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Olde
New England Lacrosse League
By-Laws
ARTICLE
I
MEMBERSHIP
To
gain membership in the Olde New England Lacrosse League, an organization
- hereinafter referred to as team, must meet the following requirements:
1.
It shall be prepared to play a schedule consisting of games with
all other teams within its division, sharing equally in travel.
2. It shall provide visiting teams with adequate playing
facilities.
3. It shall send a representative to the annual League meeting,
or show good cause to be excused.
4. It shall submit an application, detailing proposed home
field location, team leadership structure and anticipated playing
membership.
5. It shall agree to pay any initiation fees, and/or annual
dues as directed by the Board members, and to submit to any financial
assessments deemed necessary by the Board for the proper functioning
of the League.
6. It shall agree to abide by all by-laws and rules of the
League.
7. It shall have its application approved by a 2/3 majority
of the current member teams, with not more than two dissenting votes
cast from within its proposed age division.
ARTICLE
II
DUES AND FEES
2-1
All member teams shall pay annual dues or other fees as agreed upon
by the Board members and so directed by the Executive Board. League
dues shall be sufficient to provide for the necessary funding for
the League to meet its financial obligations. The monetary amount
of League dues per team shall also include the costs necessary to
provide insurance coverage for all teams and the League, since an
insurance binder is required in most cases to obtain playing fields.
The insurance coverage also serves a practical financial and fiduciary
purpose. Dues are currently set at $400.00 per team for the 2008 season,
but shall be amended as necessary to reflect actual or anticipated
League expenses.
2-2
Annual dues shall be paid to the League Treasurer by March 1st, prior
to the start of the season. The absolute deadline for payment of annual
dues is April 1st. A payment that is postmarked by either deadline
shall be considered to be submitted by the deadline, provided that
the check clears. A returning team (defined as a team that played
in the League in the preceding season) that pays annual dues after
March 1st but before April 1st shall pay an additional $100 penalty
fee. New teams to the League are exempt from the penalty fee and have
until April 1st to pay the annual League dues. A returning team is
barred from changing its name in order to avoid the $100 penalty fee
for late payment of League dues.
2-3
If a team has not paid dues in the prior year, it is not entitled
to vote at any upcoming meetings until and unless the arrears and
current year dues are paid in full.
ARTICLE III
GOVERNMENT
3-1
The League shall be governed by a Board of Directors consisting of
one representative from each member team
3-2
The Board of Directors shall elect an Executive Board consisting of
one League Commissioner, one Deputy League Commissioner, one League
Secretary, one League Treasurer and a Deputy Commissioner for each
age division (Over-30 and (Over-40), beginning with the 2009 League
season. This Executive Board, along with the immediate past Commissioner,
shall be considered full members of the Board.
3-3
The elected Executive Board members shall preside for terms of three
years.
3-4
Executive Board members may not serve more than two consecutive terms
in the same office.
3-5
Elections shall be by secret ballot with the nominee receiving the
majority of the votes cast being declared the winner. If no nominee
receives a majority, ballots shall be recast with the nominee receiving
the lowest number of votes be eliminated until one candidate receives
a simple majority.
3-6
Elections shall take place at all annual meetings.
3-7
Over-30 teams may only vote for the Deputy Commissioner of the Over-30
Division, and Over-40 teams may only vote for the Deputy Commissioner
of the Over-40 Division. This rule will be enacted for the 2009 ONELL
season.
3-8
In the event of any Executive Board member not being able to fulfill
his term, excluding the Commissioner, the remaining members of the
Executive Board shall appoint a person to fill the vacancy by simply
majority vote for the remainder of the term.
ARTICLE
IV
DUTIES AND POWERS
4-1
The affairs and property of the League shall be conducted and managed
by its Board of Directors. The Board may adopt such by-laws, rules,
and regulations as are deemed necessary for the conduct of its affairs.
4-2
The Executive Board, composed of six elected officers and the immediate
past Commissioner, shall have the power to transact the routine business
of the League, and to carry out the objectives of the League as agreed
upon by the Board members.
4-3
The League Commissioner shall preside at all meetings of the Executive
Board and the Board members. He shall appoint committee chairmen for
both standing and ad-hoc committees. He shall see that all the rules
and regulations of the League are executed and that all other officers
fulfill their duties. He shall exercise general supervision over the
League.
