Do Not Pay-to-Play Until Safe Billets are Secured Families must demand safe, secure, and experienced housing before paying any fees

Why do I keep doing this to myself? Probably because nobody else is willing to do it.

For the better part of the last twenty-five years, I have tried to serve the game as a players' advocate. That role is not particularly popular among operators who have no interest in doing things the right way.

If I were king of hockey, and I am certainly not, pay-to-play prospects at the AAA and junior levels would have a safe billet secured before a family was ever asked to make its first payment.

Shady organizations are notorious for front-loading their contracts. They push families to pay a large percentage of the fees before the first puck is dropped. Once that money changes hands, families often have very few options if the team fails to deliver on its promises.

That is not a popular position to take. When I started writing about junior hockey nearly twenty-five years ago, my goal was to advocate for players regardless of the consequences. Along the way, I have lost a few good friends because of it.

The reality is that families control the cash flow in pay-to-play youth and junior hockey. Demand that you receive what you are paying for, and that includes a safe and secure billeting situation.

Teams should not be collecting money until they can fulfill all of their obligations to the players they are trying to sign. Housing should never be treated as an afterthought. For most parents, it is one of their biggest concerns.

Teams that are scrambling in August to find billets, or relying on players' parents to post housing requests on Facebook on the team's behalf, are often the same organizations that run into other serious problems later on.

When billeting is not being taken seriously, it is a major red flag. The Northeast Generals of the North American Hockey League once recruited two teams of high-level youth players without first securing an appropriate housing plan. It was a catastrophic mistake that ultimately led to the suspension of the youth operations. Just how many bunk beds and boys did they try to squeeze into that house? Was it seventeen, or even more?

The time has come for families to put their foot down and say enough is enough.

You have the power in these situations. Refuse to pay a dime until the team puts you in contact with the billet family intended for your prospect. Ask for references from previous players who stayed in that same home. It is amazing how quickly billeting becomes a priority when player payments depend on it.

Parents should also verify that billet families have completed SafeSport background checks. This is required under USA Hockey and SafeSport guidelines, yet far too often things fall through the cracks. We once discovered that a former billet and team volunteer attended a team barbecue hosted by an NAHL organization. The problem was that he was prohibited from being around players under the age of eighteen. Why? Because SafeSport had declared him ineligible after information surfaced showing he was a registered sex offender.

Do not allow teams to cut corners when it comes to your child. Be diligent about housing arrangements and about the people a team places around your prospect.

A good advisor takes these issues seriously when evaluating and negotiating with pay-to-play programs. If you find yourself in a situation that is unsafe, uncomfortable, or well below the standards expected at your level of play, please feel free to contact me directly.

It is simple. If there is no safe place to stay, do not pay.