By-laws of the Burin Peninsula Soccer Association
(Adopted March 2009)
1. GENERAL
1.1 The name of the organization shall be the Burin Peninsula Soccer Association, hereinafter referred to as "The Association", which shall be the governing body of soccer (Futsal and outdoor) on the Burin Peninsula in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
1.2 The Association shall be affiliated with and under the jurisdiction of the Newfoundland and Labrador Soccer Association, and subject to the rules and regulations of that body.
2. OBJECTS
2.1 The objects of The Association are:
a) To provide leadership in the development of soccer on the Burin Peninsula.
b) To aid and advise in the establishment of policies for the development of soccer.
c) To establish and maintain liaison and cooperation with the members of The Association.
d) To promote, foster and develop soccer on the Burin Peninsula by assisting in the development of new members, facilities and programs.
3. FISCAL YEAR
3.1 For the purpose of The Association, the financial year shall be from the 1st day of January to the 31st day of December following, both inclusive.
4. MEMBERSHIP
4.1 Membership in The Association is voluntary and shall consist of:
i) Affiliate Clubs : members in good standing where regional associations have not been officially established.
ii) Life Membership : An individual who through years of dedicated service and support to The Association, has been found worthy of this recognition. Life Membership shall be when and as conferred by the Executive.
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4.2 Any member may withdraw from The Association upon filing a written notice to the Executive. Such withdrawal will be effective thirty (30) days after the receipt of the notification. Acceptance of this withdrawal will be based on the fact that the member has paid, to The Association, all outstanding accounts including levies and other service fees.
4.3 Any member may be required to resign by a vote of three-quarters of the members present and eligible to vote at an annual or other general meeting.
4.4 (i) Only a member in good standing may exercise rights as established in the By-Laws, Rules and Regulations of The Association.
(ii) To be in good standing a member must be in compliance with the By-Laws, Rules and Regulations of The Association.
(iii) A member may be placed in bad standing by the Executive because
of non-compliance with the By-Laws, Rules and Regulations of The Association or for non-payment of any monies due to The Association. Before taking this action, the matter must be discussed at a Executive meeting and approved by a simple majority of the voting members present.
(iv) Any loss in membership rights shall become effective immediately following written notification being given to the member by The Association.
5.1 The Association will recognize the following clubs as being responsible for soccer programs and development in each of the following geographic areas.
(i) Marystown -All areas within the municipal boundaries of Marystown.
(ii) Burin -All areas within the municipal boundaries of Burin.
(iii) St. Lawrence-All areas within the municipal boundries of St. Lawrence.
(iv) Lawn - All areas within the municipal boundaries of Lawn.
(v) Grand Bank - All areas within the municipal boundaries of Grand Bank.
6. FEES
6.1 Each Member shall pay such affiliation fees at such time and in such amount as may be provided for at the AGM.
7 GENERAL MEETINGS:
7.1 Annual General Meeting
7.1.1 The Annual General Meeting shall take place before ??????????? each year.
7.1.2 All members shall receive at least thirty (30) days notice of the Annual Meeting.
7.1.3 The areas of business at the Annual General Meeting shall be arranged by the Board of Directors and are to be sent to all members and clubs twenty-one (21) days prior to said Annual Meeting.
7.1.4 The order of business at the Annual General Meeting shall be:
1. Call to Order
2. Presentation of Credentials and Roll Call
3. Adoption of Agenda
4. Appointment of Resolutions Officer
5. Adoption of Minutes of the last Annual General Meeting
6. Business Arising from Minutes
7. Minutes of Spring Planning Meeting (Discussion)
8. President's Report
9. Vice President's Report
10. Minor Soccer Chairperson's Report
11. Treasurer's Report
12. Other Reports
13. Amendments to the By-Laws / Constitution
14. Amendments to the Rules and Regulations
15. Election of Officers
16. New Business
17. Next Annual General Meeting
Alterations to the agenda may be made with the approval of the voting delegates if it is deemed to be in the better interests of The Association.
7.2 Special General Meeting
7.2.1 A Special General Meeting of The Association shall be convened by the President:
(i) at the request of a majority of the Executive; or
(ii) at the request of a majority of the clubs.
7.2.2 A Special General Meeting must be held within thirty (30) days of receipt of the written request.
7.2.3 All members shall receive fourteen (14) days clear notice of the subject to be discussed, and the date, time and location of any Special General Meeting.
7.2.4 Only the business for which a Special General Meeting has been called will be dealt with at the meeting except with the unanimous consent of those present.
