Wellesley Youth Hockey Association, Inc.

BY-LAWS

Article I - Organization

Section 1         The corporation shall be known as “Wellesley Youth Hockey Association, Inc.” (herein after referred to as “WYHA”) with its principal place of business located in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

Section 2         The purpose of the WYHA is to develop and govern a youth hockey program in the Town of Wellesley for individuals under twenty (20) years of age for the purpose of promoting sportsmanlike competition, team and individual values, and respect for rules by providing a recreational outlet for the participants in the program and generally to exercise any or all of the powers, solely to effectuate the forgoing purposes, which may be conferred by Chapter 180 of the General Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as now in effect and as from time to time amended and as shall be provided by any cognate provision or provisions of the law hereafter enacted by said Commonwealth.

Section 3         The WYHA shall also make provision for a separate program for its girls to compete in the Massachusetts Hockey “Girls/Women” division when the number of female participants meets the minimum requirement.

Article II - Government

Section 1         The government of the WYHA shall be vested in the Board of Directors.  The number of directors shall be fixed at nine (9), each serving a term of three (3) years.

Section 2         The Board of Directors shall control and manage all activities and property of the WYHA.

Section 3         Members of the Board must be present to vote.

Section 4         Each Member of the Board is entitled to only one (1) vote.

Section 5         The Board of Directors shall annually review and set tuition for player participation.

Section 6         Other responsibilities of the Board of Directors include:

A.                To elect all officers of WYHA and approve all appointments made by officers.

B.                 To create committees, including but not limited to:

1.                  the Nominating Committee, designed to recruit and interview prospective Officers, Directors, Committee Members, and other Volunteers,

2.                  the Discipline Committee, designed to investigate, review, and recommend all coach, parent, and player discipline to the Board in accordance with all USA & Massachusetts Hockey, applicable league and tournament, and WYHA rules, codes, and regulations,

3.                  the Advisory Committee, designed to investigate, review and recommend to the Board special projects and initiatives of the WYHA.

C.                To acquire and distribute ice time.

D.                Player development (E.g., Power skating, clinics).

E.                 Coach development (E.g., Patching clinics, skills seminars).

F.                 To select WYHA optional accessories (jackets, hats, bags, trophies, team pictures).

G.                To administer the Beginner Hockey and Mosquito Programs.

H.               To assume all other responsibilities that are not specifically designated elsewhere.

Article III - Officers & Duties

Section 1            The President (who must be a member of the Board) shall:

A.                Be named as WYHA President in all governmental filings.

B.                 Preside as chairperson at all meetings of WYHA.

C.                Recommend to the Board officers for election.

D.                Appoint individuals to committees and positions as he/she shall see fit for the benefit of WYHA not otherwise accommodated in the By-Laws.

E.                 Appoint a representative to each organization of which WYHA is a member.

F.                 Be an ex-officio member of all committees.

G.                Authorize all disbursements by the Treasurer.

H.               Grant player waivers to other youth hockey programs.

Section 2            The Vice-President (who must be a member of the Board) shall:

A.                Assume the duties of the President in his/her absence.

B.                 Assist the President whenever necessary.

C.                Assist in conflict resolution between parent(s) and coach(es), or player(s) and coach(es).

D.                Act as liaison between Board of Directors and WYHA parents in presenting issues that need to be addressed by Board of Directors.

E.                 Be responsible for:

1.      Procurement of all equipment used by WYHA.

2.      Maintaining a written inventory of all durable equipment.  Expendable items, such as Pucks and Tournament Pins,  will be distributed in reasonable quantities.

Section 3            The Secretary (who must be a member of the Board) shall:

A.                Be named as WYHA Clerk in all governmental filings.

B.                 Record and maintain minutes of all meetings of WYHA and its Board of Directors.

C.                Notify all members of upcoming meetings.

D.                Maintain files of correspondence to and from WYHA.

Section 4            The Treasurer (who must be a member of the Board) shall:

A.                Be named as WYHA Treasurer in all governmental filings.

B.                 Be responsible for depositing all funds of WYHA in accredited banking institutions.

C.                Make funds available for payment of bills and other obligations of WYHA.

D.                Keep true and accurate accounts.

E.                 Make financial reports to WYHA at regular meetings or as requested by the Board of Directors.

F.                 Be responsible for billing and collection of funds from WYHA members.

G.                Prepare a proposed budget annually.

H.               Ensure that an annual financial report is prepared for the end of the fiscal year within three (3) months of the end of the fiscal year.

