Please ensure that you have read this document prior to utilizing any of the S.A.F.E. Star Resources compiled by Softball Ontario.

What are Standard Operating Procedures?

A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is a set of written instructions that document a routine or repetitive activity followed by an organization. The development and use of SOPs are an integral part of a successful quality system as it provides individuals with the information to perform a job properly, and facilitates consistency in the quality and integrity of a product or end-result.

Every organization has a mission, a purpose, a reason for being. Often the mission is the reason that the organization existed in the first place - to meet an identified need. In the case of softball associations, the mission usually includes providing playing opportunities for a defined group of people, encouraging healthy active living, and meeting other similar needs.

As the leaders of a Softball Association, you need to understand the importance of a constitution. A constitution is simply a set of written rules or an agreement governing the aims of your organization, how it will run and how the members will work together.

A constitution is important for your Softball Association to have because...

Bylaws are the ruling documents of an organization or the organization’s board of directors. Bylaws are critical, because they tell the board how to conduct its business. However, because bylaws are more or less set in stone, it is in the interest of the board to keep them as brief as possible. Bylaws should set forth the basic structure and abilities of the board. Everything else – such as policy recommendations – should be kept elsewhere...

Incidents of official, player and spectator abuse are now commonplace in all sports. In fact, finding examples of behaviour in sport that we would acknowledge as violent is not difficult. And it is not just players committing acts of violence. Although not as frequent, there has been an alarming number of violent incidents perpetrated by coaches and by spectators...

The purpose of this article is to provide general information on the nature of a not-for-profit corporation and guidelines on how to incorporate such a corporation.

Meetings can be anywhere from heated to excruciatingly boring, but either way, it is necessary to document them with good meeting minutes. If this task goes to you, you need to know the proper way to write meeting minutes for your own records as well as the others who attend...

Public relations is a powerful tool for any voluntary organization. Public Relations can:

• Increase awareness of your organization
• Promote a positive image of your organization
• Influence donor attitudes and decisions
• Build attendance at special events
• Increase volunteer recruitment
• Help establish your organization as a good citizen within your community
• Supplement your paid advertising budget in a very cost effective way

In particular, using public relations effectively is a key factor in planning a successful event. Getting positive free publicity should be one of your main goals for any volunteer event. In this toolkit, you will finds valuable tips, templates and information to help you create effective media materials, and interact professionally with the news media...

Any disciplinary hearing held by a Softball Association should provide certain minimum rights to the parties for whom the hearing is held. The following is a list of the rights that should be provided...

Every organization has to keep records. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) stipulates that if a tax return is filed on time, records should be kept for a minimum of six years after the end of the tax year to which they relate. If the return is late, records have to be kept for six years from the date of filing of the return, and if a taxpayer files an appeal or an objection, records have to be kept until the issue is settled and the time for filing any further appeal expires or until six-year period has expired, whichever is later. To destroy your records before the minimum six-year period ends, you need written permission from the CRA...

Softball Associations are advised to keep a central record of each of their Policies and Procedures in an effort to manage risk. The Risk Management Manual should ideally include reference to...

Recruiting volunteers for your Softball Association; is there a more frustrating task?

The LEARN TO PLAY PROGRAM is a revolutionary way of introducing the sport of Softball to children. Activities are included which foster the involvement of ALL players, including players with high and low skill levels. The child will experience excitement, enjoyment and success. Activities and lead-up games are patterned after informal playground games that promise an hour of FUN and LOTS OF ACTION. Participants will go home at the end of the night happy and tired, while improving their fitness level...

Simply put, periodization — designing a yearly plan — is time management. It provides a detailed plan for arranging the complex array of training factors into a logical and scientifically-based schedule to produce optimal improvements in performance. It means planning the right activities with an adequate degree of difficulty and in the right sequence to reach the coach’s training and competition objectives for each player and the team.

Periodization is an essential component in optimal sports programming and player development at all levels. Planning adequately for training, competition, and recovery is the critical blueprint for success.

An easy to read chart developed from Softball Canada's "Long-Term Player Development Guide for Softball in Canada" recommended ratios for practices to games for all ages groups.

An easy to read chart developed from Softball Canada's "Long-Term Player Development Guide for Softball in Canada" recommended compeition formats for all ages groups.

An easy to read chart developed from Softball Canada's "Long-Term Player Development Guide for Softball in Canada" recommended playing time and number of positions played at each age level.

This article summarizes some of the key steps in writing effective marketing emails. It focuses mainly on producing good copy rather than using the right technology.

The Long Term Player Development Guide for Softball in Canada recommends that Softball Associations hold a special softball event for the FUNdamentals and Learning to Train stages of Long Term Player Development (LTPD). The softball event, which can take place in the form of an Achievement Day, a Skills Day, a Softball Festival or a Softball Jamboree, is meant to take the focus off of competition and instead put the focus on what they players have learned during the season and the fun that they have had. 

