POLICIES & PROCEDURES
Pinnacles FC January 25, 2021 updated Policy and Procedures
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Pinnacles FC (PFC) is an amateur soccer club that offers both House/Club and Select (District) programming. PFC is a full member of BC Soccer, the governing body responsible for the promotion and development of the game in British Columbia.
The PFC District (Excelsior) teams play in the Thompson Okanagan Youth Soccer League (TOYSL) in April to June and compete in the BC Soccer “B” Level Provincial Championships in July. Where numbers warrant it, boys and girls teams will be fielded from U11 & U12 (Development Program) to U18.
The PFC House/Club teams play in the South Okanagan Youth Soccer Association (SOYSA). Where numbers warrant it, boys and girls teams will be fielded from U9 to U18.
The term “Team Staff” refers to the head coach, assistant coaches and managers of teams.
The term “Board of Directors” refers to the members elected or acclaimed by the PFC membership at the Annual General Meeting.
2.0 GENERAL
PFC is an incorporated Society that is compliant with the BC Societies Act. PFC maintains compliance by filing their constitution and annual reports with the Society Act.
The PFC Board of Directors has the authority to establish rules, regulations, and policies to guide the operation of the association, including the Pinnacles FC program.
The PFC teams abide by the BC Soccer Rules & Regulations and the Thompson Okanagan Youth Soccer League Rules & Regulations,
The PFC abide by the BC Soccer, and TOYSL Constitutions and the following Canada Soccer and BC Soccer Policies: Conduct, Ethics and Discipline Standards Policy, and Procedures; Concussion Policy; Criminal Record Check Policy; Discipline Sanction Policy; Playing Up Policy & Regulation; Travel Policy; Privacy Policy; Social Media Policy, Lightning Safety / Severe weather policy, Players Wearing Casts Policy and Insulin Pump Policy.
3.0 REGISTRATION
A completed online registration and all applicable fees must be received by PFC before a player is properly registered and eligible to play with PFC.
Players shall not practice with or play for a team prior to registering with PFC.
It is the responsibility of the coach to ensure that all players are registered before being allowed to practice with or play (exhibition, league games, or cup games) for the team.
A player will not be refused registration for the reason that they cannot pay the registration fee. Information for financial assistance is available through the PFC office or on pinnaclesfc.ca
Registration will not be accepted if the player is in arrears with PFC. All delinquent funds must be paid in full by cash, credit card, money order or certified cheque before registration is accepted.
Request for a refund of registration fees due to player withdrawal must be in the form of a written request to the PFC office. A refund will be honored if a player has moved or has a medical reason. These refunds will be subject to a $30 administration fee and will be pro-rated based on the time of year.
If a player withdraws and does not have a medical reason or they have not moved then there will be no refund issued. A player cannot register or play in a younger division.
If a player wishes to register for an out of district team a BC Soccer Out-of-District form must be signed by the district in which the player resides prior to a player attending out of district evaluations and affiliated events.
Districts will not accept players from out of district that have been rostered to a team unless the District in which the player resides agrees.
A team official (coach/manager) will be responsible for picking up equipment assigned to that team prior to the commencement of the season.
If field equipment is in a state of disrepair contact the PFC office for replacement.
EXCELSIOR ACADEMY DISTRICT TEAMS
8.0 EXCELSIOR ACADEMY TEAM UNIFORMS
All PFC Excelsior Academy players are required to purchase both white and blue training Jerseys.
9.0 EXCELSIOR ACADEMY DISTRICT & DEVELOPMENT COACH SELECTION
The Technical Committee will make recommendations to the TD/Head Coach to review and make the final decision. Parent volunteer coaches are assigned to coach their child’s team unless requested otherwise.
When choosing successful candidates, the TD/Head Coach and Technical Committee may use the following criteria: Current coaching levels
Previous coaching experience
Previous playing experience
References
Service to the club
PFC provides annual BC Soccer course opportunities for PFC coaches to become certified under the BC Soccer coaching model.
10.0 EXCELSIOR ACADEMY DISTRICT TEAM PLAYING TIME
Should playing time become an issue, coaches have the responsibility of justifying why a player has been played less than 50% of playing time. Only injuries, sickness, unaccepted absences from training and/or games, or documented disciplinary action will be accepted as a reason for not meeting these requirements. The coaches must give written notice of disciplinary action to the player and, the Head Coach and Discipline Committee at the time of the incident(s) or as soon as possible thereafter.
11.0 PLAYER EVALUATIONS – EXCELSIOR ACADEMY PLAYERS (If Applicable)
Players from U11 to U18 in the PFC program are evaluated on a regular basis by our Staff coaches and Technical Committee.
Formal Evaluations will take place twice per year, once per year, once in the late summer and once in the winter. Dates, times, and locations are advertised on the PFC website and emailed to coaches, parents, and players.
Players must be registered prior to participating in the PFC evaluations & all necessary paperwork for Out of District players must be submitted. Players that are not registered will not be permitted to take part in the evaluations.
TD/Head Coach and PFC Technical Committee co-ordinate the evaluations and the evaluation format
PFC Coaching staff will be in attendance at the evaluations along with the appointed head coach of each team and members of the PFC Technical Committee
All players are evaluated by independent evaluators as well as head coaches.
