BY-LAWS OF THE
PEORIA RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB
De Minimis Non Curat Lex
1. NAME:
The name of this organization shall be the “Peoria Rugby Football Club,” or “Peoria RFC.” It may also be referred to by its nickname, “The Piggies” or “The Pigs”.
2. PURPOSE:
The purpose of the Peoria Rugby Football Club is to promote the competitive amateur sport of rugby at both adult and youth levels; to develop players for local, national, and international play; to develop referees for local officiating; and to promote physical fitness, sportsmanship, and brotherhood in a family-friendly environment.
3. MEMBERSHIP:
A. ACTIVE MEMBERS: Active members are those members who are properly enrolled in USA Rugby through the USA Rugby Club and Individual Participation Program (CIPP) and pay all required national, regional, local area union fees on top of club dues as set forth (Paragraph 4A), and actively engage in the practice and play of rugby.
B. SOCIAL MEMBERS: Social members are those members who pay the required social membership fee.
C. Any active or social member may be removed from the Peoria RFC if they have embarrassed or otherwise harmed the club in a grave manner. A member may be expelled by unanimous vote of the Executive Council.
4. DUES:
A. Dues shall be collected in full before the beginning of each of the Fall and Spring seasons. Dues will be set by the executive committee prior to each season. Dues for rookies shall be half those of veteran players. If dues are not turned in before the first match of the season, a late fee may be assessed, regardless of whether the player is a veteran or rookie. A player may not dress for matches if the Club Treasurer states that he is not in good financial standing with the club.
B. Dues for social members shall be half those of active members. Social members have the right to be invited to all team meetings and activities. They may participate as full members of the club, except that they do not play in rugby matches. Any social member currently serving as a Club Executive shall pay the same dues and have the same voting rights as active veteran members.
C. The Peoria Rugby Football Club retains the right to reject the dues / membership of any potential member.
5. CLUB OFFICERS:
A. Four (4) officers are elected by the active members of the club: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Match Secretary. The officers are elected each year at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) by a majority vote of the team members present. Elected officers serve for a one (1) year term, and there is no limit to how many times they may be elected.
B. The Head Coach is chosen or appointed at will by the Executive Council. The Head Coach is considered a de facto officer of the club. The Head Coach serves at the pleasure of the Executive Council and may be dismissed by majority decision of the Council at any time.
C. No club member may hold more than one (1) of the four (4) officer positions at the same time.
D. Certain elected officers have the option of recruiting and appointing a delegate to help in specific duties. These delegates shall be considered club representatives, but not officers. The President may select a “Webmaster,” the Treasurer may select a “Merchant,” and the Match Secretary may select a “Field Boss.”
E. Officer election procedures:
i. A quorum of club members must be present to elect club officers.
ii. The presiding Club President will call the members to attention and announce the beginning of the officer elections.
iii. The Club President will then announce the first position available – Club President.
iv. The Club President will then ask for nominations. Active members can nominate themselves or another active member whom they feel is competent to do the job. No member may make more than one nomination per office. There is no limit to the number of nominations that can be made for any particular office. A nominee has the option of declining the nomination without explanation. After nominations are accepted, each nominee will be given a chance to tell the club members why he thinks that he can do the job.
v. The floor will then be opened for debate regarding the qualification of the nominees.
vi. The Club President will then conduct a team vote.
vii. The winner for each office will be decided by a simple majority of the votes cast. If no candidate receives an outright majority, the candidates with the top two vote totals will face a run-off vote.
viii. After tabulating the results, the winner is announced.
ix. The process will repeat in this manner until all of the elected officer positions are filled.
x. Newly elected officers assume their new roles on the next calendar day.
