Billeting is a unique experience for both the player as well as the billet family. Being a part of a new family or hosting a new “family member” can be a truly special experience in which a life-long bond is often created. “They visit in the summers and I am still in touch with their families,” says Natalie Ruby, a valued past host mom.
A billet home is a home in which an out of town hockey player lives during the season, as their own family does not live in the area. They live with existing members of the household. This is more a family experience for the player as opposed to a room rental situation. It serves as their home away from home. This stable home environment means so much to the players.
There is no typical host family. The situations range from individuals, single parents, young families, to empty nesters. The common denominator is the desire by a host family to provide a safe and happy home for a young player.
This article will cover the ins and outs of billeting in as much detail as needed in order to make an informed decision on whether or not it is right for your family. We hope to provide some insight as to why hosting a billet family is not only a huge benefit to the hockey community but to your family as well.
Four W’s of Billeting
The players are seventeen to twenty years old, with the majority being eighteen and just graduated. Many of the players are from Alberta, a few from BC, Saskatchewan, and the US.
They are set to arrive at the beginning of September and are typically here until mid- March, depending on whether or not they make the playoffs, and what their performance is in the playoffs.
There is always a chance that a player may be released or traded. Unfortunately this is a hard part of welcoming a player into your home. Most times this happens fairly early in the season, but it can happen at any time. If this happens, you will be informed by the billet coordinator at the same time the player is informed by the coaches. A discussion will take place whether or not you would like to house an incoming new player.
The Roles and Responsibilities of a Billet Family
Basic Needs
The player should be provided with a private furnished bedroom, and have a stable internet connection. There should be food in the house so they can make their own breakfast and lunch, as well as a cooked dinner is to be provided on most occasions.
That being said, there are many occasions that the players need to eat at strange times (1-4pm) when they are heading out on a road trip or eating before a home game. In these instances, the players can heat up leftovers or a pre-made meal. It is not expected you are home at that time to provide a hot meal. In my experience, I plan for this the day before, and our own family also just reheats the meal at dinnertime. It sure is nice at dinnertime on a Friday when you don’t have to think about cooking after work!
Emotional and Social Needs
You as a host family are available to provide mentorship and emotional support if this is required by the player. It can be challenging for a player to deal with homesickness or adjust to new routines. Sometimes the relationships become deep and meaningful, other times the boys keep to themselves and are just happy to be in a home where they know that support is there if they need it.
Although we would love to have you as a fan, you do not have to be involved in playing, watching, or being associated with hockey in any way. I will however say, that if you take on a billet, it is very hard not to become invested in their season at least a little bit.
Logistic Needs
In no circumstances are members of the family expected to drive players around. Most players come with their own vehicle, and if they don’t, they get paired up with a mobile player within the same home or they are placed within close proximity to the rink. The boys do very well with carpooling, and it is the expectation of the driving players that they help the players without vehicles get where they need to be with regards to team commitments.
The family is also not responsible for ensuring that the players are fulfilling their team obligations by waking them up, nagging them to go, etc. If a player is missing such things, this will be dealt with between the player and the coaching staff.
Medical Needs
There are no medical expenses for the player that are incurred by the family. The players provide proof of medical coverage and this is all looked after by the team. The team has a trainer as well as a doctor on staff, and any instances where the player needs to be treated by either will be initiated by the staff. No responsibility falls on the family to book paramedical or doctor’s appointments on behalf of the player. An emergency situation needs to be treated as you would anyone with an urgent medical need.
Responsibilities Surrounding Holidays
If you have plans with extended family or family friends, you are not obligated to invite the billet along, but you are welcome to do so. Oftentimes their team obligations prevent them from being able to attend a lot of extra curricular activities.
About three quarters of the players go home for Thanksgiving, and the rest do something together as a team or are invited to Thanksgiving Dinner with their billet families.
The players get 10-12 days off over the Christmas Holidays, and in my experience, they all go home. If you are planning to have company at this time, please make it clear to your player that you intend to use their room over the holiday so they can tidy it and put away their personal belongings. As mentioned previously, the billet fees pay right through the holiday period while they are away.
If your family is going on a holiday, it is at your discretion whether or not to allow the players to remain in the home. If they remain in the home, it works best to allocate some of the billet fees to a grocery card so the player(s) can prepare their own meals or grab and go food. The billet coordinator can also pop in if you think it is necessary, this too would be at your discretion.
Alternatively, you can contact the billet coordinator to find a temporary placement for the player(s) until you return. The daily prorated rate for the billet fees would then be allocated to the respite family.
In most cases, the players remain in the home, as the vacations typically happen further into the season when a relationship with the player has been established.
Expectations and Responsibilities of the Player
In order to maintain peace and function in the billet home there are some pre-established rules that we expect the players to follow. Additional guidelines may be implemented and communicated directly to the players from the billet parents.
