NOASA Bylaws
Updated January 24, 2011
ARTICLE 1 – EXECUTIVE BOARD
Section 1 Regular meetings of the Executive Board shall be held at such place and time as the Executive Board shall designate.
Section 2 Special meetings may be held at the call of the President of the Executive Board.
Section 3 No Executive Board member shall enter into, negotiate, or participate, in any Executive Board decision, contract, bid or disciplinary action, in which said Board member has a pecuniary interest in or will financially benefit from, or which involves said Board member or Board member’s club.
Section 4 No Executive Board member may use or reference his/her position on the Executive Board in writing or orally, in any way, without prior Executive Board approval. Specifically, an Executive Board member may not set forth any position, statement, or action as belonging to or on behalf of the Executive Board unless prior Executive Board approval is obtained.
ARTICLE 2 – FISCAL YEAR
The fiscal year of the association shall be the calendar year, January 1 to December 31. ARTICLE 3 – COMMITTEES
There may be various committees as designated by the Executive Board. ARTICLE 4 – PRESIDENT
Section 1 The President shall preside at the meetings of the Executive Board and general meetings. The President shall have a vote on any matters before the Executive Board and the association, and in the event of a tie, the President shall be the tie-breaking vote. The President shall be on ex-officio member of all committees.
Section 2 The President’s duties shall be as follows:
to sign such papers as may be required by office or as may be directed by the executive Board;
to make such reports and recommendations to the Executive Board and to the members of the association at any regular or special meetings concerning the work and affairs of the association;
to require such reports from any other office of the Executive Board as in his/her judgment are necessary;
to perform such other duties as may be incidental to the office;
be directly responsible for coordinating the activities of the members of the Executive Board;
to notify OSA-North of the name of the current Registrar of the association;
shall submit the names of any proposed independent contractors, as needed to fill a vacancy, to the Executive Board for approval;
shall supervise the reconciliation of the association bank accounts;
the President may approve purchase for items between $25 and $150 without Executive Board approval;
the President may authorize emergency purchases. An “emergency purchase” is defined as action of immediate nature so as to require purchase before procedure may be obtained.
ARTICLE 5 – EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Section 1 The Executive Vice President shall perform the duties of the President in case of his/her absence, resignation, or inability to act.
Section 2 The Executive Vice President’s duties shall be as follows:
responsible for administrating all disciplinary decisions based on the game report
responsible for notifying the team representative of the disciplinary action(s) taken. It is the team representative’s responsibility to notify the individual team member(s) charged
issue all notices and invitations to those persons deemed necessary to be present during the appeal process
chair the appeal process
perform any duties assigned by the Executive Board.
ARTICLE 6 – VICE PRESIDENT – OPEN
Section 1 The Vice President – Open’s duties shall be as follows:
be responsible for obtaining all commissioners for the open division;
responsible for any rescheduling determination and coordination with the league scheduler;
be the association liaison for OSA-North;
to organize any playoffs for the open division;
shall perform any duties assigned by the Executive Board.
ARTICLE 7 – VICE PRESIDENT – MEN
Section 1 The Vice President of the Men’s Division shall be directly responsible for the activities of the Men’s Division.
Section 2 The duties of the Vice President Men shall be as follows:
shall assign and be responsible for all commissioners for all mens teams;
shall be responsible for handling the rescheduling of games for all mens teams between the commissioner and the scheduler;
shall be the official Vice President liaison to OSA-North;
shall organize any playoffs for the Mens Division;
shall perform any duties assigned by the Executive Board.
ARTICLE 8 – VICE PRESIDENT – WOMEN
Section 1 The Vice President of the Women’s Division shall be directly responsible for the activities of the Women’s Divisions.
Section 2 The duties of the Vice President-Women shall be as follows:
shall be responsible for handling the rescheduling of games for all women teams between the commissioner and the scheduler;
shall be in direct contact with the other Vice Presidents to resolve any rescheduling conflicts;
shall organize any playoffs for the Women’s divisions;
shall perform any duties assigned by the Executive Board.
Section 1 The duties of the Secretary shall be as follows:
shall issue, in writing, all notices of regularly scheduled meetings to club representatives of the association and the Executive Board;
prepare any/all correspondence required by the Executive Board;
shall keep the minutes of every meeting ofthe association;
shall be responsible for maintaining the corporate record book of the association;
shall perform any duties assigned by the Executive Board.
