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Some of our news is on the Home page. Scroll down on that page to see several key articles.

The newsletters below contain the rest of our news.  Click a newsletter subject to open up that newsletter.

Our club also uses Facebook for unofficial and social inter-member communications. Sometimes, sudden play or clinic changes are also announced on Facebook. Only SAPC members are granted access to our closed group on Facebook.  Follow us on Facebook.

  • 2021-06-28 08:06 | Anonymous

    Outdoor Play At Alpine Begins July 5th

    Our long awaited official and organized return to the courts is most assuredly happening on Monday (next week!) July 5th, as best as we can presume, without delays of which we are aware, and as confirmed from the municipal powers that be! We shall soon stride onto the newly improved, acoustically dampened and thusly transformed, harmoniously -situated, residentially non-confrontational playing space we fondly call “Alpine.” The latest “drive-by” reports from this morning say they look ready now, so- we have a high confidence club play will in fact be the norm next Monday!

    Thanks to those that have volunteered as Captains so far. There are many play sessions already organized on our Outdoor Calendar, so- enjoy seeing your eligible rated session play opportunities, and planning your UV exposure accordingly!

    The Larose courts are now closed for that resurfacing project. We’re all looking forward to the new, premium experience at those once, challenging dimpled concrete ball-skip n’ spin games. Many of us have shown we’re apparently willing and able to play anywhere (think garages, parking lots, cul-de-sacs, nearby country towns), so, we’re very appreciative of this civic investment that will expand our available, local outdoor play space to the stretches of the north heights!

    We also welcome out of town, vacationing visitors to our play sessions. If you have some friends or relatives that are wondering if you can bring them to the courts with you, yes! Afterall, if they took care to pack their PB gear as a necessary element of their stay-cation, they’re very much like a lot of us that prefer not to let days go by without a visit to the courts!

    We are also restarting our beginners lessons. So for those who have been enthusiastic in sharing of your luv for this game, to neighbors, friends, flyer delivery folks, shopkeepers and people in traffic with their windows down…there will be opportunities to learn and get started on some basics!

     Upcoming Rating Clinics: Starting July 9th

    We are underway with planning some July dates for rating clinics. We’ll be sending out information emails to members when we have finalized when they’re happening, which levels are being offered and how to register. Stay tuned.

     Youth Development

    Our club has always been inclusive of discussing plans for developing junior players. Up to this point the focus has been on providing venues, sessions and mentoring for our adult membership. Now however, the momentum of interest from civic leaders, from PB Alberta and from our own membership, has now culminated in a framework for registering and inviting youth alongside adults in selected play sessions.

    Don’t fret though, we’re mindful of aging “energy equalities” and the expressed trials of keeping up with even just those dastardly agile 50-somethings, so we want to be organizing sessions where members can welcome the occasional youth player into their 4-some. We’ll be easing into this integration of youth, and you’ll soon be able to see those particular “adults & youth sessions” marked on the Outdoor Calendar.

    For all the info and to help answer some of your questions about our program development for youth and the process for registering youth, check out the club website Youth Membership page here, or find it from our SAPC homepage under "Explore Joining."

     Pickleball Canada Membership FAQ Website Page

    This website page contains all the useful answers to how this recent, grand, uniting systems project changed the way we register and pay our annual dues. Most pickleball clubs in Canada have adopted and integrated this Pickleball Canada (PCO) system into their own club process for joining & renewing.  See the FAQ page here, or click from our SAPC homepage.

    AGM Report

    This was conducted in early June, with attending members and your club Board. Our year’s business, finances, elections and bylaws were reported and affirmed. See the AGM Meeting Minutes .

     


  • 2021-05-30 09:02 | Anonymous

    Membership Registration: new process

    As previously mentioned, the Pickleball Canada National System (PCNS) will be implemented for most Alberta clubs May 31 to June 7.

    Here’s 2 things that will affect the way you register /renew for SAPC club membership.

    1. If you are trying to renew your membership for the period during May 30 to June 6th, you can’t.  Please simply wait. (There’s a blackout on new & renewals during this system conversion time.)
    2. After June 7, you’ll have to perform two steps to join or renew your SAPC membership. (We’ve also put these steps on our SAPC website)

     STEP ONE:

    • JOIN-RENEW with Pickleball Canada (PCO) & Pickleball Alberta (PA) all at once at this special website
    • At this site, you’re going to click the “JOIN-RENEW” button.
    • If you’re newly joining (first timer)..select “I AM NEW ...” option at the top of the registration form,  and after paying you’re going to get a Pickleball Canada membership #...write that down, you’ll need it for STEP TWO.
    • If you’re simply renewing…select “I am RENEWING ..." option at the top of the form.
    • NOTE: see the date you’re renewed until? It’s changed now to a calendar year (ending Dec 31st) That’s why your club fees are going to be different from the familiar $30-something bucks.

    https://secure.pickleballcanada.org/club/st-albert-pickleball-club/1005/

     

    STEP TWO:

    • Go to the club website.
    • Either:
         - Renew (by logging into your profile and selecting “Renew to 2022-0101”)

         - Or, click the JOIN button (for new members), and enter your new Pickleball Canada membership #.

    SAPC Website

    This new process is a condition of our affiliation with PCO and as a prerequisite for the insurance provided by them.