Basic Respect and General Cleanliness
Players are expected to help around the home and complete any chores they are tasked with. This however, does not mean the player should be exploited. He shall not be taken advantage of and vice-versa.The player is to be treated as a member of the family with regards to chores, etc. It is absolutely not going too far to ask them to pack in groceries, chop some firewood, load the dishes, or take out the garbage. The player however should not be made to do all household chores daily if the tasks aren’t being shared with your own children. It should be made clear what your expectations are of them.
The player is expected to treat the home with respect. Players are expected to keep the common areas how they find them. This includes cleaning up after themselves in communal spaces and keeping their bedrooms free of garbage and dishes. They are expected to make their bed daily; however, this is their private bedroom, so if a host plans to carry out inspections of their room, this should be established beforehand and communicated accordingly.
If the player(s) have a bathroom that is used by them exclusively, they are responsible for cleaning it. This needs to be communicated to them though, and you may have to show them which products to use and what your expectations are.
Quiet time hours should be established with regards to music, visitors, etcetera.
Communication
Many problems can be avoided with effective communication; especially when it comes to expectations. If everything is out on the table, everyone’s needs should be met. Not only is it important to respond to other’s needs, it is equally important to communicate your own.
Daily communication includes families and players informing each other with reasonable advance notice should they not be home for dinner. Often a player will have a team activity and will not be home at dinnertime, but should still be able to expect to heat up leftovers upon returning home. This communication is a basic form of respect for the family members going to the trouble to provide a hot meal.
If the host family has a family calendar, team obligations should be written on it. Home games, away games, appointments, workouts, teambuilding, etcetera. The organization will likely send out an email with relevant information as well. If a player has personal plans they know in advance, this can be communicated too.
An important thing to discuss is the return home, particularly after away games. This is often between the hours of 2-7 am. A host family should always be made aware if the player is expecting to be home this late, and once the player has arrived home. If their arrival isn’t easily verified in the morning (a car in the driveway) a note on the counter or text is nice to know that the player has safely arrived and is sleeping in their room.
Curfew
The curfew for most days is 11 pm. If the players have permission from the coaching staff to extend the curfew, they should communicate this to the host family on the day of and ensure it doesn’t interfere with the daily comings and goings of the family.
If a player wants to stay with their parents who are in town visiting, this is allowed with permission from the coach (via the billet coordinator). It is important that the host family knows not to expect the player home.
Visitors
Players that wish to have guests at their billet home must have permission from the host family. This can be established in advance. For example, if a few of the guys or a romantic partner are allowed to come over, this may not need permission on a day to day basis if meals, player responsibilities, and quiet time are unaffected. Communicate with each other and see what works best.
As a rule, romantic partners are not allowed overnight in billet homes. A two-night maximum exception MAY be made if certain requirements are met.
– This is a pre existing relationship with a partner who is from out of town
– The host family, and coach (via billet coordinator) have okayed this IN ADVANCE
Cooking
Twice a month, the players will be responsible for preparing dinner for themselves and the rest of the family. Whatever day this is can be pre-established together so it is a convenient evening for everyone. The player will inform whoever is buying the groceries for the week what they will need to make their meal.
There is a great resource app called Meallime where one chooses a dish, it generates a shopping list for, and gives step by step instructions on how to prepare it.
Role of the Billet Coordinator
Our goal is to facilitate a great mutual experience for all parties involved. We are committed to providing support to parents, players, and host families through implementing an open-door policy. My role is to be a central point of contact for all things billet related. I will be a liaison between all facets of the billeting situation, and will communicate between them accordingly. Additionally, any home-related information that is relevant to the coaching staff will be passed along by me.
Situations that are brought to our attention will be handled with discretion and professionalism, with the goal in mind to restore peace and comfort for all parties involved.
We do our best to ensure a good initial fit in order to avoid reassignment to alternate homes mid-season. We are big believers in using a proactive approach to ensure this fit. A player who is comfortable in their home setting has more capacity to be fully responsive and productive in the team setting, both on and off the ice with coaching staff and other players. A family who is comfortable with their player will take on this important responsibility year in and year out if their situation allows it.
Benefits of Hosting a Hockey Billet
Social
The primary reason for opening your home to a hockey player should be for the mutual enrichment of your family life, as well as for that of the player. This experience will help your family build lasting relationships, gain new experiences, and take pride in being a part of the player’s journey.
Financial
Billet families receive $700/month per player, prorated daily. This daily rate is not adjusted for away games, weekend visits home, or Christmas holidays. It is adjusted for extended absences due to injury, as well as for partial months the player is in the home. This is paid directly to you from the Rockies organization via e-transfer, so no financial transaction needs to take place between the player and their parents and the host family.
Additional Perks
All household members receive season passes which include exhibition, regular season, and playoff games.
In addition, families will receive a welcome package which includes Rockies hoodies for the immediate members of the household as well as some guest passes they can bring friends with them to the game free of charge.