ARTICLE 10 – TREASURER
Section 1 The Treasurer’s duties shall be as follows:
shall collect all monies for fees, bonds, dues, and/or fines assessed by the association;
pay all approved expenses of the association;
shall keep a detailed record of account for income/expenditures and present a report at each monthly meeting;
shall keep an inventory of all property owned by the association;
shall be bonded by an approved bonding company in an amount equal to or greater than the annual receipts of the association. The association shall pay the costs of obtaining/maintaining said bond;
shall follow these rules:
pay any approved expenses under $25;
obtain approval of President for purchases for items between $25 and $150;
for purchases for items between $150 and $1,000 must be submitted to the Executive Board with at least three oral or written bids. Purchase must be approved by simple majority of the Executive Board; (Replacement supplies do not need competitive bid quotes.)
for purchases of items over $1,000, must be competitively bid with at least three written quotes by three difference suppliers. Purchase must be approved by a simple majority of the Executive Board.
shall obtain a counter signature on any check as necessary;
approve all expenses or payment requests (other than bills) for independent contractors as properly submitted on an association expense report with the receipts attached and signed by the person requesting payment;
shall maintain at least one checking account in an FDIC approved bank, with the authorized signatures to be the Treasurer, the President, and/or the Secretary of the association;
may maintain a separate account in an FDIC approved bank for payment of referee fees in which the Treasurer and Referee Liaison shall be the authorized signatures;
shall be responsible for the preparation and filing of all necessary tax documents, returns, applications, and all corporate filing necessary with the State of Ohio;
may retain the services of an accountant or tax preparer, with the approval of the Executive Board, to prepare any tax forms;
may maintain trust funds in a trust fund account as approved by the Executive Board;
shall perform any duties assigned by the Executive Board.
ARTICLE 11 – INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS
Section 1 The following individuals may be hired by the association as independent contractors and shall be paid by the association as follows:
Referee Liaison – a set fee per season including playoffs, plus expenses as approved by the Executive Board.
Referee Assignor – a set fee per season, plus a set fee for per game reschedules, plus a set fee per playoff game, plus expenses as approved by the Executive Board.
Registrar – a set fee per season, plus expenses as approved by the Executive Board.’
Scheduler – a set fee per season, plus a set fee per rescheduled game, plus expenses as approved by the Executive Board.
ARTICLE 12 – REGISTRAR
Section 1 The Registrar’s duties shall be as follows:
be responsible for administering procedures;
insuring that all appropriate registration forms and player passes issued meet the standards set forth by the association Bylaws and the rules and regulations set forth by OSA-North and USSF;
be responsible for submitting all necessary paperwork/statistics for the association, to OSA-North and USSF by deadlines set forth by that organization;
May appoint assistant registrars as necessary to handle the number of players/teams registering each season. The Registrar will be responsible for the action and validation of registration cards by any assistant registrar(s);
shall perform any duties assigned by the Executive Board.
ARTICLE 13 – REFEREE LIAISON
Section 1 The Referee Liaison’s duties shall be as follows:
responsible for issuing payment to assigned or appointed referees pursuant to a properly completed and submitted game report from all association games and playoff games;
responsible to distribute game reports which indicate that further action may be required along with any player/coach passes received as a card violation to the Executive Vice President and any other Executive Board member as required;
ARTICLE 14 – GAME SCHEDULER
Section 1 The Game Scheduler’s duties shall be as follows:
responsible for data entry and scheduling of all games pursuant to the Team Registration Form as submitted;
responsible to present the completed schedule to the Executive Board by a preset deadline;
responsible for the rescheduling of games as approved by the appropriate Vice President;
shall perform any duties assigned by the Executive Board.
ARTICLE 15 – REFEREE ASSIGNOR
Section 1 The Referee Assignor’s duties shall be as follows:
shall create and distribute referee availability forms and enter in a computerized scheduling system;
shall assign referees to every league game scheduled;
shall make every effort to assign referees to games matching skill level and age to appropriately aged players;
shall continue to reassign games from game turn-backs, call-offs, illness, etc., and make every effort to reassign each game which is uncovered;
Section 2 In the event, the assignor is unable to assign a referee to cover a game and upon reaching 24 hours prior to game time, the assignor shall make a reasonable effort to contact the home coach or appropriate Vice President and notify him/her as to the lack of a scheduled referee
Section 3 Scheduled referees are to be assigned to league games in the following order of preference. 1- Open Division, 2- Senior Men’s Division, 3- Senior Women’s Division. Divisions starting with the oldest age groups first and working down to the youngest.
