Handbook for Team Managers 2021 - Vermont Football Club

Handbook for Team Managers
 2021

Vermont Junior Football Club

 Team Manager Guide 2021

Thank You!

Thank you for volunteering for the role of Team Manager.

The Team Manager role is the lynchpin that holds the team together and ensures that there
is clear, consistent communication given to all team members - coaches, parents and players
and is the liaison between the Team and Club.

Being a Team Manager is a rewarding and fun experience and you will have an opportunity
to make new friendships and get to know a wide range of club members.

Team Managers require the following skills and experience:
• Efficient time management skills to ensure all communication is sent out enabling a
 smoothly run team - requires daily checking of emails
• A friendly, approachable demeanour
• A current Working with Children Check (WWCC) and
• A team first attitude

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Contents
Thank You! .............................................................................................................................................................. 1
Objective ................................................................................................................................................................. 3
Pre-Season .............................................................................................................................................................. 4
 Trainers ............................................................................................................................................................... 4
 Team Kit Container ............................................................................................................................................. 4
 Jumpers & Jumper Allocation ............................................................................................................................. 5
 Helmets ............................................................................................................................................................... 5
 Club Uniform ....................................................................................................................................................... 6
 Milestone Games ................................................................................................................................................ 6
Match Day & Weekly Tasks .................................................................................................................................... 7
 Match Confirmation & Rostered Duties .............................................................................................................. 8
 GameDay Team Sheet ........................................................................................................................................ 8
 Match Day Checklist ........................................................................................................................................... 8
Post-Match Checklist .............................................................................................................................................. 9
 Forms and Information ..................................................................................................................................... 10
During the Year ..................................................................................................................................................... 10
 Team Photos ..................................................................................................................................................... 11
 Pizza Night or Similar ........................................................................................................................................ 11
Social Functions .................................................................................................................................................... 11
 Jumper Presentation Day .................................................................................................................................. 11
 Back to the Clubrooms (BTCR) .......................................................................................................................... 11
 Social Night ....................................................................................................................................................... 12
 Gala Event Night ............................................................................................................................................... 12
 Presentation Day/Night .................................................................................................................................... 12
Post-Season .......................................................................................................................................................... 13
And in closing…. .................................................................................................................................................... 13
2021 Rules Summary ............................................................................................................................................ 15
 2021 Junior Boys Rules Summary ..................................................................................................................... 15
 2021 Junior Girls Rules Summary...................................................................................................................... 16

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Objective

The objective of a Team Manager is to:
• Ensure all off-field team matters are dealt with efficiently and in a timely manner
• Liaise with the coach on all communication matters
• Communicate information to all parents
• Organise the duties roster for all games
• Ensure all the required administration and duties are arranged so that coaches and players
 can concentrate on the game
• Enter Team sheets online, correctly and on time, to avoid club penalties
• Enter Scores after games (U10-U18s only)
• Ensured all rules of the league and club are adhered to

The Team Manager is NOT required to complete all of the tasks, but rather to ensure all of
the tasks are completed. By assigning tasks to parents will assist in not only maintaining the
running of the team but also encouraging greater involvement in the team. The more all
parents help, the less pressure there is on a select few.

From past experiences, what has worked well is teams having a duty roster at the start of the
year which rotates roles throughout the team. Some teams prefer to have a dedicated parent
doing some of the roles every week (ie: Umpires Escort), whereas others rotate through all
parents. A printed card with all of the players, their number and parent’s names is also a good
way for parents to be able to easily identify players and also help remember names of other
parents. As Team Manager it is good to be able to get parents to interact with each other and
you will find the closer the team the more helpful parents are and willing to assist - all making
your role easier.

The following are roles which need to be coordinated for the season:
• Runner
• Trainer(s)
• Umpire Escort
• Goal Umpire (For Boys Under 10 and up; For Girls Under 12s and Up; note in the lower
 grades Under 8 and 9 Boys, Under 10 Girls, the goal umpires don’t need to keep score but
 it’s good to get the parents into the habit of doing the job for when their kids progress
 �)
• Boundary Umpire
• Timekeeper
• Score Board Attendant (Home Games & Competitive Age Groups Only – not required for
 away games)
• Ground set up (1st team of the day only – Generally U8s, U9s and 10s)

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• Ground Clean Up (Last team of the day only – Generally U15s and 17s)
• Water Carriers (these are not a necessity and are more important in the older age groups)
Note: age limits apply to a number of these roles. Details and duties of each role can be found
in the EFNL Match Day Official Guidelines as well as any age requirements.