Families are also invited to attend (but are not obligated to)
- Welcome barbecue
- Post game socials in mezzanine after playoff home games
- End of season banquet
Frequently Asked Questions
What if we have specific family attributes?
We clean our house as a family every Sunday.
We eat out on Friday nights so there isn’t a meal prepared for the player.
Whoever is up the latest has to make sure there is wood in the fire.
The cats are by no means allowed to go outside.
Our household quiet time starts at 10 pm.
All families have different rules, traits, and nuances. A big part of billeting is for the player to integrate into another household or family situation other than what he is accustomed to. For the most part, it is completely acceptable to expect your player to adhere to these family rules. An open line of communication that goes both ways, from family to player and player to family is the key to a successful billeting relationship.
What if the player has allergies?
If the player has pet allergies, they will not be placed in a home with pets. If a player has food allergies, we will do our best to match them up with a family who eats similarly to the player. Any allergies would be made known to the family, and we would ask that the allergen foods be prepared on the side so they can be omitted. Something like a dairy or wheat intolerance would be discussed beforehand to see if a family could deal with that; in past experience we have paired this type of player up with a family who already eats this way.
Are two better than one?
If you have the space, two billets is better than one. It is nice for them to have a companion in the household who has similar interests. It is also easier in my experience to leave them to fend for themselves with regards to cooking occasionally if they have someone to do it with.
Do they stink?
This is an honest and relevant question for anyone who has been in the vicinity of well worn hockey gear! The players do not bring home ANY equipment. It gets washed and stored at the rink at all times with the exception of a jersey if they need it for community appearances. The players shower after every practice and game at the arena, so they are never entering the home after not having done so.
What does their typical day look like? Do they just sit around all day?
Weekdays – The players get to sleep in once a week. The other mornings are filled with pilates, the gym, pre-game skates and team meetings. For practice, they have to be at the rink at 11:45 in the morning and are not done until 3pm most days. Some days they will come home after the morning obligations before practice, but often they don’t. Some have jobs after practice, and some are doing online classes.
Saturdays – For the most part, Saturday is a game day. They are usually at the rink for 10 am. They come home after this and either nap, or just hang out. They eat around 3-4 and have to be at the rink for 5 pm. Gametime is at 7 pm, and they are home by 11 pm. For away games, the day looks similar but they are usually gone early afternoon to travel to their destination. Most times after an away game they do not return until 2/3/4/5 am. You will have the game schedule beforehand and have an idea as to how late they will be returning.
Sundays – Are usually their one day off a week. Most of them sleep a lot of the day, especially after a game on the road with a late arrival time. They do laundry, go to the hot pools, or go for lunch with their teammates. This is typically a pretty chill day for them.
Overnight Trips – Some weekends the team travels fairly far away and stays overnight in a hotel. You will always know when they are gone for a long weekend. They leave Friday morning quite early in order to make it somewhere for a Friday night game. They stay over, and play another game in the same geographical area on Saturday night. They usually head back after the game on Saturday, but since they are so far away they aren’t back till early morning Sundays.
Becoming a Billet Family
Read this article → Reach out → Have a chat → Obtain CRC → Fill out form with family’s wants/needs with regards to billeting
If you made it this far, you should be pretty well informed about what billeting entails. If you want to chat further you can contact me via the avenues below. We will have an informal chat about your family background and what your expectations are with regards to billeting. I can also answer any additional questions you may have.
Every person over eighteen needs to have a current criminal record check. This can be obtained from the local RCMP detachment, and any fees associated with obtaining this will be reimbursed by the team.
After that, we will provide you with a questionnaire to fill out about your home situation. This will help us provide the best player match for your family.
If your family or the player are not happy in the billet situation, it can absolutely be adjusted; there is no contractual obligation. If this is your first time and you decide that billeting just isn’t for you, we will find an alternate living situation for the player as soon as possible. If the problem is player specific, you can reach out to the billet coordinator and we can mediate the situation. In most instances clear guidelines set out from the get-go prevent any major issues from arising.
In Closing
The Rockies organization strives to be a gold standard throughout the KIJHL for creating a positive billeting experience. It is our aspiration to create a culture in which the experience is so fulfilling that we have an overabundance of ideal families who are willing to open their homes and hearts to a Rockies player. We believe that these guidelines are a solid basis for facilitating this goal.
It is important to consider the time commitment, household dynamics, and the feelings of all family members before committing to inviting a player into your home.
“If you are considering it, take the plunge and DO IT! We have had great experiences, made memories for life, and it’s been even better than we imagined it would be.” – Natalie Ruby
“If you have the space, just try it! We have had a blast.” – Jody Cable
Thanks for taking the time to consider becoming a billet family!
Jess Freiheit, Billet Coordinator
250-688-1456 or cvrockies.billet@gmail.com
