lose as a team. Team members should continue to be positive and supportive of each other.

Players having inappropriate physical contact or verbal exchanges with a teammate, coach, official, or opponent will be subject to the player discipline. A player may be ejected by an official, or if the player is in violation of the rules listed above, their coach may suspend the player.

Spectator Conduct

It is vital that spectators remember that they are there to support the team, coaches, and officials. Remember that this is a game that is meant to be a fun, learning experience for children.

The use of profanity or degrading language is prohibited. Accept the judgment of coaches, officials. Encourage the coach players, and other spectators in the spirit of good sportsmanship. The use of or being under the influence of drugs, including alcohol and tobacco at all CGAA facilities is prohibited.

Accept victory with grace and defeat with dignity.

Remember that your children play for their own fun and enjoyment. Show appreciation and respect for your team’s opponents for without them, there would not be a game. Leave the officials out of it. They do not care who wins. Maintain self-control. Refrain from disrespectful conduct of any sort. All parents are required to remain away from the players and coaches during the athletic event. Unless otherwise specified by a coach or official.

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DISCIPLINE

Coach Discipline

Any coach or manager who is ejected from a game will be subject to a one game suspension. Two ejections during the course of a season will result in requiring the coach or manager to go before the Division of that sport for reinstatement

Player Discipline

Any player who is ejected from a game will be subject to a one game suspension. A second ejection will result in the player being required to go before the Division of that sport before reinstatement.

Spectator Discipline

A spectator or parent that is ejected from a game by either the player’s coach or official must leave the field immediately.

If ejected a second time during the season, they will go before the Division of that sport before being allowed to attend another CGAA event.

General Discipline

CGAA may require violators to undergo behavior modification training to be reinstated in any of the above circumstances. Failure to comply with CGAA policies or disciplinary actions may result in the exclusion of the offending party or their family from participation in CGAA. NOTE: at a minimum your sanctioning bodies have more strict penalties which you are required to adhere if applicable. Rule may be more severe based upon the division’s rules or MSHL Policies.

Communication

We value the input of our coaches and parents. To that end, whether you are a player, coach, or parent, CGAA asks that if there is an issue that comes up, we recommend a 24 hour waiting period before you speak with the parent, player, or coach about the issue as to let any issue have a cooling off period. This should be dealt with in a timely manner and dealt with promptly. If there isn’t resolution, the next step is to contact the Division President of that sport. Any substitute issue should be dealt with using the CGAA issue resolution policy.