2016 Annual Report
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
The 2016 season was a year of growth and development for Abbotsford Lacrosse with many significant achievements
being recognized.
The Association set out this season with a new constitution and newly configured executive to achieve two main goals:
to focus on coaching development and providing coaches with appropriate tools to do their work; to resupply the
organization’s equipment. I was very pleased with our progress on those two goals. Two coach development clinics
were held with Paul Delmonte, to further the lacrosse knowledge within this organization and our equipment manager
had a very busy season, building comprehensive coaching bins for each team, ordering new jerseys, new nets, etc., as
well as developing positive relationships with new vendors that culminated with securing a 10% discount for all
Association members at Sport Zone in the process.
This season started with a re-branding of the Association, complete with a new logo on new team jerseys for our senior
level teams (PeeWee and up). A new clothing vendor provided updated options for team swag including new shorts,
warm-up tees, hoodies and bags. These, along with coaching golf shirts, gave the Association a whole new professional
look.
A more structured pre-season and player evaluation process marked the beginning of the season for our players, both
returning and new. “Dust off the rust”/try-it sessions were held over February and March, with two special sessions held
featuring Garrett Billings from the Vancouver Stealth. These sessions allowed our players to get a good leg-up on the
season with over 20 hours of pre-season playing time being realized. In addition, a formal, objective player evaluation
process was implemented for Novice, PeeWee and Bantam levels with multiple sessions, culminating in scrimmage
sessions at the Abbotsford Center to finalize teams.
We also “went paperless” this year with the implementation of online registration and the introduction of the ePACT
electronic system for player medical and emergency contact information.
Our teams performed exceptionally well this year, with three of our senior teams (Midget B, PeeWee B and PeeWee C)
making it to provincials. Congratulations to our PeeWee B team who placed second in the province this season!!
I would like to sincerely thank the Executive team for all their dedication and effort this past season. They worked
tirelessly to achieve the goals of this organization and promote its success. We are learning what it takes to make both
our players and coaches better and we are committed to continuing that development. We are focused on further
growth in our membership and looking for opportunities for development. It is important that we take advantage when
such opportunities come available. Bringing in high-level coaches to assist in developing our coaching program can only
benefit our players over time. Let’s commit to going that extra mile.
On a parting note, I look forward to my final year as president and see it as an opportunity to ensure that this
Association continues to grow, to ensure we have good people in place to achieve our goals and to ensure that we seek
the support of the city such that they see us as a valuable asset that deserves their support. I encourage everyone to get
involved and volunteer as we continue to try to build on the success of this past year. Only by having a strong volunteer
base, can we truly achieve the goals we have to build this organization into a truly great lacrosse association.
Sincerely,
David Goulet
2016 List of Accomplishments
 Implemented successful pre-season “try it” and “dust off the rust” sessions (January – March 2016)
 Offered 2 Pre-Season Player “camps” with Vancouver Stealth’s Garrett Billings
 Implemented objective Player Evaluation/Team Selection process for senior teams (Novice –
Bantam)
 Outfitted 5 senior teams with new uniforms
 Offered 2 Coaching Development Sessions with External BCLA Coaching Resource
 Provided Level 1 coaching certification to 20 new coaches
 Enhanced coaching (Level 2) certification to 5 coaches
 Increased overall registration by 10% over last season
 Augmented Association team count by 1 team over last season
 Named 3 players to BC Summer Games teams (for Box and Field)
 Named 2 players to the Bantam Jr. A Stealth team
 Competed at the Midget and PeeWee B & C Provincial Championships
 Raised over $7000 at our major fundraising event (Bottle Drive)
 Celebrated our PeeWee B team who won Silver at BC Provincial Championships
EXECUTIVE REPORTS
President: David Goulet
Looking forward to next season, the Executive has identified several key goals that we will be working towards.