Softball Ontario has designed two instruction manuals for hosting a special softball event for the FUNdamentals and Learning to Train stages of LTPD...

The Administrator’s & League Executive’s Code of Conduct was developed by Softball Ontario’s Respect My Game Committee, as part of the ‘Respect My Game – Participant’s Handbook’. Download to view...

Help to maintain the success of your Board of Dirctors with a Board Evaluation Policy and Survey!

A template to help your Softball Association develop its own By-Laws. Simply fill your organization's name in the blank spaces and have the finished product approved at your Annual General Meeting. Also see the By-Laws document in the Best Practices Section.

A Coach’s Code of Conduct was developed by Softball Ontario’s Respect My Game Committee, as part of ‘Respect My Game - A Guide for Coaches’. Download to view...

The Code of Conduct for Officials was developed by Softball Ontario’s Respect My Game Committee, as part of the ‘Respect My Game – Participant’s Handbook’. Download to view...

A template to help your Softball Association develop its own Conflict of Interest Policy. Simply choose one of the two options, and fill your organization's name in the blank spaces.  The finished product must be approved by your Board of Directors.

A template to help your Softball Association develop its own Conflict of Interest Waiver. Have the template approved for use by your Board of Directors, and follow the directions on the Waiver for each person who completes the form.

A template to help your Softball Association develop its own Constitution. Simply fill your organization's name in the blank spaces and have the finished product approved at your Annual General Meeting.

It is the hope of Softball Ontario that Softball Leagues and Associations can run effectively and within the spirit of the game. It is however recognized that from time to time issues arise that have the potential to harm the reputation of a Softball Association or League and softball in general. To that end a guideline has been devised to best help clubs deal with these issues internally and in doing so minimize any ‘ripple effect’. Softball Associations and Leagues should be aware that these guidelines are secondary to any Softball Ontario Policies and Rules or Provincial / Federal Law.

This procedure, once adopted may be used by a Softball Association to address issues of discipline that do not fall under any of the aforementioned regulations.

The Code of Conduct for Officials was developed by Softball Ontario’s Respect My Game Committee, as part of the ‘Respect My Game – Participant’s Handbook’.

A template to help your Softball Associaiton with the reporting and tracking of injuries.

These templates will help you format your media materials, and give them a professional appearance:

• Calendar Listings Announcement
• Media Advisory
• Introductory News Release
• Press kit news release
• Follow-up News Release
• Organization Backgrounder
• Biography

Also see the Public Relations Toolkit: For Voluntary Organizations in the Best Practices section.

A Player’s Code of Conduct was developed by Softball Ontario’s Respect My Game Committee.

A template to help your Softball Association develop its own Conflict of Interest Policy. Simply fill your organization's name in the blank spaces.  The finished product must be approved by your Board of Directors.

A template to assist your Softball Association in creating a Softball Festival or Jamboree as outlined in the Long Term Player Development Model for Softball in Canada.

Included is a sample of Softball Ontario’s Athlete Development Pathway as it relates to Local Softball Associations. The full Athlete Development Pathway – which includes Provincial, National and International levels of competition – can be found online at www.softballontario.ca.

Your Softball Association can utilize the Pathway model to create your own Athlete Development Pathway, incorporating all of the various levels of competition and programs available to the players within your Softball Association.

A Spectator’s Code of Conduct was developed by Softball Ontario’s Respect My Game Committee, as part of ‘Respect My Game - A Guide for Parents’.

A template designed to assist your Softball Assoication in creating a Volunteer Screening Policy, including Police Records Checks.  Simply fill in the blanks with your Softball Association's information, and have it approved by your Board of Directors.  

A template designed to assist your Softball Association in creating an Emergency Action Plan.  Simply fill in the blanks with your Softball Association's information, and have it approved by your Board of Directors.

This Emergency Action Plan Template is based on the Emergency Action Plans submitted to Softball Ontario by Doug Scott from Newmarket Minor Softball Association as part of Newmarket’s SAFE Star Rating Application.

This template shows a logical progression from an entry-level volunteer role to more senior volunteer positions with the Board of Directors (or Executive Committee) of the Softball Association.  It is not essential that every volunteer move through this pathway, but experience at previous levels will be of distinct benefit in the next level.  Relevant experience may also have come from occupational or other volunteer endevours. 

Your Softball Association can utilize this Athlete Development Pathway model to create your own model, incorporating all of the various levels of competition and programs available to the players within your Softball Association.

Please note that there are many different ways to create your Athlete Development Pathway, Softball Ontario encourages Softball Associations to conduct their own research into how to create the best Pathway for your Association.