Team Managers - Getting Started
Start of Season
Having an organized and informed team manager is one of the most important factors in the success of any team. To ensure all team Managers understand what’s involved in this role, the ORA requires that all team managers complete Ringette Canada's Manager's Certification Program. The program is an online, self-paced instructional package designed for team managers specifically for the sport of ringette. It can be found here:
http://www.coachingringette.ca/index.php?page=327
The course costs $25, but the MDRA will reimburse you for this fee.
The team manager will assist the coach and help run the off-ice activities of the team. It is important that the manager communicates with the coach to ensure that the coach has input and is aware of all team activities on and off the ice. Team Managers should be organized, have access to the internet/email, and communicate well. The Team Manager should ensure that as many parents as possible participate with the various tasks since there are too many for one person. Co-managing and delegation of tasks and responsibilities to other parents is the key to a successful and manageable year, and will only strengthen team building. The activities and responsibilities of the Manager are broken down into the following sections.
As MDRA now uses RAMP your team contact is available in the RAMP Team App. Please ensure everyone has downloaded the app as this will be the only way MDRA communicates team schedule and the only way players can indicate their availability. The Kanata Rangers have a great resource available to help you understand how to use the Team as a Manager.
TRFs (Team Registration Form) are no longer required for tournament registration as rosters are provided through RAMP. If you are planning to attend any out of province tournaments you may need to provide a TRF; if you have been asked for a TRF please contact the MDRA Registrar for a copy.
All coaches, managers and trainers, as well as other on-ice volunteers, require a Level 3 Vulnerable Sector Check.
Volunteers must complete the PRC Letter with their name and volunteer position before providing to the Ottawa Police. If the applicant doesn’t fill out the letter with their personal information it will not be accepted, then they will have to pay the fee, and this is NOT refundable by the MDRA. Please have your Bench Staff submit their form and letter to the police department ASAP.
The results of the police check are sent directly to the applicant, who should then upload it into your profile on the RAMP system. Applicants should also let the manager know when this is done. In the case of a police check which does not come back as “clean”, the MDRA President must immediately be notified in order to make decisions on how best to handle the situation.
The MDRA requires that police checks for all of its coaches, managers, trainers, den-moms and on-ice volunteers be submitted by November 15th.
The Player Medical Forms should be distributed by the Manager and collected from the parents. These forms remain with the Manager/Trainer for use in case of an emergency during a game or practice.
Please make note of allergies for team snacks and/or parties, as well as special medications (ie. asthma puffers, etc.). Coaches and other bench staff should be made aware in case they need it on the ice or bench.
Every bench staff member, player, and parent has already read and signed the MDRA Code of Conduct form during the registration. The RO (Ringette Ontario) Bench Staff Code of Conduct form, the MDRA Parent Code of Conduct form, and the MDRA Player Code of Conduct form are available in the Resources section of the MDRA website. The Manager should remind all bench staff, players, and parents, to review the codes of conduct as they are responsible for being familiar with and abiding by them.
There are a number of times during the ringette season when children may be photographed, interviewed or videotaped. Photos, videos or interviews will only be allowed with permission of the team coach.
All families have to sign the MDRA Media Release form. Managers should take note if a family doesn’t want their daughter photographed and ensure their request is respected. They should also notify the MDRA webmaster if pics aren’t to be put up and/or last names aren’t to be found on the rosters.
It is important that the team officials have the proper certification for their role. The courses are only held a couple of times in the fall and if bench staff miss it, they will have to be removed from the TRF.