4-4
The League Deputy Commissioner shall, in the absence of incapacity
of the Commissioner, be vested with all the powers of the Commissioner
and shall perform such duties as may from time to time be prescribed
by the Commissioner or the Board members.
4-5
The League Secretary shall keep a written record of all meetings of
the Board members and the Executive Board, shall provide each member
of the meeting body with a copy of that record within two (2) weeks
of the meeting. He shall send out all notices, preserve all records
and have charge of all printing and publications ordered by the League.
He shall maintain a directory of all team representatives, including
mailing address, e-mail address and home, work and cellular phone
numbers, and annually distribute a copy of this directory to all Board
members. He shall be the parliamentarian. It is his duty to provide
each team with necessary forms to be used for the tabulation of statistics.
4-6
The League Treasurer shall receive all funds of the League, and shall
credit the same to the bank account of the League. From this account
he shall make all approved disbursements. He shall make a financial
report at the annual League meeting and at other times at the request
of the Executive Board. He shall notify the Commissioner of any teams
delinquent in its indebtedness to the League two (2) weeks prior to
the first scheduled League game. He shall turn over all financial
records to the auditing committee, if established, at the annual meeting.
At the end of his term, he shall have all forms necessary for the
transfer of the bank account in proper order for the incoming Treasurer.
ARTICLE
V
MEETINGS
5-1
The Board members shall meet at least once a year with the annual
meeting taking place between January 3 and February 28th. The business
of the Board shall consist of budgeting, elections, scheduling, rules
amendments and any other business pertinent to the operation of the
League. At each annual meeting the general location of the following
year's meeting shall be agreed upon.
5-2
The Secretary shall notify all Board members of the time and location
of the League meeting at least three weeks prior to the meeting, and
shall provide an anticipated agenda with the notice.
5-3
Business shall be conducted under "Robert's Rules of Order"
in all cases in which they are not inconsistent with the constitution
or by-laws.
ARTICLE
VI
VOTING
6-1
Each member of the Board, or his authorized alternate, along with
each member of the Executive Board and the immediate past Commissioner,
shall have one vote. Unless otherwise specified in these by-laws,
all motions shall be passed by obtaining a simple majority vote of
the Board members, provided that a quorum of 2/3 of the Board members
are present.
ARTICLE
VII
COMMITTEES
Standing
committee chairmen shall be appointed by the Commissioner at the annual
meeting and must be ratified by the Board members. The Commissioner
may, upon his request, be granted an extension before announcing appointments,
if so approved by the Board members. In such a case the appointments
must be made within thirty days and are subject to the approval of
the Executive Board only. Appointments are for two years. Each committee
shall have as one of its members, a member of the Executive Board.
A
list of potential committees is presented below. As of the 2007 ONELL
season, the only committee in effect is the Rules Committee.
7-1
Rules - Shall serve as the final and binding arbiter in the event
of conflicts or disagreements between teams involving rules interpretations,
officials, schedule changes, and forfeited or cancelled games, at
the discretion and bidding of the ONELL Commissioner.
7-2
Public Relations - Shall be charged with the responsibility of promotion
of lacrosse through the media.
7-3
Web Site Master - Shall be charged with the responsibility of maintaining
the League web site.
7-4
All Star Game - Shall plan, promote, and supervise the annual all
star game as well as be responsible for publishing a profitable game
program. Profits derived the game or program shall be divided equally
between the League and the team or teams responsible for that profit.
7-5
Statistics - Shall compile the statistics for each game and regularly
report the results to each team.
7-6
Auditing - Shall audit the financial records at the end of each year,
report the results to the Commissioner, and return the records to
the Treasurer.
7-7
Nominating - shall present a nominating slate prior to the election
of officers.
7-8
The Commissioner may appoint any other committees he deems necessary
with the approval of the Executive Board.
ARTICLE
VIII
SCHEDULING
8-1
League scheduling shall in all instances take precedence over non-League
commitments.
8-2
The Deputy Commissioner for each division, Over-30 and Over-40, shall
be responsible for setting the schedule for their respective division,
effective for the 2009 ONELL season. Every care shall be taken so
as to create a fair and balanced schedule that provides each team
a balanced number of home and away games, with a majority of each
team's games within their designated conference for ease of travel.