I.                   Obtain disbursement approval from the President.

Section 5            The Director of Coaching (who is appointed by the Board) shall:

A.                Act as liaison between the Board of Directors and the coaches of the program.

B.                 Be responsible for management of WYHA policy with respect to on and off ice behavior. Distribute written guidelines to each coach with respect to coach and player conduct within any and all arena areas.

C.                [C)            Coordinate tournament schedules and information making same available to appropriate teams.]

D.                Schedule Coaches Meetings.

Section 6            The Registrar (who is appointed by the Board) shall be responsible for:

A.                Registration of all applicants.

B.                 Registration of all players, coaches, and teams with USA and Massachusetts Hockey.

Section 7            The Special Events Chairperson (who is appointed by the Board) shall:

A.                Coordinate all fund raising activities within WYHA.

B.                 Approve any and all fund raising activities for WYHA, subject to approval by the Board of Directors.

C.                Coordinate with the Treasurer to establish a budget to support proposed fund raising activities.

Section 8            The League Representative(s):

A.                Must attend meetings of the League to which he/she was appointed.

B.                 Must report back to WYHA in a timely fashion, preferably in writing.

C.                Can, with Presidential approval, make commitments to the League.

Article IV - Elections

Section 1         All members in good standing are eligible to vote. A member in good standing is an adult representative of a household that:

1.                  has at least one child registered in the WYHA program;

2.                  has no outstanding financial obligations to WYHA;

3.                  is either the parent or guardian and

4.                  has not been expelled from the WYHA program.

There can be only one member in good standing per household regardless of the number of children in the program.

Section 2         Election to the Board of Directors shall take place by ballot on or before the last Friday in May of each year.

Section 3         The term of office for a Board member is three (3) years, with approximately one third of the Board of Directors being replaced each year.  A Board member may not serve more than three (3) terms.

Section 4         The Nominating Committee, at least four (4) weeks prior to an election, shall recommend to the Board the required number of individuals to fill expiring terms on the Board.  All members in good standing are eligible to run for election to the Board of Directors.  If such a member has notified the Nominating Committee of his/her desire to be nominated, but has been excluded, that member can be included on the ballot by conveying a petition to the Chair of the Nominating Committee, signed by at least ten percent (10%) of the members in good standing at least two (2) weeks prior to the scheduled election.

Section 5         Vacancies on the Board of Directors shall be filled by appointment by the Board of Directors to fill the remaining term.

Section 6         All elections will be majority vote. In the event of a tie, a run off election will be held between the tied candidates.

Section 7         Once elected, individuals will immediately assume the elected office.

Section 8         The Board of Directors will elect from its number each of the officers of the WYHA. Individuals may hold more than one (1) office.  No individual can hold more than two (2) of the three (3) offices of President, Secretary, and Treasurer at a given time.  If the Board is unable to select a member to hold one (1) of the offices, it may by majority vote appoint a suitable individual not on the Board for a term of one (1) year.

Article V- Meetings

Section 1         A quorum for any meeting shall consist of two-thirds (2/3) of the eligible voting members.

Section 2         A Board of Directors meeting shall be held once per month during the regular season.  The President shall set the time and place of these meetings from time to time with adequate notice.

Section 3         A Board of Directors meeting can be canceled, suspended, or scheduled by a simple majority vote of the Board members.

Section 4         Special meetings of the Board of Directors can be called by the President with at least three (3) days notice to the Board of Directors.

Section 5         Special meetings of the general membership can be called by the Board of Directors with at least seven (7) days written notice.  If a quorum cannot be established at any general membership meeting, the Board of Directors may act as though it has the required approval of the general membership.

Section 6         All meetings of the general membership shall be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order.

Section 7         All meetings of the Board of Directors are open to coaches and parents. Exceptions to this would be for “executive session” sensitive issues, such as an item in litigation, an item detrimental to the program, discussions concerning the integrity of an individual in the program, or discipline questions.

Section 8         An annual meeting of the general membership can be combined with fund raising functions.  However, elections cannot take place until the end of the hockey year.

Article VI - Coaches

Section 1         All Coaches are required to obtain USA Hockey coaching certification (patching) of the appropriate level for teams to which they are appointed.

