Recreation Policies

Recreation Policy #1 - Coaches’ Responsibilities

Attend Rutgers S.A.F.E.T.Y. course for partial protection against civil liability;

Coaches must attend township sponsored clinics, meetings or training sessions relating to their specific sport. Such events may be scheduled before, during or after the season;

Prepare for the season by studying the rules of the game and organizing efficient practices to teach strong fundamentals of the sport;

Explain all practice and game schedules to ensure that all players have the opportunity to attend as many practices and games as possible. All participants must participate to an acceptable level in the individual sport.

Review first aid principles and survey the field and equipment before games and practices to ensure asafe environment;

Encourage sportsmanship, teamwork and a strong work ethic in practice and games.Recognize leadership and initiative in players.

Stress strong fundamental play during games rather than setting winning as the goal. With strong fundamentals, winning takes care of itself.

Coach and lead by example when dealing with opposing coaches, officials, parents, and players by treating all involved with respect.

Coaches are responsible for players' actions while under their supervision. Every effort must be made to keep tabs on the players’ actions and whereabouts.

After the completion of a game or practice, ensure that all children have rides home with parents or other responsible adults. Children must never be left unattended.

Assess player progress during the season for possible inclusion on post-season tournament teams.

Coaches are responsible for assigning a team parent to assist with various responsibilities throughout the season. Responsibilities include but are not limited to, gathering forms, notifying participants of practices and games, collecting uniforms and equipment etc.

Ensure that all uniforms and other equipment are returned within one week of the end of the season.

Recreation Policy #2 - Team Roster Formation Policy

Team rosters will be formed in each program so that talent level and age ranges are distributed equally among teams in a given league or age bracket so that, to the best of the program subcommittee’s and coaches’ knowledge, parity will prevail between the Mansfield Township teams in that particular league.

Formation of team rosters in Mansfield Township Recreation programs will be administered as follows, as approved by the Mansfield Township Recreation Committee:

The child or children of the head coach will always be placed on that coach’s team;

Head Coaches and, in some instances, Assistant Coaches will be assigned by members of the sport subcommittee. Assistant Coaches will be assigned based on the make-up of the team during team formation.

Registrants MUST participated in the appropriate league or age bracket depending upon their respective birthdays or class in school.Requests by parents of registrants to play their children at a more advanced level of competition, or to be assigned to a specific coach, will not be considered;

In the event that the number of registrants in a specific age bracket or league results in the formation of teams which, in the opinion of the sport subcommittee, consist of too many or too few participants on a team at that level, the members of the sport subcommittee—at their sole and absolute discretion—may invite players from the next younger league or age bracket to participate at the older level.Players that are under consideration to be rostered in a more advanced league will be reviewed in a skills assessment by the sport subcommittee to ensure that they are capable of playing at the advanced level.In assigning younger players to these teams, the sport subcommittee will make every effort to ensure that parity among teams is maintained;

Special rostering requests within given leagues or age brackets by parents needing assistance for car-pooling, medical, or work-related reasons, will be reviewed by the subcommittee for the sport. Request for less pressing reasons will be considered by the sport subcommittee, but team equality and parity will take precedence in these cases;

At the youngest age levels, i.e., wiffle-tee ball, mini-basketball, and instructional soccer, players will be divided among the teams to equalize ages and number of boys and girls on each team;

Coaches must assess their players at the end of each season to assist in distributing talent and forming equal teams in subsequent seasons;

Players moving up to the next age bracket, level, or league will be placed into a player pool to be used by coaches to choose players based on the assessments of coaches from the previous year;

Coaches “moving up” to coach at the next level MAY NOT bring their entire team from the previous year up to the next league.The players “moving up” will be pooled and selected in a round-robin type fashion, with player assessments from the previous year available to each coach selecting players for the season. NOTE:This clause is designed to give kids an opportunity to play, learn, and experience different people, coaches, and coaching methods.It also gives a player an opportunity to learn from a coach that he/she would not have if he/she stayed with one coach from year to year and league to league.