    We all must keep our PCO and PA membership current (paid up) for the entire period that you’re SAPC members. To avoid a PCO membership lapse, SAPC members must always renew their PCO memberships before renewing their SAPC memberships.

     

    JUNE 9th AGM: Must Register In Advance

    Please consider joining the AGM on Zoom on June 9th 7pm.  You’ll need to register.

    Check your inbox for the May 19th "Event Announcement" email that was sent with the registration link.

    EVENT DETAILS:

    Registrations for this event close at 6:50 pm on June 7 to enable attendance planning and reporting.

    Our Annual General Meeting is your chance to ask questions about the club's accomplishments, plans, past spending, and proposed budget, and it is your opportunity to elect members to the Board, the Nominating Committee and more.

    This AGM will be a video-conference, so you can attend by sitting in front of your computer.

    After registering, read the Registration confirmation email you get. It will tell you when to expect the confidential Zoom link you will need for the meeting.

    If you haven't used Zoom on your computer before, see the Guide for Online Participation on the Meetings page under the Club Mgmt menu on the SAPC website. Follow the Guide's instructions for pre-installing Zoom, the video-conferencing software.  

    Active Communities Outdoor Recreation Facility Project

    We’re also excited as a club to have been collaborating with Active Communities and the project for an Outdoor Recreation Facility. There’s been some good progress recently and we look forward to sharing more as things become official


  • 2021-04-29 09:31 | Anonymous

    CORRECTION: Elmer Gish School Kids are using Alpine Courts  This Week.  (There's NO indoor play at the School)

    The City informed us they have booked some Alpine Courts for the Elmer Gish School this week. (Sorry- there's NO indoor play at the school)

    • Friday April 30th 11:15am-1215pm- 6 Courts
    • Tuesday May 4th 1045am-12pm- 5 Courts

    Why two “membership” systems: Pickleball Canada & SAPC?

    Well, to remain affiliated with Pickleball Canada (PCO), all clubs must use PCNS for the registration and collection of PCO fees and Provincial association fees going forward. This helps PCO better manage their membership information which is pre-requisite to being recognized as a national sport organization in Canada. This recognition is important; it means a better coaching and officiating program Canada-wide and it opens the door to better funding among many other things.

    Unfortunately, this new system is still in its infancy. It works for membership management and some simple website management, but is not yet great at managing events, selling goods (like sticker cards), displaying play calendars, member news or other advanced web features. But this functionality and more will eventually come. Until it does, our club will continue to use our current (awesomely feature-rich) system. We know that seeing and keeping our play calendars is important, for example (and no one wants to go back to manually handling event registrations, fun as that is!).

    Questions? Email Ray at Treasurer@pickleballalberta.ca or Carol at Membership@pickleballalberta.ca. 

    Club Vacancies For Nomination: Opportunities to contribute - please reply by May 12th.

    Do you:

    ·        take pride in being a member of the St. Albert Pickleball Club?

    ·        have an eye for what it takes to make things happen?

    ·        have ideas that would make our club thrive?

    ·        enjoy seeing your ideas and efforts make a difference for other people?

    ·        see possibilities rather than problems?

    ·        want to be part of a team that has fun making our club the best it can be?

    ·        seek opportunities to use and expand your skills?

    If you answer yes to these questions, then you are just the kind of person we are looking for!

    In preparation for the June 2021 SAPC AGM, the Nominating Committee is providing notice to our members of upcoming opportunities to serve on the Board or in other capacities. 

    The Nominating Committee encourages all interested members, or members who know of potential candidates for the positions listed below, to step forward and make your interest known by emailing:  John Sandmoen (sandjoh@telus.net), no later than May 12th, 2021.

    Of the seven Board positions, three are up for election in June:

                Position:                                              Incumbent:

    ●       Secretary                                            Douwe Spriensma

           Treasurer                                            Ray Keroack

           Director-at-Large                                Tamas Virag

    Other positions open for election:                                        

    ·        Auditor  if a CPA, one person; if non-CPA, two:  Lawrence Taylor

    ·        Ombudsperson : No Incumbent

    ·        Nominating Committee Chair (one year term): No Incumbent

    ·        Nom. Committee members (2-4, one year term): John Sandmoen

    Recognizing that incumbents may have their name stand for re-election in their current position or another open position, all positions are deemed "open" for election. 

    Full job descriptions of each Board Member and the Nominating Committee can be found on the SAPC website, along with bylaws, strategic and annual plans, and policies – all of which helps to frame the Board’s responsibilities and governance structure. Here's some links to those pages:  Job Descriptions  Club Plans & Policies

    All Board positions are charged with the effective governance in matters of policy, finance, programs, volunteers and advocacy.  The Board meets monthly and the time commitment is 3-4hrs per month, including pre-reading for the meeting.  There may be additional time requirements for other roles. 

    The Financial Statement Review guidelines for non-CPA persons are posted on the website under the heading “other job descriptions”. 

    The Ombudsperson, as an independent and impartial party, provides members with an opportunity and method to seek redress on real or perceived abuses of power by those in authority. The Ombudsperson policy, detailing the job, is posted on the SAPC website.

    Club Bylaws: Proposed Revisions

    We’re sharing some proposed changes to the club bylaws that the Board has been working on over the winter and that we’ll be presenting at the AGM in June.

    This is your opportunity to provide feedback and ask questions. 