Goals for the 2017 Season
 Complete transition to NEW uniforms for all teams
 Develop a Technical Coaching Mentorship Program
o Goal: to enhance lacrosse coaching technical knowledge (LAX IQ) within the Association to provide
superior lacrosse training to our players
o Develop an Association “Coaching Philosophy” to guide all new/continuing coaches regarding
expectations
o Investigate/Hire a paid technical coach to develop coaching program (mentor/develop Head/Assistant
coaches)
o Outline a coaching mandate that corresponds to the Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) philosophy
from CLA
o Investigate potential for paid coaches at A and/or B levels (funding dependent)
 Develop “Paid Coach” application process
 Focus on Association Sponsorship/Fundraising
o Goal: to obtain paid sponsorships from multiple donors to create option for development of coaching
programs
o Create a professional Sponsorship package for all levels of sponsorship potential
o Create a fundraising program
 Bottle Drive
 Pub Nite (mandatory tix sales/team)
 Silent auction/basket draws
 Investigate Draw through BC Lotteries
 Sales Initiatives (ie. Hanging Baskets, Food Orders/Pies/etc.)
 Implement a GIRLS Development Program at MT/T levels with the goal of creating a Girls Novice team in 2018
o Implement a Female Lacrosse Representative position on the Executive team
o Continue to promote/develop girls teams at all levels over coming seasons building from Novice
Treasurer: Kia Hamilton (Acting)
The Treasurer position became vacant in late December 2015. The budget required frequent re-evaluation due to some
unknowns on upcoming expenses as I learned the position. The attached financial report now clearly outlines all
expenses which will hopefully create an easier transition for the next person in this role.
The current balance for the general account is $9,400, with cheques outstanding in the amount of $430 that have not
yet been cashed. There is a further $1,750 in budget expenses that may occur prior to registration payments coming in.
Next season will start in a much better financial position, with a balance of approximately $7,200, allowing some preseason purchases (ie. shorts, new player sticks, coach’s equipment, etc.) that will assist with an organized and early
kickoff in 2017.
The gaming grant received from the Province of BC this year was used to its full advantage getting with the purchase of
much needed equipment and jerseys for Midget, Bantam and Peewee players. A gaming grant was submitted
successfully this season with the assistance of Clare Ellison. The status of this year’s grant remains unknown at this time,
but if accepted, with be used for further purchase jerseys and other equipment, as well as continue with our focus on
coach development. There is also a possibility that the city will start charging for the use of the outdoor practice box, so
funds will be set aside from the gaming funds in anticipation of this potential added cost. See attached 2017 budget for
details.
We will be altering how team shorts are distributed next season by embedding the cost in the registration fees. This will
mean each player will receive new shorts every year, but this will greatly simplify the distribution. It will also allow the
association to pre-order shorts and have them available at the beginning of the season for everyone. On a side note, I
would like to sincerely thank Hailey DeLisser for all her assistance and efforts this season with ordering and managing
the clothing, especially due to some of the challenges working with a new vendor.
The implementation of a “manager float” system for the senior teams relating to the payment of out-of-town referee
fess was very successful and minimized excessive cheque writing over the course of the season. This system will be
implemented across the board next season for the payment of both in-house and out-of-town refs.
Recommendations for 2017:
 Purchase promotion signs for advertising registration for December/January
 Increase advertising efforts on Facebook as an effective tool to increase visibility of the Association
 Process an early bulk order of shorts based on last year’s sizes to have available to all players at the beginning of
the season
 Increase registration fees to include cost of shorts
Vice President (Mini-Tyke – Novice): Craig Campbell
As VP for Mini-Tyke to Novice, I would like to express how smoothly the season went, with minimal to no complaints.
Coaches were asked at mid-season and end-season whether any problems were encountered and the only significant
concern noted was a lack of floor time for the mini-tyke teams to practice. This issue was resolved with the assistance of
the floor allocator. Recommendations for next season will be to secure both box and arena floor time for every team,
but this will be dependent on securing additional floor time from the City.
Several parents have voiced a desire to have a tyke “rep” team to allow the more experienced players to play together
and allow the lesser experienced players to have greater opportunity to develop their skills. Frustrations occurred when
the less experienced players did not have significant opportunity to participate in and contribute to the play during
games. This will be a challenge as tyke and below are not tiered and therefore players should be equally distributed to
balance out the calibre across all teams.
Generally, we had a great season with nothing but positive feedback from parents and players regarding how well
everything was run right from pre-season “try it sessions” onwards. Finally, a huge thank you to all the parents and
players for participating in the Stealth clinic and the tunnel run and mini half time game! It was a great success and we
will endeavour to participate again in the upcoming season.
Looking forward to next year, I believe that fundraising efforts need to start early in the pre-season to allow more time
to secure sponsorship. This season was a great start to getting organized as an Association and I would like to thank
everyone on the Executive for the great job done this season. I am looking forward to building from here next year.