All new coaches and Assistant Coaches now need to complete a prerequisite course called “Intro to Ringette”. It is a 3 hour course put on by Ringette Ontario twice in the Fall.
| Bench Staff Requirements | B and C Level Teams | A and AA Level Teams (including Provincial) |
|---|---|---|
| Coach | CSI OR CI AND Make Ethical Decisions Certificate | CI AND Make Ethical Decisions Certificate |
| Assistant Coach | CSI OR CI AND Make Ethical Decisions Certificate | CI AND Make Ethical Decisions Certificate |
| Manager | Manager Certification Program | Manager Certification Program |
| Trainer | At least 14 hour Standard First Aid training OR Certification for Medical Doctor/Student, Fireman, Registered Nurse, Ambulance Training, or Athletic Therapy | CSI or CI AND At least 14 hour Standard First Aid training OR Certification for Medical Doctor/Student, Fireman, Registered Nurse, Ambulance Training, or Athletic Therapy |
At least one of the Bench Staff members must be female and be present on the bench at all times. Managers are not allowed on the bench.
The team Manager should validate the certification of the team bench staff and follow up with any who need to take courses. The MDRA will communicate to all teams when these courses are available - this information is also posted on the ERRA-NCRRL website (link provided on MDRA website). The cost of the CSI and CI courses is covered by the MDRA. The Manager Certification process is an online self-study reading and test, and the cost is also covered by the MDRA.
It is very important that tournaments that the teams wish to participate in be identified as early in the year as possible, and no later than October 1st. For tournaments being held in Eastern Region please register through the following links:
As soon as possible after the team is confirmed, it is important to have a team meeting where the parents can be introduced to the coach and manager, and the rest of the bench staff. This can be done in the dressing room during one of the first practices. At this meeting, it is a good time to identify the responsibilities of the team for the year and get parents to sign up for the following positions:
As well as possibly:
The practice schedule is organized by the MDRA Ice Scheduler and is posted on the MDRA website. A copy of the Ice Allocation Policy can be found on the Policies, Forms and Templates page of the website.
The game schedule is arranged by the NCRRL and posted on both the MDRA website and league web site. They will also appear in your RAMP team app. It is a good practice that the Manager provide schedule updates or reminders to the parents and to remind them to regularly check the MDRA website or app for updates.
The Manager should contact the MDRA Ice Scheduler as soon as conflicts arise, such as tournaments, in order to reschedule practices and games as well as redistribute available ice times to other MDRA teams.
Managers are usually the last out of the dressing room to lock up while everyone is on the ice. However, this could be assigned to one of the coaches or another parent. You can pick up the key from arena staff.
Once the game/practice is over, unlock the door in a timely fashion. For the last person out of the room, if any items have been forgotten then collect them to bring to the next ice time, and then return the key.
The manager should confirm jersey colour with the other team and the help the jersey parent set the jerseys up in the dressing room prior to games. They should be collected at the end of the games if the team has opted to have jersey carriers, and washed if necessary, before the next game. If players are keeping their own jerseys, please ensure they are kept in a separate bag to protect them from skates and other equipment.
Please refer to the MDRA Dressing Room Policy posted to the Policies, Forms and Templates page of the website. Ensure that change room monitors are present in the room at all times and that players are adhering to the policy.
Ringette Ontario has upgraded all standard gamesheets to digital gamesheets through the use of the RAMP Gamesheet APP. The app will be used by teams, timekeepers and referees to enter game details. You can find the Gamesheet app in the google play store as well as the apple store.The following resources are a direct copy of what is posted on the Ringette Ontario website, under RAMP GAMESHEET header.
RAMP Gamesheets - Instructions for Timekeepers
To access the Game Codes you will need for every game and GameSheet MDRA will provide Managers and/or Head Coaches with credentials that will allow them to login into the MDRA website.
To better understand how to access this information you can view an RO Training Session for the Gamecodes and Gamesheet App using password @Ppyb8gN.
It is your team's responsibility to provide a scorekeeper, game clock operator, and shot clock operator (for U12 level teams and higher) for each of your team’s home games (including exhibition). Instructions on how to run the clock are printed on a sheet by the box in the time keeper’s area. It is also important to have shot clock operators trained on the shot clock rules. This can be coordinated with the MDRA board of directors.
It is good to have more than one set of parents who know how to run the clocks so there is a backup in case one cannot attend.
