Beginning of Season Manager Checklist

Get started on the right foot with this checklist. Please note all of the below are requirements of a manager, however, may be completed in different order than listed here.

1. Contact SIIH Director of Managers for approval to proceed with Manager Requirements below. You are not considered a manager and expenses eligible for reimbursement until approved.
2. Once approved, complete all USA Hockey Manager Requirements (a-c below)
3. USA Hockey Registration: USA Hockey requires all team managers to register with USA Hockey as a volunteer. Click here for USA Hockey Registration
4. Background Check: USA Hockey requires all team managers to have a background check. These background checks expire every two years. The cost is $30 and can be refunded by the club treasurer upon request Click here to visit the USA Hockey Screening Program
5. For reimbursement, e-mail the receipt and request for reimbursement to the club treasurer at treasurer@icehawkshockey.org
6. USA Hockey Safe Sport Training or Refresher: Program offered by USA Hockey, training to prevent abuse. 90-minute course that must be completed by all Coaches and Managers on USA Hockey. If you have been a manager/coach before, you will still need to complete the 30-minute refresher each season. Click here for link to Safesport Training 
7. Notify Director of Managers: Once completed, e-mail a copy of your USA Hockey Confirmation number, cleared background check, and completed USA Hockey SafeSport Certification or Refresher certificate to TeamManager@icehawkshockey.org
8. This is MANDATORY to serve as a manager for the season and receive a team roster for the season. Please complete within the first 2 weeks or sooner. 
9. Download Slack app for Team Managers communications thread, and add TeamManager@icehawkshockey.org to email address book.
10. If at any point you have questions, please reach out. The Director of Managers as well as other experienced managers are all here to help support one another! We are a great group of individuals strategically placed here to make each and every hockey season AMAZING, don't struggle in silence!
11. Meet with Head Coach: Meet with the head coach to discuss expectations (especially communication preferences), possible tournament options (including any blackout dates), budget, and date/agenda for a first-team meeting.
12. Schedule a Team Meeting: Work with your coach to pick a time and place after a practice to introduce the coach, yourself, the players, and parents. 
13. Let the coach discuss expectations and any important details he/she wants to cover with the team.
14. You can discuss any expectations around tournament planning, volunteerism, donations, etc.
15. You will also need to direct all parents to SafeSport to complete ASAP each season (this is required prior to volunteering). 
16. Ensure the team has the coach and manager's contact information and how the team will primarily communicate with one another.
17. Collect Contact Information: On the Team Contact Sheet, collect names, phone numbers, email addresses, jersey numbers from each of your parents. The club should have sent you the information parents registered with, so use this to start with and ask for any additions/changes. This isn't only for yourself, but to share with other parents on the team who may need help getting rides to practices or games. 
18. Collect Coach Information: From each coach, collect their USA Hockey Confirmation Number, SafeSport completion, and CEP number. You will need these prior to receive a team roster for the season and for your scoresheet roster stickers: You can search for the CEP # here: CEP Look Up
19. Request official roster from Registrar: Coaching and manager requirements must be met in order to be listed on the official roster.
20. The player's date of birth must be validated by MO Hockey in order to be "official." Once players' DOB is verified, they will never have to repeat the process for future seasons. Validation is evidenced by an (*) behind a player's name on the roster.
21. If the player is not yet verified, please collect a physical copy (will not be returned) or an electronic copy sent to DOB@icehawkshockey.org. The registrar will submit to MO Hockey to have verified and evidenced on the official roster.
22. Create Team Accounting Google Sheet: Any funds collected by a team manager or coach from the team must be logged on the team accounting Google Spreadsheet along with the outgoing payments. Any remaining balance should be appropriately allocated back to the team at the end of the season or used for agreed-upon events/gifts which benefit the entire team.
23. This document must be made available for view only by any member of the Board and/or team parent upon written request to the team manager at any time during the current season.
24. Example template of Account Budget sheet (file save as within your own Google Sheets for your team *Do not edit directly in template copy*)
25. Set up a Team Budget Account: As a team manager, we recommend having a separate account in your name separate from other personal accounts. You can get a separate bank account (check on fees and minimums), Paypal, Venmo, etc. This is not required, however. Make sure you have a way to show parents how much is going in and out of your team account for tournaments, donations, gifts, etc.
26. Collect Initial Fees: At the start of the season, you can collect a designated surplus (~ $100-200) from each player to start your team account. These funds will be used towards tournament fees (only players participating in the tournament buy into the registration fees), travel permits, team and coach's gifts, Glo-bingo basket donations, and other fundraiser donations. Remember all fees must be disclosed and agreed upon by the team and parents to be reduced from their allotment.
27. Note this is not a requirement as it may not be feasible or desirable for all. This avoids having to collect funds multiple times throughout the season with impending due dates.
28. Build a Binder for Game Days: The contact information you collect, rosters, scoresheets, incident reports, and release of liability forms must be brought to each game. We recommend that you set up a binder for your team. Check out the Game Management section for more information. If you need a binder provided to you, please reach out to the Director of Managers.
29. Recruit Volunteers: Some team managers opt to spread out responsibilities to other parents on the team. Possible (optional) positions are a Team Treasurer to manage finances and budget sheet, a Tournament Coordinator, an Activities Coordinator (team bonding, off-ice entertainment), or a Fundraising Coordinator (Glo Bingo basket). ANY COMMUNICATION from these roles to the team must be approved by the team manager before going to the team. The team manager is ultimately responsible for the overall team and all auditing/decisions.
30. These roles should be in addition to game day volunteers (penalty box, scorekeeper, time clock). It is important to teach parents how to navigate each of these game-day roles to ensure equal amounts of volunteerism throughout the declaration and regular season. Without these roles, the kids cannot play games.
31. It is strongly recommended to utilize Crossbar's volunteer scheduling via the app to allow parents to select X amount of volunteer shifts at the beginning of the season. This will add their volunteer shifts directly to their calendar.
32. Training guide found here
33. If you are not getting the volunteers you need by parents signing up on their own, it may be necessary to assign roles to each family throughout the season evenly. Ensure they have clearly communicated expectations beforehand.
34. Start planning a team bonding event or exercise sooner than later!
35. It never fails, by the end of the season, the team just clicks. Foster this cohesion early in the season to build relationships on and off the ice.
36. Getting together as a team at someone's house, a park, bowling, etc. can be a great way for your players to get to know one another.