Coaches

The responsibilities of the Head Coach include:

• Developing and communicating clear and specific goals for the team, and individual players;
• Modeling and teaching necessary, and age-appropriate skills for the development of individual players & team;
• Promoting and enforcing Hockey Canada’s Fair Play Code;
• Modelling good sportsmanship at all times;
• Developing and communicating clear and specific expectations for players, team officials, and parents;
• Supporting and collaborating with other EMHA coaches, and teams;
• Providing an atmosphere of teamwork and collaboration among team officials, players, and parents;
• Creating and maintaining a safe and healthy environment for the players.

House League teams may have up to five (5) team officials listed on the roster. The EMHA covers the insurance for these assistants. The EMHA holds an annual Coaches Meeting at the beginning of the season to discuss information and strategies regarding choosing team assistants.

If you decide to do that, we suggest that team Captain and Alternates are chosen at the end of October when the coaches and players have had an opportunity to get to know each other. There may be a selection process in place by the coach. The Captain and Alternate should demonstrate good leadership skills, discipline and the ability to represent their team. There can be one Captain and three Alternates, although this is often not in place until the U13 level.

The coach must submit the names of players, bench officials, trainer and team manager to the Registrar who, upon review, forwards the roster to the Gloucester Hockey Association ("GHA"). The formal roster MUST be completed one week prior to first league game so that it can be filed with the GHA.

The EMHA holds multiple meetings at the beginning of the year for players, coaches and managers. Attendance is mandatory and if you do not attend, any issues during the year, the association will not be accountable.

Training is also offered by Hockey Canada ("HC"): HC Clinics Catalog

• The EMHA provides education and assistance to coaches through our Mentorship Program. Also, please refer to our Development Coaching Resources.

• You need a budget that is ratified - the EMHA is a non-profit organization and needs to be accountable to all parents and can be audited at any time.
• It is suggested that a proposed budget be prepared for discussion at the first parent meeting. Parents have the right to question the budget. Upon approval, a signed budget must be submitted to the EMHA Registrar by January 1st. Final year-end budgets must be submitted by April 15th, or when the equipment is returned. 
• Jersey deposits are returned once the year-end budget is received and the jerseys are determined to be in good condition.
• The team may collect team fees to help pay for the operations (extra ice, exhibition games, officials, tournaments, etc.) over the course of the season. There are maximums team fees set for each level:
  • U9 and U11 - $250
  • U13 - $350
  • U15, U18 and U21 - $450
  • Rep B (all age levels) - $1,000
• Your team may also choose to do additional fundraising to help pay for other things such as tournament entry fees. The EMHA by-laws state, “All funds raised by house league teams must be spent as a minimum of 75% on hockey operations including, but not limited to ice time rental, referees, team equipment. Team apparel, year-end gifts to players or coaches are not considered part of hockey operations."  Name bars and hockey socks are considered hockey equipment/operations.
• Sponsor bars are not considered hockey equipment/operations.

• The EMHA Mentorship Committee presents coach education opportunities and assistance for practice development. This may include White Board sessions with guest speakers, Skating Development sessions, and Goalie clinics. 
• Each division is assigned a coach mentor. 

Yes: pucks, pylons and other practice supplies are provided to coaches.

• The coach is responsible to designate a team equipment manager to take care of the team’s jerseys, launder, and bring to each game. Jerseys must be kept in team jersey bags, supplied by the EMHA. 
• The team will place a $500 deposit for jerseys at the beginning of the year. This deposit is returned once the team set of jerseys is returned in good condition. 
• Name bars and/or sponsor bars are not to be removed by the teams - the EMHA equipment director is responsible for removing name bars.

Yes, the Vice-President is the coordinator of the evaluations. He/she will compile the results and provide the feedback designed for coach development purposes. Coach evaluations are completed mid and end of season.

• Local tournaments are available on the HEO website: HEO Tournament Directory
• The EMHA sponsors tournaments at the U11 and the U15 levels.
• The OHF branch website has listings for provincial tournaments. 
• Players are not obligated to attend tournaments; BUT since these costs are covered with team fees, no refunds are provided to players who choose not to attend tournaments.  
• TO KEEP IN MIND: travel permits must be completed for out of town tournaments, and all tournaments must be sanctioned.

The technical details for team pages under the EMHA website are under review.

There is a GHA process that must be followed as soon as possible. Please refer to details on the EMHA and the GHA website.

Yes, as long as HEO's Outdoor Rink Policy is followed.

• Hockey Canada, GHA, and EMHA all have posted guidelines. In general, U9 and U11 all share the dressing room. U13 and above must provide separate rooms.
• The EMHA adheres to the Ontario's Dressing Room Policy.

Please contact your child’s team manager and try to resolve it at the coach level. If a solution is not found, please contact the Director of your respective division. If the Director can’t resolve the situation, he/she will engage the Board to resolve the issue.