Pre-Season

Trainers

In conjunction with our Club’s Trainer Coordinator and your Age Group Coordinator, the
Team Manager will need to ensure that prior to preseason training, the team has a qualified
trainer assigned for the season (U8-U14). For the older age groups (U15, U17 & U18) two
qualified trainers are required. The club will pay for the training course but ideally, we
would like a minimum of 2 years from a trainer. Once the trainer has been identified you
will need to provide this information to the Trainer’s Coordinator (Ross Hammerton,
Ross.Hammerton@myob.com , Mobile: 0433 364 357) who will arrange the necessary
training. The first aid equipment will be provided to the Trainer directly by the Trainers Co-
Ordinator.

The Team Manager needs to advise the Secretary (secretary@vermontjfc.com.au) prior to
the start of the season of all support roles - Assistant coach(s), trainer(s) and runner.

Team Kit Container

Each team is given a kit containing all items required for game day. This remains the property
of the club. All kits are returned at the end of the season and must be cleaned and intact.

The Team Manager is responsible for taking this kit to and from the games. It includes:
 • Coach & Coach Assistants - Red armband
 • Team Manager – Blue armband
 • Trainer – EFNL Trainers Bib
 • Runner - Fluoro Pink shirt, with the word "RUNNER" on the back and EFNL black
 tracksuit pants/shorts.
 • Umpire Escort – Orange Bib
 • Water Carrier – Orange Bib
 • Goal Umpire – Fluoro Bib
 • Boundary Umpire – Bibs have been ordered – you will get them once available
 • Two (2) Match day footballs

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 • Pump
Please check all contents are in your kit and advise footyops@vermontjfc.com.au if anything
is missing. If you have any items in the kit lost or broken during the season, please advise
Footy Operations on above email for immediate replacement. You need to keep account of
what you have received as everything needs to be accounted for when returned to the Club
at the end of the season.

*NOTE: Bibs must be returned at the end of the season washed and clean, ready for the
following season. You may also need to wash them during the season.

Jumpers & Jumper Allocation

Players have the ability to purchase their own jumper and number through our BYO jumper
program.

The club will provide you with a list of players in your team that have purchased a BYO jumper.

A variety of jumper sizes and numbers will then be given to you to distribute to the rest of
your players that have not purchased a BYO jumper. When the player receives his/her jumper,
it will remain their number for the season.

You may have issues with sizing and your jumper allocation provided not fitting all players. If
this happens and you have the contact details of the other Team Manager/s in your age group,
please contact them first to see if you can borrow/swap jumpers for suitable sizing. If not,
please contact the club Secretary and provide details of what jumper sizing is required to
complete your allocation.
You will receive an Excel Spreadsheet detailing jumper’s by size and number. It is the Team
Manager’s responsibility to keep this current as the spreadsheet will need to be returned to
the club at the end of the season.

Helmets

The club provides helmet to all players in the age groups where wearing of helmets are
compulsory (U8-U12). Some players may decide to purchase their own helmet which is fine.

The Team Manager is responsible for distributing helmets to the rest of the team. It is
recommended that the Team Manager records the helmet number assigned to each player

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as this is useful to find the owner when the kids leave their helmet behind after game/training
and also to ensure all helmets are returned at the end of the season.

Club Uniform

There is a set dress code requirement for players and each official role which has been set by
the Eastern Football Netball League Administration. The EFNL are very strict on adherence to
the dress code and failure to comply results in the club being issued with a fine.

For players this includes jumper, socks, shorts and only skin colour clothing under jumpers
and shorts. Please refer to the Junior Match Day Officials Guidelines for details of dress code
for each official role. For players, the compulsory items are:

• Purple Shorts – to be worn at every game for the non-competitive age groups (U8-U10)
 and to be worn at all home games for competitive age groups (U11-U18)
• White Shorts - compulsory for competitive age groups (U11-U18) for all away games (note
 this will change in 2022. From 2022, Vermont will wear purple shorts only – home and
 away.)
• Mouthguards – compulsory for all age groups, both game day and training. Players can
 either purchase their own (available from dentists), or via the club in February when we
 will hold a mouth fitting day at Livingstone.
• Helmets – as mentioned already, compulsory for all U8-U12 age groups.
• Socks – EFNL accredited purple and gold socks.

It is the Team Manager’s responsibility to ensure all parents and players are aware of the
compulsory uniform.

