The Constitution of the Aardvarx serves as a document of rules, regulations and guidelines that govern the day to day operation of the club (organisation) and the team (on-ice).
The document is not exhaustive, and is subject to additions not listed within, at the discretion of the General Manager and/or Head Coaches where and when applicable.
This document replaces the "George And Dragon" guidelines drawn up in May 2003
Constitution Of The Aardvarx
The Altrincham Aardvarx Ice Hockey Club is a non-profit sporting team aimed at giving adult beginners a chance to take part in the sport of ice hockey. The team is registered with the English Ice Hockey Association (EIHA) and accepts the terms and conditions of such registration. The following document contains the terms and conditions of the Aardvarx IHC itself, and should be viewed as a guideline to the policies and procedures enacted within the club. This document is not exhaustive and should not be viewed as such.
1. CLUB STRUCTURE:
1.1 The Club is currently managed by a seven person Committee which includes the General Manager and Head Coaches. For the purposes of this document, the term 'The Management' or 'The Management of the Altrincham Aardvarx IHC' refers to this group.
1.2 The current Committee is as follows:
Richard Allan (General Manager and Head Coach)
Gary Lathwell (Head Coach)
Rick Mann
Adam McArdle
Ian Merrick
Steve Polkinghorne
Sarah Watts
1.3 New appointees to the Committee are nominated and decided by the existing Committee members, and will be appointed as and when a vacancy occurs.
1.4 There is no fixed term of service for Committee members.
1.5 The role of Committee members is to take part in the decision-making process of the Club, and to take part in voting on such matters as and where appropriate.
1.6 The Committee members will also receive feedback from any Aardvarx Club member at the request of said member or members, and may be expected to convey such feedback to the rest of the Committee as and where appropriate.
1.7 The Committee will meet on an official basis at least once per annum, and on an unofficial basis as and where possible or applicable.
1.8 The role of General Manager will be to develop in part and deliver in part the coaching of the team on a weekly basis (other coaching staff will or may be involved in such development and delivery.) The role will also include liaising with the applicable venues for the staging of training sessions, and also the keeping of the team accounts and the managing of the team operating budget (henceforth known as the ‘kitty’). Such accounts can be made available to any team member for inspection at a trainig session on request, provided notice of at least one week is given.
1.9 The General Manager will also liaise with various outside organisations such as merchandisers and other coaches, teams or trainers with the aim of bettering the team and or securing goods or services for the team (for example training scrimmages, shirt printing etc).
1.10 The General Manager and Committee have read and approved the following Terms and Conditions that make up the Constitution of the Altrincham Aardvarx Ice Hockey Club.
2. TARGET MEMBERSHIP:
2.1 The Club is aimed primarily at adult beginners who are interested in getting into playing ice hockey.
2.2 The Club accepts both male and female players who are aged 18 and above, at the discretion of the Head Coaches. Membership of the Aardvarx may be revoked without notice at the discretion of the Head Coaches should circumstances arise in which membership could be forfeited. (see 6.Discipline)
2.3 The Club plays non-contact ice hockey.
2.4 Potential new members should contact the either of the Head Coaches before coming to a training session. The Head Coaches reserve the right of admission to the Club, and will assess the suitability of each applicant before making a decision. The normal procedure for newcomers is that they will be invited to watch a training session to gauge the suitability of the team to their needs, and if they are granted clearance to take part by the Head Coaches there will be a mandatory two week suitability assessment period. This means that the Coaches will assess the new player for two weeks on the ice before granting membership of the Club. New players will be informed of the decision of the Head Coaches once it has been made.
2.5 Existing members who wish to propose friends, family or colleagues as potential members should first approach the Head Coaches before inviting potential members to training sessions.
2.6 The Club possesses two spare hockey kits (not including skates or sticks) which can be borrowed by new members during their two week assessment period if needed, subject to availability and the agreement of the Head Coaches.
2.7 Once a new member is granted membership of the Club, they will be expected to abide by the terms and conditions of the Club, to obtain the relevant insurance cover (see 3. Insurance) and to take part in activities in the spirit in which they are intended.
3. INSURANCE:
3.1 All members are required to take out either an Amateur Membership with the Ice Hockey Players Association (IHPA), or a Recreational Membership with the English Ice Hockey Association (EIHA), or both. Both of these memberships include an acceptable level of insurance cover. Please note that players who do not take out IHPA Membership and/or EIHA Membership will not be permitted to take part in training sessions after their two week assessment period.
3.2 The IHPA Membership costs approximately £25 for 12 calendar months, and IHPA Members will be issued with a membership number and card. This card is required to be shown to the Team Manager so that the number and expiry date can be noted for the Club records on request. Further information on IHPA membership can be found on the IHPA website
3.3 The EIHA Membership costs approximately £33 for a season, starting on October 1st and running through to September 30th. Application forms can be found at the EIHA website, and will require countersigning by the General Manager before submission.
4. KIT:
4.1 All members are required to provide themselves with suitable kit for taking part in ice hockey. This includes a stick, pair of skates, helmet with visor or full face mask where applicable, shoulder pads, elbow pads, knee pads, gloves, shorts, socks, box, throat protector where applicable and a shirt.
4.2 Netminders are required to wear the appropriate protection.
4.3 Each player takes full responsibility for their own kit and is advised to keep it in as good a condition as possible.
4.4 Players with kit which poses a danger to the user or to other players will be prohibited from taking part in any on-ice sessions until the relevant kit part or parts have been repaired or replaced. The decision of the Head Coaches is final on this matter.
