Coaches

Coaches' Responsibilities

BEGINNING OF SEASON:

Attend season opening general Coaches' meeting.
Assist Convenor with league start-up/evaluation sessions, incuding:

• Attend pre-season Coaching Clinic
• Attend initial sessions to assist as directed by Convenor
• Consider player/parent meeting to discuss philosophy of YBA, including:
• Review facilities requirements with an aim for a no-incident season
• Appoint team manager if needed, to help with oragnization of team
• Maintain Sportsengine team page & schedule 

DURING SEASON:

Be on time and never leave the facility until ALL players have left the building, unless your manager or assistant has agreed to stay.
Plan practices, including preparing lineups before games or use of pre-printed line-up cards to avoid game delay. Managers or Assistant Coaches can help with shifts.
Always use positive encouragement, including:

• Constructive feedback for players at all skill levels
• Co-ordinate notices of schedule changes with Assistant Coach or Manager, including:
• Pass along information from the league as communicated by Convenor through Sportengine
• Carefully review permits to make sure all cancelled dates have a replacement gym
• Notify Convenor of any cancellation you may have as soon as possible. The school boards are very critical of no-shows and the league is charged for each one. If we receive 3 no-shows, we will lose our permit.

Remember:

• Do not cancel any facility time without notifying the Convenor/league
• Contact the Convenor, Executive Assistant or league President of any cancellation
• If we know far enough in advance, we may be able to get help for a practice or game, or have another team use the gym before cancelling.

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Parent Responsibilities

• Have kids there on time, and if you drop them off, be back on time. Your coaches are not baby-sitters, but they are instructed not to leave until all players are gone!!!
• Familiarize yourself with the rules of the facility that you are using. Know where you can and cannot go. Take boots off at the door and respect rules re: footwear. Act like what you are; a guest. The custodian's are our hosts
• Notify coach if not coming, especially for games
• Positive encouragement for not only your child but all players and participants. See our league mission statement. We're "inclusive". That means we're there for everybody. Every kid in this league deserves our support and kind words. Negative comments, yelling and abuse of any player, coach, referee, other parent or any other spectator is strictly against league policy.
• Supervise siblings and other children. We're happy to have everyone there watching and having fun, but siblings cannot be intruding onto the floor during practice or games and cannot be allowed to run around the halls, dressing rooms or stage areas of the schools. Many of our incidents over the years with the facilities have been with non-players.
• Help coaches and managers as needed. We need time keepers. Some gyms need somebody to watch the doors from time to time. Take your turn.

Have fun!!! It rubs off on the kids. This is not serious stuff. We all try hard, but it's all in fun.

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Convenor Duties/Responsibilities

The Role of the Convenor in K-W YBA

The convenor is the main link between our executive and the coaches and players of each division. It is the convenor's primary responsibility to ensure that information is communicated from the executive to coaches, and vice versa, and that participants receive adequate support and assistance from the league and its executive. Inquiries and requests of the coaches, players and parents must either be dealt with by the convenor, if possible and appropriate, or commmunicated promptly to the executive for response. These responsibilities require each convenor to

• attend executive meetings, generally monthly
• pass along information from executive to coaches
• call or contact coaches with scheduling and venue information and changes
• keep in touch with coaches, players and parents on an ongoing basis, routinely visiting games and practices to make sure that all is going well;
• making yourself known to all participants;
• identifying trouble spots and problem situations, offering assistance or at least ensuring that the league and executive are aware

Specifically, the convenor must oversee the organizational aspects of the division, in consultation and co-operation with the coaches. This includes:

• organize both year-end playoffs and mid-season tournaments
• assist with the handout of equipment and uniforms as required
• distribute information to coaches, parents and players
• meet with school custodial staff and monitor for any facilities problem
• work with referees (and scheduler) and monitor issues relating to that division
• attend executive meetings as requested
• perform any general administrative activities including tracking results
• any other work required to monitor or support activities in a particular division, including recruiting volunteers, coordinate team pictures, etc.

In order to be an effective liaison, a convenor must be familiar with the league's code of conduct, and in particular with our fair-play and equal play requirements. In dealing with coaches and players, respect and diplomacy will also be key, and if there is a problem or dispute which is not easily resolved by referring to the code of conduct, then the situation should be communicated to the executive for further action.

Having spelled out the job requirements, we must add that YBA means fun for everybody, not just the kids. The convenor should not only be an ambassador for the sportsmanship and fair play spirit the league embraces, but get in there and have fun yourself!!