Volunteering

Our community soccer program is a volunteer-driven program and we rely on the contributions from members to make it a success. We ask that one parent/guardian per household with a child playing in the program donate some of their time. There are many opportunities to help out with both soccer and non-soccer activities with varying time commitments. The different opportunities will be listed in the on-line registration process where you can select what works best for your household. We ask that you be flexible with your volunteer position as teams are not formed based on volunteer duties. At the start of the season, the Coach will outline what volunteer positions need to be filled in order for your team to be successful.

As part of the registration process, we ask for a $200 volunteer deposit cheque post-dated to September 30. Once you have completed an outlined volunteer position, your deposit cheque will be destroyed.

Volunteer activities may include but are not limited to:

Coach – the leader of the team who guides and inspires the players and is a role model. The coach is a good communicator, motivator and creates a team atmosphere. The coach helps develop the players’ skills and also the love for the game. No prior experience is needed, and training and support are provided.

** Without a coach, we do not have a team. One challenge we run into each year is not enough coaches for the number of players registered. If we don’t have a coach, your player may not play in this community. Please consider being a coach for your child’s team. Refer to the Coaching section below to see how Heritage Point supports our coaches.

Assistant Coach – person who supports the Coach of the team, prepares the players for line changes, assists with running drills and/or practices. The Assistant Coach acts as the Coach when the Coach is absent. No prior experience is needed, and training and support are provided. Please refer to the Coaching section below to see how Heritage Point supports our coaches.

Team manager – person who supports the coaching team with duties such as keeping the team organized for games and tournaments, assisting the coach team with coordinating parents, and assisting the coaches with administrative tasks such as entering schedules into TeamSnap and entering game scores into the online portal.

Team Helpers – can include any of the following roles and will be decided by the Coach on the team:

• Equipment manager – responsible for all the equipment loaned to the team from Heritage Point. This may include picking up the equipment at the beginning of the season on the scheduled date and returning all the equipment at the end of the season on the scheduled date. Equipment includes balls, nets, cones, corner flags etc.
• Communications – person responsible for checking field status (from the City of Edmonton) and communicating to the entire team of any game changes or cancellations.
• First aid manager – this person is required to bring the supplied first aid kit and binder to all games, complete and submit incident report forms, and contact the Soccer Administrator if kit supplies need to be replenished. This person must be able to attend all games or be able to pass the kit to another parent if they are unable to attend a game.
• Team administrator (U11 and up) – volunteer who supports the coaching team / team manager with tasks such as completing attendance, keeping stats, and tracking rotation of lines on the field to ensure equal playing time for all players.
• Referee liaison (U9 and up) – this person maintains respectful communication and dialogue with referee(s). This person is the liaison between coaches, parents and referees.
• Tournament organizer – assists the coaching team with tournament registration and coordination for the team.
• Photo distribution – responsible for picking up the team’s photos at the scheduled time and bringing them to the Coaching team for distribution at the end of the season.
• Field inspector – volunteer who inspects the entire playing area and spectator area before the game and ensures a safe playing field for the players.
• Volunteer tracker – tracks the volunteer duties being completed by each family on the team. The Coach is responsible for providing this information to the Soccer Administrator at the end of the season.
• Team party organizer – responsible for planning and coordinating a year-end celebration for the team. Heritage Point provides up to $50/team for a party/celebration.

Soccer registration helper – volunteer who helps at in-person registration sessions including helping families register, checking and collecting registration forms, welcoming registrants, supporting the program and community, etc.

Pre-season or post-season helper – volunteer who helps with equipment preparation, equipment distribution, equipment return, inventory, or other administrative duties.

Community Volunteer – volunteer who helps at community events such as Volunteer Appreciation Event, Big Bin Event, Fundraising Casino, Community League Day, Canada Day, etc.  Duties and positions are assigned as needed. These may include but are not limited to helping organize an event, picking up or dropping off supplies as needed, supervising an area or table, greeting and welcoming guests, setup and takedown, etc.

Other volunteer opportunities with the community can also be found on the Get Involved section of the website.

If you wish to decline to volunteer, you can make that selection during your online registration and an additional $200 fee will be paid with the registration fee.

For more information about volunteering or if you have questions, please contact soccer@heritagepointcl.ca or volunteer@heritagepointcl.ca

Coaching

You do not need previous experience to volunteer as a coach – Heritage Point and SWEMSA will support you in your coaching journey. Canada Soccer has now implemented the Standards of Quality Soccer for soccer organizations throughout Canada, with the goal of providing a developmentally appropriate, safe, enjoyable, and inclusive playing environment for all participants (players and team officials). As part of this, Canada Soccer has rolled out a series of training courses that are available to all team officials (coaches, assistant coaches and team managers). Costs are fully reimbursed by SWEMSA. Please visit the SWEMSA website for links to courses and additional details.

All team officials (coaches, assistant coaches and team managers) must register as a Team Official in the EMSA online portal through your household account. After logging in, click on the “Register a Team Official” button. Find and click on your name, fill out as much of the information as possible, and submit.

All team officials are required to submit a Police Information Check.  The cost is covered by SWEMSA.

Coaches and Assistant Coaches are required to attend short meetings before the season starts, in mid-April. The SWEMSA coaches meeting is where coaches will hear about important details regarding the upcoming season and learn about EMSA and SWEMSA policies. The Heritage Point coaches meeting is where information specific to the Heritage Point program is shared, and coaches have the opportunity to ask questions about the season and meet their fellow Heritage Point coaches.

CONTACT US

Soccer Program Administrator:
soccer@heritagepointcl.ca

Sports Director:
sports@heritagepointcl.ca

Mail Address: