Section B - Team Officials' Regulations

Playing Rules

Rule No. 1 Selection of House League Officials

House League Coaches will be approved by the Board of Directors. Such approvals will be based upon recommendations put forward by the Vice-President of House League on behalf of the House League Coach Selection Committee.

Rule No. 2 Officers as Team Officials

No members of the Executive Committee and/or Directors of the M.O.H.A. may be barred from a Team Official role on any House League team by reason of his/her being an officer or director of the M.O.H.A. with the following exceptions:

1. The President, Vice-President House League, and the Vice-President Town Rep are not eligible to be team officials in either the House League or the Town Rep divisions.
2. No official in the Town Rep system may hold an official position within the House League without the written approval of the Vice-President Town Rep.
3. If any member of the coaching selection committee is applying for a coaching position in the M.O.H.A. system, he must declare a conflict of interest and step down from all processing of coaches in the age group that they are applying for.

Rule No. 3 Team Head Coach's Responsibilities

The Head Coach will be responsible for the conduct of all players, both on and off the ice, and for other team officials.

1. At all times keep a cool head and use common sense. One of the primary responsibilities of any team official, especially the "Head Coach" is to provide a behaviour model for their players, parents and other team officials. Coaches should not get involved in heated discussions with convenor(s), spectators, other coaches, players, parents or on or off ice officials.
   As a Coach, you are a representative of the Minor Oaks Hockey Association and are expected to conduct yourself in a manner consistent with that responsibility, These expectations apply both on and off the ice, as well as when in Oakville or representing Oakville in another centre.
2. You are required to be familiar with and adhere to all policies, procedures, rules and regulations relevant to the M.O.H.A., including but not limited to:
   • The Players' Bill of Rights
   • The Association's Code of Conduct
   • Anti Harassment and Abuse, "Speak Out" policies
   • The M.O.H.A. Bylaws and Playing Rules
3. Coaches are also expected to be familiar with the basic rules of hockey (Hockey Canada, O.H.F. and O.M.H.A.) in addition to M.O.H.A regulations.
   The M.O.H.A. "Playing Rules" are intended to supplement Hockey Canada, O.H.F., and O.M.H.A. playing rules to reflect any additional regulations of the Association. They may not always be explicit in covering all situations and may end up "dated" relative to changes implemented by parent/partner associations or by our own Board of Directors.
4. All coaches must comply with Hockey Canada, O.H.F. and O.M.H.A. risk management requirements or other regulations as stipulated from time to time by those associations or by the M.O.H.A. At this time there are two key risk management requirements:
   • The O.M.H.A. policy on Safety and Risk Management requires that "All on-ice Coaches, Trainers, Assistant Coach, Assistant Trainer or Volunteers will be required to wear C.S.A. approved helmets during all on-ice activities".
   • Hockey Canada has also mandated that as of December 31st, 2001 all coaches or individuals involved in any dispute resolution process must have completed the "Speak Out" anti harassment and abuse training program. It is a MUST for anyone interested in a Head Coaching role in our House League program, or any Team Official role in our Town Rep program. As of January 1, 2006, the OMHA requires that all Team Officials at any level of play have “Speak Out” certification.
5. You are also expected to display good sportsmanship and at all times act in a manner that is consistent with supporting the values of the Association.

Rule No. 4 Conflict of Interest

Whenever, in the exercise of his/her duties any Official or Officer of the M.O.H.A. has a personal interest in the outcome of a request, dispute, or decision, or in the opinion of the Executive may be perceived to have an interest, such individual should refer the decisions in question to the next higher official in the organization.

League convenors shall be allowed to convene leagues in which a son or daughter play. They will carry out all league convenor duties with the exception of establishing final team rosters or balancing decisions. Such will be considered as a conflict of interest and in such cases these functions will be carried out by the Senior Convenor, the Vice-President, House League or by a committee established by the Vice-President, House League for this purpose.

Rule No. 5 Improper Behaviour

All cases of improper behaviour by anyone connected with the M.O.H.A. shall be thoroughly investigated by the Discipline Committee with recommendations for appropriate action, provided that the reported behaviour is outlined in a written complaint, and reported to the Executive or Discipline Chairman.

Rule No. 6 Penalty Accumulation

In the event that a Coach or other Team Official, in the opinion of the League Convenor, fails to maintain proper control and discipline over his/her team, then the League Convenor should escalate that concern to the discipline committee.

Rule No. 7 Suspension of Team Official

The Vice-President House League or the M.O.H.A. President has the full and final authority to temporarily suspend any Coach, Manager or player; the person suspended will remain suspended until the case has been heard by the Discipline Committee and a final decision has been handed down.

