In recent years there has been a growing trend in hockey where an overemphasis on winning is taking over for the real reasons kids play hockey. When an overemphasis on winning starts to creep into any sport the ramifications occur in many areas: parents put pressure on their children, development of inappropriate coaching styles, poor sportsmanship, and ultimately burnout of the children in a sport they once enjoyed.  This Fair Play Policy and Procedure Manual is a culmination of the Board’s efforts to provide direction to players, parents, coaches and administrators of this hockey program and most importantly ensures the needs of the children playing hockey in the FGNHA comes first. Does this mean winning is not important? Absolutely! Fair play is all about the development of the children first and foremost.

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Development of hockey and life skills makes better well-rounded athletes. Fair play is not about a stopwatch at every game to determine whether a child got equal ice time. Fair play is about equal participation and is defined as follows, when it is my turn to go out, I will be given the opportunity to go out and participate. However, in order to establish player responsibility, any player(s) who continue to violate or violate more than one team rule may have to forfeit more than one turn during games. Team rules will be applied consistently to all players on a team. FGNHA also realizes that children have other important activities which play a major role in their lives. All volunteers must keep this in mind when it comes to the children’s participation in hockey. This program philosophy is the framework for putting the children playing hockey first. The aim of the FGNHA is to promote the philosophy contained within the FGNHA Mission Statement.

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Parents should endeavor to understand the opportunities and limitations that are provided through a community club based program. It should also be understood that team officials and administrators are volunteers. The program offered by FGNHA is inclusive, not exclusive and provides equal participation for all children.

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To ensure all parents and coaches in FGNHA become familiar with and knowledgeable about the Fair Play Policy, attending a Fair Play educational seminar is mandatory.Concerns regarding Fair Play will only be heard by the Parent Representative and the Fair Play Hearing Committee from those individuals who have attended a Fair Play educational seminar. This will help all parents and coaches understand their role in implementing and creating a positive experience for all children.

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This policy is intended to address issues associated with hockey within the Fort Garry North Hockey Association. Therefore, issues arising from a perceived violation of the Fair Play Policy and Procedure Manual will be dealt with through the Fair Play Reconciliation process.