Policies of the Hereford Lacrosse Program
February 2014 Bi-Annual Review
August 2012 Revisions
Revision History – Boys’ Revision History – Girls’
10 August 2005 - Initial Release December 2005
11 October 2005 - Update February 2008
6 November 2005 – Revised December 2008 – Revised
6 September 2007 - Revised
December 2008 –Revised Hereford Lacrosse Program
August 2012 – Revised to combine Boys’/Girls’ Policies
Table of Contents
Policy I Rules of Play
Policy II Minimum Play Rule (Revised December 2008)
Policy III Playing Up (Revised July 2012)
Policy IV Player Evaluations (Revised December 2008)
Policy V Age Group Coordinators – Conflict of Interest (Added July 2012)
Policy VI Selection of Coaches and Roster Creation (Revised December 2008, July 2012)
Procedure A Player Evaluations and Selection of Teams and Coaches (Revised December 2008, July 2012)
Policy VII Registration (Revised December 2008, July 2012)
Policy VIII Age Group Alignment (Added July 2012)
Policy IX Grievances (Revised December 2008, July 2012)
Introduction:
The Hereford Lacrosse Program (the “Program”) is comprised of two sub-boards, representing the Boys program and Girls program, that function together to represent the Program. One Commissioner oversees both sub-programs, with the assistance of an Executive Board, comprised of the Program’s Secretary and Treasurer; an Assistant Commissioner oversees each sub-program, with a Coordinator assigned to each age level. Below each Coordinator on the organizational chart are the head coaches, one or more assistant coaches and Team Parents,Coaches are encouraged to solicit and utilize support from parents of the Players as either assistant coaches or as facilitators at practices and/or games. Team Parents are designated for each team and carry the primary responsibility of being the liaison between the coaches and the parents. They may also be asked to assist in organizing events and other fundraising efforts on behalf of the team.
Policy I – Rules of Play:
Rules of play for the Girls’ and Boys’ Programs shall be governed by U.S. Lacrosse’s Official
Rules for Girls & Women’s Lacrosse and Boys & Men’s Lacrosse. The league (MYLA, for
example) may establish additional or modified rules for youth players. When this is the case, league rules will supersede U.S. Lacrosse rules.
Policy II – Minimum Play Rule:
All Coaches shall make every attempt to ensure that all players at every level will receive
equivalent playing time, it being understood that it is incumbent upon everyone involved in the Hereford Lacrosse Program during the team alignment process and during the course of the season to ensure that the size and makeup of each roster is created, and the teams are managed, in the spirit of this Policy to ensure fair playing time for every Player. The only exceptions shall be in the event of disciplinary action toward a Player or an injury to the Player during the game. Players accepting positions on A teams are expected to give a 100% commitment to their team, including attendance at all practices and games; although accommodations may be made for prior Player commitments to other in-season sports in the event that their schedules overlap with lacrosse. Players who elect to play other sports during the lacrosse season or are otherwise unwilling/ unable to make a full-time commitment should be encouraged to play on B or C level teams. Coaches should stress this commitment to Players and their families when offering A team positions.
Policy III – Playing Up:
Every Player must play in his/her age-appropriate level as determined by the MYLA Rules.
September 1st of the current year will be used to determine a player’s age, e.g., player in age 13-14 league may not be 15 prior to September 1st of the current year. “Playing up” will not be permitted.
Parents of a six-year-old player, at the time of registration, wishing to play Spirit must request an exception from the appropriate Spirit level coordinator with final approval from the appropriate Assistant Commissioner.