Players must participate in two (2) evaluation sessions to be considered for the team.
If a player is unable to attend one or both of the evaluations due to injury, absence or illness they must inform the Head Coach in writing and request the opportunity to be evaluated at a separate time/date.
12.0 PLAYER SELECTION TO AN EXCELSIOR ACADEMY DISTRICT TEAM
Player placement on a team will be based on the evaluation data, provided by Team Coaches, independent evaluators, Technical Committee, and TD/Head Coach. Player selection is at the final discretion of the TD/Head Coach.
13.0 PLAYER RELEASE
Players may be released from teams at any time due to the following reasons:
Discipline issues
Commitment issues
The release from the team will be discussed in person with the player before the player is released from the team. The team coaches must receive prior approval from the TD/Head Coach and/or the Technical Committee before the release.
Players will not be refunded registration fees if the dismissal is due to discipline or commitment issues. 16.0 TOURNAMENTS
Teams wanting to participate in a tournament must receive written approval from the TD/Head Coach and/or the Technical Committee to ensure the tournament is BC Soccer affiliated and proper registration processes are followed.
Teams planning to travel outside the province to play must fill out a BC Soccer travel form. This should be received prior to commitment and at least three months prior to the planned departure.
Players, officials, relatives and friends should be constantly aware that they are ambassadors of their club, league, and where applicable, their province and country, and behave accordingly.
17.0 TEAM FUNDRAISING
The PFC Board of Directors must approve, in advance, all team fundraising activities. The purpose for which the funds will be raised must be provided. No liquor may be sold or raffled as part of the fundraiser.
18.0 PLAYER SAFETY
In the event of a serious player injury and if a parent is not at the field to make a decision, call 911. Report the incident in writing to PFC office as soon as possible. It is mandatory that players wear shin guards at all practices and games.
It is mandatory that players remove all jewelry before all practices and games.
Footwear appropriate for training and match conditions must be worn.
19.0 DISCIPLINE & SUSPENSION
Those participating in sanctioned soccer have a duty and responsibility to conduct themselves appropriately respecting the F.I.F.A. Laws of the Game and as well as the rules of BC Soccer and of PFC. These laws and rules are published and readily available. Rule 10 Discipline of the BC Soccer Rules and Regulations clearly lays out BC Soccer’s broad responsibility to ensure the proper conduct of all individuals involved in sanctioned soccer.
Disciplinary sanctions and fines are determined by the BC Soccer Conduct Ethics and Discipline Standards Policy and Procedures and the Discipline Sanction Policy.
There is zero tolerance for verbal or physical abuse of referees. Consequences include parental removal from games and fines for anyone engaging in referee abuse.
Team officials are responsible for the conduct of their spectators and players.
Team officials, players, or spectators must not criticize the game officials, other spectators, or players of the other teams at any time.
20.0 RISK MANAGEMENT
As per BC Soccer Risk Management Policy, all PFC volunteers and staff must have a current Criminal Record Check (CRC) on file.
The link for the online CRC application is provided by PFC. All screening results are returned to PFC.
21.0 CONCUSSION POLICY
All active members of BC Soccer shall have a Concussion Management Plan for registered players and their families.
The plan shall include, but is not limited to, the following:
- Annually ensure players, with their parent(s)/ guardian(s) if the player is under the age of 18, are educated about the signs and symptoms of concussions.
Players, with their parent(s)/ guardian(s) if under the age of 18, must acknowledge that they have received information about the signs and symptoms of concussions and that they have a responsibility to report concussion-related injuries and illnesses to an independent medical professional
- Ensure players, with their parent(s)/ guardian(s) if the player is under the age of 18, who exhibits signs, symptoms or behaviors consistent with a concussion shall be removed from athletic activities (e.g., competition, practice, or physical conditioning sessions) and assessed by an independent medical professional with experience in the evaluation and management of concussions.
- Requires medical clearance for a player, with their parent(s)/ guardian(s) if the player is under the age of 18, diagnosed with a concussion to return to athletic activity (e.g., competition, practice, or physical conditioning sessions) as determined by the independent medical professional
- Requires players, with their parent(s)/ guardian(s) if the player is under the age of 18, diagnosed with a concussion to provide written evidence of medical clearance to the team’s coach and also the local club, youth district, or adult league before returning to athletic activity (e.g., competition, practice, or physical conditioning sessions)
Support for active members of BC Soccer
The British Columbia government has established a website with key partners, which is available at: http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthtopics/content.asp?hwid=tp23364spec
Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine helped form the Canadian Concussion Collaborative webpage: http://casem-acmse.org/education/ccc/
BC Soccer has its webpage with access to other soccer specific resources and the Return to Play guidelines used for its programs, which can be viewed at: https://bcsoccer.net/player-health
These sources have been developed to provide reliable, evidence-based information on preventing, identifying, and managing head injuries and concussions to parents, children and youth, coaches, and organizations.
Effect of violation: A violation of this policy will be considered an institutional violation and member organizations will be subject to discipline by BC Soccer