Recreation Policy #3 - Team Sponsorship Policy

Sponsorship of Mansfield Township Recreation teams will be administered as follows, in descending order of precedence, pending approval by the Mansfield Township Recreation Committee.

The head coach of a team who wishes to sponsor his/her team;
An assistant who wishes to sponsor his/her team;
A parent of a player on the team who wishes to sponsor the team;
A business which sponsored a specific team in a specific sport the previous year that wishes to sponsor that team again
A business that sponsored a team in that sport the previous year;
A business who sponsored a team in any sport the previous year;
A business which did not previously sponsor a team that requests to sponsor a team in a particular sport.

All sponsorship inquires or requests must be submitted on the Sponsorship Form available through the Recreation Township Committee.

Recreation Policy #4 - Procedure for Complaints and Disciplinary Review

The procedures that a participant, parent, assistant coach, official, or spectator must follow when a comment, recommendation, criticism, or complaint is to be made regarding Mansfield Recreation policies, are as follows:

The Head Coach of the team must be approached initially to make him/her aware of the concerns.This will be done discreetly, in a one on one meeting or by phone, in a professional and constructive manner.
The Recreation subcommittee chairperson for the activity or sport should be notified by phone call if the concerns have been brought to the attention of the Head Coach, but not addressed satisfactorily.The subcommittee chairperson must then contact the Head Coach and attempt to resolve the situation.
The complainant’s concerns should be documented in writing by the Recreation subcommittee chairperson for the activity or sport involved, with copies sent to the Head Coach, the complainant and the Recreation Committee chairperson for review.
Failure to comply with the intent of the Mansfield Township Recreation Committee Polices may result in a formal review by Township Recreation Committee.Pending the outcome of such review, a participant, parent, spectator or coach may be subject to disciplinary action as deemed appropriate by the Mansfield Township Recreation Committee. Such action may include; a written reprimand, probation, suspension or expulsion of which all decisions shall be subject to review by the Mansfield Township Committee Liaison.
If a Club feels a complaint regarding an officiating situation is warranted, it may file a report in writing with an applicable Recreation Committee representative who shall forward such report to the appropriate officiating representative. Such report may only be submitted by the head coach.

Recreation Policy #5 - All-Star/Tournament Coach Selection & All-Star/Tournament Team Formation Policy

In an effort to challenge and reward the players in a league that have demonstrated a high skill and talent level during the regular season, all star/tournament/travel teams may be selected near or at the conclusion of the regular season.

Head Coach Selection

For teams represented solely by Mansfield Township residents, a Mansfield Township coach will volunteer or be appointed as the head coach by the recreation subcommittee for that sport. Coaches interested in such positions shall make their intentions known to the sport’s sub-committee chairperson within four (4) weeks following the start of the respective sports’ season. Coaches will be selected based on the following criteria:

A coach of a regular season team volunteers to coach the all star/tournament team, and there are no other volunteers;

If more than one coach volunteers for the position of head coach, and if there is no agreement between individuals on who should be the head coach, the recreation subcommittee for that sport will make the decision based on the following criteria:

1. Competency based on the input from the individuals on the recreation subcommittee for that sport, other coaches, and parents

2. Seniority as a coach in Mansfield Township, assuming all other qualifications for that sport are equal.

Coaches will be required to adhere to the intent of the Mansfield Township Recreation Mission Statement, and the Coaches Responsibilities outlined therein.

Player selection, Team goals, Head Coach responsibility

Nomination and selection of players to an all star/tournament team is based on the appraisal of the skill and talent of each individual player by the regular season head coach, and then a selection committee of coaches.The goal of the all star/tournament team is to succeed and advance in the tournament.Therefore, selection for such teams will not be based on player seniority, unless the tournament rules provide for an age restriction.If, for instance, the age bracket for the tournament team is ten through twelve years old, the most skilled and talented children in that age bracket may be selected, regardless of seniority (i.e. selecting a less skilled twelve year old over a more skilled ten year old is not required).

