Andover Athletic Association

Any member of the Association or player in one of the Association’s programs may lodge a grievance (complaint) regarding violations of Association policies, procedures, by-laws, or articles of incorporation by following the steps below:

• To allow for a “cooling off” period, parties lodging a grievance must wait 24 hours after occurrence of the violation unless the delay could allow for injury, harm, or violation of law.

• Parties involved must first discuss the issue directly; i.e. – verbally, in writing, or via email. No outside parties may be made a part of the discussion. 

• Failure to discuss the situation with all parties involved will forfeit the right to escalate the issue through the remaining steps below.

• If satisfactory resolution is not achieved through direct discussion between parties, a formal grievance must be provided in writing or email to the appropriate sport director, who will attempt to arbitrate resolution.

• If a resolution is still not achievable, the sport director will present the grievance to the AAA Board at its next scheduled meeting. Involved parties may or may not be asked to attend.

• The Board will discuss, and possibly further investigate the grievance, and decide upon a resolution or rationale for non-action and notify involved parties of its decision. All decisions by the Board are final.

When reporting a grievance, or any other feedback, please keep the following in mind to ensure the process flows smoothly:

• You must provide contact information or else AAA can not follow-up on the reported issue.
• Don't let issues go unreported for weeks or months.  Resolution is almost always easier and more effective when addressed earlier rather than later.
• Follow a general hierarchy for reporting unresolvable issues:
  • Issues with players and Officials should be first reported to the Coach
  • Issues with Coaches should be first reported to the sport Director
  • Issues with Directors should be first reported to the President
  • Issues with the President should be first reported to another Board Member or to Marv Johnson (ISD 11 Community Ed., 763-506-1267, marvin.johnson@anoka.k12..mn.us)
• Provide details; e.g. - dates, times, locations, names, etc.
• Don't be vague; e.g. - don't just say that an official did a bad job or made a bad call, explain what happened and what rule wasn't applied correctly.
• Avoid insults, keep it professional
• Avoid assumptions
• Don't make demands or threats
• Don't assume nothing will be done about your concerns