Policy IV – Player Evaluations:
Prior to the commencement of each Outdoor and Indoor season, fair and impartial evaluations of all players will be conducted for team assignments. The evaluations should consist of an assessment of the Player’s lacrosse skills, athletic abilities, game sense and attitude in order to determine team alignment. All player evaluations will be conducted with drills, skills and scrimmages specific to the respective Girls’ and Boys’ game of lacrosse. The required measurables/criteria for all Girls’ and Boys’ evaluations will be developed and added to these policies by the respective Girls’ and Boys’ Evaluation Committees after approval by the Age Group Coordinator(s) and the Assistant Commissioner(s). The Assistant Commissioner(s) and Age Group Coordinator(s) for each respective playing level (with the input and recommendations of the Coaches and evaluators, as applicable) shall select the evaluators, oversea the evaluations and determine the methodology for rating the players (including the possibility of separate evaluations and tryouts for B-level and above and specific skills and drills for the Boys’ and Girls’ games) and the number of teams at each level. The Age Group Coordinators will also oversee and participate in the team alignments to ensure consistency and impartiality. Evaluators should be instructed to remain impartial in the scoring of players and refrain from taking any social or personal opinion into their scoring other than the lacrosse skills being evaluated. Every effort will be made to have as many qualified evaluators as available with at least 25% of the evaluators for a given age group coming from a pool of coaching candidates who do not have sons or daughters playing in the age group being evaluated. The program will strive to conduct evaluations for the spring outdoor season using some combination of indoor and outdoor facilities. Evaluations for the fall indoor season will be abbreviated as compared to the evaluations for the spring season.
All players who desire to participate on a AA, A, B or any other skill-based team will be required to attend at least one evaluation session, or must otherwise seek an exception from the Assistant Commissioner. Based upon the evaluations, the A Coach(es) shall select his/her team(s) first, followed by the B Coach(es) and then the C Coach(es). If either the B or C level has sufficient players to create more than one team and the other level can support only one team, the level with one team shall set its team roster prior to the other level selecting its team rosters. In instances where there are sufficient players for more than one team at any level, the Coaches for that level shall select their teams with alternating selections. In-House Tyker teams must be divided with team parity in mind.
Players Missing Evaluations:
Players who do not participate in evaluations shall be placed at a playing level (A/B/C) based upon all reasonably available objective criteria. For example, such criteria would include, but is not limited to, ratings by a player’s prior lacrosse coaches. The responsibility shall be primarily upon the player who missed evaluations to provide sources for such information to his or her Age Group Coordinator in a timely manner. If there is any doubt about the appropriate level for such a player between two levels, the player shall be placed at the lower skill level. If there is insufficient information to make an informed decision on the appropriate playing level, then the player shall be placed at the level for players with less experience, skill, and/or dedication (usually C).
Additional Requirement for Placement on an “A” Team:
A player who does not participate in evaluations may only be placed on an "A" team (or a B team if that is the highest level team being fielded at that age level) if that player was "unable" to participate in any evaluation session prior to team selection. Age Group Coordinators may conduct make-up evaluations for players who missed evaluations. If a player fails to attend the scheduled make-up evaluation he or she will not be eligible for placement on an “A” team (or a B team if that is the highest level team being fielded for that age group). For example, the inability to participate in evaluations would include, but is not limited to, an injury existing at all evaluation dates that precluded the player’s participation at all evaluation dates. A determination that a player was unable to participate in evaluations must be jointly agreed upon by both the Age Group Coordinator and Assistant Commissioner and e-mailed to the Commissioner for review.
Policy V-Age Group Coordinators:
Hereford Lacrosse Girls’ and Boys’ Board Members who wish to serve as Age Group Coordinators cannot have a son(s) or daughter(s) at that particular age group.