Rule No. 8 Publicity

It is the responsibility of the Convenor to maintain current statistical sheets in a conspicuous place in the area where his League plays. The Convenor will submit to the local printed news media the appropriate statistical game report following completion of the weekly League schedule.

Rule No. 9 Evaluations

It is the responsibility of each Convenor to ensure that by the end of the season the appropriate coach and player evaluations are completed and returned to the Vice-President House League. It is the responsibility of each coach to ensure that fair and accurate evaluations are provided for his/her team to the league in a timely manner.

Properly completed evaluations are essential in successfully getting the following season off to a good start. All efforts should be made to keep these evaluations confidential. Disclosure of incomplete, inaccurate or inappropriate information can be misleading or harmful

Note: Coaches not completing or submitting these evaluations as directed will be suspended and, or denied coaching privileges in the following season

Rule No. 10 Team Budgets/Assessments

House League Team Officials may approach parents with an assessment to support a team budget. Such funds would be used to cover additional expenses, including the cost of extra ice time, tournaments, exhibition games, team apparel, jersey names, numbers, team supplies etc.

To help coaches and parents better understand the financial responsibilities and budget expectations for our House League program, the Board of Directors has approved the following budget regulations.

• All teams must complete budgets and these budgets must be submitted to the Vice President, House League for approval.
• All sources and application of funds must be included in a budget, including the approximate value of any equipment, apparel, services or events that are provided, donated, or supported by a sponsor or team member. The value of any commercial transportation planned to accommodate travel for tournaments or any other team functions must also be included.Any House League budget in excess of $7,500 requires Executive approval and may only be presented by a team to their parents or players on that basis.
• Within the limit of $7,500 a maximum of $1,500 may be applied to apparel (20% of the cap total). 20% was considered as a reasonable budget proportion but is not applied as an absolute, recognizing that some teams may only include an item like "team caps" as their entire budget.
• Financial assessments are limited to a maximum of $400 per player. M.O.H.A. policy stipulates that a player may not be denied participation in team functions based on a parent's unwillingness or inability to pay a team assessment.
• A preliminary budget must be submitted for approval prior to October 31st and a final statement of actual expenditures by April 30th (at the end of the season). A copy of both the initial budget and final statement must be provided to all parents on the team.
• Should there be a material change in a team's financial status during the year, through revised plans, donations and, or fund raising opportunities, an amended budget needs to be filed for approval at the time the change occurs.
• Any team proposing a 4th tournament (see Tournaments & Exhibition Games) at the end of the season must identify funding for that event separately within their budget and may not commit to that tournament until they have the written approval of the VP House League. Funding for this event must be in a separate part of their budget or in a revised budget total.
• Failure to comply with budget policy will result in a suspension to both the coach and team manager.

Any team wishing to secure approval for a team budget outside of these guidelines must submit a detailed proposal to the M.O.H.A. Executive for consideration and may be called upon to present/defend their situation.

The intent of these budgets is to ensure that teams are operated on a fiscally responsible basis and that the league can reasonably respond to any issues that may be raised. Coaches and, or the M.O.H.A. must be in a position to respond to any parental requests for verification of any team's budget or spending.

House League Coaches are reminded that these are not "travel" teams and that they should be sensitive to the "demands" placed on parents. "Red" House League budgets, for older teams, tend to average between $4,000 and $6,500. ($250 - $400 equivalent per player as additional funding). "White" team budgets tend to be significantly lower ($100 - $2,500). However, coaches at this level are still accountable to their parents regardless of the amount.

Teams need to be sensitive to the fact that additional "sponsor" fund raising must not detract from the support or identification given to their original, primary sponsor.

Any funds provided to the team must be made out to the team account and not to the MOHA.

Any unused funds must be apportioned back to the parents on an equitable basis dependent upon their contribution. Refunds to parents may not be in excess of their actual cash contributions.

Regardless of the amount of any team budget, it is important that it is arrived at in consultation with parents, and that the team's financial status is clearly agreed and communicated on a regular basis.

Rule No. 11 Fund Raising

Individual teams may raise money for team use ONLY as agreed to by the Coaches, Team Manager and parents. The funds raised must be outlined in the team budget. Acceptable fund raising activities may be defined from time to time by the association.

Rule No. 12 Reports for Discipline Committee

To assist the Discipline Committee in their consideration of circumstances surrounding the awarding of certain game misconduct penalties and suspensions, the Referee, the Team Coach, or Manager of the offending player's team shall, if requested, prepare a written report for the Chairman of the Discipline Committee.