Also, for exhibition games, the home team arranges for referees. This can be arranged by contacting the MDRA Referee-in-Chief who then contacts the referees.
Team finances include funds to cover tournaments, additional ice time, team social events, end of year trophies, and other team expenses which are above and beyond the MDRA registration fees.
Team finances are the responsibility of the team. The MDRA will review team finances to ensure they are updated regularly and provided to parents. Following the guidelines identified in this section is highly encouraged to avoid possible conflicts, errors, or misappropriation, and represent best practices in the management of team finances. A copy of a team budget template is included in the Manager package, a soft copy can be obtained by e-mailing the MDRA Treasurer at: treasurer@mdra.ca or can be found on the MDRA website.
A team treasurer should be identified at the beginning of the year. The team treasurer is responsible for team finances and for the team bank account.
The Manager acts as the Liaison for the team and the coach for issues they would like to discuss. The “24 hour rule” is advisable -- if there is a conflict to be addressed, you should wait 24 hours after the event to address it with the coach, bench staff, or other parent -- which permits a cool down period and a better conversation for resolution. However, any situation where the well-being of a player is at stake must be addressed immediately. The Convenor for your age level will be an excellent resource for any issues also. A list of Convenors for each age group will be posted on the MDRA website.
While the older players will normally have their name bars from previous years, it is still important for the teams to have someone in charge of ordering for those who need them or to provide parents with the store names which can provide these. The Manager should organize getting the name bars sewn (either by the individual parents or by someone taking all jerseys on). Please do not use glue! Also, please sew on all name and sponsor bars by hand, or with large stitches to make removal easier.
Teams may also like to purchase hats, shirts or other items with the MDRA logo and/or the team name, which can be coordinated with the MDRA board of directors. Please consult the MDRA Merchandise Policy to find the current year supplier. Please consult the MDRA board of directors prior to placing any special team orders for items that are not readily available through the selected supplier.
The insurance policy that covers MDRA is part of our membership with Ringette Ontario, and provides limited coverage for off-ice team events, provided the MDRA board of directors knows of, and approves, the event. Accordingly, teams must notify the MDRA board of directors of any off-ice event, or unscheduled game or practice, to ensure insurance coverage. To give the board of directors time to evaluate events, you must notify them at least one week before the event. Please e-mail the Registrar to notify the Board of Directors of off-ice events and additional practices scheduled by the team at: registrar@mdra.ca.
An event notification tool is available on the MDRA website, under Resources - Manager Resources. Please note that events where alcohol is served are not covered by the policy. Coverage for alcohol is available with the purchase of a specific insurance extension. MDRA must contact RO at least one month in advance to put this special coverage into place.
For out of province tournaments, a form must be submitted to the Ringette Ontario at least 30 days prior to the event. A link to the form is available on the NCRRL website at the following link:
http://ncrrl.on.ca/info/info-for-teams-attending-tourneys/
Do it early!! A lot of the tournaments fill up quickly so it is best to get an idea from the parents on the team how many they want to do and what distance they want to travel. It’s advisable to do this at the Parent/Team meeting.
Once you have chosen which tournaments you are attending, you MUST notify the MDRA Ice Scheduler, so that no league games are scheduled during your tournaments.
For a listing of local tournaments, please consult the above tournament section. A list of out-of-region tournaments is available on the Ringette Ontario website and the Ringette Québec website.
Regardless of where the tournament is located, don’t assume that you are in a tournament until you have a confirmation.
If you are attending an out-of-province tournament, you must notify Ringette Ontario to ensure extra insurance is procured. This should be done as soon as you register for the tournament.
When signing up for a tournament you will usually provide:
When preparing for the tournament you should:
When arriving, you will need to register (day of) and provide:
Other sources of Information include the following:
National Capital Region Ringette League (NCRRL) website
Eastern Region Ringette Association (ERRA) website
Ringette Ontario (RO) website