Policy VI – Selection of Coaches and Roster Creation:
The Age Group Coordinator(s), Assistant Commissioner(s) and the Commissioner will be responsible for recruiting the Coaches for the Boys’ and Girls’ Programs at the different levels of play prior to the commencement of each Outdoor and Indoor season. It is understood that final coaching assignments will not be made until after evaluations have been completed. No incumbent coach or candidate to coach a boys’ or girls’ lacrosse team shall represent himself or herself as a coach until the coach selection process is final. In determining priorities for coaching positions, consideration will be given to prior coaching and other relevant experience, both within and outside the Girls’ and Boys’ Programs and knowledge of the game. The Age Group Coordinators should endeavor to fill open coaching positions with individuals who have experience in lacrosse and/or other sports. In the event a dispute arises over a coaching selection, the Age Group Coordinator and Assistant Commissioner shall endeavor to resolve the dispute. If a mutually agreeable solution cannot be reached, the decision of the Assistant Commissioner, Commissioner or Other Executive Board Member as spelled out in the procedures below will be final.
The following procedures will be followed for Player Evaluations and the selection of Coaches:
Procedure A. Player Evaluations and Selection of Teams:
1. Upon completion of the registration sessions, the Registration Coordinator will provide a list of all players registered for a specific age group to the Age Group Coordinators. A complete list of players registered for all age groups will be provided to the Assistant Commissioner and Commissioner. To ensure that adequate time is given to player evaluations, a target of three (3), two (2)-hour evaluations will be conducted for the Girls’ and Boys’ Lightning, Midget and Junior Age Groups. A target of two (2), one and one-half (1.5)-hour evaluations will be held for the Girls’ and Boys’ Tyker A teams. Player evaluations will not be conducted for the Spirit or High School levels. At least one of these evaluations will be used for the expressed purpose of conducting tryouts for any player wanting to be considered for a AA, A, B, or any other team which will be selected on the basis of skill. The program will strive to conduct evaluations for the spring outdoor season using some combination of indoor and outdoor facilities. Evaluations for the fall indoor season will be abbreviated versus the spring and will be conducted outdoors.
2. To ensure adequate time is given to players wishing to be considered for a AA, A, B, or any other skill-based teams, players at the Lightning, Midget and Junior Age Levels will be required to attend a minimum of one (1) of the three (3) evaluations conducted. Any Tyker player wishing to be considered for the A or any other skill-based team must attend at least one (1) of the two (2) evaluations.
Procedure B. Selection of Coaches:
1. Any parent/individual indicating interest in serving as a head coach or assistant coach
will be asked to check a box on the online registration process indicating their lacrosse or
other sport coaching experience as part of the registration process. Coaching qualifications are to be submitted during the registration process to identify qualified
coaching candidates as well as to encourage new coaching candidates to participate and
to ensure proper placement as a head coach or assistant coach. Copies of coaching
candidate forms for a particular age group will be provided by the Registration Coordinator to the Age Group Coordinators. Parents are to complete the volunteer section of the registration form, which along with all coaching candidates, will be provided to the Assistant Commissioners and Commissioner.
2. Lacrosse experience as a player is a significant plus for coaching in the Hereford Lacrosse Program, but not a requirement. The ability to lead a team of young players and
their parents requires a broad range of skills including basic leadership abilities as well as
a knowledge of lacrosse fundamentals and the game. Some of our most successful coaches have never played lacrosse, but have invested the time and energy needed to
learn the game, while applying leadership skills that make them good coaches. The considerations given to coaching selection are (not in order of importance):
a. Must Attend a Positive Coaching Alliance-Required (Course is good for two [2]
years)
b. U.S. Lacrosse–Level 1 Certification
c. U.S. Lacrosse--Level 2 Certification
d. Ability to focus on the entire team equally without prejudice
e. Leadership and judgment
f. Communication and organization with parents and the ability to relate to and instruct kids
g. Coaching experience – lacrosse playing experience is a significant plus but not
mandatory
h. Passion for the sport and knowledge of the game, whether gained from playing or
from other sources
i. Willingness to work with others
j. Outside commitments – ability to attend practices and games regularly
3. Coaches will be selected as follows: Potential coaches should be identified by the Age
Group Coordinators as early in the process as possible based upon the criteria previously
listed in number 2 of this procedure. Ideally, all “A” team coaches will be “non-parents”
and will be announced prior to the start of evaluations or as soon as practical. After all
evaluations are completed, coaches will be recommended by the Age Group Coordinators
for initial approval by the Assistant Commissioner.
