SPARTA SOCCER CLUB CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I - NAME

This Club shall be known as the ‘Sparta Soccer Club, Inc’, hereafter referred to as ‘the Club’.

ARTICLE II - PURPOSE

To promote and encourage the game of soccer in the Township of Sparta, New Jersey at the town recreational level, travel level, and premier level.

ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP

Section 1 There shall be one class of members: Active. Only active members shall have the right to vote and to hold elective office in the Club.

Section 2          Active members of this Club shall be those parents or guardians whose youth are duly registered as players with the Club during the current fiscal year, (as defined in Article XV).

Section 3          Coaches, managers and active volunteers who do not have children duly registered with the Club shall also be considered active members.

Section 4          All members shall abide by this Constitution, all rules and regulations as adopted by the Board of Directors and all applicable rules and regulations of the County, State and National Association with which the Sparta Soccer Club is affiliated. The Board of Directors may elect to modify the County, State and National Association rules for the intramural program.

Section 5          Membership in this Club may be subject to termination for participating in actions, in organizations, or in such activities as is deemed reprehensible and in violation of the purposes of this Club. The Executive Committee of the Club, as defined in these bylaws, shall afford a member a hearing and shall make a recommendation to the Board of Directors based upon said hearing. A majority vote of the Board of Directors present at said meeting shall be necessary for termination of membership.

Section 6          Members whose membership has been terminated for any of the reasons previously stated in this Article shall not have any dues returned to them for the unexpired portion of their membership.

ARTICLE IV - REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

Section 1          Any youth registering with the Club shall submit full payment of fees and all documents as required by the Board of Directors before becoming eligible to play.

Section 2          Any eligible youth residing in the Township of Sparta who is unable to pay the full fees may have the fees fully or partially waived by a special committee consisting of the President, the Treasurer, and the Registrar. All requests for waivers must be in writing. All such requests shall be held in private.

Section 3          A town league registration fee may be returned if the resignation is received in writing prior to the start of the season.  A travel league registration fee may be returned either if a player is not offered a position on a team or if a player is offered a position on a team and declines within 3 days of the offer.  No registration fees will be refunded after the times specified above.    

ARTICLE V - BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1          The Board of Directors shall consist of:  The Officers of the Club, the Director of Coaches, the Director of Town Referees, the Director of Travel Teams, the immediate Past President, the Director of Town Teams, and four Representatives at Large (Director of Sponsors, Director of Fields and Scheduling, Director of Public Relations, and Director of Training).

Section 2 It shall be the function of the Board of Directors and the President to oversee the affairs of the Club and to make policy recommendations for the adoption of the general membership. In the case of a tie, the President’s vote will break the tie. The Executive Committee shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Club between its business meetings. The Board of Directors will make recommendations to the Club, set all rules and regulations, and shall perform such other duties as are specified in these Articles.

Section 3          The Director of Sponsors, Director of Fields and Scheduling, Director of Public Relations, and Director of Training shall be elected by a majority vote of the membership at the June meeting. The Director of Coaches, Director of Town Referees, Director of Travel Teams and Director of Town Teams shall be appointed by a majority vote of the elected members of the Board.

Section 4          The Board of Directors shall appoint a member to fill any position that may become vacant.

Section 5          A member of the Board of Directors who fails to attend three consecutive meetings of the Board shall thereby forfeit his or her office as a member of the Board unless excused by a majority vote of the Board.

ARTICLE VI - EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Section 1          The Executive Committee of the Club shall consist strictly of the Officers of the Club as defined in Article VII.

Section 2          The function of the Executive Committee shall be to set interim rules, policies and regulations between meetings of the Board of Directors and to make recommendations to the Board enacting these rules, policies and regulations at the next meeting of the Board.

Section 3 It will also be the responsibility of the Executive Committee to develop, in conjunction with the Budget Committee, the following year’s program. The year’s program, including the budget, will be approved by the Board of Directors before submission to the general membership at the Annual Meeting.

