SUPPORT PERSONNEL

Support Personnel

Sports & Recreation Organizations in Canada - by Imagine Canada (pdf)

In amateur football a committed volunteer base is essential for the makings of support personnel. Whether founders, administrators or game day volunteers, the quality and commitment of volunteers will determine the success of a league. Friends, acquaintances, and parents or guardians of the players can be called upon to serve as Board Members. When promoting a league in a community, everyone needs to be aware of the various ways that they can get involved.

There are three levels of volunteers in an organization that need to be recruited:

League founders.
League administrators.
Field volunteers.

In every case, volunteers should be interviewed, screened and insured.

Volunteer Roles and Responsibilities - Establishing a Football League

LEAGUE CONVENORS

A League Convenor is a volunteer that is tasked with creating a league and then running it. League founders as a group will likely spend from ten to twenty hours of work per work for six to ten weeks in setting up a league. Tasks can be split according to the volunteer’s skill set and should be included in the implementation plan.

A typical administrative group might look something like this:

League Convenor (Administration/Recruitment)
League Treasurer (Finance)
League Director (Equipment/Procurement/Fields)
League Spokesman (Advertising and Communications)
League Manager (Canteens/Volunteers/Fundraising)

Everyone is a volunteer, so likely everyone will pitch in where help is most needed.

ADMINISTRATIVE GROUP RESPONSIBILITIES

Start up Activities:

Define and Document League Structure
Create and Execute Implementation Plan
Recruit Volunteers
Budgeting and Procurement
Marketing and Communications

Sustaining Activities:

Volunteer recruitment and Screening
Advertising and Player Recruitment
Canteens/Fundraising
Cash Management
Planning and Organizing Events
Procurement

LEVEL COORDINATORS

Ideally, each age level will have a coordinator. The level coordinator essentially coordinates the Head Coaches.

Responsibilities:

Train and Develop coaches.
Ensure coverage when coaches are absent.
Conflict resolution (parents, players, coaches).
Ensure coaches are following established rules and procedures.
Maintain open communications with coaches.
Recognize player achievements.
Recruit head coaches.
Ensure that practices and games finish on time.

MANAGERS

Each age level is to have one person as manger. The manager is responsible for registering all players; most of the fundraising activities at the level, as well as ensuring that league communications flow to the parents.

Responsibilities:

Manage registration.
Canteen (volunteers, supplies, etc.)
Create and /or distribute newsletters, flyers, etc. to parents.
Maintain league directory.
Maintain open communications with coaches, parents and the league administration.
Organize events.

FIELD CONVENOR

The field Convenor is undoubtedly the most vital individual involved in game organization. The Field Convenors are involved in every aspect of the technical components of the events and are the direct link between participating teams, officials and event headquarters. These individuals must be extremely responsible and perform their duties with care and precision in accordance with the tournament operating procedures.

All Field Convenors will be required to know the League Emergency Action Plan for the season. In addition, they must be briefed on the operating procedures for utilizing a 2 – way mobile radio network or other such communication system to facilitate the communication of results, appeals, emergency communications, and schedule changes with the event headquarters.