Section 4 The schedule of assigned referees must be submitted to the Executive Board by a preset deadline.
ARTICLE 16 – APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
Section 1 Any new club wishing to apply for membership in the association must follow the guidelines set forth below:
submit a copy of its constitution and bylaws which must be in compliance with the Constitution and bylaws of the association on matters of non-discrimination, affiliation with USSF, and jurisdiction in all matters of league operations including disciplinary matters.
submit a field map for a field, not currently used by another association member, within 30 miles of the intersection and Main and Market Streets in Akron for which the club has the primary use permit, or, if the club does not have a home field of its own, agrees to pay a fee set forth by the association per season, to use a field for which the association holds a permit.
submit a roster of players and coaches for every team which the new club intends to enter in the league, and comply with all league and state association registration requirements.
shall post an initial bond as set forth by the Executive Board.
Section. 2 Every new club must contact the Executive Board at least thirty (30) days prior to “registration for its initial season in the league. Prior to paying fees, each new club must show the Executive Board all completed paperwork and a tentative roster of players and coaches. At registration, each new club must present all required paperwork in good order, and rosters must not change significantly from those present at application, nor may rosters violate standards as set forth above. Each new club must pay all fees at registration.
Section 5 In the event a new club appears at registration without first contacting the Executive Board or obtaining prior approval, the association has the option to waive the standard of being contacted 30 days in advance, if it appears the club meets other standard criteria and is not in violation of standards as set forth above; or the Executive Board may require that the New
club playas a team or teams within the structure and under the bond of an existing member club willing to accept them.
Section 6 Each new applicant may be investigated as to its ability to meet these standards and the decision to admit the new member or reject the application rests solely on the Executive Board. Each application will be considered on its own merits and no appeal will be considered.
ARTICLE 17- CLUB REPRESENTATIVES
The club representative is the authorized representative of a club and only that person is entitled to vote the club’s one vote. The club representative name must be provided to the association by
the club at Fall registration. The club representative shall be recognized as the only delegate of said club unless a new club representative name is provided by the club to the association on the Club Officer Form.
ARTICLE 18 – NOTICE
Notice of meetings shall be given to members by either listing the meeting on the league’s yearly calendar or by mail or by email. A member club shall specify on the registration form the notification address, as well as the email address and telephone number of the contact person for that club. If it is necessary to reschedule a game or a field or to cancel a game, the league commissioner or the appropriate Vice President shall contact all teams involved by telephone or email unless there are less than 24 hours prior to game time, then contact must be made by telephone. All teams must specify on the roster the name and telephone number and email address for such contact person.
The contact person’s telephone must be answerable by a 24 – hour answering machine. ARTICLE 19 – ORDER OF BUSINESS
Section 1 The order of business for all regularly scheduled meetings of the association shall be:
roll call or sign in.
additions to the agenda.
approval of the minutes of the previous meeting.
approval of the previous month’s treasurer’s report.
officer reports.
special reports.
old business.
new business.
adjournment
Section 2 All meetings of the association will be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order. ARTICLE 20 – MEETING ATTENDANCE
Attendance of regularly scheduled meetings is encouraged by at least one representative from each club (Club Representative). A club’s failure to attend a meeting may result in that club not receiving the most current information updates as provided by the Executive Board. The Executive Board shall have no further duty to provide such information to a club who fails to attend a meeting.
ARTICLE 21 – AGE DIVISIONS
Section 1 The age divisions established for competition among teams organized under the association shall be:
Senior Men Over 40- aged 40 Years and Older
Senior Men Over 30 30 Years and Older
OPEN Women 18, aged 18 year s and older as of registration date.
Senior Women Over 40 40 Years and Older
Senior Women Over 30 30 Years and Older
Open Division Unlimited (subject to U.S.S.F. rules)
Section 2 Younger players may be rostered on a Senior Mens Over 30 team or a Senior Women’s Over 30 teamas approved by the Executive Board and distributed with the registration materials prior to each season.
Section 3 Any division can be subdivided depending on the number of teams participating in that division.