F. Duties of club officers:
i. PRESIDENT – the Club President is responsible for:
a. Representing the Peoria RFC in the local community and coordinating community service activities
b. Serving in the Peoria Rugby Foundation, sharing in the duties of the foundation’s officers
c .Maintaining strong club communications with other club officers and the entire Peoria RFC, especially via email and website maintenance – the Webmaster may assist in this duty
d. Keeping club members updated and informed of Executive Council business
e. Delegating and managing others to assist in performing special tasks
f. Chairing team meetings, including the Annual Meeting
ii. VICE-PRESIDENT – the Club Vice-President is responsible for:
a. Assisting the Club President in all aspects of club management.
b. Assuming the duties of the Club President in the event of his absence at team meetings
c. Keeping and maintaining all team equipment and uniforms – the Field Boss may assist in this duty
d. Preserving the club’s social customs (i.e. awarding of the “Man of the Match”, songs, etc.)
e. Assisting the Executive Council in post-game and social event planning
iii. TREASURER – the Club Treasurer is responsible for:
a. Handling of the club’s finances
b. Collecting dues from all active club members, and reporting all delinquent payments to the Executive Council and Coach
c. Preparing a detailed financial report to be presented to the general membership of the club at the Annual Meeting (a copy of this report will be made available to any club member who makes the request).
d. Providing the Executive Council with any other financial information requested throughout the year, including seeking the Executive Council’s approval for any expenses over $500
e. Accounting for all team equipment, gear, and supplies.
f. Keeping a current list of all social members & contact info
g. Preparing and Mailing any and all necessary tax records and documentation
h. Purchasing and Distributing Peoria RFC gear and apparel – the Merchant may assist in this duty
iv. MATCH SECRETARY – the Match Secretary is responsible for:
a. Creating the upcoming season’s match schedule, collaborating with the Executive Council to schedule special events (i.e. tournaments)
b. Contacting the opposing club’s match secretary each match to verify the match time and location, and informing the club of any changes
c. Obtaining confirmation with referees for home matches by the Tuesday before the match
d. Preparing a map and directions to the pitch for all road matches, and distributing it to the entire club
e. Maintaining the club roster to include accurate names, addresses, cell phone number, and e-mail addresses of current and past active members
f. Ensuring that the home field is prepared and ready for competition on game day – the Field Boss may assist in this duty
g. Recording minutes whenever a quorum is gathered, and making the minutes available to all active and social club members.
v. EXECUTIVES – as an Executive Council, the Executives are responsible for:
a. Appointing a Coach for the Team
b. Meeting on a quarterly basis with the Club President to provide long-range planning and development (recommended months – July, October, January, and April)
c. Overall management of the club, including: fund-raising, finding club sponsors, after-game social arrangements, recruiting efforts, discipline matters, budget and investments, special events, etc.
d. Establishing a personal presence within the club through regular attendance at matches, practices, and all other team activities
e. Fostering strong relationships with social members and past/retired players (a.k.a. “Old Boys”)
f. Representing the club at Local Area Union meetings and handling Union conflicts
g. Authorizing major changes as they see fit (i.e. Peoria RFC image, home field location, or LAU affiliation)
h. Maintaining possession of all documents, forms, team meeting minutes, tax records, and other paperwork necessary for the continued operation of the club
i. Recruiting replacement Club Executives
G. Impeachment of Club Officers
i. An officer may be subject to impeachment if he is found to have violated the team By-Laws, or done anything considered to be detrimental to the well being of the club.
ii. Any active club member may request that the Club President call a team meeting for the purpose of impeachment. The charged officer must given 48 hours notice of any such meeting.
iii. The club will have a team meeting, where a quorum must be met; to discuss the alleged infraction committed by the officer.
iv. If members vote to impeach, the officer will resign their position. The position will then be refilled through the appropriate election/selection process.
v. Although the Head Coach reports to the Executive Council, he is subject to impeachment guidelines.
