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Coaches / Managers

We are currently updating the content on this page but our goal is that this will be the place for you to find up-to-date, accurate information about issues that coaches and managers are concerned about. It will contain links to Coaches/Managers guides, forms, documents and other resources. Keep checking back as we add new information to this page and if you think of something that should be here but is not, please let us know and we will attempt to make it available.

Each team official should review the information contained in our Constitution and Policies page to start with and be aware of the Certification Requirements.

Starting Off On The Right Skate...

So your tryouts/evaluations are done and you are trying to get your coaching staff together, call all of the parents, book ice times, etc. We are working on our own Coaches/Managers manual but in the meantime, the Managers Manual that Hockey Canada created is an excellent resource. You can download your own copy here if you would like.

You should identify the person who is going to manage your team website and send their contact information to our Director of Communications. He will grant website access for your team and give you instructions on how to add news articles, enter games/practices and maintain your roster.

You should also organize a parents meeting so that you can introduce your coaching staff and talk about team rules, fundraising, travel, etc. Here are some important documents to get you started:

Parents Meeting Agenda - A sample agenda for your parents meeting
Sample Team Rules - A sample of a team rules document from Dartmouth
Sample Team Rules and Coaching Philosophy - Another sample document
Fair Play Codes - Explain and have each parent and player sign a copy
Player Medical Form - Have each player complete and hand back in to the team manager
Parents Contact and Responsibility List - (Exel Spreadsheet) Have the parents provide contact information and assign volunteer roles
Phone Tree - Blank Phone Tree for team contacts
Team Contact List - (Excel Spreadsheet) Coaches and Players contact information
Jersey Guidelines - Print copies of this form for each player and have the parents sign.

OK, We have started our season...now what?

Team Website and Roster

One of the first things you should do as a manager is to get access to your team website. As stated above, the Director of Communications will setup an account for you and grant you access...but you have to ask for it and provide some information so that it can be setup properly. As soon as you have access to the site you should do a couple of things:

Enter your coaches/managers contact information (Team Admin:Add-Edit-Delete Coaches/Managers)
Verify your Roster and Edit Player/Parent Information (Team Admin: Add-Edit-Release Player)
Create a News Article and send out to your team. (Communication Tools: Add-Edit-Delete News Article)
Ensure they all know how to access the team website...they can find the team in the Division drop down list the main website.
Edit your Exhibition/Regular Season Schedule information to add the correct teams (Schedule Tools: Edit Details for...)
Enter in any of your known practice times and send out to the team (Schedule Tools: Add-Edit-Delete Practices)
Enter your games in the schedule (Schedule Tools: Add-Edit Games for...)
Enter your game results into the schedule (Statistics Tools:Report Game Scores for...)

You can get help for all of these functions by clicking on the 'Help' link at the top right hand side of the Menu. This is a great tool for sharing information with the team so make sure you learn how to use it...it will make your job much easier.

Your team roster must be submitted to the Director of Registration so that the team may be registered with Hockey Nova Scotia. You should get this sent out as soon as possible in October and be sure to include all bench staff and team officials.

Budgets and Fundraising

Your next task will be to plan the team budget. Below you will find a link to all team budgets for each divisions. You will see the expenses that are associated with your team for this season. You have a limit that you are required to stay under. There are exceptions to that limit but must be approved by your parents and then SMH. (Division Coordinator and SMH Treasurer) There are rules around the types of things that can be in the budget and there are also limits imposed by SMHA. You may be able to exceed the budget limits but you must get approval from the Treasurer first and the increase must be for reasonable items like Ice Costs and Dryland Training. We provide a budget template in Excel format that you must use as a base for you team budget.

Competitive/Recreational/Novice Team Budgets

Team fundraising rules and information can be found here: Coaches/Managers->Team Fundraising

Games and Scheduling

We are continuing to work on this section of the website. We are posting information on the following items soon:

League Scheduling
Arranging Exhibition Games and Referees
Travel Permits
Game Sheets
Cancellation Process

Let us know if we are missing anything that you think might be helpful in this area.

Buying and Selling Ice

When an email goes out stating that ice is available, you must "reply" to that email and get confirmation that it is yours.

Arrangements are made with the team selling about the cost and how to pay via email.

Then the team that bought the ice goes into the Flyers Website and "claims it". The ice moves automatically to their team schedule.

You much have confirmation from the team selling via email that the ice is yours. Nobody should be in under the Claim Ice section unless they have purchased ice though the email process.

Risk Management

Most of the Risk Management requirements are described here. Make sure your team is certified as soon as possible and make sure to register for any required courses early as they fill up quickly. It is also important to understand what our insurance prolicy does and does not cover, especially in regards to fundraising and special events. The following documents provide a lot of valuable information on the subject:

Safety Requires Teamwork - Hockey Canada's guide to our insurance policy.
Insurance Brochure - Summary of our Hockey Canada insurance policy.
Insurance FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions about our inurance policy as compiled by Hockey Nova Scotia
SMHA Safety - Information on our policies and procedures regarding safety and injuries.
Insurance Request Form - Use this form to request proof of insurance from Hockey Nova Scotia for fundraising events.

Discipline and Suspensions

Our discipline policy is described here and we have also provided a Suspensions Guide for the manager and coaches. It is the head coaches responsibility to understand the infractions that will result in suspensions and to sit the offending player. You should hear back from Hockey Nova Scotia withing 48 hours of the infraction regarding the actual length of the suspension. If you need asisstants in clarifing or are away and need help now, please contact our SMH Suspension Coordinator. Contact found under Executive Tab on our website.

Forms and Documents

2012-2013 Coaches Application Form - Download the application form. Send the completed form to the VP of Hockey for your division.