ARTICLE 22 – PLAYER MOBILITYIDUAL CARDING
Section 1 It is permissible for a youth player to play up in the Open division but not more than three
(3) games in anyone season only if there is a league roster opening. A fourth game played by one individual in a higher age division automatically make the participating player a member of the older team.
Section 2 Any player playing for two teams in separate age divisions, shall be permitted to have two player passes issued to them for any season in which they play in both age divisions.
ARTICLE 23 – REGISTRATION
Section 1 The registrar of the association shall register all participating players. Proof of age shall be submitted by clubs to the registrar for all players on the roster. Player registration passes shall be validated every season by the registrar. All appropriate forms must be completed and submitted prior to registering players. Appropriate fees must be paid at the time of registration. Current rules for registration will be made available to clubs prior to the scheduled registration date by the Executive Board.
ARTICLE 24 – PLAYER REGISTRATION PASSES
Section 1 All players registered for this association shall carry a USSF approved amateur division identification pass bearing their color photograph. All player passes must be signed by the player and approved and laminated only by the association registrar to be valid. New player passes with a current picture of the player are required every five years unless otherwise specified.
ARTICLE 25 – LENGTH OF GAMES
Section 1 The length of games within the association are as follows:
Senior Men (both over 30 and over 40): Two halves of 45 minutes each
Senior Women Division (both over 30 and over 40): Two halves of 45 minutes each Open Division: Two halves of 45 minutes each
Section 2 There shall be no less than a rest period of five (5) minutes between halves for all Divisions except Senior Men (both over 30 and over 40) and Senior Women (both over 30 and over 40) in which there shall be no less than ten (10) minutes between halves.
Section 3 No overtime shall be allowed in league games. Games ending in a tie shall be recorded as a tie with the league.
Section 4 Tournament, cup or other special games may be governed by their own rules if tournaments, cups, or special games are outside the jurisdiction of the association. League sponsored tournaments, cups, or special games will be governed by the association and fall on the responsibility of the tournament committee.
ARTICLE 26 – ROSTERS
Section 1 The maximum number of players placed on a roster are as follows: Senior Men over 30 and over 40: 25
Senior Women over 30 and over 40: 25
Open Division: 25
Section 2 A minimum of eleven (11) players must be on a roster for the initial team registration. A minimum of seven players must be present for each team to start a league game, one of which must be a goalkeeper.
Section 3 All players on the roster are eligible to play in any game subject to provision of Article 23.
No players may be added to the roster after the third game or September 15 (whichever come last) of the Fall season; or, after the third game or May 15 (whichever come last) of the Spring season. In any case, no team roster may exceed the maximum limitations.
ARTICLE 27 – FEES
Section 1 Each club registering with the association shall submit a bond of $100. The association reserves the right to draw on a club’s bond to cover property damages; to pay an official in the event a team forfeits a game, and to pay for all fines or fees levied against said club. In any case, said club will be notified in writing by the Treasurer of the association of any draws on said bond.
Section 2 All clubs will be liable for property damages, fees, or fines incurred by or deemed to be caused by, their members in excess of the balance of their bonds.
Section 3 In the event a club bond is depleted, it must be replenished to the full amount as specified by the Executive Board. If a club fails to replenish said bond, all games of teams of that
club will be forfeited by a score of 0-4 until said bond is replenished. Section 4 Registration fee per team per season shall be set by the Executive Board prior to registration. Notification of fees shall be included in registration materials.
ARTICLE 28 – THE SCHEDULE
Section 1 The schedule shall be considered final after being approved by the Executive Board.
Section 2 Once the final schedule is issued, no schedule changes will be permitted except for weather related conditions, referee no-shows for appropriate divisions.
Section 3 At registration all clubs must provide the Executive Board with all appropriate forms as included in registration materials that will be necessary for said clubs to be entered into league play.
ARTICLE 29 – RESCHEDULING LEAGUE GAMES
Section 1 The commissioner in cooperation with the appropriate Vice President shall reschedule postponed games. Only open men games are eligible for a reschedule. Neither senior men/women teams are eligible for rescheduling.
