SMHA is looking for all teams - Players, Coaches & Parents -  from U9 to U18 to step up and be more respectful to our on-ice officials. SMHA looks forward to everyone's cooperation.

All teams will be expected to follow a Team Mission statement this season:

All (Coaches, Players, Parents and Fans) associated with the INSERT TEAM NAME will be respectful of the on-ice officials at all times:

• We will not yell at the officials during or after the game
• Our team will follow proper SMHA procedures for providing feedback on officials.
• We understand that there may be serious consequences for not adhering to our team mission statement.

The full board-approved Action Plan is below:

2025-26 SMHA Parents, Fans and Coaches – Respect for Officials Action Plan

Introduction:

SMHA has done a good job making coaches understand that verbal abuse of officials is unacceptable.  We are far from perfect so efforts will continue. There has been improvement due to stern actions on suspensions as well as awareness / education such as the green arm band program.

The next group of people that will be targeted to improve their behavior towards on-ice officials is the parents of players.  Yelling at officials during the game or after games is not acceptable.

2025-26 Action Plan:

1. Asking Coaches to take a Leadership Role to encourage a positive team culture
   Andrew Bailey will be in contact with every SMHA Head Coach prior to them hosting their initial parent meetings.  SMHA will be requesting that all teams implement a Team Respect for Officials Mission Statement: 
   
   All (Coaches, Players, Parents and Fans) associated with the INSERT TEAM NAME will be respectful of the on-ice officials at all times:

• We will not yell at the officials during or after the game

• Our team will follow proper SMHA procedures for providing feedback on officials.

• We understand that there may be serious consequences for not adhering to our team mission statement.

This message will be reinforced at all SMHA Coaches Meetings & at Zone Coaches Meetings.

We want our coaches to take the leadership role that the team falls under them and for the coaches to set a culture of sportsmanship.  Parents will be made aware that SMHA supports teams implementing internal warning and team discipline procedures for violations of the Respect for Officials Mission Statement.   SMHA will contact head coaches with a warning if a team is not adhering to the mission statement. 

If a second incident occurs with the same team, SMHA’s Discipline Chair will work with the team to determine next steps – be it a team meeting that the Discipline Chair calls to address the issues or possibly the implementation of a Parents Code of Conduct infraction if one parent is the problem.

2. Education Program via social media provider:

SMHA will roll out a season-long education and promotional plan that will utilize TeamLinkt messaging and all SMHA social media channels to further emphasize the Respect for Officials Mission Statement.  By promoting via social media, we will get the messaging out there beyond just our own MHA - maybe it will help normalize behaving better and hopefully other MHA’s / Hockey Sask follow suit like they did with the green arm band program. 

3. Referees made aware of the action plan:
SMHA wants to ensure our referees know we have their backs and we want to encourage them to use the tools they are provided with to report any issues – online incident reports will be emphasized since they lead to quicker awareness for SMHA.

        4. Referee Supervisors:
             SMHA will ask that supervisors introduce themselves to coaches to explain their role and to                    reinforce the Respect for Officials Mission Statement in place for all teams.

Andrew and Clint will also be working on pursuing more experienced hockey people to take the Hockey Sask Level 9 officiating course to increase our presence in rinks.

5. On-Ice, In-Game Management:

- Officials will be asked to write up any incidents with parents or fans via the SMHA online incident report (preferred) or on the back of the game sheet.

As has always been the case, senior officials will be instructed to ask unruly fans to leave the game if they are comfortable to do so.

6. Team Effort:

• All SMHA Board members and staff will be asked to be vigilant while in the rinks and to remind teams of their commitments to the Respect team mission statement.

• Team Managers and Team Wellness Coordinators will also be made aware of this action plan as it is in the best interest o all involved with the game that we have a positive environment in our game.

Approved by the SMHA Board of Directors October 6 2025

Thank you for your support!