Mississauga Minor Football Policy and Procedures

The MMF Policy and Procedures are designed to optimize our daily operations and ensure consistent delivery across all MMF programs to the community. This document outlines our best practices and defines our systematic approach to developing and implementing MMF policies and procedures.

MMF Registration Policies

Registration Process

The MMF registration process is directly linked to and operates under the direction of the OFA registration system.

Fees and Payments

Fee Establishment: Registration fees will be set by the Executive before the registration date.
Coverage: The registration fee covers insurance, equipment, league fees, field rentals, and other related expenses.
Payment Requirement: All registration fees and deposit cheques must be paid in full before a player can receive equipment or participate in any practices or games. Equipment will be bagged and tagged until confirmation of payment.
NSF Cheques: A $50 charge will apply to all NSF (non-sufficient funds) cheques.
Outstanding Balances: Players with any outstanding balance with MMF, including unfulfilled volunteer commitments or returned payments, will not receive a refund, and the player will not be allowed on the field until all outstanding fees are rectified.

Volunteer Commitment

Your Volunteer Commitment is considered a mandatory part of the MMF registration.

Refund Policy

Full Refund: A full refund will be issued to players who withdraw from a program two weeks prior to the start of the season.
Partial Refund (After First Game – Registered Before): If a player withdraws after the first regular-season game, but registered before the first regular-season game, a partial refund may be given. This refund will be the cost of fees less $100.00 to cover insurance and administration fees.
No Refund (Two Weeks After First Game): If a player withdraws two weeks after the first regular-season game, a refund will generally not be provided. An exception may be made for demonstrated extenuating circumstances, with the final decision resting with the Executive.
7-Day Grace Period (Registered After First Game): If a player registers after the first regular-season game, they will have a 7-day grace period to withdraw. Upon return of all equipment, they will be refunded the cost of fees minus $100.00 to cover insurance and administration fees.
Extenuating Circumstances (Outside Timelines): Requests for refunds outside of the above timelines due to extenuating circumstances will be handled by the Executive on an individual basis. All decisions made by the MMF Executive are final. All such requests must be submitted to the Registrar via email.

Grant and Special Program Applications

Parents applying for grants or special programs must inform the Registrar at the time of registration. Please be aware that confirmation of funding grants can take several weeks, so factor this delay into your application timeline. Remember, equipment will not be issued until full confirmation of fee payment. Parents receiving partial grants must pay the remaining balance in full before their child will receive their equipment.

Here’s the reformatted MMF policies, organized for clarity and readability, with headings and bolding for emphasis.

MMF Training Policy

At the end of each season, MMF will reimburse volunteers for coaching and training courses provided the following criteria are met:

The course is required to perform their role.
The course is sanctioned by the MMF Executive, OFA, or Football Canada.
Receipt and proof of completion are emailed to the Executive after the volunteer has fulfilled their full commitment to the team.

MMF Communication Policy

All communication must be approved by the Executive.

Media Communications (e.g., newspapers, billboards) must go directly through the Executive.
Team Managers may post team information on their team page only after approval from the Head Coach to ensure accuracy.
The President or Vice-President will work with the Managing Director to approve content before it’s posted on the website, emailed to members, or shared via social media.
Social Media will be handled exclusively by the Managing Director (or their delegate). Executive and Field Staff are not to post or respond to messages directed to MMF, though sharing of sanctioned posts is encouraged.

Website Access

Access to the Association website is limited to the following individuals:

Social Media Coordinator: Full access to website content pages and social media platforms (President or Vice-President may act as delegate).
Secretary: Full access to website email pages for administration of email addresses and monitoring the admin email.
Registrar: Full access to the website registration pages.
Treasurer: Full access to the website registration pages.
Team Managers: Access to their team page (via separate passwords).

MMF Conflict Resolution/Incident Policy

The MMF Executive is committed to the development and sportsmanship of its players and continually strives to improve its operations. Therefore, the MMF Executive Committee will review any incident arising from normal MMF operations. All incidents will be investigated to determine causes, identify system improvements, and implement remedial actions when necessary.

Incidents Requiring Review

The following is a partial list of incidents requiring review:

A player, coach, or volunteer is ejected by an official from a game.
A player is injured and requires transportation and physician attention.
An official complaint is made by MMF member(s) about a player, coach, volunteer, or supplier.
An allegation of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse.
A criminal charge is made against a player, coach, or volunteer.
An official complaint of discrimination.

The MMF members or Executive can implement discipline policy procedures at any time if deemed necessary.