If the Age Group Coordinator is a candidate for coaching a AA, A, B, or other skill-based
team, he/she will be excused from the approval process and the initial approval will be made by the Assistant Commissioner.
If the Assistant Commissioner is a candidate for coaching a AA, A, B, or other skillbased
team, he/she will be excused from the approval process and the initial approval will be made by the Commissioner and the other Assistant Commissioner.
If the Commissioner is a candidate for coaching a AA, A, B, or other skill-based team,
he/she will be excused from the approval process and the initial approval will be made by
both Assistant Commissioners.
If the Age Group Coordinator and the Assistant Commissioner (or Commissioner or Other Executive Board Member as applicable) do not agree on the coaches selected for a
given AA, A, B, or other skill-based team, the view of the Assistant Commissioner (or
Commissioner or Other Executive Board Member as applicable) will prevail.
4. For all teams selected by a method other than a round-robin draft, teams will be tentatively selected and recommended by the coaches to the Age Group Coordinator and
Assistant Commissioner for approval. Due to the acknowledged differences between the
Girls’ and Boys’ game of Lacrosse, the overall ranking of each player will be based on the measurables/criteria set forth by the respective Girls’ and Boys’ Evaluation Committees as approved by each playing level Age Group Coordinator(s) and Assistant
Commissioner(s).
If any board member has a daughter or son participating in a particular Age Group, he/she will excuse him/herself from the team selection process for a skill-based AA, A, or B team.
If the Assistant Commissioner or Age Group Coordinator has a daughter or son participating in a particular Age Group, he/she will excuse him/herself from the team
selection process for a skill-based AA, A, or B team and refer the approval to the Assistant Commissioner or Age Group Coordinator (as appropriate) and the Commissioner.
If the Commissioner has a daughter or son participating in a particular Age Group, he/she
will excuse him/herself from the team selection process for a skill-based AA, A, or B team and refer the approval to the Assistant Commissioner or Age Group Coordinator.
If the Age Group Coordinator has a daughter or son in a particular Age Group and is also
a head coach candidate for a AA, A, B or other skill-based team in that Age Group, both
the Assistant Commissioner and Commissioner must approve any such coaching selections for teams in that Age Group that are not selected with a round-robin draft.
5. Coaching Multiple Teams: No one individual shall be selected as the head coach or
assistant coach of more than one Hereford Lacrosse Team during the Outdoor or Indoor
Lacrosse seasons. If in any Lacrosse season there is a shortage of coaches, then the
Assistant Commissioner may approve of multiple coaching responsibilities. No coach shall be selected for a second coaching position during any season if it would deny another qualified candidate the opportunity to coach during the season. Exception: The coach of a Tyker A Team may also be a coach of a Tyker Rec Team.
6. Evaluation score sheets should be safeguarded to ensure all scores are maintained and
compiled in a secure manner. At the conclusion of each evaluation session, the Age Group Coordinator(s) should make and provide a copy of all score sheets to the Assistant
Commissioner(s). If there is no ability to copy the evaluation score sheets the Age Group
Coordinator(s) will deliver the score sheets to the Assistant Commissioner(s) immediately following each evaluation session and the Assistant Commissioner(s) will copy and mail the scores to the Age Group Coordinators.
7. Based upon the teams actually selected and approved, there may be situations in which the coaches initially selected and approved need to be changed. For example, if a coach’s daughter or son is not selected for his/her particular team, he/she should be given the option of coaching the team for which he/she has been selected or be considered for other coaching options available in the program. If the coach in question chooses the latter option, the Age Group will follow the guidelines as established in numbers 2 and 3 in this procedure.