Section 2 All eligible games that are postponed shall be made up with the shortest time possible. The commissioner shall work in cooperation with the teams involved to arrive at a convenient make-up date. However, in the event that teams involved cannot agree on a make-up date, or the game is not made up within two weeks of the postponed date, or the postponement occurs within the last two weeks of the regular season of play, the appropriate Vice President shall schedule the game for the teams and make a formal notification to the teams involved (either written or phone communication). Teams failing to report for the rescheduled game shall forfeit said game by a score of 0-4.
ARTICLE 30 – LEAGUE, PLAYOFF, TOURNAMENT, OR OTHER SPECIAL GAMES
Section 1 All games shall be played under the rules of F.I.F.A. and as modified below except as stated below.
A team shall forfeit its scheduled game if it is more than fifteen (15) minutes late. The referee shall leave the field and report to the referee liaison via the game report as to the no show. The referee is entitled to full payment from the team who forfeited.
No extension of the fifteen (15) minute grace period shall be allowed. The home team is responsible for having the field prepared by the scheduled game time. A team that fails to perform its responsibilities for field preparation shall be caused to forfeit the game by a score of 0-4 (the fifteen minute grace period shall be permitted if necessary).
Section 2 Every team must furnish the association with the colors of each team’s uniform on the Team Registration Form and Waiver to avoid duplication.
Section 3 Soccer shoes made of leather or canvas are recommended but steel tips or aluminum cleats are prohibited.
Section 4 The home team shall be responsible for the condition of the playing field including field markings, goal nets, and comer flags. The referee shall supply the flags to be used by the assistant referees.
Section 5 The home teams shall provide an acceptable game ball that is approved by F.I.F.A. All teams will use a size 5 ball.
Section 6 A game roster shall be completed by each team before submitting to the referee. The game roster shall contain the appropriate information about players such as division, team names, names of players, name of coach, date of game, game number, player pass numbers, and jersey numbers of each player.
Section 7 Referee fees for playoff shall be paid by the League Treasurer.
ARTICLE 31 – RULES MODIFICATIONS
Section 1 The association reserves the right to modify the playing rules of F.I.F.A. to correspond with the expressed needs of this association.
Section 2 Modifications are as follows:
Substitution will be permissible in all divisions of this association with the consent of the referee at the following times:
prior to a throw-in in your favor.
prior to a goal kick by either team.
after a goal by either team.
at an injury time out, with both teams permitted to make a one for one substitution.
when a player has been cautioned, only the yellow carded player may be replaced.
at half time.
teams may permit substitutions at other times by agreement prior to the start of the game.
Senior Men and Senior Women Divisions do not permit slide tackling.
ARTICLE 32 – SEASONS OF PLAY
Section 1 The seasonal year for scheduling amateur soccer events of this association shall be August1 through July 31.
ARTICLE 33-REFEREE
Section 1 Referees shall be required to send a completed referee report to the referee liaison immediately after each completed game.
Section 2 Referee fees are determined yearly and notification of said fees will be included in the registration materials. The cost of a referee shall be shared equally between the two teams. The referee is not entitled to payment when he arrives more than fifteen (15) minutes late for a scheduled game.
Section 3 In the event a referee fails to report for a game, coaches/managers of the two teams may appoint an acting referee in the absence of the appointed referee and play the scheduled game. The acting referee is entitled to full payment.
Section 4 The association recommends that the referee be physically on the playing field a minimum of fifteen (15) minutes prior to the regularly scheduled playing time. During this time, he shall inspect the field of play and fulfill his duties for this time as stated in F.I.F.A. Laws of the Game and the association bylaws.
Section 5 The referee shall make the determination regarding the playability of the field. The referee must report to the Referee Liaison of all postponed games via the game roster.
Section 6 Player passes of ejected players shall be retained by the referee and forwarded to the Referee Liaison with a full report concerning the incident. Players ejected from any game shall leave the field of play and shall depart the area. Ejected players may not return to the area.
Section 7 The referee has the authority to terminate a game because of unsportsmanlike conduct of players, officials, spectators, or other infringements of the rules of this league. A full report must be submitted to the Referee Liaison.
Section 8 All other decisions as to the game are at the discretion of the referee.
Section 9 No referee shall officiate a game in which an immediate family member (spouse or child) is playing, unless the approval of the opposing team is obtained prior to the commencement of the game, and the opposing team so indicates on its official game roster.
