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Approved by Rockaway Township Soccer Association on January 3, 2007.
Approved by Rockaway Township. Recreation Department on
ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP SOCCER ASSOCIATION
BY ‑ LAWS
ARTICLE I ‑ NAME
This organization shall be known as the Rockaway Township Soccer Association, hereinafter referred to as "Soccer Association".
ARTICLE II ‑ OBJECTIVE
Section l. The objective of the Soccer Association shall be to implant firmly in the children of the community the ideals of good sportsmanship, honesty, loyalty, courage and respect for authority, so that they may be well adjusted, stronger and happier children and will grow to be good, decent, healthy and trustworthy citizens.
Section 2. To achieve this objective the Soccer Association may provide a supervised program for the Rockaway Township Recreation Department. The Soccer Association shall comply with the rules of the New Jersey Soccer Association and the United States Soccer Federation, unless otherwise specified in its league of play. All Directors, Officers and Members shall bear in mind that the attainment of exceptional athletic skill or the winning of games is secondary, and the molding of future citizens is of prime importance.
Specifically, the Soccer Association is organized and is to be operated to instruct and educate individuals of all ages and skill levels in the sport of Soccer. Adult programs may be provided on a special request basis at the approval of the Soccer Association. The Soccer Association shall conduct clinics, workshops, lessons and seminars at municipal parks, recreation areas and other places designated by the association. The Soccer Association's instruction program is to be open to all residents of Rockaway Township, New Jersey. The membership of the Soccer Association shall be composed of individuals of all segments of Rockaway Township, New Jersey who are interested in the sport of soccer. The Soccer Association's income is to be used for the purchase of equipment, for training and other league activities necessary for the sport of soccer. Any difference between income and expenses shall be made up by contributions from interested members of the community through the Rockaway Township Soccer Booster Club.
ARTICLE III ‑ MEMBERSHIP
Section l. Eligibility Any person sincerely interested in active participation to effect the objective of this Soccer Association may become a regular member.
Section 2. Regular Members. Any person interested in furthering the objectives of the Soccer Association may become a regular member. In order to qualify for membership as a regular member, a person must have attended at least six (6) monthly meetings during the previous twelve (12) months.
(As used hereinafter, the word "Member" shall mean a Regular Member unless otherwise stated.)
Section 3. A Regular Member shall be entitled to one vote on each matter submitted to a vote of the membership. A Regular Member, shall be eligible to vote if classified as such a member in accordance with ARTICLE III, Section 2.
Section 4. Suspension or Termination.
(a) The Board of Directors may recommend to terminate, suspend or discipline any member and has the authority to temporarily suspend a member when, in their belief, the conduct of such person involved is considered detrimental to the best interest of the Rockaway Township Soccer Program. The Board of Directors will notify the membership of such actions and will submit recommendations to the membership for an affirmative majority approval at any duly constituted meeting to terminate, suspend or discipline any member. The person involved shall be notified of such meeting, informed of the general nature of the charges and given an opportunity to appear at the meeting to answer such charges.
(b) The Board of Directors shall, in case of a suspension of a player, give notice to the Team Head Coach of the team of which the player is a member. The player’s parents will be informed of the general nature of the charges and given an opportunity to appear before the Board of Directors to answer such charges. The Board of Directors shall have full power to suspend or revoke such player’s right to future participation.
ARTICLE IV‑ANNUAL MEETING, ELECTIONS AND MEETINGS
Section l. Annual Meeting. The annual meeting of the Members of the Soccer Association shall be held the last Wednesday of November at 8:00 PM (at the municipal building or other place designated by the President) every year for the purpose of electing a Board of Directors. If said meeting can not be scheduled for last Wednesday because of Thanksgiving holiday it is to be rescheduled at a time designated by the President, as close as possible to the usual meeting date and all members must be notified of said meeting date. At that meeting, each member eligible to vote shall receive a ballot designating the Board of Director position and person or persons running for that position. The failure of a member to receive a ballot shall not void the election and ballots may be provided the night of the election. All elections of the Board of Directors shall be by majority vote of all Members, or their proxy, present for the election at the time of the meeting.
Section 2. Nominations and Term of Office. At the October meeting, Members shall be nominated to be elected to the Board of Directors for a One (1) Year Term. The election shall be held at the annual meeting in November.
Section 3. Regular Meeting. The regular meeting of the Soccer Association will be held on the last Wednesday in each month at the municipal building or other place designated by the President. If said meeting can not be scheduled for last Wednesday, it is to be rescheduled at a time designated by the President, as close as possible to the usual meeting date and all members must be notified of said meeting date.