    Providing your input now will help us all be prepared at the AGM (and to minimize questions and further discussion during that time).

    Description of, and reasons for, proposed bylaw changes

    1.   The board proposes to bring our fiscal year and membership year in line with Pickleball Canada and Pickleball Alberta organizations to maintain our automated membership processes.

    1.4         The membership year will commence on January 1st and continue for twelve months. The anniversary for the membership year may be changed by a majority vote of members at a General meeting.

    2.19       The fiscal year of the society in each year shall be from January 1 to December 31.

    The changes are needed to align our integrated website registration processes.

    2 . The board proposes that setting of the membership fees and the approval of the annual budget be delegated to the board, with the option for the membership to provide direction on membership fees, for the next fiscal year, via a motion at the AGM.

    The existing bylaws state:

    1.1         Membership fees in the society shall be determined, from time to time, by the members at General meeting.

    Proposed bylaws:

    1.1         Membership fees in the society shall be determined from time to time by the Board, subject to Article 2.2 of these bylaws.

    Article 2.2 :

    2.2         The Board shall, subject to the bylaws or directions given it by majority vote at an Annual General Meeting properly called and constituted, have full control and management of the affairs of the society.

    Reason: Setting membership fees or changing the budget at the AGM, after the membership year and the fiscal year have already started, causes administrative difficulties and hampers budget and event planning for the year.

    In this way the board can plan the club activities before the start of the fiscal year with an approved budget. The membership has the option at the AGM or any society meeting to give direction to the board on future budget planning, as the membership has the final say in the affairs of the society.

    3. The board proposes to change the minimum age requirement for membership to 12 years in the bylaws and clarify the conditions of membership by the following clauses.

    1.2  Membership in the society is open to any person residing in Alberta being interested in the game of pickleball and being of the full age of 12 years, subject to the provisions of club membership policies, membership application procedures and any outstanding issues relating to prior membership in this society have been resolved to the satisfaction of the Board.

    1.9         A member of the society will be in good standing provided that the member:

    a. has not ceased to be a member;

    b. as not been suspended or expelled from membership, or had other restrictions or sanctions imposed;

    c. has completed and remitted all documents as required by the society;

    d. has complied with the bylaws, policies, procedures, rules and regulations of the society;

    e. is not subject to a disciplinary investigation or action by the society, or if subject to disciplinary action previously, has fulfilled all terms and conditions of such disciplinary action to the satisfaction of the Board and;

    f. has paid all required membership dues or debts to the society, if any.

    Currently the board needs to approve every youth membership below 18 years old individually, as stated in in the existing bylaws. These new bylaw clauses will enable the management of membership details via Policies and procedures and will reduce administrative work for the board.

    4.  The board proposes to add to the bylaws:

    3.1.1      Parliamentary Authority: the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern those cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with either these bylaws or any special rules of order the society or Board may adopt for their respective meetings.

    Our existing bylaws have parts of these rules of order included, but details on how to run meetings and resolve governance issues were missing or conflicting. This clause provides a broadly accepted way, and complete guide to, conducting business at our meetings.

    Adopting this Parliamentary authority will simplify our bylaws, and remove some conflicts between established rules of order and our bylaws, and provide a simplified and clear way of running small meetings like the board meeting.

    Various clauses in the proposed bylaws have been edited to conform to these Rules of Order, and details in the existing bylaws that are covered in these Rules of Order have been deleted in the proposed bylaws.

    This new clause will also allow special rules of order to be adopted for General or Board meetings and thereby help in doing business efficiently.

    5. The Board proposes to add to the bylaws:   

    3.1.2      Any society, Board or committee meetings may be conducted through use of Internet meeting services that support anonymous voting and support visible displays identifying those participating, identifying those seeking recognition to speak, showing (or permitting the retrieval of) the text of pending motions, and showing the results of votes. These electronic meetings shall be subject to all rules adopted by the Board, or by the Society, to govern them, which may include any reasonable limitations on, and requirements for, members’ participation. Any such rules adopted shall supersede any conflicting rules in the parliamentary authority, but may not otherwise conflict with or alter any rule or decision of the Society. An anonymous vote conducted through the designated Internet meeting service shall be deemed a ballot vote, fulfilling any requirement in the bylaws or rules that a vote be conducted by ballot.

    This statement is needed to properly authorize conducting our meetings via Zoom or other video conferencing apps.

    6. The Board proposes to add to the bylaws:   

    6.3         The Board will have the authority to interpret any provision of these bylaws that is contradictory, ambiguous, or unclear, provided such interpretation is consistent with the objectives, mission, vision and values of the society and the Societies Act of Alberta.

    This will provide a path forward, if a dispute arises. The membership still has the ultimate say, if not in agreement with the board decision, as per clause 2.2.

    2.8         A Director may be suspended, pending the outcome of a discipline hearing in accordance with the society’s policies related to discipline, by Special Resolution of the Board at a meeting of the Board, provided the Director has been given notice of, and the opportunity to be heard at, such meeting.

    This will avoid needing to call a Special Membership meeting when needing to suspend a Director pending the outcome of a discipline issue. As per the next clause, the membership will still be called on to remove a Director from Office.

    2.9        Directors or Officers may be removed from office at the pleasure of the membership as provided in the parliamentary authority.

    The board is working for the membership, so the membership has the final say.

