2024-2025 MGHA Town Hall Summary

Board Minutes

Tuesday, March 11th, 6:30-8pm (Virtual meeting)

This is a summary of the highlights. Click here for the full 2024-25 Town Hall Minutes!

6:30 – 7pm: League Updates and Announcements! 

  • Quick introduction of the MGHA organizing groups
  • Highlights from the 2024-2025 season so far
    • 18 teams this season!
    • Food trucks were a big hit! 
  • Financial update / Events / Sponsorships recap and announcements – Gene
    • Current financial status
      • Financially stable, operating budget 
      • Have an excess of funds (rule is to have always ⅓ operating cost budgeted carry over from year to year)
      • Excess funds can help reduce player fees
    • Tax status update
      • Tax paperwork issue, the State did not get some required paperwork due to a mixup with PO box.
      • Affects tax deductible status with donations.
      • Working with an accountant to get restored; will be retroactive once it gets re-approved.
      • IRS delay is expected to be about six months
    • Got sponsorship ideas? Send them our way!
  • Hockey Operations (HOps) Updates
    • Captains meetings updates – Christina Libs
      • Recruiting goalies! There will likely be a summer goalie curious clinic
      • Collecting “the MGHA way” examples from each level
      • Make it to your Team Social! You don’t have to be the captain to organize something. Off-ice connections build community!
      • Players Handbook (coming soon!)
    • Tim’s game scheduling updates
      • Championship schedule (March 30th) – coming out soon!
        • First game at 2:30PM!
        • All league photo on Rink A @ 7:30PM. Please be on time!
        • Q: Will there be a potluck? A: Alpha can help coordinate!
    • Score box
      • Low/no reported issues lately *knock wood*, if you notice issues, keep contacting hops@ and we’ll continue to swarm around the issue to get it resolved.
      • Keep working with captains to open/close the box
    • Recruiting next year’s HOPs
      • Want to get involved next year? Contact Tim, Christina, Greta, Alex, or Avery!
      • HOps are the brains behind season scheduling, preseason scrimmages and clinics, skill evaluations, team creation, and managing game logistics and scorebox assignments. They coordinate with the ice rink about schedule changes, find referees for games, and work with captains to assign coaches and plan practices. Email hockey-ops@madisongayhockey.org for more info!
  • Reminder about our annual Member Meeting in May – become an MGHA member! – Kriona
    • Player vs Member?
      • Members have a voice in decisions around running the league
      • Players aren’t necessarily members – minimum of 1 season of playing or volunteering before you can be a member
      • Want to be a member? Get someone to sponsor you! Fill out the application on the website
      • https://www.madisongayhockey.org/resources/membership/
    • Vote on Board in annual Membership meeting in May
    • There must be 10-60 days of notice for this meeting. – MGHA Bylaws
  • Summer Ice – Shiny/Avery
    • Summer Skills starting in late June – August, more info coming!
    • Summer scrimmages in June – August in Oregon (5:30-7:30PM)
    • Look for MGHA Skate Nights this summer!
  • Request from WI Historical Society for MGHA Objects – Sherry
    • Objects to donate from MGHA past
    • Suggestions or donations reach out to Sherry!
      • Print some essays from Our Lives, a 10y puck, david’s penguin suit!
      • Old T-shirts
      • 5, 10, 15 year pucks
      • 5 year jersey
      • Photos (Facebook Group), print out photo book, album, clips from old games on Youtube
      • Pre-season tournament dance-off winner hat

7 – 7:15pm: Tournament Jerseys

  • It’s been an ongoing topic, the creation of a “league” jersey that can be used when MGHA players form a team in an out-of-town tournament
    • These would not be regular season jerseys. Team jerseys would not be affected by this.
  • Details still being worked out: Option to purchase, or a checkout system for players, captains to pick up and keep track.
  • Q: If given the option to customize, will there be opportunity for new members to order? A: Yes, it would be an annual order. 
  • Q: Design submissions? A: Open to the idea. 

7:15 – 7:45pm: League Expansion

  • Survey responses, present initial concepts/plan ideas for what an expansion might look like.
  • Expansion Document
    • Feedback:
      • MGHA is an “incubator” for hockey beginners.
      • Going to second rink is common among the hockey community
      • Continued expansion, how to maintain the social culture when split at two rinks. How to be open/creative about doing more things (food, gatherings).
    • Q&A:
      • Q: Why L20 in DeForest? A: That L20 owns is a convenience, but not the main reason. New facility, not much scheduled there yet. Can get in the schedule early before fills up.
      • Q: What does Championship night look like if split among rinks? A: Likely be held at L20 Middleton, on one rink.
      • Q: Is it only a Member vote? A: Yes, with the inclusion of participants who attended the Town Hall.
      • Q: Can a place to indicate whether the person voting is a Member be added? A: Would need a clarifying statement about what being a Member is (for brand new players).
  • Expansion vote (link will be sent out after the meeting)

7:45 – 7:55pm: Open discussion, the “ask us anything!” part of the evening!

  • Working on alternative platforms for communications, stay tuned!
    • Andrew Kohrs, interest in using FB or IG for communicating is losing interest. Other options, Discord, could use different threads to organize different communications/topics. Andrew has started a test site.
    • There is a Discord for the various LGBTQ+ leagues out there. Tim has a link to the old server. 
    • Server should be in control by Board to keep it running, moderating
    • Would need to make sure important communications are included.
    • Andrew taking the lead on setting this up. Contact Zombi and Bob to get info. Thanks!
  • Bring your questions, discussion suggestions, feedback, friendship, etc.
    • Q: Subbing algorithm, what is the priority for how subs are chosen for a game? A: Yes, cumulative number of times a player subbed, not the recency. Kriona will supply the logic: https://www.madisongayhockey.org/hockey/scorebox/. But, there is the human factor and sometimes can override the sub desk (ie Captain’s choice).
    • Q: Are we planning with expansion to shrink team size, stay at same size? A: Team size depends on many factors, evals, where players want to skate, etc. Players who are on the bubble of either being L1 or L2. Expanding could mean team size shrinks just a bit due to the need to cram as many players in.
    • Q: How to get new players involved in the various committees. There used to be a survey that went out to collect interest. Would bringing something like this have any interest? A: This time of year could be a powerful time to recruit, as the season winds down, interest to keep playing/be involved could still be high. Set up a table on Championship night? Email Paul Weber if interested!
  • Could we set up a monthly summary of events upcoming, what the league did over the past month.

7:55 – 8pm: Wrapping up.