All of the club uniform can be purchased online through the club’s website
https://www.vermontfc.com.au/merchandise/.

The Merchandise coordinator (Daniela) can also be contacted directly at
merchandise@vermontjfc.com.au.

Milestone Games

During the year any player who reaches 50, 100 or 150 game milestones should be
encouraged to celebrate this achievement in front of their friends and family. It is the Team
Manager’s responsibility to notify players/parents when they are about to achieve these
milestones (at least 2 weeks notice). Players can celebrate the milestone with a banner that
they run through. The cost of preparing the banner is the responsibility of the family. If a

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number of players reach the same milestone within a few weeks of each other, it may be
more appropriate to celebrate the achievement at the one time. This will result in one banner
where families can share the cost and allow players to recognise the achievement during a
home game.

Also, so the whole club can share in the milestone, please let the club know and send any
photo’s to admin@vermontjfc.com.au so they can be posted on social media as well as the
club newsletter.

The club will also contact Team Managers around 2 weeks before the end of the season for a
list of players that have reached milestone games during the year, as each player will receive
a certificate and medal on reaching the milestone. Medals for milestone games will be
awarded on Presentation Night.

So how do you know who is playing milestone games in the season? This is done by producing
a report on games played via GameDay prior to the season commencing. This gives you a
starting point to help you calculate when any milestone games are set to occur. Details on
how to produce this report are below.

 • Go to GameDay and Sign In
 o https://passport.sportstg.com/login/
 • Click on Membership & Competition Management
 • Click on your Team for this year (you may have multiple entries so make sure you click
 on this year’s team)
 • Click on Reports
 • Under Advance Member, click on the Configure Button to the Right
 • Click Find a Field, then in the Search box type game. Add “Association Career Games”
 • Under Personal Details, add First Name and Middle Name
 • Click Run and the Report
 • You can then select the info and copy to Excel

Please note this will only include games from the EFNL (either Vermont or other clubs).
Players may have played games under other associations. You may want to check if any
players have played elsewhere. It is also up to each player if they want to add any games
played from outside the association, or count games from clubs other than Vermont.

Please try and communicate with all parents about Milestone games earlier in the year.

Match Day & Weekly Tasks

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During the week prior to each match, there are some tasks that need to be completed. These
are listed below. We have then provided a list of tasks that are require on actual Match Day

Match Confirmation & Rostered Duties

While the EFNL sets the fixture at the start of the year, there can be changes due to
unavailability of grounds or teams. The EFNL notifies the Club after which the Club notifies
all Team Managers as to game times and locations. This is usually done on a Thursday
morning. After receiving this confirmation, please firstly check that the details provided by
the club replicate those on the Sports TG websites. If they don’t, contact the club. But
assuming they do (which they should), send notification to your team confirming start time
and location. At this time, you can also remind everyone of the roster and which family has
which role on game day.

GameDay Team Sheet

Login to GameDay and complete pre-game setup by selecting your team and officials. Print 3
copies of the Team Sheet.

Match Day Checklist

• Complete ground set-up – only required if you are the first game of the day. You will be
 advised by the club in the Match Confirmation email if you are required to do this. Details
 on where to pickup keys to open clubrooms, what to do etc.. will be provided in this email

• Check roster and substitute officials if necessary, to make sure all roles are filled

• Check players and officials are correctly attired otherwise the club will be fined by the
 EFNL. Please refer to the Junior Match Day Officials Guidelines for details of dress code
 for each official role.

• Provide Game Day awards to Coach for handing out after the game. Ensure Coach is aware
 that these awards are encouragement awards so need to be distributed equally amongst
 the players, not just the standouts each week

• Present two approved EFNL footballs to the Umpire prior. They will select one to be used
 for the match (task only required for home games)

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• Provide a copy of time keeper duties to time keeper if they have not done it before. The
 key point is to ensure they are aware that the match has to start and finish at the
 scheduled time.

• If changes required to the Team Sheet (ie: if a player is not playing now due to
 illness/injury, or a team official has changed), make adjustments to all 3 copies. Then…

 • Have all team officials sign one copy (you as Team Manager sign the sheet on behalf
 of the players)
 • Provide signed copy to the umpire before half time (prior to the match is fine too)
 • You keep one of the other copies for your own use
 • Provide 3rd copy to the opposition TM by half time

• Keep quarter by quarter scores and goal scorer info (Not required for Under 8s or Under
 9s) on your copy of the Team Sheet. Use this to enter scores and goal kickers online

 For Boys U11 and up and for Girls Under 12 and up , keep details of player’s numbers at
 the start of each quarter on Interchange Stewards Form. This needs to be done for both
 teams. To make this easier, we suggest you make contact with the opposition TM prior to
 the game to see if they are happy for each team to only write down their own interchange
 numbers.