Incident Investigation Committee

Incident investigations will be handled by the following four members:

President (voting member) – chairs the review process.
Vice-President (voting member).
Secretary (voting member).
Program Director (representing the team involved in the incident).
The MMF Managing Director or other appointed Executive member will act as an alternate if any of the above members are involved in the incident.

Incident information will be collected by the Incident Review Committee under the direction of the President. Minutes of the meeting will be kept and filed with the Secretary.

Outside sources or professional services may be engaged to assist the Incident Review Committee’s deliberations if needed.

The Incident Review Committee will formulate recommendations for the MMF Executive’s final assessment, requiring a two-thirds vote in favour.

In some cases, incidents must be reviewed by the OFA. The Incident Review Committee aims to conduct its review in conjunction with the OFA. Reports and minutes may be shared with the OFA at the MMF Executive’s discretion.

Recommendations will be reported to the Executive before implementation.

The President will be the designated spokesperson, unless the incident involves them, in which case the Vice-President will act as spokesperson.

All decisions of the MMF Executive regarding incidents are final.

MMF Discipline Policy

Discipline is implemented to ensure MMF policies and procedures are followed. There are three levels of discipline:

Level 1 Discipline (Field-Level): Typically carried out by team field staff and does not require formal documentation, though a review of actions may be necessary.
- Examples: Misbehavior on the field, violation of MMF policies, profane language.
Level 2 Discipline (Formal Investigation): Involves a formal incident review investigation and results in a verbal or written recommendation and/or warning.
- Examples: Suspension during a league game, benching a player for repeated Level 1 behavior, ongoing complaints about field staff.
Level 3 Discipline (Formal Investigation & Removal): Occurs as a result of a formal incident review investigation and leads to removal from the team, volunteer position, or membership.
- Examples: Bullying of players, discrimination, assault.

Upon final decision for Level 2 and 3 discipline, the MMF Executive will advise all involved parties in writing of the decision and action taken.

All decisions of the MMF Executive regarding discipline are final.

MMF Protection of Personal Information Policy

This policy aims to control the management of personal information collected during normal MMF activities. When personal information is collected or used, the owner of the information will be aware of its intent and purpose.

Any form used for information collection must include an acknowledgment statement indicating its intended use and who else may use it.
In accordance with FOIP (Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act), teams are not allowed to retain copies of personal player information beyond the end of the season. The Association may retain this information for operations but will ensure its protection from inappropriate disclosure.
The OFA requires player information verification for registration eligibility. Instead of collecting physical copies, the Registrar will administer a Player Information Database.
The Registrar (or Executive-approved designate(s)) will validate and endorse all required player information in the database. Physical reproductions of supporting documents will no longer be collected.
The Registrar and/or approved designate(s) will personally confirm player information presented by players or parents and enter relevant data into the database. They will also record the date, time, and authorized person who validated the information.

MMF Volunteer and Fundraising Policy

Volunteer commitments for the MMF will be set at the beginning of each playing year. These requirements will be voted on by the Executive for that year and explained to parents during registration.

Volunteer shifts include any shift that generates revenue for the Association (e.g., concession shifts, OLG bingo shifts). MMF stick-crew shifts do not generate revenue and do not count towards volunteer shifts.
Any member removed from a volunteer position by the Executive under the Discipline Policy will not be allowed to volunteer for the Association in positions such as Executive, Coach, Field Staff, Concession Coordinator, Social Media Coordinator, Stick Crew, or any other established volunteer positions, unless otherwise voted on an individual case by the board of directors.

MMF Equipment Policy

All players will receive basic equipment required by MMF, consisting of a helmet, mouth guard, shoulder pads, knee pads, game pants, and practice and game jerseys in an Association bag.

Equipment will not be issued until registrations are paid in full or a reasonable payment plan is established between the Registrar, Treasurer, and the player’s parent/guardian.
The player’s parent or legal guardian must sign for all issued equipment.
Equipment must not be altered or modified in any way.
Lost, damaged, or altered equipment becomes the financial responsibility of the player’s parent or legal guardian. A cheque must be issued to cover the outstanding balance.
If the parent/guardian refuses to pay for lost, damaged, or altered equipment, the amount owing will be added to the following year’s registration. The player will not be allowed to play in the MMF until the equipment is paid for. MMF reserves the right to pursue legal action for mistreated or deliberately damaged equipment if reimbursement isn’t provided.
Only the Equipment Director, team equipment managers, and MMF Executive are authorized to distribute equipment, under the Equipment Director’s guidance.
Any player abusing equipment must be reported to the MMF Executive. The player may be punished or suspended until restitution is made.
All equipment must be returned on dates set by the Equipment Director. Failure to return equipment by these dates will prevent the player from attending the team banquet, receiving team pictures, or registering for the following season until it is returned.
All equipment must be returned cleaned and washed. Uncleaned equipment may be refused.
Special equipment or merchandise ordered by a player must be paid for in full before the order is placed. A receipt will be issued and must be presented when picking up the items.
Equipment purchases are subject to the budget provided for the specific football year.

