Policies & Guidelines

Basic Principles

Marcellus Boys Lacrosse Club (MBLC) is a not-for-profit corporation whose principle aims and objectives are to encourage, promote, and foster the growth of lacrosse for the youth within the Marcellus Community.

MBLC will provide a quality lacrosse program including skill development and competition for youth groups of various ages.

MBLC will solicit moral and financial help from citizens and businesses to fund its programs.

MBLC will attempt to maintain an equitable distribution of playing time at all positions for all participants.

Lacrosse is a sport requiring a fair amount of technical skill. At the youth level, body contact/checking is not allowed by rule. Lacrosse at any level however remains a contact sport. Players will encounter incidental body contact and there is the possibility of getting hit by the lacrosse ball.

To help achieve basic skill levels and to maintain safety among participants, MBLC coaches are committed to providing as many structured practice opportunities as possible. In return, MBLC will require a basic, ongoing commitment from participants and their parents. This means a commitment to the following:

Attend MBLC practices on a regular, ongoing basis;
Participants must practice stick skills on their own;
Proper and timely treatment and return of MBLC equipment;
Participants must pay attention to the coaches on the field of play while at practice or games;
Participants must maintain a minimum level of interested participation while on the field of play. This is particularly important at the younger ages. If your child cannot maintain this minimum level, MBLC coaches will ask your child to sit or participate in some other aspect of practice or the game. Under this scenario your child may see less playing time than another child.

Note: There may be some events/tournaments outside MBLC sponsored events that include MBLC players and coaches. The above guidelines may or may not apply in these cases.

Playing Up/Playing Down Policy

Policy
It is the policy of MBLC that players shall not be permitted to move up in playing grade level or be permitted to play at a level below their current school grade level (the Playing Up/Playing Down Policy). The Board of Directors of the MBLC (the MBLC Board) may, in its sole discretion, make an exception to the Playing Up/Playing Down Policy in the limited circumstances and pursuant to the procedures described below.

Basis for Policy
The MBLC Board finds that boys should play with their age peers to promote the concepts of team and commitment, improve competency and advance skills and physical development, enhance sportsmanship and teach humility, create a safe playing environment, and foster opportunities for socialization and friendship. MBLC Board further finds that the benefits of team and program development outweigh any perceived individual benefits to a particular player of extraordinary skill and/or physical development.

Exceptions
A player may be permitted to move up or move down one grade level for an entire season if:

a player skipped a grade in school and a parent or guardian believes that they should play at a level commensurate with their biological age (a grade lower) then an exception may be granted by the MBLC Board for that player to play at a level with his age group.
extraordinary circumstances exist and the MBLC Board votes unanimously to make an exception to the Playing Up/Playing Down Policy.

Procedure
A player must first register at his appropriate grade level. After registering, the player or his parent or guardian may make a request to play up/down.

Players that are approved to play up or play down a grade level for a season will be full members of the grade level they are approved for and will only participate only at that grade level for the season.

Behavior Guidelines

Prevention/Expectations

Communication of the Mission Statement and Philosophy to the players and their parents is accomplished using three (3) venues: preseason parents meeting; in-season parent memos; and coaching affirmations.

Preseason parents meeting
MBLC holds an annual parent meeting. Hand outs and other documents that specifically illustrate MBLC philosophy and Mission Statement are shared. Each coach is introduced and a question and answer period is afforded.

In-season parent memos/e-mails
Throughout the course of the program, memos/emails are distributed to help coordinate logistical needs and to address any issues regarding Philosophy and Mission Statement that may arise. This is a critical form of communication and ALL parents are required to provide an email or text message address.

Coaching affirmations
Setting expectations and requiring coaches to attend orientation meetings in the MBLC philosophy of Positive Coaching will contribute significantly in preventing problems; however, it will not solve every problem. MBLC staff shall promote the concept of what it means to be a "winner" by reinforcing behaviors that promote: Sportsmanship. Teamwork. Making maximum effort. Strive to learn and improve. Refuse to let mistakes (or fear of making mistakes) stop them.

Monitoring

Monitoring of all participants and spectators at game site and during practice shall be maintained by each team manager and/or coach who shall at his/her discretion summon the appropriate authorities by dialing "911."

Response

Players
Striking or acting with the intent to inflict harm shall be expelled from the game or practice. If a second incident involving the same individual occurs during the balance of the season, he shall be expelled from the program.

Coaches
Coaching personnel serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors and may be subject to his/her full and immediate dismissal. MBLC has a process for dealing with problem coaches, depending on the severity of the problem (there may be some cases so abusive that immediate suspension of the coach is justified).

Every complaint shall be investigated. A process for the evaluation of complaints and removal of abusive coaches has been established as follows:

Complaints from parents or athletes lodged against any member of the MBLC staff shall be addressed to the President of the MBLC. The President shall immediately discuss with the coach to get his or her perspective in order to determine their relationship to parent and/or child expectation.
If the complaints are well founded, the coach will be instructed what he/she needs to do to improve so that future problems will not occur. After this discussion, the parents shall be informed that their concerns were looked into and steps were taken.
If the complaints come from unrealistic or inappropriate expectations, the President shall try to help the parents and athletes adjust their expectations to reasonable levels. Every effort shall be made to help the coach improve to the point that the coach, parents and athletes are satisfied with the outcome. The President shall maintain communication with all parties until resolution is achieved.

Parents/Spectators
All parents will be required to sign as "read and understood" the Marcellus Boys Lacrosse Club Parent and Spectator Code of Conduct. In the event that parents fail to abide by the MBLC Parent and Spectator Code of Conduct, they will be subject to disciplinary action that could include, but is not limited to the following in order of severity:

Verbal warning by official, head coach, and/or head of league organization.
Written warning issued by the President of the MBLC organization.
Parental game suspension with written documentation of incident kept on file by all organizations involved.
Game forfeit through the official or coach.
Parental season suspension.