HOWICK PAKURANGA NETBALL CENTRE

PO Box 82073 Highland Park | Ph (09) 534 7571 | Email: info@hpnc.org.nz

HPNC Representative Policy and Procedures

Overview

Consistent and conscientious application of the policy, operational processes and procedures outlined in this document will help ensure the following:

Transparency for all involved in the representative process.
Improved communication and understanding between all parties.
Improved planning and execution associated with all aspects of HPNC Representative Netball.
Flexibility to respond to situations in a fair manner.
Analysis and review of the process to ensure quality, consistency, and stability between all involved in HPNC Representative Netball in a given season.
Appointment of a HPNC Representative Subcommittee (referred hereafter as Subcommittee).

Objective

The primary objective is to select players from HPNC with the competencies and attributes to play in a competitive but fair and respectful manner, and to enable those HPNC Representative Players (Players) and the Centre to achieve at the highest level possible.

HPNC Representative Subcommittee

The purpose of the Subcommittee is to oversee the representative season and be able to resolve any issues in a timely manner, as per the policies set out in this document.

The Subcommittee should consist of the following:

Representative Convenor (Convenor). This position is appointed by the HPNC Executive Committee prior to the start of the representative season.
At least two other representatives from HPNC should be appointed in consultation with the Executive Committee. They could consist of an Umpire’s delegate, another executive member or a non-executive (i.e., staff member) who has experience in representative netball at HPNC.

HPNC’S COMMITMENT

HPNC is committed to providing the resources and appropriate personnel to support the representative programme. Additional to what is described in the document below, this includes:

Providing each representative team with satisfactory resources, equipment and facilities for training and competing at tournaments.
Storing Player records safely and securely.
Entering teams into representative tournaments.
Holding a Special Awards event to recognise representative contributions by Players and Team Officials.
Scheduling team photographs at the conclusion of the season.

TEAM OFFICIALS

Team Officials consist of Coaches, Managers, Umpires and Cooks.

Selection

Coach and Manager: Applications will be available online during October/November of the previous year for the following year. Invitations to apply will be sent to current year Coaches and Managers, club delegates and any other interested party, with applications closing by the 14^th November. Appointments will be made and individuals notified before 20^th December. Appointments will be at the discretion of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall be under no obligation to provide reason for its appointment decisions, though it may elect to do so.

Umpires:

For all local representative tournaments, Umpires will be appointed by the HPNC Sub-Committee.

Umpires for the North Island Age Groups in New Plymouth are nominated by the HPNC Sub Committee and put forward to the Executive Committee for consideration.
Umpires are monitored at pre-pinnacle tournaments by NNZ. Selection for the NNZ National Tournaments (NNZ U18 Age Group & Open Champs) is by invitation only from NNZ.

Coaches

All Coach applicants are required to complete an application form and will be asked to attend an interview. The interview panel should consist of the Convenor, HPNC President (or a nominated representative), and a Zone representative, if available.

It is preferred that Coaches not be appointed to teams that are likely to contain immediate or extended family members.

The Convenor may, at their discretion, appoint an Apprentice Coach to a representative team for the purposes of coach development. The Apprentice Coach will be provided opportunities to attend local tournaments but will not attend the pinnacle tournament. The Apprentice Coach is a ‘fly on the wall’, solely for the purposes of learning and developing the next tier of coaches at HPNC. The level of involvement with the appointed team will be determined by the Convenor and respective Coach.

All appointed Coaches must agree that they have read and understood this document and agree to be bound by its contents by signing the HPNC Representative Coach Position Description document. All Coaches will be subject to a police check.

Managers

All Manager applicants are required to complete an application form and may be asked to attend an interview at the discretion of the Subcommittee.

All appointed Managers must agree that they have read and understood this document and agree to be bound by its contents by signing the HPNC Representative Manager Position Description document. All Managers will be subject to a police check.

Cooks

Teams travelling to pinnacle events may require a Cook. Cooks can nominate themselves to any member of the Subcommittee for approval. Cooks will be subject to a police check.

