Wachusett Regional Pop Warner Football Inc. Bylaws

Adopted: June 19, 1997

Revised: July 1997; January 2001; February 28, 2001; June 20, 2002; May 1, 2005.

Articles

ARTICLE I - NAME

The name of this Association shall be known as Wachusett Regional Pop Warner Football Team, Inc.

ARTICLE II - STATEMENT OF AFFILIATION

Wachusett Regional Pop Warner Football Inc. (herein after referred to as WRPW, Inc.) shall be affiliated with Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as PWLS, Inc.) and shall be governed by, and comply with the principles, rules, and regulations enunciated and decreed by PWLS, Inc. and the Highest Local Authority (hereinafter referred to as HLA) as chartered by PWLS Inc.; in which WRPW, Inc. is a member.

ARTICLE III - SITE OF PRINCIPAL OPERATION

The principal operation of WRPW, Inc. shall be in and about the towns known as Wachusett Region, comprised of Holden, Paxton, Princeton, Rutland, and Sterling, County of Worcester, State of Massachusetts, but may extend into such areas as are permitted by the rules and regulations of the PWLS, Inc. and said HLA in which WRPW, Inc. is a member.

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ARTICLE IV - OBJECTIVE

WRPW, Inc. is organized to develop and operate a football/cheerleading program in affiliation with PWLS, Inc. in conformity with and pursuant to the principles, rules and regulations enunciated by said PWLS, Inc. In conjunction with such purposes, the objective of this association, through the medium of a supervised competitive football and cheerleading program, guided and governed by the PWLS, Inc. and HLA, is to seek to implant in the youth the communities of Wachusett Region Towns (regardless of race, creed, religion, or national origin) the ideals of good sportsmanship, honesty, loyalty, courage, scholarship and reverence, so that they may be finer, stronger, and happier youth who will grow to be good, healthy adults.

ARTICLE V - GENERAL ASSOCIATION

Section 1 - Executive Board

Executive Board of WRPW, Inc. will be compromised of Seven Members elected with staggered terms bi-annually at the Annual Meeting as follows:

President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Director of Fundraising Operations
Director of Cheerleading Operations
Director of Football Operations

The terms of office as it pertains to the Executive Board shall be 2 years with Board Members to be 1 year. Candidates for Executive Board positions and Board Members must be nominated, seconded and receive a majority of the votes of the members of the organization present that are eligible to vote.

Section 2 - Board Members:

Elected yearly by the coaching body as non-voting members of the Board:

Cheerleading Coach Representative
Football Coach Representative

Section 3 - Other Positions

The executive board has the authority to appoint other non-voting positions necessary to conduct the business of WRPW. Such positions are temporary and exist at the convenience of the Executive Board. These positions may be created or terminated by a majority vote of the executive board. These positions will be reviewed annually by the Executive Board.

Examples of Positions in this category are:

Football Secretary: ensures the accurate and complete preparation of the Football "Coach's Books" and rosters for both "Dry Certification" and Weigh-in Certification.

Cheering Secretary: ensures the accurate and complete preparation of the Cheer "Coach's Books" and rosters for both "Dry Certification" and Actual Certification

Positions in this category may be collateral positions and do not prohibit individuals from holding other positions in the organization or on the Executive Board.

Section 4 - Head Coaches

All Head Football and Cheering Coaches in WRPW, Inc. will be nominated by its general body and/or submitted by petition to the executive board through the Director of Football Operations and the Director of Cheer Operations for their respective areas of responsibility. Head Coach positions are approved by the Executive board on an annual basis.

Section 5 - Assistant Coaches and Trainers

Head coaches will recruit and nominate their staff of assistant coaches and trainers. The list of assistant coaches/trainers will be consolidated by the Director of Football and Cheer Operations for their respective areas of responsibility. Prior to the start of Conditioning Camp the executive board will vote to ratify each assistant coach and trainer position

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ARTICLE VI - RESPONSIBILITIES

President: The President shall preside at all meetings of WRPW, Inc. He/She shall also be responsible for the overall administration of the Association and will act as spokesperson concerning any internal or external problems/conflicts.

Conduct the affairs of WRPW and execute the policies established by the executive board
Present a report on the condition of WRPW at the annual meeting
Communicate with the executive board , such matters as deemed appropriate and make such suggestions as may tend to promote the welfare of WRPW.
Investigate complaints, irregularities and conditions detrimental to WRPW and report thereon to the executive board, if necessary.
Prepare and submit an annual budget to the executive board and be responsible for its execution.
With assistance from the Board, examine the application and support of proof of age and any other required documents of every participant candidate and certify to residency and age eligibility before the participant may be accepted.

Vice President: The Vice President shall assist the president with his/her duties. In the absence or disability of the President, the Vice President shall perform the duties of the President. He/She will also sit on any Board Hearing.

