CONSTITUTION

Northern Virginia Coed Adult Soccer League
September 2009

     I.        NAME AND AFFILIATIONS

The name of the organization, the conduct of which will be governed by this document and the accompanying Rules, will be the Northern Virginia Coed Adult Soccer League (NVCASL)

   II.        OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the league will be the encouragement and promotion of the sport of soccer and the proper administration and regulation of the game within its jurisdictional area.

  III.        SEASONAL YEAR

The seasonal year will extend from September first through August thirty-first of the following year. 

 IV.        MEMBERSHIP AND REGISTRATION FEES

Place holder

A.    Any team composed of sixteen or more individuals shall be considered a member of NVCASL upon timely payment of all appropriate fees and documentation as specified by the rules.  

B.     Upon being accepted as members of the NVCASL, teams shall be furnished with copies of this Constitution and Rules, which shall be considered sufficient notice of their responsibilities detailed herein.

C.     Each player on a member team must be registered in accordance with NVCASL rules.

D.    Each team’s registration fee may be adjusted to reflect fees and reimbursements from the previous season. The payment of the registration fee will confer on the member teams the rights and obligations of membership through the season for which the fee was paid. The team registration fee must be forwarded to the NVCASL no later than fourteen days prior to the first scheduled game for each of the Fall, Summer, and Spring seasons. A team that has not paid its fees, or has not forwarded its registration form, will be considered delinquent and will have no voice or vote at any meetings and lose all benefits.

  V.        EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The Executive Committee: will be composed of the officers of the NVCASL; will constitute the leadership and conduct the affairs of the NVCASL; will submit to the league members a complete and faithful account of all activities, decisions, and plans since the previous meeting; will be guided by the sentiment of the league members as expressed by votes or other written communications; will serve as the initial review board for activities by member teams that may be detrimental to the objectives and activities of the NVCASL, and may levy fines and other penalties in accordance with NVCASL Rules concerning abuse or assaults on referees; will initiate and/or support activities designed to benefit members of the league.

A.    These officers are elected using the procedures outlined in section VII.

B.     The Executive Committee will enforce rules which will be directed toward filling the NVCASL responsibilities to the members of the NVCASL, the promotion of soccer as a sport, and the protection and strengthening of resources used by members of the NVCASL.

C.     The Council will be the arbiter of policy for the NVCASL. It will have the power to:

·         Enforce the rulings of the NVCASL and the Laws of the Game;

·         Represent the NVCASL and act for it in all situations involving other state associations and the national federation;

·         Penalize by expulsion, suspension for a set period, fine (teams only), or other means any member proven guilty of violating any of its rules or those of a superior body, or for other misconduct.

 VI.        OFFICERS AND THEIR DUTIES

A.    The Commissioner: will preside at all meetings; will appoint all committees and division managers, will be a member of all committees ex-officio, will obtain field permits and will represent the NVCASL at all official functions.  If the office of any other officer should become vacant, the Commissioner will appoint an individual to fill the office, subject to the approval of the Council, for the remainder of its term.

B.     The Treasurer: will have charge of and receive the monies of the Association including fees and keeping financial records thereby entailed; will keep a detailed account of income and expenditure, will submit a complete written report showing all Association financial transactions at every regularly scheduled Council meeting, accompanied by a statement of the balance on hand and will provide that all accounts be paid by check and will be a member of the Council entitled to vote.  Any expenditure over $1,000 will require the check to have 2 signatures from two of the three league officers.

C.     The Administrator: Will procure the required registration information from member teams such as: player’s names and addresses, in a timely manner.  Will be a member of the Council entitled to vote.  The administrator will conduct the correspondence of the NVCASL in a timely manner; will have charge of all properties of the NVCASL, unless the duties of another officer indicate otherwise; will carry out other administrative tasks as required, and will be the channel of official communication between the NVCASL and other bodies, unless the duties of another officer indicate otherwise. He/she will record and publish all meeting minutes; will give written notice of meetings to all members, stating whether the meeting is regular or special, and, if the latter, and the nature of the business.  If the office of Commissioner should become vacant, the Administrator will succeed to office until a replacement can be voted on by the Council. 

D.    Officers will be reimbursed for any expenses incurred that directly relate to their official duties with the league.

E.     Division Managers:  Will be responsible for the following functions for each division in the league.  Will receive the final scores, and update the league web site with those scores, for each team in their division.  Will be the first contact for complaints and protests, and will pass any complaint or protest they cannot resolve to the Commissioner for resolution.

F.      Team Managers and Assistant Team Managers:  Each team will designate a Team Manager, and Assistant Team Manager, who will do the following:  Will ensure that their team(s) are properly registered (section III; Rules).  Will ensure that each player on their team(s) is properly registered (section III; Rules).  Will be responsible for the behavior of his/her team,, and will take the necessary actions to correct behavior that is in violation of all rules of the Associations the league is member of, and the league’s own rules (section X; Rules). Will ensure that all fees due to the league will be paid on time (section IV; Constitution).  Will attend all league meetings, and represent their team(s) at those meetings (section VIII; Constitution).  Will represent the team, or an individual on their team at any disciplinary hearings (addendum; Rules).  Will report the scores for their games in a timely and accurate manner (section IX; Rules).  Will be the only individuals who can submit protests and complaints to the league (section X; Rules).

VII.        ELECTIONS

A.    The officers will be elected at the Annual Meeting (AM) by a majority vote of the persons present and empowered to cast votes in the election of officers.  Officers will be elected for terms of office for three (3) years duration.  In the event that no candidate received a majority on the first or any subsequent ballots, the candidate with the smallest number of votes will be eliminated and another ballot cast. This procedure will continue until a candidate receives a majority of votes cast. An abstention is not a vote cast. Only persons who consent to serve prior to balloting will be elected. Votes cast for persons whose consent has not been ascertained will not be counted. The fact that a person is not present at the meeting will not preclude that person being elected to office, provided written consent is received.

B.     Nominations may be made by any member of the league.

C.     An Officer will commence a term of office beginning the next seasonal year after the conclusion of the meeting in which elected or appointed, or immediately after a vacancy has occurred.

VIII.        MEETINGS

A.    The league will meet at least once a seasonal year.

B.     Members of the league will be given at least one month's written notice of all regular meetings by the Administrator.  Minutes of the previous meeting will be supplied at that time.

C.     The courtesy of the floor may be extended to any interested party at the discretion of the Commissioner. Meetings will be conducted under Robert's Rules of Order. The presiding officer will have all the powers to maintain parliamentary order. He will have the right to interrupt a meeting, to adjourn it, or to call a recess before finishing the order of business.

 IX.        AMENDMENTS AND RULESOFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE

A.    The principal channel of communication is the Administrator.  Other officers will conduct the correspondence related to their specific duties. The Commissioner may engage in correspondence on any matter.

B.     Communications will normally be in writing with electronic messages considered the same as hard copy, but concise announcements may be made at Council meetings. Written confirmation will follow significant verbal communication. An individual will be deemed to have been notified if he receives a copy of a written communication with his name or email address marked as a recipient, or, in case of a concise verbal announcement at a meeting, if he is present at said meeting. An organization will be deemed to have been notified if its secretary or other person who regularly corresponds for it receives a written communication with his name or the name of the organization, or, in the case of a concise verbal announcement, if its representative is present.