Conflict of Interests

Coaches and Managers must disclose any potential conflicts of interest to the Convenor. The Convenor may remove a Coach or Manager if there is deemed to be a conflict of interest. If a Coach or Manager is removed, HPNC is under no obligation to provide an alternative opportunity.

Behaviour

Team Officials shall always maintain a professional standard of dress and behavior when dealing with Players, parents, administrators, and other relevant parties.

No alcohol is to be consumed by Team Officials during any representative training or fixture, including weekly trainings and the local and pinnacle tournaments.

Reporting & Meetings

Coaches and Managers will attend all compulsory meetings and workshops as recommended by the Convenor.

Coaches will be responsible for completing tournament reports for every tournament the team attends (template will be provided). Reports are due within 48 hours of the conclusion of the tournament.

Coaches and Managers together will be responsible for submitting a full season report to the Convenor within 3 weeks of the conclusion of the pinnacle tournament, or the last tournament attended (template will be provided).

It is strongly recommended that at the beginning of the season, the Coach and Manager conduct a meeting with parents and Players to advise them of this policy and the HPNC Representative Player Agreement. It is further suggested that parents be advised as to the Coach’s policy around substitutions and use of bench Players at this meeting.

Pinnacle Tournaments

Travel to pinnacle tournaments will be at the discretion of the Subcommittee and decided on a year-by-year basis.

HPNC will organise travel and accommodation arrangements for pinnacle tournaments for Players, Coaches, Managers, Cooks (if required), Physio (if approved), and an HPNC Executive member (or their appointed representative).

Accommodation, meal and travel costs are covered by HPNC for Umpires for the U14/U16 tournament. Accommodation, meal and travel costs are covered by NNZ for U18 & Open Champs Umpires, with a base fee being paid by HPNC.

Budgets

A budget for each travelling team will be provided by HPNC. The amount is determined by the Subcommittee and will be transferred into the Manager’s/Cook’s bank account at least 48 hours prior to departure.
Monies are to be used for approved expenses only i.e., food for self-catered meals, petrol costs, and minor miscellaneous items.
All receipts of expenses must be kept by the Manager/Cook and submitted to the Games Convenor within one week of the conclusion of the representative season.
Prior approval for any further expenses not listed above, or for spending exceeding the team’s budget, must be sought from the Convenor. If prior permission has not been obtained from the Convenor, HPNC is under no obligation to reimburse the claimant for such expenses.
If an underspend occurs, the Manager/Cook will return the balance of funds to HPNC within one week of returning from the pinnacle tournament.

RAMS

A Risk Analysis and Management System (RAMS) document will be made available to Coaches, Managers, and any other interested party (e.g., Players, parents). This document will be updated as frequently as required.

Season Debrief

Coaches and Managers are required to participate in debriefing interviews or evaluations at the completion of the season, as determined by the Convenor.

REPRESENTATIVE PLAYERS

Selection

Purpose: To identify and select up to ten (10) of the best Players in their relative age groups and sections to achieve consistent success at the age group representative tournaments. For U16 A and B teams, U18 and Open grades, the Coach may request up to twelve (12) Players.

Teams/Squad to be selected

Under 14 A and B

Under 16 A and B

Under 18

U18 Boys

Open Grade

Representative Selection Panel

The Representative Selection Panel comprises of the Representative Team Coach, and a minimum of 2, maximum of 4, selectors from the approved Representative Selectors (Selectors) group, including the Convenor.

The selectors should preferably:

Hold a current Coaching accreditation or be on the Netball NZ (NNZ) Coaching Pathway.
Have coached within the last four years or have previously Coached at representative level.
Have selected at representative level or top Club/School level.
Be approved by the Subcommittee.
Declare any potential conflicts of interest during the selection period and stand down from panels/selection decisions that either directly involve or are deemed to have the potential to involve that conflict of interest (e.g., selection decisions pertaining to a family member).

All selections made by the Panel are final.