6. Appointed Positions:
A. HEAD COACH – the Head Coach is responsible for:
i. Running all team practices and fitness training regimens
ii. Choosing the Peoria match sides and managing the team during matches
iii. Recruiting volunteer assistants (as needed) to aid in coaching duties
iv. The process of selecting a captain (with the consensus of the team)
B. CAPTAIN— The captain’s responsibilities include:
i. Prior to the first match of the Fall and Spring seasons, the Head Coach shall conduct a straw poll of the active players. Based on the players’ feedback, the Head Coach will name the Team Captain. The Team Captain helps the Head Coach select the match side.
ii. The Team Captain acts as the liaison between the team and the referee during match play. The Team Captain is the only player authorized to speak directly to the referee.
iii. If the Team Captain is unable to attend a match the Head Coach will choose an Alternate Captain for that match.
7. ROOKIES:
A. Rookies are defined as new players who have never been active members of the Peoria RFC before.
B. Rookies pay the rookie dues rate. Rookies are expected to help set up and clean up the pitch for all games and practices, as well as assist the Field Boss in any other duties he may have. If not enough rookies are available, the Field Boss may assign duties to veteran players as needed.
C. Rookies who are new to the game of rugby shall be considered rookies for a full season (both Fall and Spring)
D. Rookies who are transferring from another club and already know how to play rugby are only given rookie status during their first season with the Peoria RFC (either Fall or Spring)
8. MEETINGS:
A. Team Meetings will be scheduled by the Club President whenever he deems them necessary.
B. At least one Team Meeting must be held per year (and it is suggested that it be held in November or December) in order to elect club officers, review the club’s financial status, plan for the next season, review and amend By-Laws if necessary, and discuss any other club business. This mandated meeting is referred to as the “Annual General Meeting,” and a quorum is required. All active and social members must be invited.
C. The Order of Business for the Annual Meeting will be as follows:
1. The Club President will establish a quorum and call the meeting to order.
2. The Club President will present a President’s Report, summarizing the past year on and off the field.
3. The Club Treasurer will present the Financial Report.
4. The Club President will open the floor for discussion of any other club business.
5. The Club President will conduct the election process of the new officers. (Paragraph 6F) If the Club President is running for an elected position, the Club Vice-President will assume the duties of the Club President during the debate and voting for that position.
6. The Club President will call an end to the meeting.
9. QUORUM:
A. Normally the Club President calls for a quorum. At any time, any active member can request for the Club President to gather a quorum. If the Club President fails to provide a team meeting within a month of the request, then that member can plan his own team meeting to establish a quorum. The member must give 48 hours notice of the meeting time and location to all club officers and club members.
B. At least twelve (12) active members or 51% of active members in good standing (whichever is smaller) must be present at any team meeting in order to declare a quorum and conduct official team votes. When a quorum is declared, team votes on club matters supersede the authority of the club officers (including the Executive Council).
C.A quorum must be an open invitation to all current club members, both active and social.
D. Peoria RFC team meetings are deemed “official” solely by establishing a quorum. Whenever a quorum is declared, the Club Match Secretary should keep minutes and make them available to all club members.
10. VOTING:
A. The club officers can make most day-to-day club decisions. However, certain club decisions require a quorum and a team vote for approval. These include, but are not limited to: club officer election, selection, or impeachment; approval of expenditures over $2000; and changes to these By-Laws.
B. The voting process will be run by the Club President, or in his absence, the Club Vice-President. Voting will be conducted by written ballot, unless there is unanimous consent of the club members present to vote by show of hands instead.
C.A simple majority within a quorum usually decides team votes. Votes that require a two-thirds (2/3) majority include impeachment of an officer (Paragraph 6I) and amendments to these By-Laws.
11. AMENDMENTS:
Amendments to these By-Laws must be proposed within a quorum. The meeting minutes will then be presented at the next official team meeting, where the proposed amendments may be ratified into effect by a vote.
12. RATIFICATION:
A. These By-Laws replace and supersede any other By-Laws that may or may not already exist for the Peoria Rugby Football Club.
B. The undersigned officers of the Peoria Rugby Football Club certify that these By-Laws were ratified by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of a quorum of Peoria Rugby Football Club active members at the Annual Meeting conducted on November 9th, 2013.
Greg Jetton Russ Snyder Bailey Ferkel Ben Yerly
President Vice-President Treasurer Match Secretary
