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High-school sports coaches across the country are struggling to cope with growing responsibilities and greater demands from cash-strapped schools that are forcing many to juggle the roles of teacher, coach, fundraiser and chauffeur.

It's an increasingly worrisome situation for many sports associations in the wake of a crash this past weekend that killed seven boys from Bathurst High School's basketball team, along with the coach's wife.

Although many details of the incident are still unclear, the crash occurred after midnight and road conditions were said to be icy.

The school board said it could be possible that coach Wayne Lord worked a normal school day before coaching the game.

As the residents of Bathurst, N.B., grapple with the devastating crash, new questions are emerging about the increasing level of pressure being placed on high-school sports coaches across Canada.

"I think more and more as the years have gone by, we continually expect more and more from our teacher-coaches," said Sue Keenan, executive director of B.C. School Sports.

"Not only does [a coach] have to prep the team, coach the team, but [he] also has to drive the team?" asked Raynard Marchand, general manager of programs at the Canada Safety Council.

"At some point we're talking about superhuman here," he said.

Although school boards have strict policies in place designed to protect students and help avoid misfortune when teams are on the road, over the past decade those who volunteer to coach high-school sports have become increasingly responsible for driving teams to and from out-of-town games.

It's a trend some schools and sports associations say is potentially problematic.

"You can't control how tired or not tired a teacher-coach is," Ms. Keenan said.

Rules for out-of-town school trips can vary between provinces and school boards.

For instance, federal transportation rules restrict drivers from operating a commercial vehicle after working 14 hours in a day, a policy that New Brunswick's Department of Education has adopted for transportation to off-site school activities.

But School District 15, which includes Bathurst High School, doesn't have a specific policy limiting the maximum number of hours teachers can work and still drive. The same is true at schools in other provinces.

Many schools have adopted individual policies for away games or out-of-town field trips that includes how to deal with inclement weather, the type of vehicle that can be used and a driver's qualifications.

"If we have a bad weather forecast, we simply notify the schools and their principals, then [they] have to ensure any activities in their schools are also cancelled," said Dale Sabean, superintendent of education at the Western School Board of Prince Edward Island. "If there was a team going away today, they would cancel that trip."

When they're on the road, however, many decisions are a judgment call that must be made by coaches or parents who have volunteered to drive.

That means some teachers who volunteer as coaches could have to drive students to and from away games after a long day of teaching.

In the wake of last weekend's crash, the Canada Safety Council said schools across the country should consider adopting policies that would require professional drivers or bus services to alleviate pressure on coaches.

But many schools can't afford to pay drivers to transport all of their teams while continuing to run sports programs. It can be equally difficult to find volunteers who are willing to share the driving burden with coaches, said Denis Jodoin, principal of Mallaig Community School, north of Edmonton.

"There's a fine line there between asking too much of the coach and finding volunteers," Mr. Jodoin said. "You don't want the programs to disappear. Yet, on the other hand, you don't want them to be driving after a 17-hour day of teaching and coaching."

One high-school basketball coach in Manitoba said he's been in situations where he has had to decide whether to drive the team home during snowy conditions or at night.

"The bottom line, when it's all said and done and you

have to make that decision, it's common sense," said Carey Lasuik, a coach at Daniel Macintyre Collegiate in Winnipeg. "Usually, the decision's pretty simple."