Secretary: The Secretary records the proceedings of all meetings, prepares and mails the minutes, maintains the minute's book and sends out the meeting notices. The Secretary also maintains all other records of the program, except financial records.

Treasurer: The Treasurer collects and disperses all funds, prepares budgets, reports on the status of the funds, maintains all financial records.

Director of Fundraising Operations: The Director of Fundraising Operations is responsible for overseeing the activities needed to raise the funds required to cover the expected budget for the year. All fundraising is to be reviewed and voted on by the Executive Board.

Director of Cheerleading Operations: The Director of Cheerleading Operations oversees the cheering component of WRPW program. The Director of Cheering is WRPW delegate to the regional cheerleading meetings and responsible to report to the Executive Board all business of the cheering program. The Cheer Director oversees the recruitment and nomination of Head coaches, Coaching clinics for their development, registration of cheer participants and organization of WRPW participation and support of Cheer competitions.

Director of Football Operations: The Director of Football Operations oversees the football component of the WRPW program. The Director of Football is responsible for organizing and running the "football camp" and responsible to report to the Executive Board all business of the football program. The Football Director oversees the recruitment and nomination of Head coaches, Coaching clinics for their development, registration of football players and organization of WRPW participation and support of pre and post-season competitions.

Cheerleading Coach Representative: The Cheerleading Coach representative acts as liaison between the cheering coaches and the Executive Board. She will represent their interests to the board. This position is voted and elected by the cheering coaches yearly.

Football Coach Representative: The Football Coach representative acts as liaison between the football coaches and the Executive Board. He will represent their interests to the board. This position voted and elected by the football coaches yearly.

Head Coaches: Head coaches are responsible for the preparation of their team. They are responsible for ensuring that their actions and those of their assistant coaches are in accordance with the WRPW Coach's Code Of Conduct. Head coaches are responsible for the safety of their players/participants, the sportsman's like conduct of the game and the conduct of their fans.

If an assistant coach or Head coach is in violation of said Code of Conduct, a hearing before the Executive board is mandated. At such time, the Executive board will rule on the future participation of said coach. The Director of Football or the Director of Cheering as appropriate will conduct an informal inquiry into the facts surrounding the alleged violation and will present those facts to the executive board for their review and decision. The executive board may, at its discretion, hear additional information from concerned parties prior to making any decision. Decisions of the executive board are final.

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ARTICLE VII - MEMBERSHIP AND VOTING RIGHTS

Participant Members: Any participant candidate meeting the requirements of and who reside within the authorized boundaries of WRPW shall be eligible to participate but shall not have rights, duties or obligations in the management or in the property of WRPW.

Members: Any person actively interested in furthering the objectives of WRPW shall become a regular member upon election by the Executive Board or upon registration of their child that meets the requirements of participation. Voting rights are limited to one vote per family.

All Officers, Board Members, Committee members, coaches and other elected or appointed officials must be active Members in good standing.

Sustaining Members: Any person not a regular member who makes financial or other contributions to WRPW may, by a majority vote of the Executive Board, become a Sustaining Member, but such person shall have no rights, duties or obligations in the property of the league.

Honorary Members: Any may be elected as Honorary Member by the unanimous vote of all members of the Executive Board present at any duly held meeting of the Board of Directors but shall have no rights, duties, or obligations in the management or in property of WRPW.

Suspension or Termination of Membership: Membership may be terminated by resignation or action of the Executive Board.

The Executive Board, by a 2/3's vote of the present and duly constituted meeting, shall have the authority to discipline or suspend or terminate the membership of any Member or any class when the conduct of such person is considered detrimental to the best interests of WRPW.

The Member involved shall be notified of such meeting, informed of the general nature of the charges and given an opportunity to appear at the meeting to answer such charges.

All coaches shall lose tenure immediately as of:

The end of the season, including playoffs and championships
December 31 of the year, whichever date is earlier.

The Executive Board shall in the case of a participant member, give notice to the head coach of the team of which the participant is a member. Said head coach shall appear, in the capacity of an advisor, with the participant before a duly appointed committee of the Executive Board, which shall have the full power to suspend or revoke such participant's right to future participation.

Each member of the WRPW, Inc. Executive Board shall have one vote per item. The President will cast the final vote in all votes. The President's vote is the tie breaking vote for in instances where the other six board members are deadlocked. If the President's vote causes a tie, the Executive board will convene a private Executive Session. During Executive Session, the board members will deliberate the question at hand and conduct a private vote. The President's vote will be the tie breaking vote during executive session votes.

Each member of the WRPW, Inc. Executive Board shall have one vote per item.