Section 4. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Members may be called by three (3) members of the Board of Directors or the President in his sole discretion. Upon the written request of seven (7) Regular Members, the President shall call a special meeting to consider a specific subject. No business other than that specified in the notice of the meeting shall be transacted at any special meeting of the Members.
Section 5. Notice of Meeting. Notice of each meeting of the Members may be emailed, mailed or otherwise delivered to each Member’s last recorded address, seven (7) days prior thereof, setting forth the place, time and purpose of the meeting; or in lieu thereof, notice may be given in such form as may be authorized by the Board of Directors, from time to time, at a regularly convened meeting
Section 6. Quorum. The presence of twenty-five percent (25%) of the members shall constitute a quorum, for any meeting.
Section 7. Voting. Only Regular Members shall be entitled to vote at any meeting of the Soccer Association, if permitted pursuant to these by-laws.
Section 8. Proxies. Each member shall be entitled to one vote in person or by proxy. All proxies must be in written or electronic form and mailed or emailed to all Members seven (7) days prior to a vote. Proxies must be submitted prior to a vote and may be withdrawn at any time prior to a vote.
Section 9. Rules of Order. Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the proceedings of all meetings, except where same conflicts with the by-laws of the Soccer Association.
ARTICLE V ‑ BOARD OF DIRECTORS, DUTIES AND POWERS
Section l. Board. The management of the property and affairs of the Soccer Association shall be vested in the Board of Directors. The Directors on the Board shall upon election immediately enter upon the performance of their duties and shall continue in office until their successors shall have been duly elected and qualified
Section 2. Required Members. The Board of Directors membership shall include the Officers as defined in ARTICLE VI Sections 2 - 13.
Section 3. Vacancies. If any vacancy occurs in the Board of Directors, by death, resignation or otherwise, it may be filled by a majority vote of the remaining Directors on the Board at any regular meeting or at any special meeting called for that purpose.
Section 4. Meetings and Notice. Regular meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held immediately following the annual election and on such days thereafter as shall be determined by the Board of Directors. The President or the Secretary may, whenever any of them deems it advisable, and the President shall, at the request in writing of three (3) Board Members, issue a call for a special meeting of the Board of Directors. Notice of such meeting shall be given by the Secretary to each Board Member by mail at least seven (7) days before the time appointed for the meeting to the last recorded address of each Board Member, or by email, telephone, or facsimile, or personal notice twenty‑four hours preceding the meeting. In the case of special meetings, such notice shall include the purpose of the meeting and no matters not so stated may be acted upon at the meeting.
Section 5. Quorum. Fifty-One percent (51%) of members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
Section 6. Duties and Powers. The Board of Directors shall have the power to appoint such standing committees as it shall determine and to delegate such powers to them as the Board of Directors shall deem advisable and which it may properly delegate.
The Board of Directors may appoint such other Directors as it may deem necessary or desirable and may prescribe the powers and duties of each and may fill any vacancies, which may occur in any office.
The Board of Directors shall receive at the meeting preceding the annual meeting of the Soccer Association a report verified by the President and Treasurer or by a majority of the Board of Directors, showing the amount applied, appropriated or expended during the year immediately preceding such date, and the purposes, objects or persons to or for which such applications, appropriations or expenditures have been made; and the names and places of residence of the persons who have been admitted to membership in the Soccer Association during such year, which report shall be filed with the records of the Soccer Association and an abstract thereof entered into the minutes of the proceedings of the annual meeting. The members eligible to vote shall be announced at this meeting.
ARTICLE VI ‑ OFFICERS
Section l. Election. Immediately following the election, the Board of Directors elected shall assume their offices.
Section 2. Officers. The Officers of the Soccer Association shall consist of the following: President, Vice‑President, Secretary, Treasurer, Head Coach, Travel Program Director, Booster Club President, Head Referee, Director of Operations, Director of Field Operations, and all in-house division directors as defined in Article VI, Section 13d.
Section 3. President. The President shall:
(a) Conduct the affairs of the Soccer Association and execute the policies established by the membership.
(b) Present a report of the condition of the Soccer Association at the annual meeting.
(c) Communicate to the Board of Directors, such matters as deemed appropriate, and make such suggestions as may tend to promote the welfare of the Soccer Association.
(d) Be responsible for the conduct of the Soccer Association and to insure the conformity to the Policies, Principles, Rules and Regulations of the leagues that the Soccer Association participates in, as agreed to under the conditions of charter issued from the respective organization, if applicable.