 Then, once the last quarter has started, find opposition TM and exchange numbers from
 each quarter. Form should then be signed by you and the opposing TM and handed to
 umpire after the game.

Post-Match Checklist

• Ensure Goal Umpires agree on the scores. If not (which is unlikely), check with Time
 Keeper as they are supposed to keep score as well. Take a photo of the Goal Umpire’s
 scorecard and use this as the official document to enter scores online (it should match up
 with your scores that you kept).
• Ensure you collect the goal umpire flags and coat, umpire escort bib, water carrier bib,
 coaches and team managers arm bands.
• Collect Best & Fairest voting slips (U11s and Up). Place in envelope and seal - keep until
 the end of season. Please refer to the VJFC policy which provides details of how the B&F
 votes should be handled.

• The following are to be provided ASAP to the Umpire after the game is finished

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 • Goal Umpires card (Boys U10 and up ; Girls Under 10 and up)
 • Interchange form (Boys U11 and up, Girls Under 12 and up)
 • Timekeeper card (last game of the day only)
 • Offer of complimentary drink and/or food to umpire (home games only)
 • Please also be sure to collect the Match ball (home games only) if your Umpire’s Escort
 has not already done this for you

• Record match day awards to ensure even spread over the season and to balance the
 receipt of awards during the season.

• ASAP after the match (by Sunday night), log on to GameDay and enter the scores and goal
 kickers (U10 and up – girls and boys). Also remove any players that did NOT play and
 update any changes to the Team Officials

• Report on Field Umpire – this is optional and only needs to be completed if there is
 constructive feedback to be provided which the EFNL can use to assist in the development
 of the umpire(s). This should be emailed to admin@vermontjfc.com.au

• Ground Inspection Report – this is optional and only required if any team officials (ie: you,
 Trainer, coach) feel there were issues with the ground that need to be reported. This
 should be emailed to admin@vermontjfc.com.au

• Match Report / Photos from the game – this is optional and can be completed by the
 Coach, TM, or a nominated person. This information should be distributed to the team
 the following week and can also be sent through to admin@vermontjfc.com.au. Match
 Reports sent to the club by Tuesday night will then be chosen at random and included on
 the club website and/or newsletter.

Forms and Information

All of the relevant forms and information has been put into a common location which can be
accessed at https://www.vermontfc.com.au/juniors/junior-club-policies-and-resources/.

During the Year
Apart from the weekly tasks required as outlined above, there will be some other events that
we will need your help in communicating to your team. Details of the key events follow.

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Team Photos

Team photos dates for all teams will be advised (tentatively 15 June 2021). They are usually
held at the Livingstone Junior Clubroom. The photo packs will be distributed to Team
Manager and will need to be handed to a parent of each player (you can delegate this task if
you wish). They all need to be handed to the photographer on the night, so player/parent
need to bring them back on Photo night. In addition to the players, the Coach, Team Manager
and Trainers are normally included in the photo. Please ensure all your team are aware of
their allocated time and ensure that boots and uniforms are clean for the best memento.

Pizza Night or Similar

In 2021, the club will provide $100 per Age Group for the provision of a Pizza night or similar
for the players. This is usually done after a training session during the week. The timings and
type of night are completely at the discretion and agreement of the Team Managers in the
Age Group.

Social Functions

Jumper Presentation Day

Prior to the first round the club will hold a Jumper Presentation Day, where each player will
be presented with the game day jumper. This jumper will be their jumper for the season.
This is an important event when the player will receive the famous Purple and Gold jumper,
so all players are required to attend. The Team Manager will be required to ensure all players
have been allocated a jumper by this day and the jumpers are available to be presented at
the event.

Back to the Clubrooms (BTCR)

In 2021, Back to the Clubrooms will be held on Sunday 18 July 2021 and every Sunday evening
during the weeks of finals (Final BTCR to be confirmed later in the year).

Each age group will be required to provide parent support to work in the canteen on the
evening. It is the Team Managers responsibility to coordinate volunteers during the allotted
timeslot on these evenings.

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Food is available for purchase on these nights and the seniors operate the Bar. It is a great
opportunity to catch up socially and to hear how each of the teams have been performing
during the year. Please encourage your team to come and enjoy these evenings.

