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The name of the organization shall be the “LaGrange Soccer Club”.
This club is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing area youth and adults with a positive environment in which they can learn the skills, camaraderie, and sportsmanship of soccer. The principal operation of the club shall be in the Town of LaGrange and extend into areas outside the town during the course of competition.
To accomplish the above objective, the LaGrange Soccer Club will provide a supervised program of instruction and competitive soccer games. The program shall focus on developing skills of the game and sportsmanship. The Club shall make every effort to provide equal benefits to all registered members. The Executive Board, Age Group Coordinators, Coaches and Committee members shall maintain first and foremost, that development of youth as future members of our community is of prime importance.
The club is guided by the laws of the USYSA and its local governing body, the Eastern New York State Youth Soccer Association. The LaGrange Soccer Club is a member of the East Hudson Youth Soccer League and shall abide by its rules, unless the Executive Board votes otherwise. The LaGrange Soccer Club is also a member of the US Club Soccer Organization and shall abide by its rules unless the Executive Board votes otherwise.
Club Membership will be open to all persons regardless of age, race, creed, or sex, who express an interest in participation and/or promotion of club objectives. Any parent or guardian of a registered player shall be deemed a club member. Voting members are also deemed a club member.
Voting membership shall be limited to:
Appointment by a Team Coach of a Team Representative has to be in writing and provided to the secretary in order to be effective which notice shall include the Team Representative’s address, e-mail address and phone numbers.
The designation of age group coordinators shall be made in writing as of the September General Executive Board Meeting by First Vice President – Intramural Program Director to the Secretary in writing.
President may vote to make or break a tie if the situation arises.
No person shall have more than one vote (i.e. an age group coordinator who is either a team coach, duly appointed team representative, or Executive Board Member shall have only one vote).
All voters must be present to vote – no vote by proxy of any matter is permitted.
The Executive Board, by a two-thirds vote of those Executive Board Members present at a duly constituted meeting, shall have the authority to suspend, discipline, or terminate membership of any member (including Executive Board Members) when the conduct of such person is considered detrimental to the objectives of the Club. If any of the above actions are to be considered, the Executive Board shall follow the steps outlined below:
The Executive Board by two-thirds vote of those Executive Board Members present at a duly constituted meeting shall have the authority to postpone a General Meeting vote until the next General Meeting. This privileged motion by the Executive Board can only be used once on a given proposal.
All authority to operate the LaGrange Soccer Club shall be vested in the Executive Board. The Executive Board shall be empowered to conduct all of the Club’s business such as:
Fill vacancies within the organization, solicit contributions, approve or disapprove fundraising activities, make and enforce rules, and establish special committees as deemed appropriate. In addition, the Board has the power to suspend or terminate membership in accordance with Article III, Part C.
The Board has the authority to hire employees and define duties and responsibilities of said employees.
The Executive Board shall be comprised of the following:
The Executive Board positions shall be elected positions in accordance with Club by-laws.
Any Executive Board Member who is not present for three (3) General or Executive Board Meetings without adequate reason in a year (December Meeting – November Meeting) or who fails to discharge his/her duties, may have his/her office declared vacant by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Executive Board. In the event that the Executive Board is to take action pursuant to this paragraph, it shall comply with the provisions of Article III Part C regarding termination or suspension of membership.
All LaGrange Soccer Club General and Executive Board Meetings require at least 7 members of the Executive Board to be present to constitute a quorum. A quorum is necessary to conduct any business pertaining to the Club. Minutes of all General and Executive Board meetings shall be recorded.
General meetings will be held monthly to conduct the normal business of the club. These meetings are open to membership of the club. There shall be one Annual Membership meeting held in November of each year for the purpose of electing officers.
Executive Board Meetings will be convened at the discretion of the President. Such meetings may be requested by any Executive Board Member. It shall be the President who ultimately decides if and when such a meeting will take place. Executive Board Meetings will be attended by Executive Board Members only, unless an agenda item necessitates outside attendance.
