Westford Youth Soccer Association
Bylaws
ARTICLE I - Name
The name of this organization shall be Westford Youth Soccer Association (WYSA).
ARTICLE II - Purposes
The purposes of this organization shall be the promotion and enhancement of the game of soccer for the youth of Westford and to foster and promote the qualities of physical fitness, competitive spirit, team play, loyalty, and good sportsmanship by providing soccer instruction and the opportunity to participate in team competition both on an intramural basis and against teams from other communities.
ARTICLE III - Membership
Section 1. Qualifications
Any resident of the Town of Westford shall be eligible for membership without regard to sex, creed, color, religion, or national origin. Parents or guardians whose children are residents of the Town of Westford shall also be eligible for membership.
Section 2. Procedure for Membership Application
The act of registering a child for any program of the Association shall constitute application for membership for the parents or legal guardians. Serving as a coach, assistant coach, referee, or in any other capacity designated by the Board of Directors shall likewise constitute application for membership. Applicants in these categories shall be automatically accepted into membership. Any other qualified person may submit an application in writing to the secretary for consideration by the Board of Directors.
Upon acceptance of an application, the applicant shall become a full and active member subject to and bound by these By-Laws and any other rules as may be established by the Association or the Board of Directors.
Section 3. Member-in-Good-Standing
Once accepted, a member shall remain in-good-standing for one year after the last participation in a program of the Association unless suspended from membership as provided by these By-Laws.
Section 4. Copy of By-Laws and Rules
A copy of these By-Laws and any such Rules as may be established shall be made available to any member upon request.
Section 5. Dues, Assessment, and Fees
No annual dues or general membership assessments shall be established. All expenses of the Association shall be financed through registration fees, donations, fund-raising activities, or other such means deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE IV - Meetings
Section 1. Annual Meetings
The annual meeting of members of the Association shall be held once each calendar year between August and November; the date, hour, and place to be established by the Board of Directors. The purposes of the annual meeting shall be to review the past years activities through reports of the officers, to consider the By-Laws and Rules under which the Association conducts its programs, to elect officers and directors, and any other such business that the Board of Directors may deem necessary. Notice of the annual meeting shall be made as provided in Section 4, below.
Section 2. Special Meetings
Special meetings of the Association membership may be called at any time by the Association President. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to call a special meeting whenever requested to do so in writing by 10% of the membership or 40 members, whichever is smaller. The request shall contain a statement of the reasons for requesting such a meeting.
Section 3. Place of Meeting
All meetings shall be held at such place in the Town of Westford designated in the notice of the meeting.
Section 4. Notice of Meetings
A public notice of every meeting shall be made stating place, date, time, and the purpose of such meeting at least 10 days in advance of the meeting. Notice will typically be provided via an email to the associated membership. In addition, any member may receive written notification by supplying the Association Secretary with a stamped, self-addressed envelope to ensure notification of the next general membership meeting.
Section 5. Quorum
At any meeting of the membership, a number of members equal to twice the number of officers and directors plus one shall constitute a quorum. For example, with 4 officers and 6 directors constituting the Board of Directors as described below, a quorum would be 21 members, including any officers or directors present.
Section 6. Voting
Each member shall have one vote which may be cast only by appearing in person at a meeting. A vote by the majority of those members present and voting is sufficient to decide any matter at a meeting having a quorum present with the exception of those matters dealing with fiscal policy, which require approval of two-thirds of the members present. All votes taken shall be by show-of-hands.
ARTICLE V - Officers
Section 1. Enumeration
The officers of this Association shall consist of a President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary elected from the membership in-good-standing.
Section 2. Nomination and Election
A slate of nominees consisting of at least one person for each officer and director position shall be presented at the annual meeting by the Board of Directors. In addition, any member in-good-standing may be nominated for any office from the floor, no second being required. The nominee receiving a plurality of the votes cast for each office shall be elected.
Section 3. Tenure
The officers elected shall assume office at the first Board of Directors meeting following the annual meeting and serve until a like time the next year.
Section 4. Duties
In addition to those duties stated elsewhere in these By-Laws, the officers shall perform the duties stated below.
Section 4a. President
The President is the chief executive officer of the Association providing general supervision and control of its business. The President shall preside at all meetings of the membership and the Board of Directors. The President or his delegated representative shall represent the Association in all dealings with other groups or organizations impacting on Association programs adhering to the policies established by these By-Laws and to any guidance which may be supplied by the Board of Directors.
Section 4b. Vice President
In the absence of the President, the Vice President shall assume the duties of the President. In addition, the Vice President shall have such duties as designated by the Board of Directors.
