Over the years Newton Youth Hockey (NYH) has developed and grown through the dedication of many quality families, coaches and players. Its policies and procedures have developed out of past experience and changes in the youth hockey world. In order for our families to have a better understanding of the core principles and guidelines for NYH, we have prepared this policies and procedures disclosure which provides a general overview of many of our policies.
While these policies are current, they may change. Although we have attempted to include existing policies, it is possible that certain policies will not appear in this document. No document can anticipate every circumstance or question about our policies. As NYH continues to grow, the need may arise and NYH reserves the right to revise, supplement, or rescind any policies provided herein.
Registration
All NYH players will participate at the level specified by USA Hockey Rules for their age. Registrations are held in the Spring prior to the tryout for the following season.
No player or coach will be allowed to take the ice in September without first registering with USA Hockey, obtaining a valid USA Hockey Confirmation Number, and sending the confirmation number to the NYH registrar.
Tryouts
Tryouts for all travel teams (Mite-Midgets) will begin in late February and conclude mid-March. The Board of Directors is responsible for establishing the rules and formats associated with the tryout sessions. Note that to be eligible for tryouts, a player must be registered in advance online at www.newtonyouthhockey.com.
The purpose of tryouts is to evaluate a player's skating ability and hockey skills in order to place him or her within a team that will provide the best environment for improving their self-confidence and enjoyment of the sport of ice hockey.
Players or families that have past due tuition balances from prior seasons will not be allowed to try out until outstanding balances have been paid in full or satisfactory payment arrangements have been made with the association's Treasurer and President.
A Board-approved evaluation group using a scoring system approved by the VP of Travel will evaluate skating ability, hockey skills, and game awareness at each level during scheduled tryout sessions. All levels will include a scrimmage component as part of the evaluation process.
Additional input to a player's respective hockey abilities and understanding of team concepts will be provided by the previous year's coach(es). That input will be solicited through a standardized player evaluation form that is provided to coaches prior to Spring tryout. The evaluations are confidential. At no time will the evaluations be shared or witnessed with any non-approved Board member including parents or players.
NYH Board recommends all players attend all tryout sessions. A player is mandated to attend the tryouts to be placed on the appropriate team. Regardless of the player’s ability, the failure to attend the minimum 2 tryouts requires that the player to start at a lower level in September. In the fall of the new season, depending on team compositions, players may be considered for promotion through the call-up process.
When a player's inability to attend the tryouts as a result of a family-related conflict and/or illness or injury, a player may request in writing that they be evaluated by the a three-member committee consisting of the President, VP of Travel, and Coaching Director. This is only in extreme cases, and no evaluation will be conducted unless the request is provided in writing to the President and Registrar prior to the commencement of the tryout process. Any decision on whether such an evaluation will be conducted will be made by the Executive Committee within 10 business days of the written request.
In accordance with Massachusetts hockey’s rules and by-laws, non-Newton residents are allowed to tryout providing they are not fiscally delinquent with tuition payments from another town or program. All non-Newton residents are held to the same rules as a standing NYH member. No NYH team may have more than 3 players from any outside program unless it is approved by the Executive Committee and the Massachusetts Hockey District 9 Registrar. All requests for roster exemptions outside this three player limit are required in writing by the head coach prior to the completion of the roster. An Executive Committee ruling will be issued within 5 business days of the hearing and final approval is subject to approval by the Massachusetts Hockey District 9 Registrar.
Team Assignments
All players wanting to be placed on a travel team for the upcoming season must register and attend tryouts. Team assignments will be determined using tryout evaluations and the prior year coaches evaluation. The top-rated players within a particular level will be placed on the "A" team, the next highest players on the "B" team and so on. Roster sizes and cut off points will be highly dependent on the size and composition of the overall player pool. All NYH rosters are subject to the final approval of the Board of Directors.
Team placement is a serious and demanding process, and fairness to all involved is tantamount to NYHs reputation among its members. In the event that following the selection and positing of teams, there is a question on a player's team assignment, any questions or inquires must be made in writing to the Board of Directors (VP - Travel if available) within 10 business days of the team assignment notification. Telephone calls are not permitted.