Additionally, it is up to the discretion of the head coach of the regular season team who should or should not be nominated for inclusion on the tournament team.A more skilled or talented player may not be nominated based on the coaches’ experiences during the year that may include the player not working with fellow players as a team, lack of discipline and respect, poor attendance, etc.

Formation of tournament team rosters in Mansfield Township Recreation programs will be further administered as follows:

Candidates will be nominated by the head coach from each Mansfield Township team in the league.

A meeting of the head coaches and assistants (Selection Committee) from each team will be convened to determine the final roster by vote (equal number of votes per team; if only a head coach attends the meeting, only head coaches will vote on the roster).Roster size will be determined by the rules of the league tournament being entered.

Rosters may be filled according to the position needs of the tournament team.For example, in baseball/softball, the Selection Committee may decide that it is more important to have a third catcher who is less skilled or talented overall than a fifth outfielder because of the needs of the team at the catcher’s position;

Unless the league tournament rules require it, there will be no minimum playing time required for players on tournament teams.Coaches will be encouraged to substitute and play as many players as possible as the game situation dictates, but the goal of the tournament team is to succeed and advance. The head coach alone makes the final determination as to how best to achieve the goals of the team.

Comments or concerns by assistant coaches and/or parents must follow the procedures outlined in Recreation Policy #4 – Procedure for Complaints and Disciplinary Review.

Recreation Policy #6 - Coach Selection Policy

Coaching a Mansfield Township Recreation team is considered to be a privilege.The responsibilities are enormous in that a coach has the opportunity to influence and shape, positively or negatively, a child’s attitude especially towards athletics, sportsmanship, and team play for life.A parent, guardian, resident, or adult eighteen years of age or older should make his or her desire to coach known by checking the box on the player registration form, or by contacting the Recreation Coordinator, the sport subcommittee chair or the Recreation chairperson as published by the Recreation Township Committee.All adults communicating their desire to coach will be responded to and considered using the criteria outlined below.

Selection of coaches for all Mansfield Township Recreation sponsored teams will be administered as follows in descending order of precedence but will take into consideration all points:

Head Coach Selection

A head coach who had served as head coach the previous year and wishes to head coach again;;

A parent of a player on a team in a specific sport who was the head coach the previous year who wishes to coach that team again;

A parent of a player on a team in a specific sport who was an assistant the previous year who wishes to be the head coach on that team;

A parent of a child playing in the league or age bracket volunteers to coach, and there are no other volunteers.The prospective coach will be asked to provide a resume or short summary of his/her coaching history, teaching background, athletic background, or other pertinent qualifications;

If the number of parents of players offering to volunteer as a head coach exceeds the number of teams available in that league or age bracket, and if there is no agreement between individuals on who should be the head coach, the recreation subcommittee for that sport will make the decision based on the following criteria:

1. Competency based on the input from the individuals on the recreation sub-committee for that sport, other coaches and parents;

2. Seniority as a coach in Mansfield Township, assuming all other qualifications for that sport are equal;

3. Experience as a coach in the Township or elsewhere

If a parent volunteers to coach, and there are no other volunteers, and the lone parent is inexperienced as a coach, every effort will be made to provide an assistant who is more experienced or qualified, but who may not be able to offer the time necessary to be the head coach;

A Mansfield Township resident who, a) has coaching experience, b) is not a parent of a player in the specific league, c) is a parent of a player that plays or played in the Mansfield Township Recreation program;

A Mansfield Township resident who, a) has coaching experience, b) is not a parent of aplayer that plays or played in the Mansfield Township Recreation program;

A Mansfield Township resident who a) is a parent of a player that plays or played in the Mansfield Township Recreation program, b) has little or no coaching experience;

Assistant Coach Selection

The same criteria will be used to select or appoint assistant coaches for Mansfield Township Recreation sponsored teams.

All coaches will be required to adhere to the Mansfield Township Recreation Mission Statement, and the Coaches Responsibilities outlined therein.

Originally reviewed by the Mansfield Township Recreation Committee, September, 1997.

Reviewed and approved by the Mansfield Township Recreation Committee, October, 1998.

Revised and approved by the Mansfield Township Recreation Committee, November, 2007.

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