Vice President (PeeWee-Midget): Rick Kampf
First, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the players and parents at all divisions for an exciting season on
lacrosse!
My role this year involved overseeing the general operation of the more senior levels of the Association. The first task
was to ensure that the player evaluation process was objective and that teams were selected based on the criteria set
out. I believe this process went very well.
We did struggle this year with balancing the number of players on teams, especially at the Bantam level. The decision to
form three teams was one of the most difficult decisions we had to make this season. The final decision came after
much discussion and debate of the pros and cons. We are aware that not all families were pleased with this decision, but
we went with the option that we believed was best for the players. Early registration next season will allow a better
gauging of the numbers and greatly assist with decisions regarding number of teams, etc. I encourage all to register
early as we will likely have a more structured waiting list system in place for next season.
My other major task this season was organizing the annual fundraising bottle drive. I am pleased to say that both the
player/family turn out and the outcome were outstanding this year. We raised close to $7000 as an Association. Thanks
to all that came out to help out. It is a great way to bond as a group and the players get to know each other outside of
the arena. Stay tuned for more fundraising ideas early in the year.
I look forward to next year and continuing the great work that the executive has put in over the past few seasons. We
are looking to bring on other interested, dedicated individuals to continue these efforts. You do not have to take on an
executive role to help out. If you are interest and/or have questions about how you could help contribute to your child’s
development, even on a limited basis, please do not hesitate to connect with one of the executive members and ask
questions.
Registrar: Kia Hamilton
Registration was a roller coaster this year. We shut down online registration quite early in order to avoid over-filling
certain age groups. As a result, many in-person registrations were required, even beyond our big events. Unfortunately
this meant my attendance at numerous events and practices making it a very inefficient and demanding process. Efforts
did however pay-off as we grew in size over last season by greater than the anticipated 10%.
For the first time in recent experience waitlists were required for certain age groups to ensure sufficient registrations
were reached prior to declaring additional teams. Lengthy discussions were held regarding team size at the Executive
table, most notably regarding the Bantam division, which was eventually split into three teams.
In total, we had 199 players this year making up 13 teams: (2) Mini-Tyke; (3) Tyke; (2) Novice; (2) Peewee; (3) Bantam;
(1) Midget.
2016 Reg
# New 2016
Mini (10/11)
20
12
23
Tyke (08/09)
44
22
Novice (06/07)
38
Peewee (04/05)
# New 2015
2014 Reg
# New 2014
17
16
12
23
9
21
4
16
35
15
29
4
38
10
43
7
36
5
Bantam (02/03)
42
3
35
4
30
3
Midget (00/01)
17
18
1
19
199
63
2015 Reg
177
53
151
28
Unfortunately, we had more drop-outs this year than last: 3 due to injury; 2 due to other sport commitments; 2 due to
team placement/social reasons. Two play-down requests were granted by the league, with one tier up request granted
by the association.
Registration fees were increased for 2016 over 2015 due to increases in BCLA fees for insurance. Fees should remain
consistent for 2017, with the exception of the addition of $30/player to cover the cost of team shorts. Online
registration now allows for short size to be selected during sign up, allowing the Association to streamline the team
short purchase process for next season. This is consistent with other LMMLC associations.
Recommendations for 2017:
 Advise members early through email and Facebook that registration will be ONLINE ONLY with the exception of
in-person at the AgRec sessions.
o Investigate opportunity to have laptop set up for in-person online  Implement a Waitlist Policy for new and returning players:
o Recommend returning players have priority until January 1st, 2017 and then change to a “first come, first
served” priority
o Set team size minimum/maximum early and do not accept waitlisted players until sufficient numbers to
form an additional team are registered
o Recommend smaller team sizes for younger divisions to allow for greater playing time/development for
all players
o Set larger team minimums for older divisions to allow for season fatigue and injuries
 Open online registration early (December 1st) to allow returning players to have priority (as per new waitlist
policy TBD)
 Increase registration fees to include shorts.
Our growth from last season is promising, but further growth will likely be limited by potential floor time. It will be
imperative to work with the City to create solutions to this ongoing issue.
Looking forward to another successful season in 2017!