It is NYH's policy to place players based upon their skills relative to the players they are competing with for each season. A player’s current year team placement does not guarantee placement at the same level for the following season. In particular, contraction or expansion of teams within a level does occur based on the fluctuating numbers from year to year. This may result in a player being placed at a lower level for a successive season in the same division.
Prospective players relocating to the Newton Youth Hockey area will be assigned to a team, roster size permitting, based upon an on-ice assessment of the coaching staffs at the appropriate age level. These assessments and placements will be performed in the Fall when the teams initially return to the ice. Players moving into the Newton area after tryouts have been conducted are eligible for participation on any team within their respective level. Players residing in Newton that fail to attend tryouts without receiving a proper waiver from the Executive Committee, will not be eligible for consideration for that level's "A" team.
Placement Requests
Specific team assignment requests are generally not permitted and should only be made in cases of extreme hardship. All such requests must be submitted in writing to the Board of Directors detailing the need for the placement and will be considered only if the request is for participation on a lower level team within the player's age bracket. Placements will not be made if it would significantly impact the makeup and skill level of a lower level team.
Playing Above Age Level
As a rule, Newton Youth Hockey does not permit players to tryout above his/her age level. There may be a situation where the program allows a player to tryout in a higher age bracket if that placement is determined to be beneficial to the program as a whole. All petitions for placement above a player's age level should be submitted in writing directly to the President of the Association and any decisions will be subject to the approval of the Board of Directors.
If a player is found to be in violation by playing out of a registered age level without Board of Director approval other than being allowed to play up a level for no more than six league games, they will be subject to an Executive Committee of the Board of Directors disciplinary hearing. Both the player that player's coach--if they had knowledge of such a violation--may be suspended from participation in the program for up to 1 year.
Tuition
NYH shall be governed by a strict No pay, No play policy. Any player with an outstanding balance will not be allowed on the ice for practices, games or scrimmages until their account is paid. No player may register who owes from the previous year.
The Executive Committee shall adopt policies and procedures for the enforcement of the No Pay, No Play policy, including but not limited to assessing late fees and or interest on any amounts due.
Except for Midget players all tuition fees for Travel players shall be paid in full no later than November 15th of each season. The Executive Committee may in its discretion provide for the payment of tuition in payment of installments.
Fees for Midgets, Intramural and Learn to Skate programs shall be paid in full at the start of each season. Any player with an outstanding balance will not be allowed on the ice for practices, games or scrimmages until their account is paid. No player may register who owes from the previous year.
The only exceptions to this requirement will be the extent to which particular players and their families are eligible for (subject to the final approval of the NYH VP of Finance) or Injury Credits. Please refer to those specific sections of this policy for additional details.
The fee for the 2021-2022 season for the Mites is estimated to be $1,845 and Squirt-Bantam levels is estimated to be $2,095*.
NYH reserves the right to change the tuition before September 1st 2021.
*Midgets, Girls Program, and Middle School tuition may vary given the duration of each season.
Fees: Registration, Tryout, Roster, and Late Fees
All players trying out for a Travel Team will be required to pay a $150.00 non-refundable registration fee payment prior to tryouts. The payment will be applied to each individual skater’s tuition for the 2021-2022 season.
Players that have past due tuition balances from prior seasons will not be allowed to try out until outstanding balances have been paid in full or satisfactory payment arrangements have been made with the association's President (president@newtonyouthhockey.com) or Treasurer (treasurer@newtonyouthhockey.com).
Rosters will be posted on the NYH website by mid-May.
Please note that for the 2021-2022 season a non-refundable "Roster Payment" of $400.00 is due by May 1st in order for a player to:
1) Secure their place on a travel team roster
2) Be allowed to participate when the season commences in the Fall.
A late fee of $200 will be assessed to any player not paying the Roster Payment by June and the original team placement may be changed.