(e) Designate in writing, other officers if necessary, to have power to make and execute for/and in the name of the Soccer Association such contracts and leases as may have received and approved by the membership.
(f) Prepare and submit with the treasurer an annual budget to the membership and be responsible for the proper execution thereof.
(g) Assist in fund raising and publicity activities.
(h) Investigate complaints, irregularities and conditions detrimental to the Soccer Association and report thereon to the Board of Directors as circumstances warrant.
(i) Not have the authority to draw checks or cause vouchers to issue.
Section 4. Vice‑President. In case of the absence or disability of the President, and as authorized by the President or Board of Directors to so act, the Vice‑President shall perform the duties of the President, and when so acting, shall have all the powers of that office, and shall have such other duties as from time to time may be assigned by the Board of Directors and by the President.
The Vice- President shall:
(a) Be responsible for the registration of all players. (can appoint additional members to assist with the registration process and database management activities)
(b) Review the applications and supporting proof‑of‑age documents of every player candidate and certify to residence and age eligibility before the player may be accepted for tryouts, drafts and team selection.
(c) Have co-signing authority with the Treasurer to draw checks or cause vouchers to issue, if necessary therefor.
Section 5. Secretary. The Secretary shall:
(a) Be responsible for recording the activities of the Soccer Association and maintain appropriate files, mailing lists and necessary records.
(b) Perform such duties as are herein specifically set forth, in addition to such other duties as are customarily incident to the office of Secretary or as may be assigned by the Board of Directors.
(c) Maintain a list of all Regular Members, Board of Director Members, Divisional Directors, Team Head Coaches, Booster Club Board Officers and Committee Members and give notice of all meetings of the Soccer Association as necessary.
(d) Keep the minutes of the regular meetings of the Members and record and keep the minutes of the Board of Directors, and cause them to be recorded in a book kept for that purpose.
(e) Shall conduct all correspondence not otherwise specifically delegated in connection with said meetings and shall be responsible for carrying out all orders, votes and resolutions not otherwise committed.
(f) Notify Members, Divisional Directors, Members of the Board and Committee Members of their election or appointment.
Section 6. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall:
(a) Perform such duties as are herein specifically set forth and such other duties as are customarily incident to the Office of Treasurer or may be assigned by the Board of Directors.
(b) Receive all monies and securities, and deposit same in a depository approved by the Board of Directors, if applicable.
(c) Keep records for the receipt and disbursement of all monies and securities of the Soccer Association, including the monies received from the Booster Club. Approve all payments from the allotted funds and has co-signing authority with the Vice President to draw checks or cause vouchers to issue, if necessary therefor.
(d) Prepare an annual budget, under the direction of the President, for submission to the membership at the annual meeting and for submission to the Recreation Department.
Section 7. Head Coach. The Head Coach shall:
(a) Record all player transactions and maintain an accurate and up‑to‑date record thereof.
(b) Conduct the player tryout or draft and all other player transactions or selection meetings.
(c) Prepare the team rosters for the President's signature and submission to respective league organizations that the Soccer Association participates in, and any required tournament team eligibility roster and/or affidavits.
(d) Notify, with the assistance of the Travel Program Director, the respective league organizations that the Soccer Association participates in, of any subsequent players’ replacement and movement after team roster submissions, as required by respective league organizations.
(e) Develop and coordinate coaches training programs.
Section 8. Head Referee. Shall be responsible for the training and scheduling of Referees as required by the Soccer Association. He may appoint as many people as necessary to assist in these endeavors.
Section 9. Travel Program Director. Shall be responsible for recruiting and pre-qualifying potential Team Head Coaches of the Travel Teams for consideration. Shall determine field requirements and allocate all fields for the Travel Program and be responsible for the schedule of all games for the Travel Teams (in conjunction with the Director of Field Operations). Shall be responsible for the overall operations of the Travel Teams. Shall attend meetings held by the respective travel league organizations that the Soccer Association participates in, as the association’s representative.
Section 10. Booster Club President. Shall be responsible for all fund raising activities, which shall be approved, in advance, by the Booster Club. Shall be responsible for obtaining sponsors for teams. Shall also be responsible for establishing communication network to team parents and maintaining list of all team parents.
Section 11. Director of Soccer Operations. Shall be responsible for equipment and uniforms for the entire Soccer Association. Shall be responsible for advising the Board of Directors of the equipment and uniform needs of the Association. Shall also be responsible for the purchase requisition preparation and distribution of equipment and uniforms for all teams in the Soccer Association, as approved by the Board of Directors.