Secretary: Leslie Allan-Reed
This 2016 season has been one of rebirth for the Abbotsford Lacrosse Association. The organization was rebranded with
a new logo, the executive accomplished significant work towards building a better organization and systems were put in
place to ensure the ability for quality work to be maintained through the coming years. As new executive members and
volunteers come into the system to continue the management of this organization, the ground work has been laid to
ensure that any transition to new people will come with good, solid training and mentoring.
The executive successfully developed and implemented new operating policies and procedures to govern the work of
the organization, as well as implemented ePACT this season to manage our player emergency contact and medical
information and online registration. This allowed the organization to move to a paperless system.
New manager orientation was completed for all teams with the provision of a Team Manager’s Guidebook to assist new
volunteers with successfully navigating all the jobs required to successful manage a team. There was great feedback
from our team managers regarding the resources provided to them. A huge thank you to all volunteers that stepped up
to manage our teams this season! They did a phenomenal job keeping teams organized!
For next season one goal for the secretary position will be to complete an overhaul of the website to improve the ability
to provide information to our players and teams.
Head Coach: Dean Rasmussen
I am very proud of the improvements made this past season from a coaching perspective. We had a large number of
new coaches attend Level 1 certification sessions and augmented the training of 5 of our coaches to Competitive Level 2
status. I would like to personally thank each and every coach that stepped up this past season and volunteered their
time to assist with the coaching of our athletes. It is only through the commitment of those willing to step into this role
that we can be successful and competitive in the long run. Many of these individuals donated over 20 hours of time
before the season even got started by participating in the dust of the rust/try it sessions and player evaluations that got
us starting off on the right foot.
Two of the goals associated with the gaming grant this past season were to focus on coach development and ensuring
our coaches had the equipment to perform their roles effectively. I was very pleased with our efforts on both those
fronts. We were able to secure 2 coach development sessions with Paul Delmonte which provided our coaching with
some higher level strategies and tools to improve the lacrosse IQ of our players and allow them to be more competitive
with some of the other teams out there. Our equipment manager also did a fantastic job securing coaching bins with
pinnies, cones, first aid kits, etc. to allow the coaches to run drills and scrimmages effectively.
We implemented a non-parent coach policy that provided a monthly honorarium and financial compensation for costs
resulting from travel related to coaching their team. We had one non-parent coach at the Bantam level that this new
policy was relevant for. I would like to see this philosophy expand over future seasons to allow the Association to attract
some higher level coaches that can assist us in developing a solid coaching structure over time and build the overall skills
and knowledge of our coaches and allow for internal mentorship within our coaching ranks. This will of course be
partially dependent on Association fundraising and building sponsorships to financial support these goals.
Referee Coordinator: Manuela Barkovic
Floor Scheduler: Clare Ellison
Total costs paid this past season for floor time is as follows:
MSA (including time paid for by teams):
Exhibition Park (Ag-Rec):
Outdoor Box:
Total:
$ 9,783.22
$ 1,004.09
$
0.00
$10,787.31
Pre-season
This year Exhibition Park was booked pre-season for “try-it” sessions/registration, the new player evaluation process,
and 2 training sessions with Stealth player, Garrett Billings. These sessions were well attended and the Association was
billed $42.50/hr + tax for these times.
The Abbotsford Center was further booked pre-season for the continuation of the player evaluation process to allow for
scrimmage games. Times were also booked at this location to facilitate practice and exhibition games pre-ice removal at
MSA for teams at the Novice level and up. These sessions were billed at $38.50/hr.
Outdoor Box Time
Practice time at the Outdoor Box is an area of conflict with hockey. This resulted in reduced practice time on Sat/Sun
and no time allocated to ALA on Friday evenings this past season. All teams Novice and above were allocated 2
sessions/week, each Tyke team was allocated 1 individual session/week, with a shared 2nd time on Sunday mornings.
Mini-Tyke was able to secure one shared session/week mid-season after the arrangement for practices at Fraser Middle
were impacted. Additional weekend practice time was secured from hockey mid-season that was not being used by
them (on a 1-year agreement only).
This season there was no cost for Outdoor Box time, however it is rumoured that the City may charge for this location
next season. If so, there will be an impact to next year’s budget and implications for turning back unused time due to a
7-day notice period or be charged and/or potentially incur a loss of the timeslot (if it is unused too often).
Floor Time
The competitive season commenced prior to the removal of the ice at MSA that required a rescheduling of 8 games
within the very short tiering season. Collaborative work with Mission and Chilliwack and movement of mini-tyke/tyke
games facilitated this rescheduling.
