The Vancouver Secondary Schools Athletic Association (VSSAA) is the local sport organizing body responsible for governing all secondary school extra-curricular leagues and activities for the 18 VSB secondary schools. Its responsibilities include competition scheduling, championship coordination, policy and rules governance for all activities conducted at the local secondary school level. It also provides support and leadership for zone qualifications and for provincial championships governed by BC School Sports (BCSS). BCSS is the provincial body which is responsible for the governance of secondary school sport in British Columbia. Our 18 VSB secondary schools are members of BCSS and must adhere to all BCSS policies and guidelines.
The VSSAA has an elected Executive Board comprised of teachers employed by the VSB. The Board of Governors for the organization are the principals of the 18 member schools. The VSSAA coordinates all extra-curricular athletic activities on behalf of the Vancouver School Board and therefore is subject to policies and rules set forth by VSB’s senior management.
PRINCIPLES OF THE VSSAA
Since the VSSAA came into being in 1969, this Association has an extensive historical background. It views high school athletics as an educational enterprise and recommends that programs continue to be based upon policies and principles such as the following:
1. Emphasis should be on the activity and not the result. Competition should be in the spirit of friendly rivalry.
2. To flourish, competition must be equitable. Hence, the Rules and Regulations must be adhered to strictly by all schools, teams and coaches.
3. Principals should take an active interest in the athletic program, viewing it as an essential part of the total educational process for many pupils.
4. Coaches should report to their principal any breach of desirable conduct or practice on the part of students or coaches.
5. Schools must honour all their commitments.
6. Adequate safety precautions should be undertaken at all times for both practices and games.
7. Coaches should not place unreasonable time demands on students. In high school athletics, the student athlete should be a student first. Loss of instructional time should be kept to a minimum.
The success of the VSSAA program is due to the efforts of dedicated teachers, administrators and community coaches. Our original programs were founded in order to maximize participation and to promote fair play. This philosophy must continue to be the keystone of the VSSAA philosophy.
