1. Charter
This league shall be known as the "New England Over The Hill Soccer League." The purpose of this league shall be to promote and administer the game of soccer among amateur players who are over 30 years of age. This league shall follow FIFA and USSF rules of play except where noted. This league shall be established as a non-profit organization and affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation and the state associations in which the league has teams.
2. Board of Directors
The Directors shall be elected by the membership at the August General Meeting. The Board shall consist of:
Allan Thompson, President Emeritus
President
Immediate Past President
Vice President
Treasurer
Secretary
Referee Coordinator
Registrar
One Director for each division
The President and Treasurer shall be elected to a two year terms in even numbered years. The Vice President and Secretary shall be elected to a two year terms in odd numbered years. If the President is unable to complete his term, he shall be replaced by the Vice President. If any other member of the board of directors is unable to complete his term, his replacement shall be appointed by the President.
The Vice President shall preside over the election of the President unless the Vice President is a candidate for President, in which case he shall be replaced by (in order) the Immediate Past President, Treasurer, or Secretary. The President, even if newly elected, shall preside over the election of all other board members. If the standing President is unable to perform this duty, he shall be replaced by, in order, the Immediate Past President, the Vice President, the Treasurer or Secretary. Under no circumstances shall any person preside over any election for which he is a candidate. If a person higher on this list becomes available through election, he shall preside over the rest of the election(s), if any.
All members of the Board of Directors are to be reimbursed for necessary and reasonable expenses.
Any member of the Board of Directors may be removed from office by a two thirds (2/3) vote of the Board of Directors.
The President of the League, or in his absence the Vice-President of the League, may appoint any person to serve as an interim member of the Board of Directors until an election by League members at a General Meeting. If a position with a two year term becomes vacant during the first year, a replacement must be elected to fill the second year of the term at the next general meeting.
The Secretary of the Board of Directors shall maintain a list of the duties of the officers and the Board, approved by the Board of Directors and available to any member of the organization.
3. Duties and Responsibilites
President
The President shall represent the league at any and all state and national meetings and shall schedule and chair all meetings of the league. The president shall approve all official communications of the league before such communications are distributed beyond the board of directors. The President shall fill by appointment any openings on the protest committee and shall appoint the members and chairman of all committees.
Vice President
The Vice President shall chair the protest committee and act as its spokesman. The Vice President shall submit written reports on all activities of the protest committee to the board of directors. The Vice President shall act in place of the President in his absence.
Treasurer
The Treasurer shall be responsible for all aspects of the league’s treasury. The Treasurer shall submit a written budget at the fall general meeting, and shall report any variations from the accepted budget at all meetings.
Secretary
The Secretary shall write and maintain the minutes for all meetings. Such minutes shall be distributed to the eligible attendees within two weeks of the said meeting. The Secretary shall compose and send all official communications of the league.
Registrar
The Registrar shall collect all registration materials, maintain the list of teams and players on the League Web Site, and shall register all teams and players with the appropriate state associations. The registrar shall collect and track all dues and fines.
Referee Coordinator
The Referee Coordinator shall assign referees to games and verify that all such assignments are accepted, and reassign games if the referee declines or the game is rescheduled.
Immediate Past President
The Immediate Past President shall assist the President in any way the President sees fit. He may be appointed to act on behalf of the league at any official function. The Immediate Past President shall chair any meeting at which neither the President or Vice President is able to attend.
President Emeritus
The President Emeritus shall serve as an advisor to the board. He may not be assigned any duty, however he may volunteer to undertake any role that the board or the President shall offer, including, but not limited to, representing the league at any official function such as a state association meeting or the Veteran’s Cup.
Division Directors
Division Directors shall verify that the schedules posted on the league web site correspond with the referee assignments, that the standings on the league web site are correct, that players do not participate in any games for which they are not eligible by suspension, and that all issues raised by managers are handled in a timely manner.
4. Membership
Organized teams may be admitted as members into the league by approval of the Board of Directors. Each team shall adhere to the constitution and rules of this league in all matters.
All applications for membership shall be submitted through the Board of Directors.
Individual players are of amateur status and shall not accept a salary or other compensation as an inducement to play. Players receiving compensation from another league are not eligible to play in this league.
The Board of Directors shall have the authority to discipline, suspend or remove players and/or teams from the league for just cause.
5. Voting Rights
Each team shall have voting powers as set forth in this constitution and as follows:
Each team in good standing shall be entitled to one (1) vote at any General Meeting.
All votes may be exercised by the representative present at the General meetings.
Team(s) not represented at a general meeting will be subject to a $50.00 service charge for the handout material (schedules, maps, etc.). These teams will be notified that the charge is due and payable prior to them receiving their material.
Each member of the Board of Directors shall have one (1) vote.
No member or Director shall cast more than one (1) vote.
Constitutional changes may only be made at a General Meeting.
Rule changes may be made by the Board of Directors and/or at a General Meeting.
Any changes to either the constitution or the rules at a General Meeting have to be submitted in writing to the secretary of the league two (2) weeks prior to a General Meeting.
6. Quorum
Fifty percent (50%) of the member teams shall form a quorum at any general meeting.
Fifty percent (50%) of the Board of Directors shall form a quorum for a Board Meeting or a Board decision.
The president shall cancel or reschedule the meeting until a quorum is reached.
7. Meeting Time and Format
All meetings shall be held in accordance with the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.
There shall be at least one general meeting a year, approximately one week before the start of the fall season, at which elections shall be held. A meeting notice shall be sent to all eligible voters two weeks before the scheduled meeting date. Any proposed constitutional or rule changes received shall be included in the meeting notice.
8. Team Member Dues
The team fees shall be set by the Board of Directors. Such fees shall be forwarded with the registration form(s) to the league on/or before the specified dates set by the Board of Directors. Any team not in compliance with this rule shall be fined $100.00; and will be subject to a disciplinary action by the Board of Directors.
Any team dropping out of the league shall forfeit all fees and fines paid to date.
New teams requesting to join the league must pay a $50.00 non-refundable fee. This fee will be applied to their entry fee upon acceptance. If the team is refused membership, the fee shall be refunded in full.
9. Finances
The budget for each year must be approved at the general meeting. Expenditures beyond this budget must be approved by the board of directors and disclosed to the general assembly at the next general meeting.
The league shall not sponsor in any way any team that does not bear the name of the league, whose members are drawn entirely from league members and whose membership is open to all members of the league who are otherwise eligible to play in the tournament(s) that the team will participate in.