    7. Here are some clarifying statements that have been added:

    Articles 2.1 and 3.2.4:   Directors having attained the age of majority

    This is required to meet Canada Not for Profit Director requirements.

    2.16       At the discretion of the Director or Officer, and approval by a resolution from the Board, any Director or Officer may delegate any duties of that office to appropriate volunteers or staff of the society.

    This is needed to allow delegation of some of the duties of the treasurer, assigned by these bylaws.

    1.8         membership, or any of its benefits are not transferable.

    Each member has to go through the application process and there are no refunds for membership fees.

    Needing to make the above changes provided the opportunity to clarify the wording of some other clauses, and to group clauses into their appropriate sections for easier interpretation and application of our bylaws. (On occasion we have misread the bylaws or needed to call an extra meeting to re-vote on a special resolution, because the rules were not spelled out.)

    On behalf of the board,

    Douwe Spriensma,

    Secretary SAPC

    And here for your convenience in referencing is a link to our Bylaws (that are found on the Club Management tab of our website page)

    SAPC Bylaws


  • 2021-04-03 10:32 | Anonymous

    Please see the attached Alpine Parking map, for where to park during the seasonal construction at Alpine.

    Players should park along Alpine Blvd.

    Look for the slightly "green arrows" on the right side of this map labeled "Pickleball Court user Street parking."

    (Yes, they are similar looking to the yellow "don't park there" ones.).

    Alpine Blvd Sanitary Project Map.pdf

  • 2021-03-30 18:56 | Anonymous

    Please see below for some important temporary restrictions and procedures for play at Alpine.

    Here is their letter to us.

    .............................................................

    The City of St Albert  is planning to reopen its pickleball courts as early as April 1, dependent on weather. Our priority is to ensure a safe and successful return to play and to align with all provincial public health orders. 

    While playing pickleball will be similar to last year, there are some modifications that are required for the facilities to reopen. As per provincial guidelines:

    ·       Organized (league) play is not available at this time. Pickleball members will be required to follow all public guidelines to access a court.

    ·       Only singles play is permitted on courts. Team and partner play is not allowed, even if you are from the same household. 

    ·       All courts are booked use only. Participants must sign up on the sheet provided prior to entering the facility.

    ·       Bookings are limited to 30 minutes when others are waiting to provide as many people as possible with access.

    Please follow all guidelines when accessing and using the City’s sport courts.

    .................................................

    We trust that our members will read, follow and help preserve our good standing with the City for the use of these courts.

    Booking the courts is done informally.  City Staff may be coming by the courts to monitor appropriate use.

  • 2021-03-18 09:43 | Anonymous

    Hello everyone!..the sun is shining and the snow is melting! We are all waiting patiently for the health regulations to change so that we can play pickleball! We are in constant communication with the City as well, and once we know when the courts are be open we will be posting the updates. (see this recent St. Albert Recreation News)

    We have so many things to work out! Will it be cohort play or not?  Will it only be outdoor play? These questions and all the details will be worked out in time. The one thing we have learned is that the rules can change daily! 

    We do know that the deficiencies at Alpine courts will be repaired in May and June. Due to this construction, we don't know what the schedule can be for Alpine. We will however make plans so that we can be ready for play! 

    We have received excellent news about Larose. Later in the summer, the Larose courts will be resurfaced and there will be six “INDIVIDUAL”  courts with a “walkway”, and the Pickleball courts will be separated from the tennis courts by a fence. This is wonderful news for Pickleball in the community. The plans look good! 

    We are also working with the City on suggested arrangements for club access (and scheduling) at the courts. In preparation for outdoor play anyone who wishes to captain please email:

    Venue Manager” (Eileen)

    In this email, please state:

    -what session you would like to captain

    - what level of session

    - if you are willing to captain in your cohort

    The venue coordinator will follow up with the captains once more information is given by the city in regards to scheduling. (A captain's meeting will also be organized in due time.)

    This year has been very different for all of us. I hope you have all stayed healthy. While we have been staying home, the work of the board continues. The facilities task force also has continued to work. Before the shut down we had looked at warehouses to consider our options for possible indoor play. “ Covid “ put an end to that plan but we also learned lots in our search.

    Thank you to the board for  giving of their  time consistently throughout the last months.

    We all have learned to do things differently, through necessity. I do know that we are all looking so forward to seeing everyone and playing pickleball again, so until then stay safe everyone, and be healthy! 

    --

    Live, laugh, love, play pickleball
    Eileen McClean
    President of SAPC


  • 2021-02-13 10:48 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Proposed Pickleball Fees for 2021

    Summary

    After reviewing several reasons to increase and decrease our membership fee for 2021, your board proposes fees remain at $30 (plus GST), if paid before April 1, and $35 thereafter. More specifically, it was recommended the fees: 

    • go up $20 to build our capital reserve for future facilities,
    • go down $10 due to possibility of a shorter playing season or other Covid restrictions,
    • go down $10 due to shorter membership year, which will end December 31, 2021 to align with Pickleball Canada,
    • possibly go up $5 due to higher Pickleball Canada fees (effective Apr 1), and
    • explicitly show the GST added-on.

    Comments welcome.

    Details, Rationale and Your Input!

    Thanks again to each and every one of the 30 SAPC members who reviewed the club's proposed Capital Reserve Strategy called "Investing in our Future."  Twenty-eight of the 30 respondents agreed the club should be building a small reserve to become the down payment or seed money for possible future indoor and outdoor pickleball facilities.