ARTICLE 34 – DISCIPLINARY RULINGS AND PUNISHMENTS
Section 1 Member clubs will be held responsible for the conduct of their players, coaches, managers, club officials, and spectators. Member clubs are responsible to ensure that disciplinary actions and punishments of the association towards players, coaches, managers, club officials-and spectators of said club are enforced.
Section 2 If any of the aforementioned engages in unsportsmanlike conduct before, during or after any game, the Executive Vice President will take such appropriate action as deemed necessary.
Section 3 In the event the Executive Vice President has a conflict or is unavailable to administrate a disciplinary decision the President shall perform the disciplinary duties
Section 4 Initiation of disciplinary procedures can occur as a result of a referee report, an official protest, or after an investigation of facts by the Board upon receipt of a complaint from a member.
Section 5 The Executive Vice President will notify the offender, by mail, as to any disciplinary taken against him/her.
Section 6 The Executive Board, has the right to contact any necessary individual, in writing, involved in an incident, advising of the time and place of a hearing for additional clarification of an incident, prior to making a ruling. Failure to appear at a scheduled hearing will result in a forfeiture of all rights to protest or appeal the decision.
Section 7 In the event a player is confirmed by the disciplinary Committee to have committed an offense listed below, such player will be disciplined as follows:
First Offense: Player may receive a minimum of a two (2) game suspension for that offense effective the next scheduled game, and may require further disciplinary action, for each succeeding offense within the same season. Offenses:
Violent conduct;
Serious foul play;
Use of abusive language;
Striking, pushing, physical abuse or threatening physical abuse in any manner against or at any player
Intentional offensive contact with the referee before, during, or after the game.
Second Offense: player may be suspended for six (6) months from participating in the League’s activities in any form effective as of the date of a letter notifying said player of the disciplinary action.
Third Offense: player may be suspended for at least one (1) year from participation in the League’s activities in any form effective as of the date of the letter notifying said player of the disciplinary action.
Player may receive a minimum of a one (1) game suspension effective the next scheduled game for the following offense:
Receives a second caution in the same match;
Spits at any player, coach, official, and/or spectator;
Denies an opponent a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball (not applicable to a goalkeeper in his/her penalty area);
Denies an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to an opponent who is moving toward the offending player’s goal by an offense that is punishable under F.I.F.A. rules by a free kick or a penalty kick;
Uses offensive or insulting language.
Making threatening gestures against other players, referees, coaches, officials, and/or spectators.
Section 8 Any player found to be playing illegally after an ejection will automatically be suspended for a minimum of two (2) additional games succeeding the first offense.
Section 9 In the event a player, coach, manager, or club official is confirmed to have committed an offense listed below, he/she will be disciplined as follows::
guilty of pushing, striking, spitting, physical abuse, or threatening physical abuse (as defined by U.S.S.F.) in any form at the referee (whether scheduled or acting), before, during or after game
a) shall receive a minimum of a one year (12 month) suspension effective immediately unless serious injuries are inflicted, then the minimum suspension period is at least 5 years (60) months. After the five (5) year suspension, the offender must officially reapply to the Executive Committee for league membership prior to being reinstated.
guilty of pushing, striking, spitting, physical abuse, or threatening physical abuse (as defined by U.S.S.F.) in any form at other coaches, managers, or other membership club officials
a) will receive a minimum of a one year (12 month) suspension effective immediately.
Section 10 Any coach or club official who orders his team off the field during a game and refuses to complete the game will be disciplined according to the following schedule:
First Offense. He/she may be suspended for one (1) year from participation in the league’s activities in any form effective with the date of the letter.
Second Offense. He/she will be prohibited from assuming any position of leadership within the league for a minimum of one (1) year from the date of the letter. Position of leadership shall be defined as being a coach, assistant coach, manager, club representative, committee chairman, or elected official.
Nothing in this section shall prohibit a coach from terminating participation in any game after the issuance of a red card for any violent conduct as defined herein.
Section 11 No player may play in a game without a player pass. Any player found guilty of playing with a false player pass or with a suspended player pass will be considered an ineligible player and the team he played on shall forfeit the game( s) in which he played by a score of 0-4. The player will be subject to further
disciplinary action.
Section 13 All disciplinary actions taken that would not normally be fulfilled during the current season will carry over into the succeeding seasons.
Section 14 Falsification of records of players, scores, etc., including a player who plays for more than one team in a division in violation of the association rules, will be grounds for disciplinary action as follows:
First Offense:
Player may be suspended from playing on any association team for up to one year.
