GCRA Policy - House League Teams Overview

House League Teams Overview - Approved by a motion of the GCRA Executive August, 2003
(Amended by the GCRA Executive March, 2010)

GLOUCESTER-CUMBERLAND DEVILS HOUSE LEAGUE

Welcome to a new season!       The Tryout Schedule will be posted shortly before each season commences.

GENERAL

The Gloucester-Cumberland House League provides competition for those who desire to play ringette. Gloucester-Cumberland House League teams play in the National Capital Region Ringette League (NCRRL) and have approximately 20 league games and weekly practices.

They participate in approximately 1 to 4 tournaments during the season and league playoffs at the end of the season. The coaching staff work with the parents to determine tournaments your team will be attending shortly after the team is formed.

Players should attend all team activities, i.e. games, practices, tournaments, playoffs, fundraising events and all other organized team activities. As teams cannot pick up players during playoffs, you will appreciate the importance of ensuring players and parents honor the commitment they make to their team.

It is the policy of the Gloucester-Cumberland Ringette Association that players be given fair (not necessarily equal at all times) ice time. Having said that, players that do not fully participate place an unfair burden on the rest of the team. Obviously, education and health issues take precedence in all situations. Participants that chronically miss practices or games, arrive late, or otherwise disrupt the efficient operation of the team can expect to be approached by the team staff and requested to correct their pattern of participation. Coaching staff contribute considerable time and effort in preparing for games and writing practice plans, and expect to be advised well in advance when a player will be absent - barring illness. It is common courtesy to contact your coach in advance with an explanation if you are expecting to miss a team event. Please remember that it is the player/parent's responsibility to ensure they have transportation to and from practices, games and other team activities.

Team training will consist of well-organized practices, drills and game tactics for individual development and team development on and off ice.

The GCRA emphasizes fair play and therefore the following:

•   respecting the rules of the game;
  

•   respecting officials and coaching staff and accepting their decisions;
  
•   respecting the opponent; and
  
•   providing all participants with equal opportunities in return for equal commitment.

EVALUATIONS

In order to evaluate the players properly, all players should endeavour to attend all evaluation sessions. At a minimum, players must attend at least 2 of the 3 scheduled evaluation sessions. Should it be determined either before or after the first tryout that there are not enough Gloucester-Cumberland players trying out for a specific team, players from other associations may be invited to attend the evaluations.

FINANCIAL MATTERS

Once the team has been formed, a team budget outlining additional team costs not included in your registration fee shall be submitted to players/parents for consultation. These team costs could include additional ice time in excess of the practice hours covered by the registration fee, costs associated with tournaments fees, team parties, etc. Additional expenses can be up to $400 per player, depending on the philosophy of the coaching staff. Once any additional team fee is established, it must be paid to the team by January 20th of that playing season. Failure to make the team payment could result in player's being excluded from tournament play, since the extra fees collected by the teams are used to cover the costs of these events.

Teams can do fundraising to pay for their expenses however, it is not the sole responsibility of the manager or coaching staff to organize these fundraising events. If players/parents would like to help keep costs down they must get involved. All team money received from players, fundraising, or otherwise shall be an integral part of the team budget and shall be used for team expenses.

Players/parents should note that in addition to team fees, there will be expenses such as travelling and accommodation expenses which will be borne by them. Parents and coaches sometimes decide to acquire other equipment or clothing - which is strictly a team issue.

When the season is completed, a year-end team financial statement shall be distributed to all players/parents with a copy forwarded to the VP, House League. Any remaining team funds shall be divided amongst players/parents, on the basis of their contribution to the team's funds. At the end of a season the team bank account should be brought to zero.

If you have any other questions, feel free to contact the VP, House League (Petite/Tween/Junior/Belle) or Director, Player Development (Novice, Bunnies).