MSA was rented consistently (every week) for games. Time not required must be returned to the City 7-days prior in
order to not incur a charge. Unused time was offered to teams for additional practice when the turnback timeframe
could not be met (ie. Start of season, following tiering break and during playdowns for provincials due to short notice of
changes). Every team was offered 1-2 extra practice times at MSA during the season (at the Association’s cost) and a
couple of teams purchased an extra timeslot at their own cost when they were offered out by email, before returning
them to the city, so that their practices were not weather dependent. There were only 4-5 occasions where floor time
was paid for but unused.
Rescheduling
Generally teams were good with contact regarding need for rescheduling game times. Trading times between teams
was successful in managing most game conflicts. Additional floor time was purchased on a couple of occasions
(available last minute) to assist teams with options. To offset costs, some of the conflict times were returned to the City
when no team could utilize that time.
Challenges for Next Season
1)
2)
Additional budget requirements to pay for Outdoor Box time should the City start charging for that location.
Securing sufficient time for both practices (Outdoor Box) and games (MSA) due to conflicts with hockey
(significantly challenges the ability to grow as an Association)
- Floor time is allocated based on historical contracts which means that there is very little option to add time to
new/future contracts
- Additional MSA floor time is needed to secure sufficient game slots (otherwise the addition of more teams is
problematic)
- This season some practice (outdoor box) time slots were traded between hockey and lacrosse to have back to
back slots instead of morning/evenings, but this would need to be reviewed yearly with hockey and is not a
guarantee for next season
- Recommendation: Request all current time slots PLUS an additional evening slot or Saturday slot for expansion
next season
- Suggestion: Question the City on allocation plan for next year – if is it by numbers of ABBOTSFORD athletes, we
may have more standing as floor hockey is a regional program.
Equipment Manager: Stacey Cap
It was a big year for the equipment manager position. Most of the gaming grant was directed towards purchasing both
equipment and jerseys to re-outfit the organization. Much time was spent pre-season negotiating prices and developing
relationships with new vendors. The Association was able to obtain 10% discount for all players at Sport Zone on
lacrosse gear purchases that should be marketed next pre-season. Major purchased included new uniforms that
outfitted our senior teams, goalie equipment and bags, refurbishing of nets, and coaching bins which included pinnies,
balls, cones, first aid kits, etc.
As of August 22, most goalie equipment has been returned (2 outstanding) along with all jerseys (2 outstanding goalie
jerseys). Coaching equipment bins from Bantam C and a partial supply list from Bantam A are outstanding. Many of the
box keys have also not been returned. Generally, all equipment has been returned in good working order. We will need
to replace a few pinnies and jerseys that sustained damage over the season.
Preparation for 2017 season:








First Aid kits to be taken in to Angel First Aid supplies in Langley to be restocked.
Order a minimum of 10 ice packs per team.
Order 24 balls/team + extras (approximately 12 for each team for mid-season restock) (Sport zone)
Order 2 new pinnies from (Sport Zone) to replace Midget’s missing ones.
Purchase 2-3 new goalie sticks
Purchase 2-3 new goalie bags with wheels.
Purchase team jersey totes (similar to equipment totes)
Refurbish nets at the practice box with stronger netting
Recommendations for 2017:






Consider the addition of a “Jersey Co-ordinator” position. Jerseys handed out in totes similar to equipment bins.
If there is grant money for more jerseys, they should be ordered by December from Extreme Threads (please be
advised: jerseys fit large)
Shorts to be included into the cost of registration and upon registration parents choose the size and shorts will
be ordered by registration closing date– can be then handled by managers before games begin when they get
jerseys and equipment.
May need to look into some more Cat 2 goalie equipment.
Equipment bins and jerseys can be distributed to head coaches or managers AND whoever leaves the deposit
cheque is responsible for the return.
Equipment bins and jerseys distributed all at one time not over multiple practice days and times
APPENDIX A
2017 Proposed Budget General Account
APPENDIX B
2017 Proposed Budget Gaming Account
* Please note: Confirmation of gaming grant approval has not yet been approved for this coming year.
APPENDIX C
2016 Financial Report General Account
APPENDIX D
2016 Financial Report Gaming Account