The team may forfeit any games the illegal player played in that were won by the team having the illegal player, and the team may be suspended for up to one year.
The club may forfeit its bond.
Second Offense.
1. All of the penalties set forth on the first offense, in addition the player; team and/or club may be suspended for up to 5 years, and must officially reapply to the association for league membership prior to being reinstated.
Section 15 Any member who is determined to have violated either the Constitution or the Bylaws of this association is subject to disciplinary action as deemed appropriate by the Executive Board
Section 16 All players, coaches, assistant coaches, managers, club officials may also be subject to disciplinary action by the appropriate state, federal, or national governing bodies and any disciplinary actions by such organizations shall be separate and additional to any disciplinary action taken by the association.
ARTICLE 35 – FORFEITS
Section 1 A team which has forfeited three (3) games in any given season, will, upon the fourth forfeit, forfeit their club bond and the coach of said team may be suspended for a minimum of one year (12 months) per team occurrence effective with the date of the letter of suspension.
Section 2 A team who forfeits any of its scheduled league games shall pay the referee in full.
Section 3 Any club which has had a team suspended after registration and has forfeited its bond money, must bring its bond account back to current requirements at the next registration.
Section 4 In the opinion of the Executive Board, any team which forfeits any of its last three games, or commits any other action prior to the playoffs, in order to gain a competitive advantage, automatically forfeits its right to compete in the playoffs for that season.
ARTICLE 36 – PROTESTS
Section 1 Any protest concerning a league game shall:
describe the details of the grounds for the protest in writing;
be mailed with a fee of$25.00 to the Executive Vice President within 48 hours after the date of the game being protested.
Section 2 The Executive Vice President shall forward a copy of the protest to the opposing team coach who shall have seven (7) days from the date of forwarding to respond.
Section 3 The Executive Vice President shall notify all necessary individuals of the date and time of a scheduled hearing. Attendance to a disciplinary hearing for this purpose is by invitation only.
Section 4 The Executive Vice President shall notify all concerned parties of the decision within twenty-eight (28) days of the hearing.
Section 5 Fees may be returned if the protest is deemed to be valid by the Board
Section 6 The referee’s judgment may never be challenged concerning field conditions or judgment calls made during a game.
Section 7 The protester who fails to appear before the Board after written notification will forfeit their right to appeal.
Section 8 Protests not filed within 48 hours of the incident will not be acted upon. ARTICLE 37 – PROCEDURE FOR FILING AN APPEAL
Section 1 Any appeal of a disciplinary hearing decision or any other Executive Board decision must be submitted in writing with supporting documentation to the Executive Vice President, within twenty- eight (28) days of the decision.
Section 2 An acknowledgment will be made, in writing, by the Executive Vice President, informing of the date and time for the appeal to be presented.
Section 3 The purpose in speaking to the Executive Board is to give the reasons which might change their decision. This is not a hearing but a request for reconsideration of a decision.
Section 4 The process during the appeal is as follows:
Statement by the person who is appealing the decision. This will be limited to 10 minutes.
Any member of the Executive Board may ask questions but it will be limited to only questions regarding the current appeal.
If any witnesses are to speak on behalf of the person appealing, the witness will also appear before the Executive Board and will each be limited to five (5) minutes.
The result of the findings shall be sent in writing, by the Executive Vice President, to the person appealing within twenty-eight (28) days.
The failure of the Board to send findings within twenty-eight ( 28) days shall result in the appeal be found to be successful.
ARTICLE 38 – LITIGATION PROHIBITION
No member may evoke the aid of the courts of the United States without first exhausting all available remedies within the association and as provided with U.S.S.F.
ARTICLE 39 – THE ASSOCIATION
Section 1 The association and its governing bodies shall be the final authority on all matters concerning this league. All decisions of the governing body shall be final so long as said decisions are not in conflict with this Constitution and/or Bylaws.
ARTICLE 40 – AMENDMENTS
Section 1 These Bylaws may be amended by a simple majority vote of the club representatives of the association at any regular or special meeting called for that purpose, provided notice of the proposed change is mailed to each club representative at least thirty (30) days prior to the meeting.
Approved by the Northeastern Ohio Amateur Soccer Association, Inc. membership
Effective on January 24, 2011
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