Chancelucky: NCVA FAQ Suggestions (volleyball)

"Parents Organized and Found a Way to Save Gas in Getting to the Mid-East Qualifier"

At our first meeting with the Regional Commissioner, we discussed some additions to the NCVA website of information that the parents would like to have readily available in the interest of improving the quality of service from the region. The list is below. The parent group considers it a working document and is open to input and discussion. For example, one commenter here asked us to include more about the ethical guidelines and sanctions for coaches/clubs who have close ties to high school programs. Fwiw, there is nothing wrong (imo) with a high school developing a club dedicated to improving the high school team. The issues come up more when there are multiple club options in an area or the club also serves a regional role.

Late today, I got a phone call from the Regional Commissioner letting me know that the Board wants to limit the total number of parents attending the June 12 board meeting to four.

Information that parents would like to see on the website: some of it may already be there, but may be a navigation issue.

What are the NCVA’s standards for a playing facility and tournament?

number of courts for number of teams

length of day

ratio of bathroom stalls to participants

cleanliness of the facility (water bottles, garbage receptacles, are there enough? Who’s responsible? Etc.)

safety issues such as obstructions, space between courts, lighting, neighborhood, court surface problems

Temperature can it be too hot or cold to play? How is the decision made? Is there a guideline? (issue at Mare Island and NCVA)

Parking+ food issues

backup plans if there is a problem (refs not showing, lights failing, floor problems, etc.) What’s the procedure?

What can parents and players do to help?

Which facilities does the Region consider adequate or even desirable?

How can parents provide feedback about facility and tournament issues? (positive and negative)

How and when are serious issues acknowledged and responded to? Is there a timetable and a protocol?

Is there a shortage of good facilities? If they are too expensive, how much would it cost to ensure that more tournaments can be held in appropriate environments?

Paperwork

While parents are generally not involved directly in paperwork issues, they and their children are often affected by them. In many cases, clubs point fingers at NCVA and parents have no way of understanding what really happened.

When a club submits paperwork for tournaments, etc. what’s involved?

Who is responsible for processing club paperwork?

When and how is a club, coach, or player notified if something is not in order with the various registration processes? Are they given an opportunity to fix the issue?

What specifically can/will be done at the Region level to help prevent clubs from having problems like City Beach’s JO registration issue?

When the club makes a mistake, are they sent something in writing that explains what happened? If not, how do parents know who and what to believe?

Issues Between Club and Parents

For the most part, coaches and club directors are reputable, responsible, and have our children’s interests at heart. Occasionally though, parents find themselves in the awkward position of having to report or ask for an investigation of financial, physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. There are also occasional ethics issues.

Parents would like a discreet but well defined way to make inquiries about matters of this sort particularly when it comes to individuals who have a history of problems.

Procedures for asking for an inquiry (complaint form)

How are investigations conducted?

What sanctions and remedies are available?

What are the rights and remedies of the individual being investigated?

What specifically is the Region policy with respect to high school coaches who also coach club? While this is allowed in Norcal, are there any ethical guidelines? What if a coach/club is abusing the situation?

How Do Tournaments and Other Events Work?

While the parents feel this is basically an issue between clubs and the NCVA, they’d like to be able to understand how and why decisions are made. Parents wish to make it clear that there has been great progress in this area over the years.

What’s the protocol for assigning a site? (Is there a way to get a site changed when there’s a known problem, issue, or alternative?)

What are the distance guidelines for area league tournaments and what’s the procedure when exceptions are necessary?

How are seedings done?

How and when are end of the season finishes for all power league clubs posted? (there were reports of problems this year, it would help parents to understand what’s behind the delay. e.g. Parents may be willing to either pay for a programmer or volunteer to write a program that makes the process easier)

Where do I get the rules and how do I understand calls?

Communication With and About the NCVA

Contact information for the board (can they have separate NCVA e-mail addresses? As is done in some other regions)

Posting of time and place of board meetings

Posting of Board agenda and minutes (except closed session items)

General Organizational Budget Information, notice and dates of independent audits (or provisions for such)

How do parents and others attend board meetings?

Who is the staff at NCVA and what specifically does each one do? (could there be a reverse listing that identifies a variety of issues then identifies the staff member responsible)