Each Deputy Commissioner shall submit a final schedule to the rest
of the Executive Board for approval.
8-3
Each age division may be divided into additional conferences for the
sake of scheduling; conference membership will have no bearing on
the playoffs.
8-4
The home team shall be responsible both providing for and paying two
referees, securing the field, ensuring that the field is properly
lined, providing regulation goals, providing at least six balls on
each end line, and promptly reporting the final score to the League.
The home team shall also provide accurate directions to the field
location.
ARTICLE
IX
GAME TIMES
9-1
As a "summer ball" League, the ONELL season will extend
from the first weekend in June through the weekend prior to the Labor
Day holiday weekend, with exceptions as needed to complete League
play. Games are played during the week in the evenings; generally
the Over-40 division plays on Tuesday nights and the Over-30 division
plays on Thursday nights, subject to field availability.
9-2
As a general rule, games will start at 7:00 p.m. from the start of
the season through July 15th, and will subsequently begin at 6:30
p.m. so to allow for shorter daylight hours. Teams may mutually decide
to change the time and location of a scheduled game within 48 hours
of the scheduled game. Officials must have 48 hour notice of any changes
in time or location. Teams that have fields with lights can utilize
a 7:00 p.m. starting time throughout the season; later if both teams
and officials agree.
9-3
Any team not prepared to play within thirty (30) minutes after the
scheduled game start time shall forfeit the contest, unless it is
otherwise agreed upon by both coaches/captains and the referee.
9-4
A team that fails to give 48 hours prior notification that it will
not be playing a game is responsible for paying the home team's referees'
fees, if applicable.
9-5
Any team that forfeits two or more games in a single season must reapply
to the League for membership.
ARTICLE
X
TEAM ROSTERS AND PLAYER ELIGIBILITY
10-1
The League is divided into two divisions, Over-30 and Over-40, with
the following restrictions:
Over-30 All players 30 and over, with a maximum of two (2) players
ages 28-29 allowed per team
Over-40 All players 40 and over, with a maximum of two (2) players
ages 38-39 allowed per team
10-2
Player age is determined on a calendar year basis (i.e., what age
a player turns during the applicable calendar year). Each player shall
be required to produce a valid and official form of identification
(driver's license, passport, etc.) as proof of age if challenged by
the opposing coach/captain prior to or during a game. If a player
is unable to produce the required documentation upon a challenge,
then the player is disqualified from the remainder of the game and
any goals scored by the player in that game are nullified. Any post-game
challenges shall have no effect on the outcome of the game. It is
highly recommended that each team maintain a notebook with copies
of each player's identification in the event of an age challenge.
10-3
Each team shall maintain a roster of its players, including ages and
uniform numbers, if possible. Each team shall submit its roster to
the League for dissemination. Teams shall also disclose to the League
the names and birth dates of the two permitted players under the age
limit (28/29 or 38/39), if applicable. The age exemption players should
be noted with an asterisk on the published team roster for purposes
of identification and utilization of the age exemption allowance.
10-4
Team rosters are considered to be closed after the fourth regular
season League game. No new players may be added to a team roster after
that date, with one exception. The only roster changes that can take
place during the season are those that involve a player changing teams
with the consenting release from the original team. The team releasing
the player is not entitled to add a new player to their roster, however.
10-5
A player must attend at least three (3) regular season games in an
age division in order to qualify to play in the playoffs in that age
division. Each team is responsible for maintaining a team roster that
includes game attendance for each player on the roster. A player need
only attend a game to qualify; they are not required to have played
in a game. Thus an injured player could attend three regular season
age division games and not play (be on bench/sidelines), and still
qualify to play in the age division playoffs. Clearly the tracking
of attendance at the team level is a matter of mutual trust and honesty.
ARTICLE XI
PLAYOFFS AND CHAMPIONSHIPS
11-1
The top four (4) teams in each age division shall qualify for the
playoffs, based upon the following criteria:
1.Overall
ONELL regular season record = total points
(Not geographical conference record, i.e., north and south)
2.Head-to-head match-ups
3.Best record versus common opponents
4.Goal differential
(Total goals for divided by total goals against in ONELL regular
season)
Two
(2) points shall be awarded for a win, one (1) point shall be awarded
to each team for a tie, and zero (0) points are awarded for a loss.
