Player/Parents Survey Summary March 2009

Following the approval of the NRA executive, a survey was conducted from November 2008 to January 2009. The purpose of the survey was to gain feedback from parents with regards to communications, player development, coaching, and their degree of satisfaction with the NRA. The questionnaires were distributed and collected by team managers. The data was tabulated and analyzed by one of the NRA Division Directors. The survey was anonymous and comprised 20 statements. Respondents indicated their degree of agreement with each statement (strongly disagree to strongly agree). This style of questionnaire is similar to those undertaken by market research firms and has proven reliable and valid.

The survey was completed by 170 parents of players within the Nepean Ringette Association.

Results of the survey have been shared with the NRA executive for their review, and to determine what changes or follow-up actions are warranted.

Key findings:

• By and large, respondents are satisfied with the NRA. 83% of the people said they agreed or strongly agreed with the statements.
• With respect to communication, 95% of respondents said they know who to contact for information and found the website helpful.
• With respect to tryout notifications, 51% said they agreed to having information posted on the website and several written comments suggested that e-mail notifications were also preferred.
• In general, there were no significant differences between the teams with respect to overall player satisfaction; 93% said they agreed or strongly agreed that their daughters are enjoying Ringette season would like to continue playing Ringette in the future.
• By and large, respondents were satisfied with the coaching; 82% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed they are happy with the coaching this season.
• Even though coaching was satisfactory, player development rated the lowest, 25% stated they were undecided or disagreed that their daughters Ringette skills have improved, suggesting that some room for improvement may be needed;
• Fifty percent of respondents took the time to write comments; most of them deal with the practice ice schedule, and coaching;
• With respect to the off ice warm up suits, 51% of the respondents said they agreed or strongly agreed they liked our off ice suits. Written comments stated that the pants were too restrictive for warming up in and preferred the jacket over the pants. A jacket swap could be planned for the beginning of the season.
• Thirty percent of the written comments about coaching stated that parents want coaches that can run good practices which focus on skill development. They also prefer coaches that can communicate effectively with the players and can give proper feedback and can create a warm and positive environment for the player. The most striking comment was: My daughter feels that her enjoyment of Ringette depends on the coach that is selected that season.
• The survey instrument and approach undertaken proved efficient and effective in gathering input from NRA members;

For more details, results for each of the 20 questions can be found by clicking here