Volunteers

SWAT Hockey is a volunteer-run organization, and it depends on the volunteer assistance of its members to function successfully. Volunteers are essential to maintaining and growing SWAT. The more volunteers we have, the better our association becomes!

Volunteer deposit program

SWAT HOCKEY VOLUNTEER COMMITMENT FORM

  • Each family (unless they have paid the opt-out fee) must provide a completed volunteer form and two undated deposit cheques of $250.00 - one for the league volunteer requirement and one for the team volunteer requirement.
  • Please fill out the Volunteer Commitment Form and mail it with your undated volunteer cheques to SWAT within seven days of registration.
  • The number of volunteer commitments for each family is dependent on the number of players and which category the players are in.
  • All player families are required to complete one league commitment and one team commitment per enrolled player.
  • SWAT Hockey prefers families complete a volunteer commitment than pay the opt-out fee.
  • In the event that a family does not complete their volunteer commitments by March 31, the deposit cheque(s) will be cashed.

Opportunities that count towards the league requirement

  • Executive Board Members
  • Head Coach
  • SWAT Ice Melter Tournament (March)
  • SWAT Ice Maker Golf Tournament (August)
  • Minor Hockey Week (January)
  • Oil Kings Night
  • Casino (August, every second year)
  • Evaluations (September)
  • Apparel (various dates)
  • Equipment Handout (September)/Return (April)
  • Photo Assist (October)
  • Timbits Jamboree (Fall and Winter)
  • Other special events as communicated by the club

Opportunities that count towards the team requirement

  • Head Coach
  • Assistant Coach (maximum of five per team; entire season)
  • Team Manager (one per team, entire season)
  • Team Tournament Coordinator
  • Parent Liaison (one per team, entire season)
  • Jersey Parent (home or away for the entire season, bring to games and launder as required)
  • Time Keeping or Score Keeping (min 10 games)
  • Bench Help – all on a shift basis (generally in the Initiation program only)
  • Team Raffle Ticket Coordinator
  • Team Fundraising Coordinator
  • Game Sheet Manager
  • Year End Party Planner
  • Equipment Manager (Initiation)
  • And any other duty as agreed to by the coaching staff

Volunteer deposit program FAQs

How do I find volunteer opportunities?

  • SWAT Hockey identifies those interested in Coaching and Assistant Coaching during registration, so please note your interest on your child’s registration. All league volunteer opportunities will be shared via email from SWAT Hockey and involve a link to sign up for the various events throughout the year. There will also be opportunities available for each team that you can sign up for once your child has been placed on a team.

If I complete all my volunteer commitments, will I receive my cheque back?

  • After completing the minimum number of volunteer commitments, your deposit cheque will be shredded. Alternately, you can ask SWAT to keep the deposit cheques from year-to-year to facilitate the registration process for the following season.

How are these volunteer jobs tracked?

  • The Team Manager will track the team volunteer commitments, along with the SWAT Administrator who is tracking the league volunteer commitments for the entire club. Team Managers should assign team roles at the beginning of the season and should submit a list of team commitments to the SWAT Administrator when requested.

What if I have more than one child in the SWAT Hockey Club? How many deposit cheques are required?

  • SWAT requires EVERY family provide TWO (2) undated deposit cheques for each enrolled player in the amount of $250. Please make cheques payable to SWAT Hockey and leave the date blank.
    • Example: if you have one child in Junior Timbits and one child in U-9, you will need to provide four $250 volunteer cheques. The four cheques are broken down as two cheques for the Junior Timbits player and two cheques for the U-9 player.

Will I be contacted prior to my volunteer deposit cheque being cashed?

  • SWAT Hockey will send out opportunities to volunteer to all members, but the responsibility is the family’s to ensure they have volunteered so their cheque is not cashed. Our hope is we have no cheques to deposit.

If I pay out my volunteer fees does that excuse me from participating in any fundraisers for the club?

  • No; while we cannot make fundraisers mandatory (such as our annual raffle), participation in fundraisers such as these helps to generate funds for our hockey association and keep registration costs down.

What happens if I don't show up to a volunteer commitment?

  • A no-show leaves event organizers in a very difficult spot as they have no time to find a backup and it takes a volunteering opportunity away from another parent. As a result, if you fail to appear for a volunteer commitment, your league deposit cheque will be immediately deposited. Cancelling your shift on the sign up website within 24 hours of your shift and not notifying the organizer is equivalent to a no-show.

Where do I send my completed volunteer commitment form and deposit cheques?

  • Once online registration has been completed, all required registration documents and fees, if paying by cheque, can be mailed to: SWAT Registrar, PO Box 21121, ​Edmonton, AB T6R 2V4.