    When we asked for your input to this strategy, we specifically asked if we should build a capital reserve by adding 15% to our future prices, or whether we should take a more aggressive approach, as some clubs in BC have done, to more quickly expand their indoor playing capacity. For example, one BC club  doubled their membership fee from $30 per year to $60 per year, and together with sponsorships and municipal funding, were able to put a $1 million structure over some outdoor courts, turning them into indoor courts.  The majority of the respondents to our informal poll favoured this more aggressive fund-raising approach.

    In keeping with this support, your board had initially considered a membership fee increase that would be moderate-- more than 15% but not as aggressive as some BC clubs. In particular, the Board considered recommending an annual fee of $50 for 2021, with the surplus funds for the year going to a capital reserve for future facilities.  However, there are  other factors which now cause us to rethink this approach. 

    • One factor is that COVID-based closures or play restrictions may inhibit some play or shorten our playing season in 2021. So for this reason, we thought we'd  recommend an annual fee of only $40.
    • Another factor is that we need to  change our membership year to be compliant with a new Pickleball Canada national standard pickleball membership year which will now go from Jan 1 to Dec 31, starting in 2022.  This means our 2021 membership year will only go from May 1 2021 to Dec 31 2021. So now your board recommends  our membership fee for 2021 be dropped back to $30 plus GST.

    Do you know that $10 of the $30 we collect has been relayed to Pickleball Alberta ($5) and to Pickleball Canada ($5), to secure your membership in those organizations?  This not only supports the national development of our sport, it buys you sports injury insurance while playing in club-organized events.

    This leads to a fourth factor affecting rates for 2021. Pickleball Canada needs to charge $10 per member.  Insurance costs are rising and their volunteers are well past any reasonable volunteer capacity (and we can vouch for all the hard work they are doing -- it is phenomenal.)  So they need to hire a part-time Executive Director this year. At $10 per member in Pickleball Canada, they will still run a deficit this year. Although not yet officially announced, Pickleball Canada's price increase is expected to be effective April 1, so if you buy or renew an SAPC membership between March 1 and March 31, you would see it still available at $30 plus GST. Consider it a sale price!

    When to Pay

    Membership fees for 2021 are due before May 1. If Covid keeps us shut down past May 1, some of you may wish to delay renewing your membership until play actually starts. We understand. Please also know that your club does have some on-going costs, like IT systems costs, that must be paid whether we collect revenues or not. Also, as your club is still 100% volunteer run, our costs are very low compared to all other organized sports. We encourage early payment, even if you are not yet playing -- consider it a donation to support your future fun, because you know we will be playing again eventually.

    Process will change likely in June

    And while we are talking fees and systems, please also note that we are working closely with Pickleball Alberta and Pickleball Canada to bring in a new national system for membership management. This will complicate our club's membership registration process when it goes live in Alberta, sometime after May 1, so you can save yourself a bit of trouble this year by renewing using our current process, on or before May 1.  Stay tuned for more on this new system in upcoming communications.

     ----------------------------------------

    If you have a comment, concern or suggestion regarding club, Pickleball Alberta and Pickleball Canada membership fees, please email your board c/o Ray Keroack at Treasurer@pickleballstalbert.ca


  • 2021-02-02 14:05 | Anonymous

    Pickleball Canada National System (PCNS) Update to Clubs - 2021-02-01

    Summary for SAPC

    • PCNS will change how members register and renew, commencing this June (after the upcoming March 1 to May 1 membership renewal cycle).

    If you have questions about PCNS, please email Ray Keroack at Treasurer@pickleballstalbert.ca

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    image.png   

    This email was sent by Pickleball Alberta (PA) to Alberta clubs. It has been edited for SAPC members.

    This is our second update to all clubs regarding the Pickleball Canada National System. A lot has happened since our first announcement on January 13th (which has been posted to SAPC's news as an earlier newsletter). We’ve learned a lot more about PCNS and are working closely with Pickleball Canada (PCO) as the system evolves and gets closer to implementation.

    This communication is intended to summarize why, at this point in the evolution of our sport, an integrated national system is a priority. As well, this update highlights some actions clubs can start planning to do as we prepare to implement PCNS in Alberta.

    Why is a National System important at this time?

    ● An integrated system used by clubs, provincial associations and PCO will save thousands of hours of volunteer time and improve the integrity of membership data. This is true at the club, provincial and national levels. Further, a centralized membership management system will result in lower aggregate system fees spent by clubs, provinces and nationally. Pickleball has developed rapidly across Canada as a volunteer-based organization. Without streamlined more efficient membership management resources, given the current and anticipated increase in members, we are at risk of burning out volunteers.

    ● Pickleball Canada is working towards becoming a recognized national sports organization. Once this is achieved there will be long-term annual funding for Pickleball in Canada from Sport Canada. To promote the sport and qualify for grants and other funding programs, it is essential to have solid membership demographic information available at local, regional and national levels. Currently this is missing at the national level and hampers our discussions with Sport Canada and other potential partnership and funding organizations.

    ● A national system will provide members with ease of access to information about national programs and initiatives, as well as news and events across Canada. It will reinforce to members that they are part of a vibrant Canadian pickleball community.

    ● Over time, the system will evolve to support all aspects of the game including event management and skill rating.