4.5 In accordance with IIHF rule 223 and 224, all players born after 31st December 1974 must wear a visor or full face cage attached to their helmet. All out-skater helmets must feature a chin-strap which must be secured at all times whilst on the ice.
4.6 In accordance with IIHF rule 227, any player under the age of 20 who doesn't have a full face mask must wear a mouth guard.
4.7 In accordance with IIHF rules 650 and 651, all players under the age of 18 must wear a full face mask and a throat protector at all times during a training session or match.
4.8 Helmets are to be worn at all times and may not be taken off on the ice or on the bench. Any player wishing to remove their helmet for whatever reason can do so only when standing off the ice and behind the tall plexiglass. The only exception to this rule is a bench coach during a scrimmage match, and other applicable bench staff at the discretion of the Head Coaches.
5. COACHES:
5.1 The current Head Coaches of the Aardvarx are EIHA Level 2 certified and registered coaches and are therefore certified as such to supervise training sessions and scrimmages.
5.2 The current Head Coaches of the Aardvarx have been processed through the appropriate Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks and are subsequently cleared to coach minors where appropriate.
5.3 Guest coaches may from time to time instruct players on a variety of drills and/or techniques with the full prior consent of the Head Coaches. These guest coaches may be current Aardvarx players or coaches from other teams or even other sports if their expertise would benefit the Aardvarx and/or its members. At these times, overall control of the session will remain with the Head Coaches.
6. DISCIPLINE:
6.1 As stated above, the Aardvarx is a non-contact ice hockey team. This means that, accidental contact aside, there is to be no checking or hitting on the ice.
6.2 The Aardvarx is a ‘fair play’ team, where offences such as tripping, hooking and slashing are actively discouraged. Players who repeatedly commit these offences will be barred from the Aardvarx and will have their membership of the Club revoked at the discretion of the Head Coaches.
6.3 Horseplay is generally discouraged, especially where there is a danger of injury to any players.
6.4 During scrimmage matches, penalties (minor, major and misconducts) will be issued at the discretion of the session referee. Any player who is assessed a major penalty or a misconduct will be required to leave the ice immediately and will be suspended from team sessions for a period of two weeks (or longer at the discretion of the Head Coaches).
6.5 All players taking part in EIHA officiated games agree to abide by and come under the rules and regulations laid down by the EIHA concerning the rules of the game and the procedures that are to be adhered to.
6.6 During EIHA officiated games, the directions and decisions of the referee and other officials will be obeyed and adhered to without repercussion on matters such as penalties and disciplinary issues (disputing calls within reason is accceptable). Any player found to disobey a referee or official on these matters will be subject not only to disciplinary procedures by the EIHA and also by the Management of the Altrincham Aardvarx IHC.
6.7 Any player whose actions bring the Altrincham Aardvarx IHC into disrepute in any form, be it written, verbal or implied, will be subject to disciplinary procedures.
6.8 The Management of the Altrincham Aardvarx reserve the right to expel members with immediate effect for breaches of the above Club regulations.
7. INJURIES:
7.1 Ice Hockey, even non-contact, is a dangerous sport, and injuries do happen. In the event of an injury or suspected injury to any player, the drill or scrimmage in progress will be stopped immediately by the Head Coach or Referee so that the situation can be assessed and the player checked and assisted where applicable. Injuries occurring out of the line of sight of the Head Coach or Referee should be brought to their attention as soon as possible.
7.2 Bearing Rule 7.1 in mind, any player who falls to the ice (for whatever reason) who is not injured should make every attempt to get back onto their feet as quickly as possible.
8. BULLYING AND INTIMIDATION:
8.1 The bullying and/or intimidation of any player by any player will not be tolerated, and offenders may have their membership revoked at the discretion of the Head Coaches.
9. SUGGESTIONS AND FEEDBACK:
9.1 Whilst the majority of the development and delivery of training on the Saturday night Aardvarx sessions will come from the Head Coaches, the input of all Aardvarx players is greatly appreciated. Any player who wishes to give feedback or make suggestions regarding any aspect of the Aardvarx, the training or the scrimmage matches, should feel free to approach any of the Head Coaches or Committee members, or contact us via the website.
10. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS:
10.1 The Aardvarx will have at least one annual general meeting to which all players are invited to attend. Traditionally this meeting also serves as the annual Aardvarx Awards social event, at which various presentations are made, although the AGM may be held separately or even electronically at the discretion of the General Manager.
10.2 In addition to the AGM, the Committee reserves the right to call an Extraordinary General Meeting should the need arise.
10.3 The Head Coaches will also endeavour to organise other social events and activities for players, their friends and families to take part in (bowling, paintballing etc) where possible or applicable.
11. CHILD PROTECTION OFFICER:
11.1 The Aardvarx have two Child Protection officers, Richard Allan and Gary Lathwell. Both have attended and passed the required course and are certified as such. The course attended was the Sports Coach UK “Good Practice And Child Protection” course, which is recognised by the EIHA.
12. WEBSITE:
12.1 The Aardvarx have a website at www.alt-aardvarx.co.uk, which includes a forum on which all things Aardvarx can be discussed. This forum is also regularly used by the Team Manager for the posting of notices and other useful information, so all members are advised to check the Aardvarx forum on a regular basis where possible.
13. CONTACT ADDRESS:
13.1 The team is currently registered to the home address of the Team Manager, and the contact information is as follows:
Altrincham Aardvarx Ice Hockey Club
c/o 32 Menai Grove
Longton
Stoke On Trent
Staffordshire
ST3 1UD
alt.aardvarx@googlemail.com
End of Constitution
This Constitution is subject to change. Any changes will be ratified by the Committee and will be passed on to the team via an applicable means.