MMF Purchasing Policy

The MMF Purchasing Policy aims to purchase necessary quality and quantity of goods and services efficiently, timely, and cost-effectively, while maintaining essential controls.

Ensure maximum value is obtained by considering the total cost over the lifetime of the task, including acquisition, training, maintenance, performance quality, and environmental impact.
Allow open and frank discussion at all Executive meetings regarding purchase proposals.
Have all information and samples ready when proposing a purchase for informed Executive decisions.
Purchasing for the MMF will be coordinated and monitored through the Treasurer to ensure goals and principles are followed.
The Treasurer will present a list of the prior month’s expenditures at each monthly MMF Executive meeting.
Purchases under $200.00 may be authorized by the Treasurer to avoid delays between monthly Executive meetings. These purchases will be reviewed at Executive meetings as part of the prior month’s report.
Purchases over $200.00 require review and approval by Executive majority vote, then signed off by two of either the Treasurer, President, or Vice-President.
- Exception: If time constraints prevent a meeting, an email vote can take place with the consent and response of every sitting board member.
Any sitting Executive board member can propose a purchase they believe is required for the current MMF year.

MMF Medical Policy

All registered MMF players must complete the medical information form supplied by the Association, signed by the player’s parent or legal guardian.

Players suspected of having a concussion will have their helmets taken by the trainer and must obtain medical clearance to play or practice, following Return-to-Play procedures administered by the team trainer.
If a player sustains an injury that leads to the trainer pulling them from the field and recommending medical assessment, their helmet will be taken. They must then present a signed medical release from a doctor stating they can return to playing football, along with written permission from their parent or legal guardian (email to Team Trainer or Manager is sufficient). Once both documents are received by the Team Manager, the player can resume practices and games.
All players’ medical information sheets will be kept confidential. One copy will remain with the Executive, and another copy will be kept in a binder in the team’s first aid bag, under the care of the Team Manager.
In case of a serious injury, an ambulance will be called. The medical information sheet will be given to the ambulance attendant. Every effort will be made to contact parents/guardians once the player’s destination is known. If a player is taken for medical assessment and parents/guardians cannot be reached, the medical information sheet must accompany the player.
It is the parent or legal guardian’s responsibility to ensure any required medication (e.g., asthma inhaler, EpiPen) is always with the player. The Executive recommends giving medication to the trainer for safekeeping in the first aid bag for the season’s duration. If not feasible, the player may bring medication to each practice/game and give it to the trainer for safekeeping during the activity. If a player requiring medication does not have it, they will not be allowed to participate until the trainer has received it.
In case of bleeding, every attempt should be made by the person tending to avoid contact with blood or other bodily fluids. Medical gloves are available in each first aid bag.

MMF Conflict of Interest Policy

Board members and Officers must conduct business within guidelines that prohibit actual or potential conflicts of interest. This policy provides a framework and general direction for acceptable standards of operation, encouraging members to seek clarification on related issues.

An actual or potential conflict of interest occurs when a board member or officer can influence a decision that may result in personal gain or gain for a relative from MMF’s business dealings.
- Relative: Any person related by blood or marriage, or whose relationship is similar.
The mere existence of a relationship with outside firms does not presume a conflict. However, if a board member or officer has any influence on a material business transaction, they must disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest to an officer of the organization as soon as possible so safeguards can be established.
Personal gain includes not only significant ownership in a firm doing business with MMF, but also receiving any kickback, bribe, substantial gift, or special consideration from MMF transactions or business dealings.

MMF Policy Updates

Updates to policies and procedures may be made by the Executive as needed. An updated copy must be posted to the MMF website, which serves as the reference point for all matters.

Glossary

By-Laws: The By-Laws of MMF.
OFA: Ontario Football Alliance, of which MMF is a member.
Division: The group of teams within a level that compete against each other in accordance with OFA directives (e.g., Tier One).
Executive: The elected officers of MMF who are elected at the annual general meeting and consist of President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Director-at-Large, Registrar, Bingo Coordinator, Equipment/Coaching Director, and Marketing Director. An executive member may hold one or more positions at a given time and must be and remain in good standing with the MMF.

“Level” means the age level of competition (e.g. Bantam, Peewee, or U14, U15)
“Member” is one voting party i.e. (Head coach or board member) as per the MMF By-Laws
“MMF” means Mississauga Minor Football and Mississauga Huskies