Section 4c. Treasurer
The Treasurer shall have charge of the finance of the Association, keeping accurate records of all receipts and disbursements and preparing a financial report for presentation at the annual meeting. The Treasurer shall prepare a budget and recommended fees for each program of the Association for consideration by the Board of Directors in accordance with the fiscal policy of Article VI of these By-Laws.
Section 4d. Secretary
The Secretary shall keep minutes of all Association meetings and Board of Directors meetings maintaining these as a permanent record available for examination by any member. The Secretary shall, at the direction of the President or Board of Directors, attend to all correspondence of the Association.
Section 5. Removal
Any elected officer may be removed for cause by a vote of two-thirds of the Board of Directors providing reasonable notice and opportunity to be heard by the Board is made available to the affected officer prior to action.
Section 6. Replacement
If any officer is unable to complete the stated term of office, the Board of Directors may elect one of their number to serve until the next meeting of the membership.
ARTICLE VI - Board of Directors
Section 1. Powers
The business of the Association shall be managed by the Board of Directors. The Board shall possess the final authority and discretion to appoint coaches, to arbitrate disagreements, to administer the policies established by the Association regarding programs and composition of participating teams, and to determine the budget and fees for each Association program. The Board shall have the authority to suspend any member, coach, referee, or participant in any program whose conduct is in conflict with the purposes of the Association and these By-Laws or other such rules as may be established by the Association. Such suspension may be made upon majority vote of the Board providing reasonable notice and opportunity to be heard is made available before action is taken.
Section 2. Composition
The Board of Directors shall be made up of the officers of the Association and Directors-at-large, elected in like manner to the officers at the annual meeting. The number of directors shall be proposed by the Board and approved at the annual meeting of the association. The Directors additionally will assume the duties of Registrar, Referee Director, Division Director(s), Equipment Director, and other roles as decided by the Board. The Directors-at-large shall have the same tenure and be subject to the same removal procedure as the Association Officers.
Section 3. Meetings
Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held as frequently as necessary to conduct the business of the Association. Regularly scheduled meetings shall be held prior to the commencement of each program, and within forty-five days after the annual meeting for the purpose of installing the newly elected officers and conveying to them those items necessary for conduct of the Association's business. Special meetings of the Board may be called by the President, Treasurer, or a majority of the Board members.
Section 4. Notice of Meetings
No notice of regularly scheduled Board meetings which have been previously announced is required. Notice of special meetings shall be made at least 48 hours in advance either in person, via email, or by phone.
Section 5. Quorum
The presence of half the members, or 7 members, whichever is less, of the Board is necessary to conduct any business other than adjournment. Attendance may be in person or via teleconference or other remote attendance means as long as the member can participate in real time.
Section 6. Voting
Each member of the Board of Directors shall have one vote. A simple majority of those present and voting is sufficient for action on any matter except approval of budget or fees for a program which requires approval of two-thirds of the Board of Directors.
Section 7. Action by Consent
An action of the directors may be taken without a meeting if there are no objections from any director to an action. Such action by consent must be confirmed in writing or via email for the record, signed by each director and read into the minutes of the subsequent board meeting.
Section 8. Additiona1 Duties of the Directors
The Directors shall assist in the conduct of the various programs of the Association. At present there are six identifiable functions which must be carried out and require a presence on the Board of Directors. These functions are described below. Each Director may have Assistants, however such Assistants shall have no vote on the Board of Directors.
Section 8a. Referee Director
The Referee Director shall ensure that a referee is assigned to each game requiring a WYSA referee, evaluate referee performance, hold, or cause to be held, training sessions for referee, and hold, or cause to be held, familiarization sessions for coaches on the rules of the Association and the interpretation and enforcement thereof by Association referees.
Section 8b. Equipment Director
The Equipment Director shall be responsible for maintaining an inventory of the equipment available for usage in WYSA programs and for its disbursement to and collection from the coaches and referees participating in such programs. As the chief purchasing agent of the WYSA, the Equipment Director will prepare a projection of total equipment purchases required to support the program(s) including the Association cost figures and delivery schedules. Following review and approval of the purchase proposal by the Board of Directors, the Equipment Director will place the order(s) with the approved source(s).
Section 8c. Division Directors
The Division Directors shall serve as the primary communications link between the Board of Directors and Association members with a vested interest in the respective divisions (coaches, assistant coaches and parents or legal guardians of participating players). Each Division Director shall hold or direct to be held, coaches meetings for the purpose of dividing players registered to participate in a given division into teams in accordance with the procedures of the Association for the given. Each Division Director shall be contacted by or shall contact each team coach no later than 24 hours following each Association game for the purpose of recording game scores to determine team standings and to record information concerning any injuries that occur in a game or practice.
