DRESSING ROOM POLICY DRESSING ROOM POLICY

Effective Date: October 10, 2024

PURPOSE

Portage Minor Hockey Association (PMHA) firmly believes all participants (athletes, officials, coaches, team staff, etc.) have a right to access safe, inclusive, and equitable dressing spaces. In this regard, all participants have the right to utilize the dressing room or appropriate and equivalent dressing environment based on their gender identity, religious beliefs, body image concerns and/or other reasons related to their individual needs.

PMHA believes in balancing the safety, privacy, modesty and wishes of our participants without compromising the aspects of camaraderie, social integration and bonding inherent in a team sport. This Policy attempts to meet these goals while providing a safe and respectful environment for participants.

 This Policy represents a shift in philosophy from previous dressing room regulations. As will be further explained below, this new model is based upon creating safe, inclusive and equitable dressing room environments that are designated team spaces for everyone, while providing proper supervision.

SCOPE

The Dressing Room Policy applies to all minor hockey teams sanctioned by PMHA and its Members.

DEFINITIONS

• “Dressing rooms” – officially designated spaces for changing in and out of gear. Mostly, these are men’s and women’s, multi-stall spaces and occasionally can be all-gender, multi-stall spaces.

• “Dressing environments” – spaces beyond dressing rooms (in close proximity to them) that can be temporarily repurposed to provide a space for a small number of participants to change in and out of their gear (e.g., official’s room, multi-purpose room, meeting rooms, single-unit washrooms).

• “Policy” – means this Dressing Room Policy.

Team Talks

PMHA stresses the importance that all participants are treated as valued members of a team. Therefore, coaches and team staff should only engage in pre- and post-game talks when all athletes are present in the dressing room.

Rule of Two

To best ensure safety for all participants, all minor hockey programs sanctioned by PMHA and its Members are required to implement the ‘Rule of Two’ for all dressing rooms. The ‘Rule of Two’ requires two trained and screened adults to be present in the dressing room or immediately outside the dressing room with the door propped open to monitor the environment and ensure it is free of any discrimination, harassment, bullying, or other forms of maltreatment. The Rule of Two remains in place when showers are in use.

Prohibition on Violent Activities in Dressing Rooms

To ensure the safety of all participants in the dressing room, no type of violent conduct of any kind (including locker room boxing) bullying, or hazing is permitted. It is the responsibility of coaches and team staff to ensure that no such violent behaviour is taking place in dressing rooms or dressing environments. Should anyone experience maltreatment in violation of this section of the Policy, a complaint may be submitted to PMHA’s Independent Third Party.

Prohibition on Recording in Dressing Rooms or Dressing Environments

 To respect the privacy of participants, no videos, still photos, or voice recordings of any kind may be taken using any device with recording capabilities in a dressing room or dressing environment. Cell phones are only permitted to be used in a dressing room or dressing environment for the purposes of controlling music played in those spaces.