Social Night

During the year the Junior Club host a social night for parents. This is a great opportunity to
meet other parents from across the club. Details and date of the social night will be provided
during the year. Please encourage your parents to come along to enjoy the evening.

Gala Event Night

At the end of the season, the club hosts a Gala Night for the top aged players (U18 Girls and
U17 Boys). For many of the players this will be the last event they will be part of as a player
at Vermont Junior Football Club. Awards are presented on this evening to players in these
age groups as well as club awards recognizing departing parent who have contributed to the
club while their child/children have played for the club. Parent representatives from the age
group are encouraged to form a committee to decide on details for the night. If you are a
Team Manager for this age group, further details will be provided in the later part of the year.

In 2021, the VJFC Gala Presentation is tentatively scheduled for Friday 20 August 2021 (6:00
– 9:30)

Presentation Day/Night

The presentation day/night is the final function for the year and will be held at the end of the
season. All players and parents are required to attend.

The club holds two presentation days/nights.

Friday 30 July 2021 – VJFC Under 8 to Under 10 Presentation Night

The first is for the non-competitive age groups (U8-U10). Players in this age group are all
awarded with participation medals.

Saturday 21 August 2021 – the VJFC Under 11 – Under 16 Presentation Day

The second is for the competitive age groups (U11-U16). Players in this age group are also
recognised with participation medals. However, there are also individual end of year awards

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handed out to some players. Details are below. The club will contact you for confirmation of
the winners of these awards after the home and away season is complete.

 o Best and Fairest (by votes and conduct). Multiple winners are allowed and each player
 receives a trophy (i.e. no count backs).
 o Runner up Best and Fairest (by votes and conduct). Multiple winners are allowed and each
 player receives a trophy (i.e. no count backs).
 o Best team player. Selected at discretion of Coach and support staff. Single award only.
 o Coaches Award. Selected at discretion of Coach and support staff. Single award only.
 o Most Improved. Selected at discretion of Coach and support staff. Single award only.
 o Most Determined. Selected at discretion of Coach and support staff. Single award only.
 o A Best Finals Player award as selected by the Coach will also be provided for each
 competitive team participating in a final series.

Post-Season
At the end of the season, the following tasks need to be completed.

• Update and return the Excel spreadsheet (supplied at start of season) of jumpers returned
 and send to the Jumper Coordinator (jumpers@vermontjfc.com.au).
• After the last match, Footy Operations will arrange a date for all equipment to be returned
 to the club. The Team Manager is responsible for collecting and ensuring all the following
 is returned to the Club on this date:
 o Jumpers (already washed and returned) from all non-BYO jumper players
 o Helmets (All Club Issued helmets only – we’ll let the kids keep the ones they bought
 themselves �)
 o Training equipment
 o Team Kit Container and all contents (include notification of any lost equipment)
 o Trainers equipment
• Optional - organise an end of season function for the team (this task could be delegated
 to another parent)

And in closing….

Thank you for volunteering this year to be a Team Manager for your child’s team.

Club’s like ours cannot function as well as they do without volunteers like you.

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We hope you’ll find the role of TM to be so rewarding this year that you choose to volunteer
again next year. If though, for whatever reason, you get to the end of the season and
decide that you aren’t likely to continue in the role in 2022, we’d really appreciate your advice
about a potential replacement to step into your shoes (and we’d appreciate it even more if
you had a chat to them about it to encourage them to put their hand up). Whilst it isn’t your
responsibility to find a replacement, the Committee would be extremely grateful for any help
you can provide to point us in the right direction.

Speaking of Committee and Volunteers….

The Vermont Junior Football Club Committee are all volunteers like you. The Committee are
always looking for more parents to get involved. If, in your role as Team Manager, you come
across someone who is keen to get involved with the Committee, we’d be delighted if you
could encourage them to consider getting involved.

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2021 Rules Summary

2021 Junior Boys Rules Summary

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2021 Junior Girls Rules Summary

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Quick Links

2021 Teams and Contacts
https://www.vermontfc.com.au/juniors/junior-teams/

2021 Committee
https://www.vermontfc.com.au/juniors/committee/

Junior Club Policies and Resources
https://www.vermontfc.com.au/juniors/junior-club-policies-and-resources/

2021 EFNL Team Managers Handbook
http://efnl.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Football-Operations-and-Team-Manager-Handbook-1.pdf

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