Policy VII – Registration:
It is the desire of the Hereford Lacrosse Program to provide the opportunity for all children who want to play lacrosse to be placed on a team; however, in order to ensure fair playing time for all players, team size must be limited. The following guidelines will be used to define the registration process and fairly address which players get placed on teams in the event that the number of registrants cannot be evenly divided into appropriately sized teams.
A. Registration Process:
An online registration will be conducted well before the beginning of the season.
All players with a permanent place of address within the “Hereford Zone” will be given first preference with regard to registration and participation in the Hereford Lacrosse Program.
Players residing outside the “Hereford Zone,” (i.e., other Recreation Councils, Club Teams, etc.) with the exception of those players from Southern Pennsylvania, will be considered for registration on a case-by-case basis by the Assistant Commissioner(s) and the Commissioner after all “Hereford Zone” players have been registered and placed on teams.
During the online registration process period, forms will be made available on the Hereford Lacrosse web site and at the HZRPC (Hereford Zone Recreation and Parks Council) office.
Public announcements for the online registration will include e-mails and website notices.
After the online registration deadline, the Girls’ and Boys’ Program will conduct a late/online registration.
Late/online registrations will be used to fill out applicable team rosters. Registrations will be taken on a first-come, first-serve basis.
In the event that teams are filled to capacity, a waiting list will be established in the order described above.
Any parent interested in serving as a head coach or assistant coach should indicate such interest by completing the volunteer selection of the online registration and a Hereford Lacrosse Coaching Form at the time of registering their daughter(s) or son(s).
B. Team Sizes:
Team size directly affects playing time. Adequate playing time is necessary for the enjoyment of all participants. Coaches must be committed to providing fair playing time for all players.
Each Age Group Coordinator will determine minimum and maximum team size, with consideration given to age/skill level and season, i.e., Indoor and Outdoor.
With the coach’s approval, minor variations in team size are acceptable in some circumstances.
C. Wait List Specifics:
The Registration Coordinator(s) is responsible for processing all registrations in the order received.
Coaches, Age Group Coordinators, and other Board Members should not accept registrations, and should instruct registrants to contact the Registration Coordinator directly.
During or shortly following online registration, the Registration Coordinator is responsible for notifying players/parents if they are on a waiting list.
As openings occur, players will be selected from the waiting list in the order they registered.
Preference will not be given based upon skill level, special skills, or anything else. For example, a coach may not select #5 on the wait list if that player happens to be a goalie and his/her team needs a goalie. This is unfair to players #1 through #4 that are waiting.
D. Considerations:
If a player is on the waiting list, he or she is not officially registered with Hereford Lacrosse, and will NOT be violating MYLA rules by registering with another program.
Monies will not be deposited by the Girls’ or Boys’ Program until placement on a team is certain. Parents/players who are placed on the wait list may at any time request a registration fee refund.
In the event of a wait list, Hereford Lacrosse will endeavor to secure sufficient Players to allow everyone an opportunity to join a team roster.
Policy VIII – Age Group Alignment:
Upon the completion of all player evaluations for a specific age group, each Age Group Coordinator and the Assistant Commissioner will determine the age group alignment for the upcoming season within the MYLA league. Each age group will strive to adhere to the stated MYLA guidelines regarding age group alignment. Emphasis will be placed on aligning each age group to maximize the learning experience, along with remaining competitive, for each team within that age group. The respective Tyker Coordinators, in conjunction with the Assistant Commissioner, will have the flexibility to determine, annually, the alignment that will maximize the learning experience for each player within the Tyker age group. The Tyker Coordinator may elect to have a team(s) entered in MYLA and/or they may elect to offer an in-house league to Tyker participants. The Tyker age group is granted the highest level of flexibility in an effort to accommodate the broad range of skill level, experience, and maturity inherent in this age group.