Section 2         All head coaches, one (1) per team, and assistant coaches, up to two (2) per team plus one (1) specialty coach, must be approved by the Board of Directors upon the recommendation of the Director of Coaching and the Assistant Director of Coaching.

Section 3         No person shall be head coach of more than one (1) team in the WYHA.  When possible, no person should coach more than one (1) team.

Section 4         Coaches should move up to the level and team to which their child is a member.

Section 5         Travel teams are selected by a try-out process in accordance with the WYHA Try-Out Practices and Principles.  Final approval of the players selected for each travel team rests with the Director of Coaching.  The travel team selection process must be completed prior to any potential player being notified of selection.  It is the responsibility of the Try-Out Coordinators to ensure all players who tried out are contacted.  Players are notified either in writing or by telephone within seven (7) days of the last scheduled try-out.

Section 6         Travel teams will consist of enough players to comply with league rules.  Travel teams cannot have more than 20 members.  A typical travel team would have fifteen (15) skaters and up to two (2) goalies.

Section 7         Players can be moved from one team to another appropriate team with appropriate roster changes during the first ten (10) weeks of the league schedule.  Changes after that time will require approval from the Board of Directors.  Absent written Board approval, no player in the WYHA may play in an older age bracket.

Section 8         No person is to be allowed on the practice ice or behind the bench without the prior approval of the head coach.  Appropriate USA Hockey coaching certification level is required at all times.

Article VII - Length of Season

Section 1         The WYHA will abide by the season as set forth by USA and Massachusetts Hockey and the leagues in which the WYHA participates.  The regular season will ordinarily start no earlier than August 15 of a given year and end no later than June 1 of the following calendar year.

Section 2         Clinics with no attendance requirement may be conducted outside of the regular season.

Article VIII - Removal from Office

Section 1         Any officer or director may be removed from office as a result of failure to fulfill the duties of said office or membership or for conduct detrimental to the best interests of WYHA.  Said removal must follow the procedures below:

A.                A petition stating the charge in writing shall be filed with the Secretary and signed by at least a majority of the Board of Directors. (If the individual charged is the Secretary, then the Vice-President shall assume all clerical responsibilities with respect to the removal hearing.)

B.                 Notification to all Board members should be sent by registered mail return receipt requested at least seven (7) days before the question is placed on a meeting agenda.

C.                Said officer or director shall be notified by registered mail return receipt requested at least seven (7) days before the question is placed on a meeting agenda.

D.                The meeting for removal should have the sequence as follows:

1.                  Petitioners present case first

2.                  Officer or director charged is heard second

3.                  Discussion of the petition by the Board of Directors

4.                  Vote is taken.  A majority vote being sufficient for removal.

E.                 If the individual charged is the President, then the Vice-President, Treasurer, or Secretary (in that order) presides at the removal hearing.

Article IX- Committees

Section 1         The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Director of Coaching.

Section 2         The Nominating Committee will be responsible for recruiting and interviewing interested individuals and placing said individuals interested in serving on the Board of Directors on the ballot upon approval of their nomination by a majority of the Board. This Committee will consist of Board members and up to four general members in good standing.

Section 3         The Discipline Committee shall establish and maintain rules of conduct, ensure they are distributed to the membership, and review disciplinary cases.  This committee shall investigate, review, and recommend all coach, parent, and player discipline to the Board in accordance with all USA and Massachusetts Hockey, applicable league and tournament, and WYHA rules, codes, and regulations.  No member of the Discipline Committee can be directly involved in a specific case.

Section 4         The Advisory Committee shall be called upon from time to time to act as advisor to the Board of Directors on such issues as may occur.  This committee shall investigate, review, and recommend to the Board special projects and initiatives of the WYHA.

Article X - Amendments

Section 1         These By-Laws may be amended or changed by any such proposal being submitted in writing, posted in a common place for review by the general membership, and read at two regular meetings of the Board of Directors spaces at least one (1) week apart but not more than two (2) months apart and decided at the second meeting by two-thirds 2/3 of the eligible voting members who vote in the affirmative at such meeting.

Article XI - Approval of By-Laws

Section 1         The above articles shall be adopted as the By-Laws of WYHA if approved by a majority vote of the Board of Directors present at a special meeting called for that purpose.

Approved April 30, 1996

Approved as Amended 1999

Approved as Amended April 26, 2004