COLCHESTER COUGARS YOUTH FOOTBALL, INCORPORATED

CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS

(continued)

COLCHESTER COUGARS YOUTH FOOTBALL, INCORPORATED

CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I: NAME

The name of the organization is the Colchester Cougars Youth Football, Incorporated (“CYF”).

ARTICLE II: PURPOSE

The purpose of this organization is to promote mental and physical fitness of boys and girls by conducting CYF contests and thus develop character and good sportsmanship. This organization is governed entirely by the Executive Board, Officers and Members-at-Large. In order to run successfully, every member must be willing to share the responsibility in some aspect of the administration.

The philosophy of this organization is to foster a sense of family, community and self-worth through the participation in Colchester Cougars Youth Football and cheerleading. Colchester Cougars Youth Football and cheerleading encourages and cooperates with the academic, religious, athletic and social communities in order to accomplish the purpose of this organization. Colchester Cougars Youth Football and cheerleading encourages community service by our participants and their families.

CYF is a non-profit organization as described by the Internal Revenue Service under Section501(c) (3) as of June 1974. CYF is incorporated with the Secretary of State of the State of Connecticut. As such an organization, CYF is prohibited to participate to any extent in a political campaign for or against any candidate for public office or other political affiliation.

ARTICLE III: DEFINITIONS

“Board” or “Board Member” shall mean Executive Board and Officers of CYF.

“Executive Board” shall mean Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer of CYF.

“Member-at-Large” shall mean any Member of CYF that has been voted in by a majority of the Board at a regular CYF monthly meeting.

“Members” shall mean all parents of boys and girls who have “registered”(See Article XII: Registration Guidelines) to participate in the CYF program shall be considered members of CYF for the “current year.” Any other individual (18 years of age or older) who is interested in furthering the objective of CYF may inquire with any board member about becoming a member.

“NCFL” shall mean the Northern Connecticut Football League. CYF is a member of the NCFL and is bound by their current by-laws. (See Appendix A)

“Officer” shall mean the eight (8) elected individuals described in Article V; Head Football Coach Coordinator, Head Cheerleader Coach Coordinator, Public Relations Coordinator, Concession Stand Manager, Football Equipment Manager, Cheerleading Equipment Manager, Head Parent Coordinator and Ethics Committee Coordinator.

“Ethics Committee” will consist of the Ethics Coordinator, the Head Parent Coordinator and either the head football coordinator or head cheer coordinator. If it is a football issue then the head cheer coordinator will be assigned, if it is a cheerleading issue then the head football coordinator will be assigned. If a committee position is vacant, the Chairman will appoint a substitute.

ARTICLE IV: EXECUTIVE BOARD

A.Election and Term of Office: Each Executive Board member shall be elected by majority vote of the Board Members and Members-at-Large present at the December meeting for a term of two (2) years. Any individual nominated for Chairperson Position must be actively involved with CYF for at least two (2) years,musthave voting rights at the time of the nomination and shall have attended at least 7 out of 12 meetings each year. The Chairperson and Treasurer shall be elected in the December of even numbered years and begin serving in the January of the following odd numbered year. The Vice-Chairperson and Secretary shall be elected in the December of odd numbered years and begin serving in January of the following even numbered years. All Executive Board members should maintain a log of their activities during their term to allow for an easier transition when new board members are elected. All Board members and Officers maintain their Member-at-Large status during their term.

B.Duties:

Chairperson:

He/she shall preside at all CYF meetings and shall be a member ex-officio of all committees.

He/She shall direct CYF policies with Board approval.

He/She shall appoint an auditor at the January monthly meeting to conduct an audit of the Treasurer’s records for the previous fiscal year, to be completed for presentation to Board at the Annual Meeting in February.

 He/she shall create and distribute agenda for each Board Meeting.

He/she shall work with Head Football and Head Cheerleader Coach Coordinator for CYF practices, home games and other CYF functions.

He/she is granted the privilege of serving as a voting member in the event of a tie vote by the Executive Board and/or the Members-at-Large.

He/she shall attend all Colchester Park & Recreation Meetings (usually the first Monday of each month) and provide board with a report at monthly CYF meetings.

He/she shall be bonded for a sum of not less than the sum of the highest month of the previous year.

Vice-Chairperson:

 He/she shall preside at all CYF meetings in the absence of the Chairperson.

He/she will be responsible for structuring the Fundraising Activities of CYF and may appoint a Committee Chairperson for each CYF Fundraising Activity.

He/she will be responsible for securing sponsorships for the current CYF year.

He/she coordinates the Annual Awards Banquet and all social functions.

He/she will order ice packs and medical supplies for the year if there is no medical liaison appointed.

He/she shall stock the medical bag for all away games if no medical liaison is appointed.