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ARTICLE VIII - NOMINATIONS

All nominations for the WRPW, Inc. Board shall be submitted to the Executive Board from the previous year's members of the organization, at the January WRPW, Inc. Board meeting. These nominations for the Executive Board will be voted on during the February Board meeting, where and when the new committee shall be voted in with the exception of the two coaches' representatives who will be nominated and voted on by their peer coaches.

ARTICLE IX - MEETING & QUORUM

Section 1 - Regular meetings

To be held monthly as set at the annual meeting, dates of executive board meetings may be changes by a simple majority vote of the members and will be posted on the WRPW website if time permits.

Section 2 - Annual Meeting

To be held in January.

Section 3 - Emergency meetings

When it is necessary meeting is to be called with 24-hour notice.

Section 4 - Meeting Format

As per article XVI - Order of Business

Section 5 - Quorum

A Quorum of 51% or more is necessary to hold a meeting.

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ARTICLE X - AMENDMENTS

Amendments to these by-laws may be approved by a 2/3s majority of the Executive Board members.

ARTICLE XI - GOVERNMENT

The fiscal year for WRPW shall run from January 1st through December 31st .

The WRPW, Inc. will abide by all the rules and regulations of the HLA of which it is a member under the guidelines set forth by the official rules of PWLS, Inc.

To deal effectively with any problems and or conflicts, the WRPW, Inc. will use the following list of communications: 1.) Executive Board 2.) Football/Cheerleading Directors, 3.) Head Coach of respective squad. This chart will be used for all communications starting with the Head Coach of the respective squad/team.

If not resolved within a reasonable amount of time (14 days), a letter must be written to the board. No complaint or request shall be acted upon unless all details are given in writing and signed by all those requesting the answer or action. Should the director resolve the conflict an accounting of such conflict shall be submitted in writing to the board.

A complaint or request submitted to the Board will not be acted upon until the next monthly meeting with the stipulation that all prior regulations have been followed. The party(s) requesting the action will receive a response within 14 days of said meeting.

The only exception to this policy would be in relation to charges of which an immediate Summary Authority must be exercised. In such an event, a formal hearing is mandated. If, as a result of said meeting, it is the conclusion of the Executive board to defer to a civil authority, full cooperation is expected.

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ARTICLE XII - FORMAL HEARING

Verbal notice of a formal hearing must be delivered to each party. The notice must include the date and place of hearing and a list of specific charges. It must also advise the parties to their right to be represented at the hearing by a person of their choice. The charged party(s) will receive verbal notice of the hearing itself. Charged parties shall have the right to introduce witnesses and/or bring documents to support a defense, cross examine witnesses and inspect any item introduced as evidence at the time it is presented. All formal hearings are to be tape-recorded. After the hearing, a written statement and decision must be delivered to each party within 14 days of the hearing, said statement must include any penalties imposed. The hearing board (tribunal if no less than 5 and to be an odd number) shall consist of at least 3 WRPW Executive Board. . The Secretary shall record the meeting as indicated.

ARTICLE XIII - PROTEST OF DECISIONS BY THE BOARDS

A formal written protest must be submitted to the Executive board within 21 days of the original decision and a reason for the protest. A final decision will be sent to all involved parties within 14 days. A formal protest may be submitted for record protesting the decision of the Executive Board. However, all decisions of the Executive Board are final.

ARTICLE XIV - YOUTH ELIGIBILITY

All football players/cheerleaders must meet all requirements set forth by PWLS, Inc. and HLA to which WRPW, Inc. is subject to be eligible to participate in any of the Association’s functions.

ARTICLE XV - FEES

The Executive Board has the authority to determine all fees associated with membership and participation in the programs of WRPW.

All registration fees are considered non-refundable due to the advance pre-season fees and expenses which WRPW occurs in preparation for the season.

Registrations fees may be refunded at the discretion of the executive board if there are insufficient sign-ups for a team at a particular level and a player is in-eligible to play on another team within the program as determined by the Director of the appropriate program.

Discretion to wave or refund fees is at the discretion of the Executive Board.

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ARTICLE XVI - ORDER OF BUSINESS

All meetings should be governed by Robert's Rules of Order and these By-laws

Call to order by the presiding Officer.
Roll call by the Secretary.
Reading of the minutes of the previous meeting by the Secretary followed by any questions and a vote for acceptance of the minutes.
Treasurers Report by the Treasurer followed by any questions and a vote for acceptance of the treasurers' report.
Reports by Auxiliary boards as applicable.
Old business (updated information)
1. League Matters
2. WRPW Matters
3. Cheer Matters
4. Football Matters
5. Other Old Business
New business
1. League Matters
2. WRPW Matters
3. Cheer Matters
4. Football Matters
5. Other New Business
Notice of next meeting.
Adjournment.

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