Player Eligibility

To be eligible for selection for an HPNC representative team, Players must be a fully registered member of an affiliated Club within HPNC and must play a minimum of three (3) games as a fully registered player with the Club, in the year of selection and before the pinnacle tournament.

Any Players selected into the Netball Northern Zone Elite Performance Programme (NZEPP), NNZ Premiership and/or NNZ National League teams may be offered an alternative membership to HPNC. Alternative membership may be granted in exceptional cases as determined by the Subcommittee.

Players must indicate HPNC as their primary Centre on their club registration forms.
Players can be nominated by the Selectors, Coach, Centre, or Club. The nominator sends the online registration link to the Player for their completion.
All applications must be completed by the trial registration closing date.
- After the closing date, only the Panel, with approval from the Subcommittee, may add Players to the trial registration list.
All Players must trial in their own age group (under the nominated age as at 1^st January in the year of the competition) and are not eligible to trial for another age group.
- Exception: The Coach and Convenor at their discretion (with approval from the Subcommittee) may invite an exceptional Player to trial in an older age group. The exceptional Player must be better than their own age group and be identified as one of the starting lineup for the older age group.
- Exception: Players may be considered for selection into a higher age group for a pinnacle tournament, after offering for selection within their own age group, at the discretion of the Selectors and after approval by the Executive Committee.
Trialists must attend all trials to be eligible for selection. Trialists who are injured prior to trials, or become injured during trials, must be seen by an appropriately qualified medical professional and produce a medical certificate to the Convenor including diagnosis and prognosis of the injury to be considered for final selection. Injured triallists must still attend all trials, even if they are unable to take the court.
- Exceptions of attendance due to extenuating circumstances must be received in writing to the Convenor, prior to the relevant trial day.
- Where a triallist fails to attend a trial due to compassionate reasons, a written application must be made to HPNC no later than two (2) days after the final trial. The reason(s) for non-attendance must be disclosed and include, where appropriate, relevant documentary evidence. The Subcommittee will determine if the Player is to be permitted to be considered for selection.
Players may apply to the HPNC Executive Committee for exemption to this selection policy.
Players must have paid all Rep fees from previous years prior to the start of the 1^st trial.

Selection Process

The Panel should consider the season reports of the Managers and Coaches of the previous year in making selections. These reports are to be treated as confidential and returned to the Convenor upon selection of the teams.
The Panel may appoint an observer(s) from the Executive Committee to any trial. The observer(s) may be consulted for their opinion but are not a decision-making member of the Panel. At the conclusion of the selection process the Convenor will, in conjunction with the Coach, undertake a post-selection debrief with the observer(s).
Prior knowledge of Player performances should also be considered, and can include:
- Talent ID
- Emerging Talent Academy
- Club and School Competitions
- Other relevant competition games
- Previous representative performance

The Panel should also identify Players to cover positions should any vacancy arise in any team, i.e., the next best Player. These Players should be kept on file for reference if required.

Confidentiality by all persons involved in the selection process is paramount.

Availability of Players

All selected Players must be available for all tournaments. Exceptions due to injury, illness or extenuating circumstances must be received in writing to the Convenor before the practice prior to the tournament they need to be excused from. Relevant documentation (e.g., medical certificate) must be included.

Replacement Players

Considerations for Replacement

Injury or Illness: The Convenor is to be notified by the Coach or Manager of all injuries or illness immediately. The Manager must ensure the injured or ill Player provides a medical certificate. An injured or ill Player may be requested to be assessed by a Doctor or Physio nominated, or agreed to, by HPNC. Non-disclosure of an injury will be reported to the Subcommittee who will decide on the necessary course of action.

To be eligible to attend the pinnacle tournament, the Player must be available for the tournament, club and school game, the weekend prior to the pinnacle tournament.

Breach of Discipline: If a Player fails to observe any relevant HPNC policy, the Player will be counselled by the Coach and will give them the opportunity to rectify the situation. In the case of a serious breach of discipline, the Coach or Manager will refer to the Convenor. The Convenor will advise the Subcommittee of the situation and a mutually agreed timeframe will be set by the Coach, Convenor and Player for the situation to be reassessed. The Convenor will report such breaches to the Executive Committee in a timely manner.