Registration and Rostering payments will be applied to a player's overall tuition for the season and are forfeited if the player leaves the program after June 1st for any reason.
Registration/Tryout and Rostering fees must be paid in full, when due, for each participant. In addition, late payments will be subject to a $50 monthly fee if not paid in full by November 15th.
Fee / Tuition Schedule
Registration Payment……….February/March…….…….$150
Rostering Payment…………..May 1st .…………………….$400
A late fee of $200 will be added to the total fee if the June 1st rostering payment is not received on or before June 1, 2021.
Tuition Payment……………...September 1st ...………..$500
Tuition Payment……………...October 15th…… ……....$balance
Midget players must be paid in full by September 1st, prior to participating for their respective team.
Players who do not maintain their accounts on a timely basis may be suspended in accordance to NYH No Pay, No Play Policy. Any player with an outstanding balance in excess of 15 days past a scheduled due date may not be allowed to return to his or her respective team until the balance is paid or satisfactory arrangements have been made with the program's Treasurer.
If you anticipate any difficulty in meeting the payment schedule, you are obligated to notify the program's Treasurer (treasurer@newtonyouthhockey.com) at the beginning of the season or if you know that you will be unable to meet a particular NYH payment deadline. Requests for alternative payment plans (Scholarship) will be kept strictly confidential. A limited number of scholarships shall be granted each year by a committee consisting of the President and Treasurer. There shall be no further dissemination of information about scholarships. All applicants must be willing to pay at least 20% of the tuition fee. Documentation must be submitted to verify the need.
There will be a $20 fee assessed for any returned check. Payments may be made online at www.newtonyouthhockey.com or via mail.
Payment Address
All payments should be sent to:
Newton Youth Hockey
P.O. Box 153
Auburndale, MA 02466
Refund Policy
The payment schedule and policies of Newton Youth Hockey are reflective of other youth hockey organizations in Massachusetts in the sense that the program requires members to pay their participation fees in full soon after the season commences. The cost of ice is a significant portion of Newton Youth Hockey's operating expenses. The ice expense comes due very early in the season. Accordingly, certain payments are non-refundable and non-transferable as defined above.
The payment schedule is such that it corresponds with the timing of NYH obligations. As a result, no refunds will be issued for voluntary discontinuation.
Any player still in the program after October 1st will be required to meet the program's full tuition requirements for the season unless the player's circumstances are reviewed and approved as a special hardship case by the Executive Committee.
Injury Credit Policy
If a player is unable to participate because of illness/injury, hockey related or not, he/she may be eligible for a monetary injury credit subject to the review and approval of the NYH Treasurer. The following criteria will be used when evaluating a player's injury credit:
The injury/illness must be at least 4 weeks duration.
The player's circumstances will be reviewed upon their return to their respective team except in situations where a player will be out for the remainder of the season.
The injury/illness must be verified by the "Coaching Director" and the length of absence verified by that player's coach with a doctor’s note validating the illness/injury and that the player is authorized to return to play.
If these criteria are met and the Treasurer approves the credit, the dollar amount will be determined by using the participation fees for that level, net of Registration and Rostering fees, divided by the number of weeks in the season and multiplied by the number of weeks the player has missed.
Conduct
It is the Board's unwavering expectation that everyone associated with the Newton Youth Hockey program will conduct themselves in a dignified and respectful manner at all times. NYH follows the USA Hockey Zero Tolerance Policy.
In an effort to provide an atmosphere conducive to learning, it is critical that all players and parents / guardians conduct themselves in an appropriate manner showing respect on and off the ice for their teammates, coaches, parents, opponents, referees, and property. Initial infractions will be handled with warnings from the coaches. If continued misconduct occurs, the parents will be contacted, and result in suspension or removal of the child from the program pending a review at the Board level.
It is the policy as written by USA Hockey that there shall be no bullying, sexual harassment and/or physical abuse of any minor participant involved in or associated with any and all activities organized and sponsored by Mass Hockey. For a complete description of these policies refer to the USA Hockey Annual Guide.