Note: The President has the authority to call an Emergency Meeting of the Executive Board at anytime.
Amendments to the Constitution and/or By-Laws shall be submitted in writing to each voting member at least 30 days prior to a General Meeting. All submitted amendments must be voted on at a General Meeting. A 2/3 vote is required of those present to adopt the amendment.
Voting eligibility shall comply with Article III. Part B of the Constitution. Each member is limited to 1 vote per ballot with the exception of the President. The President may vote to make or break a tie if the situation arises.
NOTE: In all cases the majority vote shall prevail, unless otherwise stated in the Constitution or By-Laws.
The President shall appoint a Nominating Committee of at least three club members at or prior to the September General Meeting. The Arbitrator will act as Chairman of the committee. The Nominating Committee shall post by October 1st at Stringham Park the list of offices scheduled for election and the names of the members of the Nominating Committee. The final slate of candidates shall be announced no later than two (2) weeks prior to election. No other nominations shall be accepted after this final slate has been announced.
The Secretary shall provide, in writing or by e-mail, to all eligible voters at least two (2) weeks prior to the scheduled election the following:
The slate of candidates and the date, time and place of elections shall also be posted at least two (2) weeks prior to election at Stringham Park. (Notice of these elections shall be provided to the Team Coach of each travel, intramural, and intertown team regardless of whether a team representative has been appointed. It is the responsibility of the Team Coach to notify the team representative.)
The election of Executive Board Members shall be for a term of (2) years. If there is more than one nominee for any position, the election for that position shall be by secret ballot. In all other cases, a show of hands is acceptable practice. Each Executive Board position shall be decided by a majority vote after a single ballot, except in the case of a tie, which will require a run-off ballot between the two leading candidates.
All General and Executive Board Meetings will meet the requirements of Article V of the Constitution.
The President shall preside at General and Executive Board Meetings. The President shall administer an orderly process by which Club business can be conducted.
Unless otherwise specified in the Constitution or By-Laws, “Robert’s Rules of Order” shall apply to the conduct of all meetings.
The Secretary shall document the minutes of both General and Executive Board Meetings. At each meeting, the minutes of the previous meeting shall be reviewed, accepted, and / or amended as determined by the vote of the membership present. Minutes of all meetings shall be emailed by the secretary to all voting members after approval. Unless delegated otherwise, the Secretary will be responsible for all documentation generated at such meetings.
Any correspondence received in the name of the Club or by an Executive Board Member pertaining to Club business shall be forwarded to the Secretary. A copy may be kept by the recipient but, at a minimum the secretary must receive a copy for Club records.
The fiscal year of the Club shall begin on the first day of SEPTEMBER and end on the last day of AUGUST. The fiscal year shall be known by the calendar year in effect on the last day of the fiscal year.
The Executive Board shall determine all matters pertaining to the finances of the LaGrange Soccer Club. All funds shall be placed in such accounts as determined by the Executive Board under the management of the Club Treasurer.
The disbursement of funds shall be for LaGrange Soccer Club activities only. The Executive Board shall not allow disbursement of funds for any purpose which does not support Club objectives or which would jeopardize the Club’s tax exempt status.
Any motion presented to the Executive Board which is not a budgeted item and requires an expenditure of more than $300 by the Club shall require a (2/3) majority vote from the Executive Board.
Any item presented to the Executive Board which is not a budgeted item and requires the expenditure of more than $2000 shall not be voted upon without Treasurer’s confirmation on availability of funds (2/3 majority vote still required).
Any item(s) not budgeted requiring an expenditure of less than $300 may be approved by the President. Any such expenditure shall be reported at the next General Meeting and incorporated into the meeting minutes.
Note: A team fund is considered a budgeted item (therefore expenditure from a team fund does not require Executive Board approval). The Treasurer will ensure that no team funds shall be disbursed if the purpose does not support Club objectives or such disbursement could jeopardize the Club’s tax exempt status.