Policy IX – Grievances:
The Hereford Girls’ and Boys’ Lacrosse Program is a 100% volunteer organization that expects the utmost level of professionalism, dignity, and sportsmanship from all of its members, including Board members, Coaches, Players, and Parents. The intent of this policy is to establish standards of behavior for all Program volunteers, to provide an avenue for grievance against any such volunteer, and to provide such volunteer with due process when a grievance is brought against him or her.
All Program volunteers shall (a) use language and conduct themselves in a manner that is otherwise consistent with the goal of creating a positive youth sports culture for the Program; (b) refrain from inappropriate physical contact towards Players, Coaches, Spectators or Officials; (c) take responsibility and accountability for their various roles, which includes adherence to the Program’s rules and procedures; and (d) refrain from making statements about Players, Coaches, Spectators or Officials that detract from the spirit and respectability of the sport. In short, the goal of every volunteer in the Program is to provide a positive experience to all the Players within our organization.
We recognize that issues arise from time to time that cannot be resolved through discussions among the interested parties, and may, therefore, require the attention of the Program. To that end, anyone who wishes to pursue a formal complaint relating to the Girls’ or Boys’ Program or any of its volunteers is encouraged to follow the Program’s chain of command: the first point of contact is the Head or Assistant Coach, then the Age Group Coordinator, then the Assistant Commissioner, then the Commissioner. If the complainant elects to deliver a written grievance to any other member of the Program, the recipient will promptly cause the grievance to be rerouted to the Head Coach of the complainant's daughter or son, for initial disposition, unless the Head Coach is the subject of the grievance, in which case the grievance will be delivered to the next level of review, i.e., the appropriate Age Group Coordinator. Likewise, if the Age Group Coordinator is the subject of the grievance, the grievance will be delivered to the Assistant Commissioner; and any grievance related to the Assistant Commissioner will be delivered to the Commissioner. Notwithstanding the above, however, every effort should be made by all parties concerned to resolve all conflicts at the lowest possible level of this hierarchy. If this process does not result in a resolution satisfactory to the complainant, the complainant may submit a formal written grievance by letter to the following address:
Hereford Zone Recreation & Parks Council
17301 York Road
Parkton, Maryland 21120
Attn: Hereford Lacrosse Grievance Committee
Such a letter should be submitted in a timely manner following the incident or situation giving rise to the grievance. No oral grievances will be considered at any level until submitted in writing.
A five (5)-member Grievance Committee comprised of the Commissioner of the Program, the Treasurer, the Secretary, the Assistant Commissioners of the Girls’ and Boys’ Boards, will be convened to review the grievance and to determine whether action will be taken. If any of the above individuals are the subject of the grievance, have any other conflicts of interest, or a position on the Executive Board is temporarily vacant, a substitute Board member(s) will be selected randomly to serve as member(s) of the Grievance Committee. The Grievance Committee will thereafter promptly notify, in writing, the complainant and the aggrieved party, as well as the applicable Age Group Coordinator of the time, date, and location of a special hearing. At the special hearing, both the complainant and the aggrieved party will be given up to 15 minutes to state their case without the other party present. Either party may respond in writing rather than appear in person or decline the opportunity to be heard in the special hearing. Each party may bring one additional person for support. After both parties state their cases, the Age Group Coordinator (if applicable) will be given 5 minutes to express his or her opinion. The burden of proof, i.e., a preponderance of the evidence, in any grievance hearing will be on the complainant.
Although grievances will remain confidential to the greatest extent possible, the Grievance Committee may, as it deems appropriate and in its sole discretion, take written or oral statements from any witness(es), including the aggrieved party, the complainant, and other Coaches, Players and spectators; may procure game tapes or other evidence; and/or may take other actions to obtain information it deems relevant to the grievance. The grievance and its disposition will be documented/filed by the Executive Board in a standard format. All parties involved will be notified in writing of the disposition of the Grievance Committee. The Board members will be apprised of the final disposition at a subsequent meeting. All decisions of the Grievance Committee will be final. Either party may appeal the disposition of the grievance to the HZRPC within 30 days of disposition.