In the event that an unequal number of regular season games are
scheduled within an age division, then the overall ONELL regular
season record (criteria #1 above) shall be determined by total points
divided by number of games scheduled, with the highest numerical
average as the #1 seed and proceeding similarly through the #4 seed
as applicable.
11-2
A player must attend at least three (3) regular season games in an
age division in order to qualify to play in the playoffs in that age
division. Each team is responsible for maintaining a team roster that
includes game attendance for each player on the roster. A player need
only attend a game to qualify; they are not required to have played
in a game. Thus an injured player could attend three regular season
age division games and not play (be on bench/sidelines), and still
qualify to play in the age division playoffs. Clearly the tracking
of attendance at the team level is a matter of mutual trust and honesty.
11-3
The League shall be responsible for providing championship and runner
up trophies for both divisions. The League shall be responsible for
securing and paying for the officials for the championship games for
both age divisions, as well as providing one dozen balls for each
championship game.
ARTICLE
XII
RULES OF PLAY
League play shall be governed by NCAA Men's Lacrosse Rules, as modified
by the US Lacrosse Men's Post Collegiate Council, and with specific
additional modifications and exceptions for the League. The official
rules for ONELL play are captured in a separate document.
ARTICLE
XIII
STATISTICS
The home team of each game is responsible for reporting the score
of the game to the League, or its designated representative. Each
team is responsible for tracking player attendance of games for playoff
eligibility purposes.
ARTICLE
XIV
SUSPENSION, EXPULSION
14-1
Any team may be suspended from play by a majority vote of the Executive
Board, or may be expelled from the League by a majority vote of the
Board members, for any actions deemed to be detrimental to the game
of lacrosse or to the operation of the League. Any team charged with
such an offense shall be given the opportunity to defend itself against
said charges. The length of the suspension shall be determined by
the Executive Board. A team expelled from the League has the right
to reapply for membership as stated in the by-laws. Examples of actions
that could lead to suspension or expulsion are non payment of dues
and fees, repeated forfeiture, repeated fighting, or failure to abide
by League by-laws or agreements.
14-2
Any player repeatedly involved in actions detrimental to the game
is subject to suspension or expulsion by a simple majority vote of
the Executive Board under the above provisions, with the exception
of indebtedness and forfeiture.
ARTICLE XV
LEAGUE EXPENDITURES
15-1
The Executive Board may make appropriate expenditures as are necessary
for the normal operation of the League. Expenditures of up to two
hundred dollars ($200.00) may be made with the approval of two Executive
Board members. A majority of the Board members must approve amounts
above two hundred dollars, with the exception of payment for referees
for the championship games, per Article 11-3.
15-2
Officers and committee chairmen shall be eligible for reimbursements
of expenses necessary for the function of their office. Actual reimbursements
are to be at the discretion of the Executive Board. Examples of reimbursable
expenses are postage, printing, etc.
ARTICLE
XVI
LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS
16-1
Each player shall sign a written release that indemnifies the League,
its officers, the teams, the team officers, the players, the officials,
the home fields and team sponsors from liability for any injury or
damage sustained as a result of a ONELL game, practice or event. The
League shall be responsible for providing a general release template
for each team to use and modify as their situation requires (for field
use, sponsorship, etc.). The release shall also bind a player to the
team that the player signifies on the release for the duration of
the applicable season, unless the team releases the player from their
roster.
16-2
It is highly recommended that each ONELL player become a member of
US Lacrosse for several reasons:
· US Lacrosse membership promotes the game of lacrosse at all
levels.
· US Lacrosse membership allows for a portion of the dues to
be channeled back to the local level.
· US Lacrosse membership provides secondary insurance coverage
for players, coaches and officials.
ARTICLE
XVII
ALL STAR GAME
At some point during the season, the League shall strive to undertake
an annual All Star game to be played between the League's divisions.
All Star games with other lacrosse Leagues shall also be encouraged.
The selection process for All Stars shall be determined by the Board
or a committee designated by the League Commissioner.
ARTICLE
XVIII
AMENDMENTS
These
by-laws may be amended by a 2/3 majority vote of the Board members
comprising the quorum present at the annual meeting, provided that
notice of such change is included in the secretaries' meeting notice.
The constitution may be amended by the same procedure, however, a
2/3 majority vote of all Board members is necessary.
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