He/she shall provide the Executive Board and Registration Coordinator with a list of CYF members that did not participate in Fundraising activities.

Secretary:

He/she shall record and distribute the minutes of all CYF meetings and shall perform such other duties as may be delegated to him/her. The minutes of each monthly meeting will be available within two weeks of the last meeting.

He/she shall track attendance of Board Members and Members-at-Large to all CYF board meetings.

He/she shall report on voting status of newly nominated Members-at-Large and/or potential revoked privileges of Board Members or Members-at-Large as outlined in Article VIII.C.

He/she shall handle all correspondence as directed by the Executive Board.

He/she shall maintain all CYF files.

He/she shall compile a preliminary list of meeting dates for the next year and distribute this list to the membership when the dates are approved.

He/she shall work with Park & Rec Department to schedule facilities.

He/she shall request EMT and EMS services as outlined in Article VII if there is no medical liaison appointed. If no medical liaison is appointed then the Secretary will be responsible for handling all medical insurance claims and injury reporting.

Treasurer:

He/she shall receive all monies of CYF.

He/she shall maintain an accurate record of all receipts and expenditures and shall present and submit to the Board a written statement of account at each CYF meeting.

He/she shall maintain such bank accounts as required. No blank checks shall be given. The Treasurer shall be bonded for a sum of not less than the sum of the highest month of the previous year.

He/she shall pick up mail at post office box and distribute to appropriate Board Member and pay bills as received.

He/she shall present proposed annual budget submitted by officers at the February meeting.

He/she shall provide the auditor with all CYF financial information required to complete the yearly audit.

He/she shall file reports with the Secretary of State, and a form 990 with the IRS annually.

  • He/she shall handle any annual contracts/renewals that are operational in nature.

ARTICLE V: OFFICERS

  1. Election and Term of Office: Prospective candidates for each elected position need to be nominated by a current Board Member or Member-at-Large for review. Discussion of the nominated individual will be done at the time of nomination. Voting will be done as the last item of business during the December meeting. All nominations will be accepted at the November meeting, except if there is an open position. All elected positions are for a term of one (1) year from January to December, with the exception of Head Football Coach Coordinator and Head Cheerleading Coach Coordinator which is for a term of two (2) years from January to December.
  1. Duties: The duties of each CYF Officer are outlined in Appendix B attached.
  1. Other:
  1. Each person in these positions shall have the authority to appoint such assistants, as they deem necessary to effectively fulfill the duties of their position.
  1. If an elected Board Member assumes the duties of another elected position, he/she shall only retain the one vote of an elected member; and the other elected position shall be considered an open seat for voting and/or quorum purposes.
  1. The Head Football Coach Coordinator and Head Cheerleading Coach Coordinator may hold only one (1) elected position.
  1. Each elected position is responsible for submitting an annual budget to the Treasurer two weeks prior to the February CYF meeting.
  1. No two (2) Executive Board members can reside under the same household simultaneously.

ARTICLE VI: MEMBERS-AT-LARGE

  1. Current Members-at-Large or Board Members may nominate individuals to become Members-at-Large. If nominated individual is accepted by a majority of the voting members present, he/she becomes a non-voting Member-at-Large.
  2. To be eligible to vote on CYF issues, the nominee must attend three (3) consecutive CYF Board meetings. The nominee would be eligible to vote at this third meeting.

ARTICLE VII: OTHER POSITIONS

These positions are not elected officers and will vote as Members-at-Large in compliance with Article VI and Article VIII. The Executive Board will appoint these positions for a term of one year from January to December.

  1. Registration Coordinator:

The duties of the Registration Coordinator are as follows:

  • Work with both Head Coach Coordinators on yearly player and cheerleader registrations.
  • With Board approval submit proposed changes to registration forms to NCFL. Obtain approved NCFL registration forms and make sufficient copies for pre-registration mailing and open registration dates.
  • Maintain a database of all registered players and cheerleaders to be used throughout the year for any CYF mailings.
  • During pre-registration and open registration dates pick up all mail from Post Office and stamp or write in date received.
  • Separate all registrations by squads and maintain in labeled binders to be held throughout the season. Current NCFL roster should be at the front of each squad binder.
  • Adhere to Registration Guidelines listed in Article XII below.
  • Provide rosters of registered players and cheerleaders to all coaches in July and updated copies as needed through August.
  • Follow-up for any missing registration paperwork to obtain all paperwork before the second week in August. With the exception of medical forms, must be submitted prior to the athlete’s first practice. Failure to provide any required NCFL documentation (see Article XII) by the first game will prohibit a player or cheerleader from participating.
  • Give binders with completed registration paperwork (for players only) to NCFL League Representative before the third Thursday in August. All registration material (including roster) will be given to an opposing NCFL town representative for approval. Binders will be returned before the first game.
  • Give binder or copies of registration and physical forms to each Head Coach Coordinator before first game or have them available for every Cougar activity.
  • The Chairperson, Secretary, Head Football and Head Cheerleader Coach Coordinator will coordinate practice times. The chairperson and secretary will attend bi-annual Sports League meetings and will provide Park & Rec with field usage request prior to the start of the season.