Ineligibility: Any Player who is deemed ineligible or becomes ineligible for a representative team will automatically be removed and replaced. The Convenor will report such breaches to the Executive Committee in a timely manner.

Replacement Process

If a selected Player is unable to continue or is removed as a member of a representative team, the procedure for a replacement Player is as follows:

The Coach or Manager will notify the Subcommittee in the first instance.
Consideration will first be given to the Players identified as “next best”:
- Consideration will be given to a Player from a B team, where there is one.
  - All triallists are eligible to be reassessed by Selectors.
  - The triallist/s will be assessed in their club and/or school game on Saturday by the Convenor or their representative.
  - Following this assessment, the triallist/s may be invited to a trial at the representative practice the following Wednesday.
Consideration must be made as to the effect on the team that the Player is being transferred from e.g., is the team competitive? Would taking this Player weaken the team? Would the transferred Player be on the bench? What affect may this have on the Player and the Centre?
Application for inclusion of the replacement Player in a team will be made to the Subcommittee.
On approval from the Subcommittee, the Convenor and Coach will then fill the position with the Player/s judged most suitable (possessing the required degree of skill and showing consistent performance).
Any payment required from the replacement Player will be pro rata and in consultation with the HPNC Treasurer.
Refunds for the replaced Player will be at the discretion of the HPNC Executive Committee.

General

Player fees

All Players will be charged a base fee for the representative season. Players who attend a pinnacle tournament will have an additional travel fee.
The cost of the base and travel fee is determined by the Executive Committee on an annual basis.
All fees are to be paid into the HPNC bank account by 30 June.
- A Player should alert their Manager if they consider they may be unable to meet the cost of the fees. The Manager will liaise with the Convenor to check that all avenues of funding have been exhausted and discuss a payment plan, if required. Exceptional circumstances will be examined on a case-by-case basis.

Domestic Event Limitations

As per NNZ rules for U18 Representative Players, Players can only play in two of the three Netball New Zealand Domestic Events (U18 Champs, Open Champs and NZ Secondary School Champs) in a calendar year.

Team Trainings

HPNC representative teams train on a Wednesday night. Teams that wish to train on another day must first seek approval from the Convenor.
Due to the amount of training and game time that Players are committed to within their school and club environments, only one representative team training per week is sanctioned by HPNC. Additional trainings must be approved by the Convenor.
Team trainings are held on Wednesday evenings from 6pm – 8pm.
It will be expected that Players maintain/improve on the fitness criteria as described by the Coach and in liaison with the Convenor.
Players may be required to undertake additional personal training (aerobic, strength, agility, speed) as determined by the Coach.
Attention by each Player is to be given to general health, diet, and maintenance of an injury free state.
Players must be punctual, respectful, wear suitable training attire and attend all scheduled trainings, unless excused for an adequate reason that has been previously discussed with the Coach or Manager.
Failure of a Player to attend training without substantial evidence of a legitimate reason may result in expulsion from the team. Such a decision will be made in consultation with the Convenor.
Players who have any relevant health condition must immediately notify the Coach and ensure appropriate treatment is observed.
- Players in travelling teams must inform their manager before departure of any prescription or non-prescription medication they require while travelling.

Injuries

Injured Players must still attend trainings, despite not being able to partake in all training activities.
If a Player is injured during a tournament, the Manager must inform a parent or nominated caregiver as soon as is practicable.

The Manager will be responsible for ensuring Players receive adequate First Aid treatment at tournaments. In the case of an injury requiring treatment at an Accident + Medical Centre, the Manager or another delegated individual is to accompany the Player to the Accident + Medical Centre.
- HPNC will pay any reasonable medical costs incurred during the initial visit e.g., x-rays, consultation fee, prescription costs.

Players are responsible for managing existing injuries e.g., strapping, ankle/knee braces etc.
The cost of any medical assessment or treatment during the season, or management of existing injuries including strapping tape, will be met by the Player/parent.
An injured player must produce a medical certificate to the Convenor that states they are fit to return to play.