    What are the benefits of a National System to Affiliated Clubs?

    ● An online membership system reduces club volunteer time spent maintaining member information and handling membership fees.

    ● The member is able to enter and keep their personal information up to date which improves the accuracy of information.

    ● Clubs have access to information for only their club members and can use PCNS to:

    • Prepare membership and financial reports
    • Send emails to all or a subset of members
    • Filter and search for members that meet certain criteria (e.g. skill level, age category, etc.)
    • Export membership data and update information such as club ratings
    • The club section of PCNS can be customized to provide local information and news on a webpage that members can readily access. A link to the club’s existing website, Facebook or other social media can be added to this page allowing seamless access to information. There is no additional fee for this basic webpage.

    ● Clubs can customize the questions to ask members when they join or renew (e.g., volunteer interests) and can add specific club policies such as waivers or code of conduct.

    ● Clubs will be able to set up their own online goods or product sales

    ● In future enhancements the club will be able to set up and manage events

    Other good reasons for Clubs to affiliate with PA and PCO

    ● By formally affiliating the club is lending their support to the vision and goals of Pickleball Alberta and Pickleball Canada and has a voice in the development of pickleball. In Alberta, we now have clubs in all provincial sports zones – this demonstrates that clubs and members support PA as a recognized governing body for pickleball Alberta and PCO as a governing body for Canada.

    ● Affiliate Clubs have access to the Pickleball Canada Insurance Program – Commercial General Liability Insurance, Directors and Officers insurance and members are covered for Sport Injury insurance.

    ● PA and PCO help clubs achieve their goals through event promotion, governance support, player development and officiating development. Affiliate Clubs will be kept abreast of important information as it relates to “best practices” related to pickleball.

    ● Your club’s connections to other affiliated clubs in the region and in the country can help your club in terms of working with municipal authorities to build and accommodate more pickleball facilities and securing related grants.

    ● Your club and members are helping to make pickleball an even better sport for all ages and abilities, by supporting the development of competitive play, coaching, refereeing, and thriving recreational play in your community. You are building a legacy.

    How can Clubs start getting ready for PCNS implementation in Alberta?

    ● Review and formalize affiliation with PA by signing the Club Affiliation Agreement. 

    ● Prepare for a change in membership year to January 1

    • Review club by-laws, if applicable, to determine how Membership Year is defined and what needs to be done to change it. Your club may need to put forward a resolution to a General Meeting or AGM to make this change. (Gary Marcellus is leading this review for SAPC.)
    • Prepare for a short year – May 1 to December 31, 2020. Decide on club fees for this shorter period. Note that the membership fee for PA will be $5.00 for this eight-month period. (The PCO fee will be $5 if purchased before April 1, and $10 thereafter.)
    • Start planning for the annual membership renewal to change to later in the year. While the renewal period for May 1 to December 31, 2021 will open in early March, the first renewal reminder email for January 1 to December 31, 2022 will be sent on December 1st.

    ● Identify the “key contact person” who will lead the PCNS implementation at your club level and be your club’s primary liaison with the PA PCNS implementation team. (This is done for SAPC. It is Ray Keroack.)

    ● Clubs should consider whether it’s appropriate to create a small implementation team involving members who handle memberships, finances or technology for the club. (Done for SAPC. Other team members are directors Tamas Virag and Carol Mah. Other SAPC volunteers are welcome - contact treasurer@pickleballstalbert.ca if interested.)

    ● Review PCNS and start thinking about how to set up your club for the initial implementation. You may change this over time. For example, to use PCNS to collect club fees you will need to have a club bank account. You can set the club fee to $0 initially and change it when you are ready.

    ● Start communicating the upcoming changes with your members and let them know why it’s important for our sport. (Hence this SAPC news posting!)

    What is the anticipated timing for PCNS implementation in Alberta?

    ● We will be working throughout February, March and April to get most Alberta clubs familiar with PCNS and to help them get set up. This would facilitate a “cut-over” to PCNS for membership registrations, as of sometime in June.

    ● This means we would continue to use our current membership system (the Pickleball Alberta Wild Apricot (PAWA) system and club processes) for the upcoming May 1 membership renewal period until we can plan to phase out PAWA.

    ● This timing will evolve and may be adjusted. PA is interested in hearing your thoughts on this proposed timing. It is essential that clubs are ready for the transition as well as PA so we want to hear from you.

    What are the PCNS Costs and options for Clubs?

    ● The primary cost is a processing fee for all transactions that is charged by Trackie, the company that is developing and will maintain PCNS. The processing fee is $0.50 plus 4.9% of the amount of the transaction. This covers the payment processing plus system maintenance. Clubs can decide if they want to have members pay this fee, in which case it’s added on to the invoice OR if they want to absorb the fee. If the club absorbs the fee then Trackie deducts the processing fee from club fees collected.

    ● If a club is using PCNS to invoice and collect payment for club fees, the club decides when it wants the fees to be transferred from the PCNS account to the club bank account. There is a transaction fee of $1.25 for each bank-to-bank transfer.

    ● PCO will charge an annual system fee that is earmarked for future system developments. For example, the development of an interface from a tournament management system to PCNS. There is no fee for small clubs. The fees for larger clubs will be from $100 to $200 per year. This fee is waived for 2021 for all clubs and will start in 2022. Note that there are no additional fees for the club website address, website and functionality that is built into PCNS.