7.3 General Planning Meeting
7.3.1 There shall be a minimum of one (1) planning meeting per year.
7.3.2 A general planning meeting shall be held prior to June 30th each year.
7.3.3 The date and location of the planning meeting shall be determined by the Executive.
7.3.4 Members shall receive seven (7) days clear notice of the date, time and location of any planning meeting.
8 RULES OF ORDER
8.1 All meetings of The Association shall be conducted in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order insofar as they apply.
9 QUORUM
9.1 A majority of clubs and Executive Members in good standing shall form a quorum at all General Meetings of The Association.
9.2 A majority of Executive Members shall constitute a quorum for all meetings of the Executive.
10 VOTING
10.1 Members of the Executive, as defined in article 13.1, with the exception of appointed members as listed in article 13.3, who are in good standing, shall be entitled to one vote each at any meeting of The Association.
10.2 Clubs in good standing shall be entitled to one vote at a meeting of The Association.
10.3 Club representatives shall be entitled to votes as prescribed by the policies of The Association.
10.4 Life Members shall be entitled to a voice, but no vote at all meetings of The Association.
10.5 No member can cast a vote by proxy.
10.6 At all meetings of The Association, voting shall be by a show of hand, unless the voting delegates present decide upon a ballot.
10.7 Decisions of any Executive or General Meeting of The Association shall be decided by a majority of the votes cast.
10.8 If a vote by ballot is required, the Chair shall appoint scrutineers who shall total the votes and report them to the Presiding Officer who shall announce the total number of votes cast and the winning candidate to the assembly for the record.
10.9 Elected members of the Executive may not sit or vote at a General Meeting of The Association in any other capacity than that for which they were elected.
10.10 All amendments to the By-Laws will be decided by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the voting delegates in attendance at a meeting where such amendments are being considered.
10.11 At all meetings of the Executive each member shall be entitled to one vote with the exception of the President. The President shall only cast a vote in the case of a tie. No Board member may carry more than one (1) vote. All votes must be given personally.
10.12 The President may conduct a vote of the Executive on any matter by telephone, or by some other electronic means, when s/he deems such a vote necessary.
11 Executive
11.1 The business of The Association shall be conducted in accordance with these By-Laws and The Association�s Rules and Regulations, by the Executive which shall be comprised as follows:
- Past President
- President
- Vice President
- Minor Soccer Chairperson
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Registrar
- Director of Officials
- Technical Director
- Hall of Fame Chairperson
11.2 The Past President shall sit as a full member of the Board with a two (2) year term.
11.3 Meetings of the Executive shall be held a minimum of four (4) times each year with one of these meetings scheduled to occur with the Annual General Meeting.
11.4 A Special Meeting of the Executive may be convened at the request of three members of the Executive, in writing to the secretary. The letter shall outline the purpose of the request. The meeting will be convened within thirty (30) days of receipt and the meeting will deal only with the matter(s) requested in the letter to The Association except with the unanimous consent of those present.
12 TENURE AND ELECTION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
12.1 The Executive, except for the Past-President and appointees, shall be elected by secret ballot at the Annual General Meeting and shall remain in office for the duration of their term.
12.2 The term of office for members of the Board of Directors shall be two years.
12.3 No paid employee of The Association or its affiliates may sit as a member of the Board of Directors.
12.4 The election of the Officers shall be held at the Annual General Meeting and the format shall be as follows:
- In odd numbered years the President, Secretary, Director of Officials and Minor Soccer Chairperson shall be elected to serve a two (2) year term.
- In even numbered years the Vice President, Treasurer, Technical Director and Registrar shall be elected to serve a two (2) year term.
12.5 The newly elected Officers shall take office at the close of the Annual General Meeting.
12.6 If any nominee for the Executive is absent from the Annual General Meeting, s/he must signify in writing to The Association his or her willingness to stand for office before being nominated.
13 DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
13.1 The President shall:
- Be the Chief Executive Officer of The Association and shall have the authority and responsibility for administering the affairs of The Association within the policies established.
- Preside at all meetings of The Association, and the Executive. In the absence of the Vice President shall preside over any meetings.
- Have a voice and a casting vote at all meetings of the Executive.
- Represent The Association on the NLSA Board.
- Make recommendations to the Executive regarding committees and chairpersons.
- Is an ex-officio member of all committees of The Association.
- Have a vote at all general meetings of The Association.
13.2 The Vice President shall:
- Coordinate all aspects of Senior Soccer within the Burin Peninsula.
- Coordinate all Senior Soccer tournaments with the clubs.
- Be involved in all decisions affecting Senior Soccer on the Burin Peninsula.
13.3 The Minor Soccer Chairperson shall:
- Coordinate all aspects of Youth Soccer on the Burin Peninsula.