Section 12. Director of Field Operations. Shall be responsible for scheduling all regular games and rain out games for the entire Soccer Association (maintain Master Schedule) with the assistance of the respective Division Directors. Responsible for all field preparations and operations for all programs in the Soccer Association.
Section 13. In-Town Division Directors
(a) Division Directors shall be appointed annually by the President, and be approved by the elected members of the Board of Directors.
(b) Division Directors shall be responsible for recruiting and selecting the Team Head Coaches for their respective Division and presenting their names to the full Board of Directors for approval. Shall schedule all games and field assignments for their respective Division (in conjunction with the Director of Field Operations) and shall be responsible for the overall operations of their respective Divisions. Shall be responsible to prepare and distribute team rosters for their respective divisions and will call for a Team Head Coaches meeting prior to the start of each season to distribute necessary information and to review the rules and regulations of the respective division.
(c) The number of Division Directors will be determined prior to start of each season as deemed necessary.
(d) In-house divisions are formed by groupings of all children of the same sex and school grade. Multiple groupings may be combined to form a division, ie, 1st grade boys and girls or 3rd and 4th grade boys may be combined to form one division. The Rockaway Valley Division consists of all children playing in the Rockaway Valley Soccer League.
ARTICLE VII ‑ TEAM HEAD COACHES AND REFEREES
Section 1. In-Town Team Head Coaches shall be appointed annually by the In-Town Program Director, with the approval of the Board of Directors.
Section 2. Travel Team Head Coaches shall be nominated in the March regular meeting, for election in the April regular meeting. Election is to be used to rank coaching pool of each division by total number of votes. The Board of Directors will assign elected Travel Team Head Coaches to respective teams in accordance with the Travel Team Coach Selection Policy. Travel Team Head Coaches shall be elected for a term of one year commencing with the next season of play. If a travel team coach should resign, be expelled, or cease to be a member, a new coach will be selected by the Board of Directors for the remainder of the term.
Section 3. In-Town Referees shall be appointed annually by the Head Referee, with the approval of the Board of Directors. The Head Referee shall be responsible for their assignments and for their actions on the field.
ARTICLE VIII ‑ AFFILIATION
Section l. Membership. The Soccer Association may annually participate in other leagues of play as approved by the membership and shall do all things necessary to obtain and maintain such membership.
Section 2. Rules and Regulations. The Official Playing Rules and Regulations as published by other leagues of play that the Soccer Association participates in shall be binding on those divisions within the Rockaway Township Soccer Association who are members of respective leagues.
Section 3. Rockaway Township Soccer (In-Town) Rules. The local playing rules of the Rockaway Township Soccer Association shall be adopted by the Board of Directors at a meeting to be held not less than one month prior to the first scheduled game of the season, but shall in no way conflict with the Rules and Regulations of the other leagues that the Soccer Association participates in, for those teams chartered in other said leagues of play. In-Town Rules and Regulations shall be approved and/or modified by a majority of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE IX ‑ FINANCIAL AND ACCOUNTING
Section 1. The Board of Directors shall decide all matters of normal business operation pertaining to the finances of the Soccer Association as defined in and limited to the approved annual budget and shall direct the expenditure of same in such matter as will give no individual or team an advantage over those in competition with such individual or team. Any expenditures outside the normal business operations and not included in the approved annual budget must be submitted to the membership for majority approval.
Section 2. The Board of Directors shall not permit the solicitation of funds in the name of the Soccer Association unless all of the funds so raised be placed in the Booster Club Treasury.
Section 3. The Board of Directors shall not permit the disbursement of Soccer Association/ Booster Club funds for other than the conduct of soccer activities.
Section 4. No Member of the Board of Directors or Member of the Soccer Association shall receive, directly or indirectly, any salary, compensation or emolument from the Soccer Association for services rendered.
Section 5. All monies received by donations, shall be deposited to the credit of the Rockaway Township Soccer Booster Club.
Section 6. The fiscal year of the Soccer Association shall begin on the 1st day of January and shall end on the last day of December or as set by the Township of Rockaway in accordance with the Rockaway Township fiscal year.
Section 7. Distribution of Property upon Dissolution. Upon dissolution of the Soccer Association and after all outstanding debts and claims have been satisfied, the Members shall distribute the property of the Soccer Association to such other organization or organizations maintaining an objective similar to that set forth herein. Which are or may be entitled or exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or any future corresponding provision, if permitted.
ARTICLE X ‑ AMENDMENTS
This Constitution and By‑Laws may be amended, repealed or altered in whole or in part by a majority vote at any duly organized meeting of the Members provided notice of the proposed change is included in the notice of such meeting 10 days prior to the meeting.