    How will Clubs be kept informed?

    ● An important task of the PA PCNS implementation team is to communicate with and educate clubs in how to set up and use the membership pages in the national system. This will include written information and guides, video tutorials prepared by Trackie, occasional online meetings and so on. 

    ● The PA PCNS implementation team sits on the PCO National System team that is led by Kirk Jensen as part of his PCO Board member role. There is great interest and support from across Canada to make PCNS a system that will support pickleball in all jurisdictions. This work continues to be led and undertaken by many volunteers.

    ● If your club has a question – just ask and we will do our best to answer or obtain an answer if we don’t have one. There is a lot that the PA team is learning and compiling so that we can develop FAQs and admin guides for Alberta clubs to access.


  • 2021-01-30 13:46 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    It’s Almost Here – The National System Coming to Alberta and its Clubs in 2021

    Summary for SAPC

    • As with other clubs in Alberta and across Canada, our membership year will have to be changed to run from January 1 to December 31, starting January 1, 2022. This also means the 2021 membership year will have to go from May 1 to Dec 31, 2021.
    • How we renew memberships will change for the 2022 year. The "how" will not change for our regular 2021 membership renewal.
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    image.png   

    This email was sent by Pickleball Alberta (PA) to Alberta clubs.

    As discussed at the (PA) AGM and in monthly updates throughout the year, Pickleball Canada’s (PCO) integrated National System is coming to our province and our clubs.  It handles membership management at the individual, club, province, and national levels.  In time the system will be developed to support competitive play, rankings, and other sports management functions.  This project was initiated in 2018; two representatives contributed as part of the specifications design team (Ray Keroack of St Albert Pickleball Club and Helen Thompson of Edmonton Pickleball Club).

    The primary goal of the initial roll out of the National System is to reduce volunteer time spent on handling our growing membership and to improve the integrity of membership data.  Currently, clubs and provinces use a variety of systems which require manual intervention to transfer required data from club to province, and province to national.

    Considerable work has been completed on the National System thanks to many volunteers.  It is being implemented in a staged process across the country, province by province.  A demonstration of the system capabilities has been made to provincial representatives and a demo “beta” site is available to review.  Refinements are still being made to the system and it is anticipated the system will continually be enhanced as we gain experience with it and club requirements evolve.

    Pickleball Alberta (PA) is currently reviewing the system functionality in depth and considering scenarios for transitioning from PAWA (Wild Apricot) to the National System.  From what we’ve seen, we believe the system will meet the membership management needs for most clubs and will significantly reduce volunteer time for membership management, so we are looking at how to transition to the National System in 2021.

    Development and implementation of the National System is being led by Kirk Jensen as VP Competitions and Sport Development for PCO.  The PA evaluation and implementation team is Beverley Walker, Past President; Brenda Feser, Membership Director; Blair Morton, Technology Director and Ray Keroack Treasurer St. Albert Pickleball Club.

    Overview of the National System

    • Meet Trackie– Trackie, is the company that is programming and will host the National System.  Trackie is a Canadian company based in New Brunswick.  They have developed and maintained systems for other provincial and national sports organizations such as Track and Field Canada and Taekwondo Canada.
    • Customized Club Home Page – The National System will host the Pickleball Canada website.  Each provincial association and club will have a ‘home page’ that is hosted in the National System.  This page can be readily customized to provide club information and used as a simple website.  Alternatively, a club can provide a link to an external website in order to provide members seamless access to club information.
    • Unique and Shared Emails – The National System is based on members entering and maintaining their own personal information.  While unique emails are recommended it is possible for a family to use one email address for more than one member.
    • Integrated Membership Fees – When a member joins or renews their membership with a club, their PA and PCO memberships are included.  The National System “splits” the membership fees so that the club, PA and PCO each receive their respective annual membership fees as long as the club has set up a bank account for the club.  Note that clubs can set the club fee to $0 and use the system to track their membership information and to collect PA and PCO fees.
    • Multi Club Memberships – The National System allows members to join more than one club and collect PA and PCO fees only once.
    • Unique Club Membership Fields – Common membership data (such as name, email, and select demographics) is viewable by the club, PA and PCO.  Clubs may ask members to provide additional information that is only viewable by the club (e.g., volunteer interests).
    • Unique Club Waivers – Waiver of Liability acceptance is built into the online application / renewal process.  Clubs and Provinces can customize this area to meet specific local or regional requirements.  For example, Code of Conduct acceptance can be included.
    • Mass Emails – In its initial phase the National System also includes emails and newsletters.  Mass emails may be sent from the system or data can be exported to other software such as MailChimp
    • Future Features – Functionality for event registration and a store feature are under development and expected in the near future.  These functions would be available at the club / PA and PCO levels.

    Change in Membership Year

    PCO, in consultation with Provinces, has recently determined to move to a January 1 to December 31 membership year.  PA will transition to the same year and we encourage clubs to do the same.  Aligning the membership year will significantly streamline membership management and simplify the integration of membership management at all levels.  While we need to determine the details, it is our plan to shorten the upcoming membership year to May 1 to December 31, 2021.  The 2022 membership year will run from January 1 to December 31, 2022.