Section 4          The Executive Committee shall meet at the call of the President or any two of its members.

Section 5          Three members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum at Executive Committee meetings for the transaction of business.

ARTICLE VII - OFFICERS

Section 1          The elected officers of this Club shall be as follows:  President, Travel Vice President, Town League Vice President, Travel Registrar, Town Registrar, Secretary, and Treasurer. The Officers shall be elected for a term of one year at the June General Membership Meeting as outlined in Article XII of this Constitution and shall hold office for one fiscal year or until their successors are elected.

Section 2          No person may hold two offices simultaneously.

Section 3          The President shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors, at all meetings of the Executive Committee, and at the general membership meetings of the Club. He/she is empowered to call meetings of the Executive Committee, Board of Directors, or general meetings for good cause. He/she shall appoint the Chairpersons of all committees (as outlined in Article IX), and shall be an ex-officio member thereof, except he/she shall not appoint the Chairperson of the Nominating Committee or be a member thereof. The President will serve as the Kids Safe Coordinator and shall be responsible for the implementation of the Kids Safe program pursuant to state and federal guidelines.

Section 4          The Travel Vice President shall, in the absence of the President or his/her inability to act, perform all of the duties of the office of the President. In the event the Travel Vice President is unable to perform these duties, the Town League Vice President shall perform them. The Travel Vice President shall have overall responsibility for the travel program in addition to other duties as requested and approved by a vote of the Board of Directors.

Section 5          The Town League Vice President shall in the absence of the President and the Travel Vice President or his/her inability to preside at a meeting, shall preside at the meeting. The Town League Vice President shall have overall responsibility for the town recreational program, in addition to other duties as requested and approved by a vote of the Board of Directors.

Section 6          The Secretary shall keep a record of the proceedings of this Club in addition to other duties as requested and approved by a vote of the Board of Directors. The books and records of the Secretary shall be available at the meetings and shall be delivered to his or her successor in office.

The Secretary shall keep records of any important changes or events occurring within the Club and shall keep an updated copy of the Constitution.

Section 7          The Treasurer shall make all disbursements of money approved by the membership of the Club at the June meeting of the general membership and shall render a report of all receipts and disbursements at each regular meeting. The Treasurer shall collect all revenues and shall make a full report of the finances of the Club at the June meeting, in addition to other duties as requested and approved by a vote of the Board of Directors.

Section 8          The Travel Registrar shall handle all registration and shall maintain the official rosters of all teams. The Travel Registrar shall collect all registration fees and forward all moneys to the Treasurer on a timely basis. It will be the responsibility of the Travel Registrar to assure that the standards of the Club are maintained (i.e. age of players, qualifications for travel teams. etc), in addition to other duties as requested and approved by a vote of the Board of Directors.

Section 9          The Town Registrar shall handle all registration in the town recreational program. The Town Registrar is responsible for establishing team rosters and recruiting coaches prior to the start of the season. The Town Registrar shall collect all registration fees and forward all money to the Treasurer on a timely basis. The Town Registrar is responsible for field schedules for games. It will be the responsibility of the Town Registrar to assure that the standards of the Club are maintained (i.e. age of players, etc), in addition to other duties as requested and approved by a vote of the Board of Directors.

Section 11        The officers shall perform the above duties and such other duties as are prescribed by this Constitution and by Parliamentary procedure as outlined in Article XVI of this Constitution. Specific duties of each Board position shall be reviewed and outlined by a vote prior to the annual meeting.

ARTICLE VIII - DIRECTORS

Section 1          Director of Travel Teams shall be the liaison between the club and any County or State organization.

Section 2          Director of Town League shall be the liaison between the club and any town league teams.

Section 3          Director of Fields and Scheduling shall be the liaison between the club and the Sparta Township Recreation Department with regard to field use and maintenance. They shall also be responsible for assigning field practice schedules and are the liaison between the Club and the Travel League Referee Assignor.