B. Medical Liaison:

  • The medical liaison will request/schedule all EMT coverage for home games, and CYF hosted NCFL events.
  • They will assist in ensuring all medical notes/injury reports are filed properly and coordinate with the registration coordinator this filing.
  • The medical liaison is responsible for handling all medical insurance claims and injury reporting. If there is no medical liaison appointed then these responsibilities will fall to the Secretary.
  • The medical liaison will also be responsible for ordering any ice packs and medical supplies needed for the year.
  • They also will keep the emergency bag stocked for all away games. If there is no medical liaison appointed for the year, these duties will fall to the Vice-Chair.

C.Merchandise Coordinator:

  • He/she shall be responsible for the ordering and selling of CYF merchandise.
  • He/she will conduct inventory of merchandise at the beginning and at the end of each season.
  • He/she will coordinate all financial transaction with the Treasurer.

ARTICLE VIII: VACANCIES, REMOVAL AND RESIGNATIONS

  1. Vacancies of any Board Member position may be filled for the unexpired portion of a term by a majority vote of the Board and members at large at any time.
  2. Any Member may be removed by a two-thirds vote of Board when, in the judgment of the Board, that individual has not performed his/her stated duties and/or when the best interests of CYF would be served thereby. Complaints or concerns will be brought to the Ethics coordinator / committee or any Board Member as appropriate.
  3. Any Board Member or Member-at-Large absent from three (3) consecutive meetings will have voting privileges revoked. Members that lose their voting privileges may re-establish themselves as a Member-at-Large per Article VI (B).
  4. Any Board Member or Member-at-Large absent from five (5) meetings in a rolling year will have voting privileges revoked.
  5. Resignations should be given to Secretary in writing. Any verbal resignation not confirmed in writing will be accepted if no written notice is received within thirty (30) days of verbal resignation.

ARTICLE IX: MEETINGS

  1. Board Meetings:

The Annual Meeting of CYF shall be held in February of each year. Nominations for open positions will be accepted up to November, except if there is an open position and elections for these positions will be the last order of business at the December meeting. The new CYF board will begin appointed duties immediately thereafter.

CYF board meetings will be held the first Wednesday of each month. Days may change depending on room availability and holidays.

A quorum of the CYF meetings shall consist of a majority of the Executive Board (3 of 4) and one over ½ (5 of 8) of the presently filled Officer positions. Vacancies shall not be counted as determining whether a quorum exists.

CYF Board Meetings shall be governed by “Roberts Rules of Order” and shall be considered as the official parliamentary law manual of this Corporation and its Board.

  1. Committee Meetings:

General committee meetings will be scheduled as needed by individual committees. Topics for discussion, meeting day and time for general committee meetings will be announced at each regular CYF board meeting. The Chairperson or their designee shall be present at each committee meeting. A committee member shall be designated to take notes and shall provide a written report on the committee’s decisions and progress at the next regular CYF board meeting.

  1. Coaches’ Meetings:

To ensure consistency of coaching philosophy and techniques for all football and cheerleading squads, the Head Football and Head Cheerleading Coach Coordinators shall each hold training and organizational meetings throughout the year for their respective coaches. The Executive Board will be notified of all scheduled meetings and subject matter in advance. A member of the Executive Board may attend.

The Head Coach Coordinators shall provide a report on the meeting decisions and progress at the next regular CYF board meeting.

D.Other

A league meeting will be held to present details and procedures for CYF fundraising. All Members should be present at this meeting. Fundraising is a vital part of the CYF organization and every member and coach shall endorse and/or participate in the current fundraiser.

Special or emergency meetings may be called at the request of the Chairperson or the majority of the Board.

ARTICLE X: AD-HOC COMMITTEE

The Chairperson is empowered to appoint such committees as are deemed necessary to efficiently conduct the business and activities of CYF. All committees shall submit monthly reports to the Board at the next scheduled meeting.

ARTICLE XI: DECISIONS AND PURCHASES

All regular budget and non-urgent purchases shall be approved at Board Meetings. The Executive Board can approve necessary purchases outside of the Regular Meeting up to $1,000.00. Any non budgetary expense in excess of 10% of the anticipated cash on hand as of the current budget year will not be voted on until the next regular meeting. All CYF checks written must bear the signature of any of the following signatures with appropriate titles noted: Chairperson, and/or, Treasurer. When possible, all purchases should be done with a CYF check and/or CYF bankcard.