Section 8d. Registrar
The Registrar shall maintain the WYSA web site and shall assemble the registration of players, dispersing that data to the appropriate age directors. The Registrar shall be responsible for publishing notices of registration deadlines, and for processing requests for drops from the program.
Section 8e. Field Coordinator
The Field Coordinator shall be the interface between WYSA and the Town of Westford with regards to reserving the necessary field space to conduct the Association’s programs. He shall be responsible for making sure the fields are set up properly for the season, and for identifying equipment needs to the Equipment Director.
Section 8f. Coach and Player Development Director
The Coach and Player Development Director shall be responsible for developing and managing programs to improve the general quality of coaching in the Association. He shall also be responsible for developing, proposing, and managing supplementary programs intended to raise the soccer skills of participants in Westford Youth Soccer. This includes developing relationships with outside organizations that can provide additional skills development not otherwise available in WYSA.
ARTICLE VII - Fiscal Policy
Section 1. Budget
A balanced budget shall be prepared by the Treasurer for each program sponsored by the WYSA for the approval of the Board of Directors before registration for the program commences in order to permit a per-player fee to be calculated. The budget shall, as much as possible, identify separate expense items and the total divided by the projected number of participants to determine the fee. It is the intent of this policy to insure that current expenses are paid out of current fees. Major expenditures for capital equipment such as goal posts, etc., and for long term objectives such as expanding or improving the fields used by WYSA, shall be provided for by including in the current fee structure a provision to build a capital equipment reserve fund. This provision shall remain in effect until such time that the reserve fund reaches a balance deemed sufficient by the Board of Directors. Approval of all budgets shall require a two-thirds majority of the Board of Directors.
Section 2. Expenditures
The Board of Directors shall have the sole authority to initiate and approve any expenditure of funds. Budgeted expenditures may be authorized by a simple majority of the Board of Directors and paid in the name of the Association as described in Section 3 below. Expenses not included in any current program budget must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the Board of Directors prior to their incurrence. Expenditures which do not directly support current programs shall be limited to expenditures benefiting all members.
Section 3. Accounts
Association funds shall be promptly deposited in either a Certificate of Deposit, savings, or checking account maintained in the name of the Association. Two signatures shall be required on any instrument drawing on these funds, one of which shall be the Treasurer's and the other either the President's or the Vice President's.
ARTICLE VIII - Program Policy
Section 1. Make-up
The purposes of the WYSA are numerous and varied. It is expected that different programs will be required to satisfy these purposes. The Board of Directors shall institute and support such programs that satisfy the purposes of Article II in as much as qualified volunteers are available to conduct the programs and the constraints of Article VII are satisfied. At least one of these programs shall be in intramural program which aims to maximize the educational and sportsmanship benefits which can be accrued by wide spread participation in the sport of soccer. The Association shall also support participation in inter-community soccer programs such as the Middlesex Youth Soccer League (MYSL) to the level that interest in competitive soccer dictates.
Section 2. Participation
Age grouping for participation shall be established to maximize the achievement of the purposes of Article II. This policy is intended to produce playing divisions large enough to enable competition to be equalized and interest maintained over the length of the season without creating large-scale physical mismatches.
ARTICLE IX - Rules Policy
Section 1. Playing Rules
General rules of play as stated by the F.I.F.A., Massachusetts Youth Soccer, and affiliated leagues (e.g. Middlesex Youth Soccer League, and/or Nashoba Soccer League) shall be maintained. No rule designed to radically change the conduct of play shall be adopted. Rule changes which enhance the purposes of Article II are encouraged, but should be limited to areas such as playing time, field size, team size, and substitutions.
Section 2. Rules Committee
The Board of Directors shall establish a Rules Committee when necessary. This committee shall be chaired by the Referee Director and shall consist of those coaches, referees, and directors who desire to participate in creating a set of rules for the intramural program or other programs which might require rules created by the WYSA. The Rules Committee shall be governed by the policy established herein as well as the purposes of the Association. All rules and rule changes must be approved by a majority vote of the Rules Committee and by a majority of the Board of Directors.
Section 3. Playing Time
Rules governing team size shall take into account the desire to provide equalized playing time for each participant. Rules governing playing time should be made to insure balanced participation but should be flexible enough to accommodate injuries and disciplinary actions.