Section 4          The Director of Town Referees shall approve all referees for the town league program. The Director of Referees shall supervise the activities of all referees for the town league program to assure their compliance with all rules, regulations, and guidelines expected of a youth referee as required by the Board of Directors and affiliated leagues. The Director of Referees will assign a referee for each town league game, in addition to other duties as requested and approved by a vote of the Board of Directors.

Section 5          The Director of Coaches shall nominate all coaches to the Board of Directors for approval. The Director of Coaches shall supervise the activities of all coaches to ensure their compliance with all rules, regulations, and guidelines expected of a youth soccer coach as required by the Board of Directors and affiliated leagues. The Director of Coaches shall also recommend replacement of coaches not complying with the above, in addition to other duties as requested and approved by a vote of the Board of Directors.

Section 6          Director of Training shall be responsible for organizing all training programs after submitting a training plan for the Board of Directors’ review and approval no later than January 1 and July 1 of each year.

Section 7          Director of Public Relations shall be responsible for publicity, including arrangement for public notices of meetings and press coverage of Club events. The Director of Public Relations shall also be responsible for development and distribution of the Club’s newsletter, in addition to other duties as requested and approved by a vote of the Board of Directors.

Section 8          Director of Sponsors shall coordinate with the Town League Vice President to arrange Town Recreational Team Sponsors, in addition to other duties as requested and approved by a vote of the Board of Directors.

Section 9          The Directors shall perform the above duties and such other duties as are prescribed by this Constitution and by Parliamentary procedure as outlined in Article XVI of this Constitution. Specific duties of each Board position shall be reviewed and outlined by a vote prior to the annual meeting.

ARTICLE IX - COMMITTEES

Section 1 There shall be the following standing committees:

a. Nominating Committee   b. Judicial Committee, c. Training Committee, and d. Scholarship Committee.

Section 2          The Directors and the Chairpersons of all committees, except the Nominating Committee, shall have the privilege of selecting members to serve on his or her committees.

Section 3          The President shall appoint the Chairperson of all standing committees, and shall appoint such other committees as in his or her judgment may seem to be required subject to the approval of the Board of Directors.

Section 4          The Judicial Committee will be comprised of one non-club member and two to three club members. This committee will be responsible for interpreting and maintaining the rule and guidelines of the club. All rules violations brought before the Board will be forwarded to this committee for an opinion. This committee will be responsible for determining if any rule or guideline has been violated in fact or in principle by any member of the club. If this committee determines that no violation has been committed, the incident will be considered closed. If a violation is discovered the committee will make a corrective action recommendation to the Board, which the Board may act on or modify at their discretion.

Section 5          The Nominating Chairperson consists of one member of the Club appointed at the May meeting. The Nominating Chairperson will solicit nominations for all Board positions (see Article XII).

ARTICLE X - MEETINGS

Section 1          The Board of Directors shall meet during the first week of each month, at the call of the President or on the written request of two members of the Board.

Section 2          Fifty percent of the Board of Directors, including at least three officers, shall constitute a quorum at the Board of Directors meeting for the transaction of business.

Section 3          Meetings of the general membership of the Club shall be held in June and during the fall as appropriate. The June meeting shall be for the purpose of electing officers and approving the budget for the forthcoming fiscal year. The fall meeting shall be held to inform the general membership of any procedural changes, hear the annual report on the previous year, and conduct whatever business needs to be handled.

Section 4          Notices of all general membership meetings shall be posted on the Club website at least one week before the meeting date.

Section 5          Special meetings may be called by the President upon the request of ten members.

ARTICLE XI - EXPENDITURES

Section 1          The Treasurer may spend up to $500.00 for budgeted items without any approval and up to $1,000.00 for budgeted items with the approval of the President. Any budgeted expenditure in excess of $1,000.00 must be approved by the Board of Directors regardless of the amount of the budget line item. All unbudgeted expenditures must be approved by the Board of Directors.

Section 2          The Board of Directors shall approve and/or modify the budget to be submitted for approval by the general membership at the spring meeting. The Board of Directors shall be responsible for the adherence to the annual budget and may make any amendments throughout the year as deemed necessary.