Any issue or dispute between members of the LaGrange Soccer Club will be eligible for consideration under this Arbitration Process if it so directed by the President, or if not so directed, it is approved by a 2/3 vote of the Executive Board. In either case, due consideration will be given to the merits of the issue so as to ensure fairness and equity, but issues which are frivolous, non-essential, or otherwise not in the best interests of the Club as determined by the President or by a two-thirds majority of the Executive Board, will not be deemed eligible.
A committee for the purpose of fulfilling this Arbitration Process will be established by the President. To ensure timely resolution of the issue being arbitrated, this committee will be established as soon as possible after the President has been notified that an Arbitration process has been requested, but in no case will this be longer than 7 days. The Arbitration Committee will consist of the Arbitrator, and 2 Club members appointed by the President. The Arbitrator is chairman of the Arbitration Committee. The Arbitrator may also act as the Club Representative for any interactions outside the Club which are part of this Arbitration Process. The Arbitration committee will complete its deliberations within 14 days of the formation of the Arbitration Committee, unless a one-time extension of 14 additional days has been granted by the President.
The jurisdiction of the Arbitration Committee will include, but not be limited to, the following areas:
In Game Matters, the Arbitration Committee reserves the right to impose additional penalties beyond those imposed by any governing organization e.g. ENYSA, US Club.
The Arbitration Committee will make recommendations to the Executive Board as to the resolution of the issue being arbitrated. At the next General Meeting, at an Emergency Meeting if necessary or an Executive Board Meeting if so requested by any of the Disputing Members involved in this Arbitration Process, the Executive Board will vote on each recommendation. Each recommendation will require a two-thirds Executive Board vote for acceptance, which vote shall be by secret ballot. Any recommendations so accepted are not subject to further consideration under this process.
The Executive Board reserves the right to take actions in addition to the recommendations of the Arbitration Committee. Any such additional actions require a two-thirds Executive Board vote.
At the discretion of the President, a description of the issue being arbitrated can be excluded from the minutes of the General Meeting or Executive Board Meeting at which the Arbitration Process is concluded. But, in any event, the Secretary will include in the minutes a report that the Arbitration Process has been completed, and will include names of the Disputing Members and the Voting Members appointed to the Arbitration Committee.
The First and Second Vice-Presidents shall have the authority to suspend any coach, player and / or club member who displays inappropriate behavior during a game or practice session. This authority must be exercised in accordance with the following guidelines;
NOTE: All actions may be appealed in accordance with Article IV.
All requests by Travel Teams for Fund Raising activities must be approved by the Executive Board. A representative of the team or group requesting approval must appear before the Executive Board and present the following information:
Any person conducting fund raisers as part of the LaGrange Soccer Club shall not receive any personal profit in connection with such fund raiser.
Any fund raiser conducted at any LaGrange Soccer Club home field must be coordinated with the Fund Raising Coordinator in advance.
Any team that fails to deposit funds with the Treasurer within fourteen (14) days of the completion of the fund raising activity may be subject to having their team account frozen by order of the Treasurer and / or President.
It is recognized that the concession stand is a primary source of revenue for LaGrange Soccer Club. The primary tenant is LaGrange Soccer Concessions, Inc.
LaGrange Soccer Concessions is responsible for all operating costs for the concession building, including but not limited to utilities and alarm service. The tenant will also be charged a yearly rental fee. Both the amount and payment schedule to be determined by the executive board.
The LaGrange Soccer Concession shall have its own checking account.
The President, Treasurer and Concession Coordinator of the Executive Boar are considered Ex Officio members of the LaGrange Soccer Concessions board.
All players are required to play “on age” according to the defined age groups. All exemptions are required to be reviewed and approved by the Executive Board. Coaches are required to obtain a copy of the LaGrange Soccer Club coaching and player guidelines, review, and sign the statement of understanding. Each exemption shall remain in force for one playing season, after which time it will be reviewed and approved by the Executive Board. These guidelines will be reviewed and approved by the Executive Board every February. The guidelines will also include the LaGrange Soccer Club policies for disciplinary actions against coaches and players.