Litchfield Youth Soccer League — Bylaws

Article I

League Name

Section 1       The name of this organization shall be Litchfield Youth Soccer League, (hereinafter referred to as LYSL).

Article II

League Objective

Section 1       It shall be the objective of the LYSL to foster, promote, organize and advance the game of soccer within the territory under the jurisdiction of the Town of Litchfield.  The LYSL shall teach and/or be caused to be taught the rudiments of the game of soccer and promote the interests of all teams it forms within and from the Town of Litchfield.

Section 2       LYSL is a nonprofit organization.

Section 3       Bylaws will be reviewed for accuracy every two years from the most recent effective date, and will be updated accordingly.

Section 4       The headquarters of the LYSL shall be in the home of the President and all meetings shall be held at a location and time specified by the Board of Directors (hereinafter referred to as “Officers”).

Article III

League Membership

Section 1       Members are teams formed by the Officers.

Section 2       Members must remain in good standing with regard to payment of fees and dues.

Section 3       Membership may be terminated by a two-thirds vote of the eligible votes at a membership meeting.

Section 4       Members must remain current with respect to back-ground checks when required by governing bodies utilized by LYSL.

Article IV

League Governing Body

Section 1       The Board of Directors (hereinafter referred to as Officers) shall be composed of a minimum of 6 officers described in section 2.

Section 2       The Officers of LYSL shall be elected on even or odd years as follows:

  • President  –  even
  • Vice President  –  odd
  • Secretary  –  even
  • Treasurer  –  odd
  • Travel Registrar  –  odd
  • Recreation Registrar  –  even

Section 3       In addition to these Officers additional members-at-large will complete the organization.  This will be known as the “Board.”

Section 4       Additional members-at-large are, but not limited to, those as follow in section 5.  The Board has the right to nominate and appoint board positions as needed.

Section 5       The members-at-large positions will be made occupied by individuals who are serving as coordinators in the LYSL, as empowered by the Board.  Additional at-large membership may be filled in the same manner as otherwise set forth in Article 4, of the Bylaws. The coordinator positions shall be:

  • Instructional Coordinator  –  odd
  • 4v4 Coordinator  –  even
  • 6v6 Coordinator  –  odd
  • Senior Recreation Coordinator  –  odd
  • Travel Coordinator  –  odd
  • Equipment Coordinator  –  even
  • Field Coordinator –   even
  • Coaching Coordinator  –  even
  • Web Coordinator  –   odd
  • Referee Coordinator  –  even
  • Special Events Coordinator – even
  • Members-at-Large (Max 3)  2 years from election          

Section 6       All Officers shall be elected by the membership at the Annual Meeting by a majority vote of the members in attendance. All Officers shall serve for a term of two (2) years.  No person shall hold more than one office unless necessary for continued function.

Section 7       In the event that one individual holds more than one coordinator and/or officer position that individual will only be able to cast one vote on all league matters.

Section 8       The President shall be entitled to temporarily fill any vacancies on the Board until the next annual meeting.

Article V

League Board Member Duties

Section 1       The duties of the Officers shall be as follows:

  1. The President shall preside at all meetings, and shall be General Manager of LYSL.  The President, in addition to the Treasurer, shall have power to sign all checks and bank withdrawals.
  2. The Vice President shall act in the absence of the President with the same authority and shall perform other duties as assigned by the membership.
  3. The Secretary shall be responsible for all communications, both internal and external, and shall keep the official records of LYSL, including minutes of all meetings.
  4. The Treasurer shall receive, disburse, and account for all funds of LYSL witch shall be kept in a bank designated by the Officers.  Shall be responsible for creation and presentation of the annual budget to The Board for approval.  Shall be responsible for the filing of non-profit documentation to the state as required.
  5. The Travel Registrar shall be responsible for registration of travel players and coaches to the appropriate governing bodies.
  6. The Recreation Registrar shall be responsible for registration of recreation players and coaches to the appropriate governing bodies.

Section 2       Any Officer failing to attend meetings in such a manner as to consistently cause a quorum to not be established shall have his continued tenure subjected to a vote of the Board in no less than ten nor more than thirty days from the last meeting of Officers where a quorum was not established. Any Officer may be removed from office by a two-thirds vote of the Board present at a membership meeting.

Article VI

League Code of Conduct

Section 1       All Board Members, Coaches, Assistant Coaches, Team administrators, players and parents are required to sign the LYSL Code of Conduct Form.

Section 2       All coach, player and parent Code of Conduct violations and game ejections shall carry an immediate suspension until the issue can be reviewed by a committee consisting of the President, Vice President and the appropriate coordinator.  An alternate may be appointed by the Board of Directors should one of the aforementioned persons need to recuse himself/herself due extenuating circumstances.  This committee will be charged with researching the violation – with the requirement that the accused party be consulted – and recommending to the board any penalties to be assessed to the offending parties.  The board shall have the final vote on the penalty and may hear a recount/rebuttal from the accused party before such levy should the accused party wish.  

  • Vulgarity and violence are not allowed in any situation.
  • Subsequent offenses that warrant a suspension shall carry a harsher penalty

Section 3      If board determines an act warrants a penalty, they may impose, but are not limited to, any of the following sanctions:

  • Letter of reprimand
  • Probation
  • Suspension – from one or multiple games and/or practices and/or team activities
  • Termination of coaching or viewing privileges or expulsion from the league

Section 4      All head coaches, assistant coaches, Board Members and any other volunteer asked to facilitate LYSL activities must have a valid background check on file.  All such persons will follow the procedure [KidSafe 2016] required by the New Hampshire Soccer Association (NHSA) to obtain a background check.

Article VII

League Meeting Schedule

Section 1       Meeting of the membership shall be held at the call of the Officers provided that at least one meeting be held monthly.

Section 2       The meeting normally held in the month of June/July shall be called the annual meeting and shall be for the election of the Officers and presentation of the budget.

Section 3       A quorum of Officers is required at all meetings to conduct business. A quorum is defined as eight or more Board Members present.

Article VIII

League Voting Structure

Section 1       Committees other than Registration and Rules and Games may be appointed as needed by the President with advice and consent of the Board of Directors for an active life to be specified in the appointment.

Section 2       Each Officer shall have one vote with the President voting only to break a tie.

Section 3       Any Officer may bring up a motion for voting including the President.  In the event of a tie when the President initiated the motion the Vice President must break the tie.

Section 4       Membership voting:  each household shall have one vote.

Article IX

Fiscal Year

Section 1       The fiscal year of LYSL shall be from July 1st to June 30th the following year.

Article X

Amendments

Section 1       Amendments – Amendments to these Bylaws can be made as approved by a two-third (2/3) majority of the Board present at such meeting that qualifies:

  1.  It is the annual meeting of the LYSL
  2. At a scheduled and advertised Board meeting provided where the amendment has been presented in writing at the previous meeting

Article XI

Effective Date

 These bylaws revised on the 18th day of October, 2016.