    Costs

    In our current PAWA (Wild Apricot) membership system, PA pays a usage and development fee to Wild Apricot of approximately $6,000 per year or $1.50 per member in 2020.  Payment processing fees are based on the number of transactions and the amount of each transaction ($0.30 plus 2.9% of the dollar value).  These fees are almost entirely absorbed by the clubs who are using PAWA to collect and manage their memberships. 

    In the new National System, the usage and development fees are tied to the payment processing fees, and together these are 5% of the dollar value of each transaction. These fees are calculated separately for club, PA and PCO fees. Starting in 2022 PCO is looking to introduce a modest annual fee for provinces and large clubs to help fund future national system enhancements.


    Pickleball Alberta is excited about the possibilities of this system as it truly has the potential to dramatically reduce volunteer time spent managing membership applications, renewals and fee payments at the club, PA and PCO level.  Considering all three levels, thousands of volunteer hours could be saved each year.

    Further details on the system will be coming soon.  We are planning a system demonstration in the next few weeks and will advise details.  If someone from your club would like more information at this time or is keen to help out with this project at the provincial level please reply to me.

    Beverley Walker

    Past President, Pickleball Alberta

    -------------------------------------

    Keep your paddle up!


  • 2021-01-23 18:46 | Anonymous

    Happy New Year!  Still Waiting for the OK

    We hope your mild winter holiday weeks were grand! St. Albert and the surrounding areas have a wonderful access to other activities if you’re so inclined. If you’re more into reclining, then we also hope you’ve discovered some rewarding pastimes.

    Some of us may be betting folks, but there’s low odds in successfully predicting a return to club play.  All we can do is guess, but the Board is ready and prepared to resume club play as soon as we get the “all clear.”  We are proceeding with club business and keeping the light shining for when we can all come back.

    In the meantime, perhaps some of you can relate to these new substitutes for our previously active PB lives.

    1.  Binging HGTV Mexico Life. (Did you see the house with its own PB court!)

    2.  Zooming with the grandkids just doesn’t cut it!

    3.  Cajoling any household member for play along in your DIY kitchen, tool room, or garage dink court...(ok, I confess to that one).

    4.  Not looking in the mirror unless you have to.

    5.  Life journaling for posterity..(because someone in the future has to remember this crazy epoch)

    6.  Adopting a pet, then maybe two more.

    7.  Ardently trying Spanish, again.

    8. Every day's joy is the Amazon delivery.

    9. You need three drawers now for your PJs and comfy clothes.

    ..and #10

    10.  A self-rewarding (have a swig!, have a bite!) point system for any sit-ups or stretches!

    Future Facilities

    Recently in November when we canvassed you all about a willingness to plan for funding future facilities, we received enthusiastic feedback and support for the idea. A special thank you to all the members who not only took the time to read at least part of the report but who also took the time to provide input. All this input was so positively supportive that we have adopted the plan. We will also continue to take direction from that feedback as we begin to implement it. 

    This plan considers both our immediate need for more courts and projects the future popularity of pickleball when even more play facilities will be required. It has lots of good stuff about what we need, what the possible opportunities are, and how we should be planning, now, to build up some of the initial funding needed for additional future facilities. As intended by this plan, our club strategy is to positively improve our revenue generation and capabilities to serve our members’ playing needs.

    We’ve also benefited from the good thoughts and contributions of our club’s Facilities Task Force. The Board apparently enjoys “over the holidays” assignments and has posted the full plan on our SAPC website.

    If you’d like a sampler of that plan here’s the table of contents (below). 

    ........................................

    SAPC Facility Reserve

    Investing in our Future

    January 14th 2021 Edition

    Contents

    Executive Summary. 3

    Where Are We At and What’s in Our Future?. 5

    Membership Projection. 5

    Indoor Facilities Needs. 5

    Establishing Ratios of Courts Needed Per Member. 6

    Projecting Indoor Court Needs. 6

    Outdoor Facility Needs. 7

    Establishing Ratios of Courts Needed Per Member. 7

    Projecting Outdoor Court Needs. 7

    Future Facility Options. 8

    Indoor Play Venue Options. 8

    Schools and Churches. 8

    Servus Place. 8

    Active Communities Alberta (ACA) Sport and Community Campus. 9

    Rental or Lease of Private Sector Warehouse Space. 10

    Rental of Private Sector Gymnasium Space. 10

    Facility Ownership by Club. 10

    Outdoor Play Options. 11

    The Ideal Facility. 11

    City-owned Courts: Alpine Courts Model 11

    Future St. Albert Sport Campus. 12

    City-Owned Courts Managed by SAPC. 12

    Courts Leased or Owned by SAPC. 12

    Priorities for Securing Facilities. 13

    Role of Grants. 13

    Role of a Facility Reserve. 14

    Growing a Reserve. 14

    Recommendation, Acceptance, and Implementation. 16

    Appendix A: Questions and Answers. 17

    Q1: Won’t the City provide needed indoor pickleball space without any contribution or involvement of a club like SAPC?. 17

    Q2: Will the “for profit” private sector step up and provide needed pickleball space, as appears to be happening with the Edmonton Volleyball and Pickleball Center (EVP)?. 17

    Q3: If SAPC were disbanded, what would happen to the capital reserve?. 

    .........................................................

    Whet your appetite for more? There's more. In detail! On the website, under Plans, Policies & Bylaws.

    Until we chat, serve, drive, dink, chip, lob (noo please!), again!

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