Uniforms

HPNC will organise a uniform fitting schedule for each team. A deposit of $100 must be paid by each Player to receive a uniform.
The uniform is to be worn for tournament play only.
- Exception: Players may wear their sponsored training tee to practice.
HPNC tracksuit pants and fleeces|hoodies must be worn when travelling to and from the pinnacle tournament unless permission for alternative attire is sought from the Convenor.
Black bike shorts or similar are to be worn. These should be no lower than the skirt/dress. No bra straps are to be visible. At no time should tracksuit pants be worn under the playing uniform.
No jewelery is to be worn.
Hair ties and hair ribbons are to be black, maroon or gold only.
White socks and appropriate netball footwear must be worn with playing uniform.
Individual caps/beanies may not be worn unless part of the designated team uniform, and if so, must be in HPNC colours only.
Players must take particular care of all uniform items and are responsible for replacing any lost or damaged clothing.
At the conclusion of the representative season, each Player is to return the HPNC uniform to their manager in a clean and tidy condition. The manager will then return the whole team’s uniforms at a date/time arranged with the Convenor. This will be within 2 weeks of the conclusion of the final tournament or after team photos, whichever is later. When a team’s uniform has been returned in full, deposits will processed and return to the Players by way of their nominated bank.

Behaviour of Players

Players shall be bound by the conditions as identified in the HPNC Player Agreement.
Players shall always maintain a professional standard of dress (as listed above in ‘Uniforms’) and behavior when attending representative fixtures.

Smoking, consumption of alcohol and/or use of drugs is not permitted whilst in uniform or in any public place during a representative fixture.
Players are required to cooperate with Coaches and Managers, respect all arrangements made by HPNC, maintain a courteous attitude to Umpires and other officials and act with a high level of sportsmanship at all times.
Players are expected to exercise a spirit of loyalty to their team and maintain the high standards of HPNC both on and off the court.
Failure to comply with the HPNC Representative Policy and Procedures or HPNC Representative Player Agreement enables the Coach and Manger the authority to take such action as they deem fit, in consultation with the Convenor.
If a Player is sent home early for misconduct or poor behavior, she shall be required to reimburse HPNC for any additional expense incurred by HPNC due to her expulsion.
If a Player requires any form of medication prescribed by a Health Professional, or over the counter medication, this should be discussed with the Coach and Manager who will confirm that the prescribed drug does not contain a banned substance under the NZ Sports Drug Agency schedule.
Players will, if directed, participate in Drug Testing in accordance with the NNZ Drug Policies.
HPNC and all its participants will comply with the NNZ Regulations on Section 4 – Harassment Free Netball and Safe Netball for Children (documents available on NNZ website). Players are to notify breaches to the Convenor in a timely manner.

Photographs

Candid photos and/or official team photographs may be used on the HPNC website and/or Facebook page, or utilised for other advertisement purposes that HPNC deems appropriate. If a player does not consent to their image being shared, they are to notify the Convenor as soon as possible.

Evaluation

Players may be asked to complete an evaluation survey at the conclusion of the season.

Complaints

If any person (e.g., player, coach, manager, umpire, or spectator) has a complaint regarding any aspect of the representative season, the team Manager is to be consulted in the first instance.
- The Manager will attempt to resolve the issue using the following means or actions, as deemed necessary:
  - Listening to the nature of the incident
  - Offering possible solutions to the incident
  - Imposing simple consequences, in consultation with the Coach
  - Explaining to the complainant what further actions they could take
- When resolved, the Manager must report the issue to the Convenor.
If the Manager is unable to resolve the issue, the complainant can consult the Convenor to negotiate and resolve. This policy will be used as the basis to resolve the complaint.
If there is still no resolution after these steps have been taken, the Convenor can submit the issue to the Executive Committee for review at the next committee meeting (or earlier, if required).

Review Process

This policy, as well as associated documents, will be reviewed on an annual basis.