Minor hockey associations say unless they pay certain positions, volunteers won't step forward. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

A few years ago, the Victoria Minor Hockey Association in B.C. was a mess.

Registration was declining. E-mails were unanswered. Ice was sitting empty. The website served little purpose and the crowded board wasn't working effectively.

Today, however, things have drastically changed — and it's mostly thanks to the addition of a paid, part-time position.

Rob Richardson makes $25,000 as director of hockey operations, performing duties he once did as an unpaid volunteer.

"We just started [the position] this year, so until this time I was basically doing the same thing as a volunteer, which was unsustainable. I mean, I walked away from a six-figure income to help rebuild this organization," Richardson said.

The entire club has been revamped. The board was tightened to 10 positions from 35. Mandates were clearly outlined. Richardson manages on-ice development programs and ensures e-mails are answered within 24 hours. Everything, from registration to recruiting, is much more organized.

"We were down to 200 kids.… We're up to 450 kids now and growing. So we know we're on the right track," Richardson said.

But is it worth the literal payoff? Some might shake their heads and ask, "Should volunteers be paid?" After all, isn't the very essence of volunteering exactly that? Not being paid?

Plus, with the cost of hockey already impossible or next to impossible to afford for some, especially given the current economy, can paying volunteers in a non-profit organization be justified?

"You can't expect to run a program solely on the back of volunteers anymore. Families are so busy, kids are in more than one sport, parents are up to their eyeballs in fundraisers, then you ask them to give all this time volunteering. They just can't do it," Richardson said.

The VMHA isn't an isolated case. Minor hockey associations across the country are grappling with the same problem: responsibilities falling through the cracks because volunteers aren't stepping forward. Flashing dollar signs at potential volunteers seems the only way to bring them in.

As demands grow, few step up

David Rebak handles external relations with the West Vancouver Minor Hockey Association and said few parents are offering up their time.

"Sometimes you have to pay them out of necessity," Rebak said, stressing that he believes in paying certain positions, as long as it's within reason.

For instance, he agrees with the WVMHA's decision to pay the registrar between $5,000 and $7,000 per year.

The job became paid about four years ago, Rebak said, when the club couldn't find anyone to take it on. Once financial reward was put on the table, someone stepped forward, he said.

It's a demanding job, he said.

"The responsibility is huge.… The team rosters have to be accurate, registration forms have to be properly completed or there will be no insurance coverage, team transfers must be done in a timely manner.… If you have an error, suddenly, an entire team could be penalized," he said, adding that the ice scheduler, too, deserves compensation.

"They'll never win a popularity contest," he said. "No one wants that 6 a.m. practice. You get no thanks from anyone. There are always a bunch of conflicts to resolve."

The paid positions are supported by a general fund that is fed by registration fees, skill development programs, 50/50 contests and other fundraisers.

Rebak said that when his hockey club first debated compensating the two roles, there was some dissent.

"But when it was pointed out that without a registrar, no one can play hockey, people kind of said, 'Yeah, you're right,' " he said.

Volunteer positions go unfilled in P.E.I.

In Prince Edward Island, Grant Boswell, president of the North River Minor Hockey Association, struggles to fill volunteer positions.

"This is my first year being president, and I can't believe how much there is to deal with. We have three vacant spots on the board right now.… No one is interested in helping," he said.

Boswell noted that in his town, Cornwall, at least 20 families do double duty volunteering for hockey and soccer clubs because too few parents will give their time.

If funds are available, Boswell thinks some volunteer positions should receive some sort of payment.

He agrees with his association's decision to pay the registrar, noting it was the only way they could get anyone to come forward.

Larry Sherwood, president of the Devon Minor Hockey Association in Alberta, said his hockey club resorted to paying three positions (the referee assigner, concession manager and ice co-ordinator) $500 a month.

"It's supposed to be volunteer, but … people just aren't willing to step up like they used to, and this is a big job," he said.

Pam Anderson, administrator-registrar with B.C.'s Penticton Minor Hockey Association, said the Penticton club has become much more efficient thanks to the creation of paid positions.

"Some things weren't being done … so we kind of needed someone to take care of things properly," she said.

Ron Campbell, vice-president of Nova Scotia's Sydney Minor Hockey Association, said his club, too, became much more organized by adding a paid secretarial role.

He said he doesn't think board members should be compensated in any way, which often happens. For instance, in some organizations, they're exempt from paying registration fees for their own kids.

"If you do get kickbacks, they'll probably get the wrong people on the board. You don't do it to get kickbacks, you do it for the kids," he said. "In my mind, we're there to do it for free."

'Endless' responsibilities

Still, Richardson wonders how his responsibilities would be completed if someone was doing it for free, especially if he or she had a full-time job.

Each day he answers roughly 150 hockey-related e-mails and spends four or five hours on the phone. He also manages the association website, and as the club's head coach, he's on the ice seven days a week, helping to run development programs.

"It's endless," he said. "You deal with it as far as you can. But everyone's wanting their little piece. In an age of e-mails, if you don't respond in 24 hours, they think you're ignoring them. So there will be e-mails sent at 9 and then they'll send it to you again at 10:30," he said.

Coaches call to complain about parents. The league calls about ineligible players. Parents phone to complain about coaches. There are problems with criminal record checks and coach certifications. Parents e-mail because they want their kids put on different teams. Coaches who want better teams call to let him know. They're all things once handled by volunteers.

To make it work, both in terms of time and extra income, Richardson does consulting from home.

"It's not something you can do with a regular nine-to-five job," he said.

But Rebak said hockey organizations should try wherever possible to operate without paying volunteers.

"Hockey is such an expensive sport, it would be impossible for most kids to afford to play if all volunteer positions were paid.… It's unfortunate some roles are so demanding. I think it would be pretty sad if everyone said, 'I'll only do it if I get paid.' "

This is the first of Our Game's three-part series on paid positions in minor hockey. Also see part two: Coaches courted with payment in minor hockey, and part three: Big bucks behind the bench in the GTHL.