Section 3          In the event an emergency expenditure of funds must be approved by the Board, and the President, in his/her sole discretion, deems there is insufficient time or reason to convene a special meeting of the Board or to wait for the regularly scheduled meeting of the Board, the President may conduct a survey vote of the Board members in order to approve said expenditure.

            In such event, the President will contact each Board member by e-mail and detail the expenditure and reason for emergency approval. Each board member will then contact the President via e-mail to cast his/her vote. The President will tally the votes and notify the Treasurer of the result. The President will keep written records of all votes and provide them to the Secretary for each member’s review at the next regular meeting of the Board.

            Additional matters that require timely resolution before the next Board meeting may be detailed to the Board by other Board members via e-mail. Each board member will then have the opportunity to express their opinion via e-mail to all other Board members before a vote is cast.  Each board member will then contact the Secretary via e‑mail to cast his/her vote. The Secretary will tally the votes and notify the Board of the results. The Secretary will keep written records of all votes, provide them to the Board for each member’s review at the next regular meeting of the Board, and include the result of the vote in the next month’s meeting minutes.

            All other matters should be conducted at either a regular or special meeting of the Board to encourage discussion and ensure each member has the opportunity to voice an opinion before a formal vote is taken.

ARTICLE XII - ELECTIONS

Section 1          Officers shall be elected at the June meeting.

Section 2          Only active members of this Club shall be eligible to be candidates for an elective or appointed office in this Club. A candidate for President must have been an active member of at least one year.

Section 3          The Nominating Chairperson shall submit his/her report of nominations to the President ten days prior to the June Meeting. Nominations from the floor may also be made.

Section 4          A member nominated by the Nominating Chairperson need not be present to be nominated. A member nominated from the floor must accept his or her nomination either in writing or in person. An acceptance in writing is valid when delivered to the Secretary of the Club.

Section 5 Elections shall be by secret ballot except in cases where there is ‘no contest’ for the office.

Section 6          In the event there is more than one candidate for the same office, the candidate receiving the majority of the votes cast shall be the winner.

Section 7          In the event of a vacancy in the Officers of the Club, the President shall appoint an active member to fill the unexpired term of such vacant office. A new officer shall be elected at the next regular meeting. If the vacancy occurs in the office of the President, the Travel Vice President will automatically become the President.

ARTICLE XIII - VOTING

Section 1          Active members of this Club shall be entitled to cast one vote on any matter that may come before the general membership.

Section 2          Voting at all meetings of this Club shall be by show of hands. Voting to amend these Articles shall be by show of hands, unless a majority of the members present vote for a roll call or a secret ballot.

Section 3          Voting at the annual election or at a special election to fill a vacancy shall be by secret ballot if any office is contested.

Section 4          Voting by proxy is not permitted.

ARTICLE XIV - PUBLIC RELATIONS

Section l           The Club will take no public position on any issue unless this action shall have been approved at a meeting of the Board of Directors.

Section 2          Only the President or his or her authorized representative shall presume to speak for the Club.

ARTICLE XV - FISCAL YEAR

Section l           The fiscal year of the Club shall begin on the first of July and end on the thirtieth of June for the purpose of maintaining financial and player records.

Section 2          The player’s age cut off date for the fiscal year shall correspond to the requirements of the County and State Associations with which the Club is affiliated.

ARTICLE XVI - PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The rules contained in the current edition of Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Club in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these laws and any special rules of order the Club may adopt.

ARTICLE XVII - AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION

The Constitution may be amended at any general membership meeting of the Club by a two-thirds vote of the active members then present, provided that the intention to amend has been advertised one week prior to the General meeting.

ARTICLE XVIII - NON-PROFIT STATUS

Section 1 No asset will be for the personal benefit or use of any club member. Section 2 Upon liquidation of the Club, any asset will be donated to an organization exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code or its equivalent at the time. The Board of Directors will select the organization.