- Coordinate all Youth Soccer Tournaments with the clubs.
- Be involved in all decisions affecting Youth Soccer on the Burin Peninsula.
13.4 The Treasurer shall:
- Take charge of all monies belonging to The Association.
- Direct payment of money by cheques signed by the designated signing officers of The Association.
- Present a yearly financial report at the Annual General Meeting of The Association.
- Deposit all monies in such depositories as designated by the Executive.
- Make recommendations on all proposed financial matters.
- Render a financial report at all regular meetings of The Association.
13.5 The Secretary shall:
- Give notice of all meetings of The Association.
- Record the proceedings of all meetings of The Association.
13.6 The Registrar shall:
- Be responsible for the registering all players, coaches, team staff and executive with the NLSA.
13.7 The Past President shall:
- Assist and advise the incoming Executive.
13.8 The Director of Officials shall:
- Be responsible for training officials on the Burin Peninsula.
- Assign officials to all senior league games.
13.9 The Technical Director shall:
- Be responsible to train coaches on the Burin Peninsula.
- Work with coaches on all Technical matters.
13.10 The Hall of Fame Chairperson shall:
- Chair the Hall of Fame Committee.
- Distribute the Hall of Fame criteria to the clubs.
- Arrange the Hall of Fame banquet in even numbered years.
13.11 The Board of Directors has the authority to amend these duties and responsibilities, as it deems necessary, for the betterment of the objectives of The Association.
14 POWERS OF THE EXECUTIVE
14.1 The Executive shall be vested with the authority to direct the affairs of The Association.
14.2 The Executive shall be responsible to the Members of The Association.
14.3 The Executive shall implement and control the policies, finances and general affairs of The Association.
15 SIGNING OFFICERS
15.1 The signing authority of The Association for cheques and payments drawn on current operating accounts of The Association, shall be any two (2) of the President, the Treasurer, and the Vice President.
15.2 The signing authority for notes, financial instruments and all other financial documents shall be any two (2) of the President, the Treasurer and the Vice President.
15.3 Whenever possible, all cheques and financial documents should bear the signature of the Treasurer.
16 VACANCIES
16.1 The office of a member of the Executive may be vacated:
1. upon resignation, in writing;
2. if s/he absents him/herself from two (2) consecutive meetings without just cause.
3. if s/he is removed by resolution of The Association for good and sufficient cause.
16.2 Should a vacancy occur on the Executive, the Executive may appoint a person to fill the vacancy until the next Annual General Meeting.
16.3 Should a vacancy on the Executive occur at the Annual General Meeting, an election will take place to fill that position for the remainder of the term as outlined in article 12.4.
16.4 If the office of the President shall become vacant for any reason during his/her term of office, the Executive shall appoint a new President until an election can be held at a general meeting of The Association. However, the immediate Past President shall remain in office.
17 AMENDMENTS
17.1 All proposed amendments to these By-Laws must be received by The Association in writing not less than twenty-one (21) days before an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting called for that purpose.
17.2 Copies of proposed amendments to these By-Laws shall be sent to the Membership not less than fourteen (14) days prior to the Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting at which they are to be considered.
17.3 Amendments to these By-Laws shall become effective upon attaining a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the votes cast by the delegates at the General Meeting.
18.1 The Board of Directors shall, each year, appoint committees as it sees fit, and give such committees duties and powers as it sees fit.
18.2 The President shall be, ex-officio, a member of all committees.
19 INDEMNITY
19.1 Every member of the Executive, or other servant of The Association, shall be indemnified by The Association against all costs, losses and expenses incurred by them respectively in or about the discharge of their respective duties, except as such happens from their own respective wilful neglects or defaults.
20 OTHER REGULATIONS
20.1 The Association may make such miscellaneous Rules and Regulations as may be deemed necessary to promote, develop and govern the game of soccer.
20.2 The Association may make such regulatory measures as it deems necessary for the efficient administration of the playing structure of the game within its jurisdiction.
20.3 No such regulations may violate an individual�s rights or freedoms except as may be required to protect the rights and freedoms of any other individual and to ensure the stability of the basic structure of the game.
20.4 The Rules and Regulations of The Association may be added to and/or amended between General Meetings by the Executive; however, such amendments must be presented at the next General Meeting of The Association for ratification.
20.5 The Rules and Regulations of The Association may be amended by a majority vote of those accredited members present at a General Meeting.
21 DISSOLUTION
21.1 It is specifically provided that in the event of dissolution or winding up of The Association all its remaining assets after payment of its liabilities shall be distributed to one or more recognized non-profit organizations on the Burin Peninsula.