Bylaws

BYLAWS OF THE COLUMBIA YOUTH SOCCER ASSOCIATION AS REVISED AND AMENDED, 1/11/2023

Article I Name

Columbia Youth Soccer Association, Inc.

Short title “CYSA”.

The official colors for CYSA are yellow and black.

Article II Purpose

The primary purpose of this organization includes the following;

Promote the game of Soccer for players of all ages.
To promote the development and education of the sport of soccer, which will include but is not limited to sportsmanship & leadership. It is the intent of this organization to achieve this through fair play with adult leaders providing the example.
Help construct, improve, maintain and operate the soccer facilities that are used for accomplishing the primary purposes.

Article III Membership

Membership shall consist of:

Any person sincerely interested in active participation to affect the objectives of the CYSA may formally request membership.
Regular Members must meet one of the following criteria:
a.) Must be at least 18 years of age.

b.) Any person who has a child enrolled in a program.

c.) Any person who performs as a coach, referee, member of the Board, or member of any Standing Committee.

d.) Any other person eligible for membership under paragraph A above may request in writing or at a regularly scheduled Board Meeting that the Board consider that person for membership. The request is to be acted upon within one month.

e.) Any regular member is eligible to vote in the yearly general election.

f.) Membership expires July 31 of each calendar year. It shall automatically renew upon the payment of sponsorship, or registration fees for a child to participate in any C.Y.S.A. program for the coming season or through the criteria outlined in paragraph D (above).

The Executive Board, by two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present at any duly constituted meeting shall have the authority to discipline, suspend, or terminate the membership of any Member or the right of a child of a Member to participate when the conduct of such person is considered detrimental to the best interests of the Club or any player.
The Member involved shall be notified of such meeting, informed of the general nature of the charges, and given the opportunity to appear before a quorum of the officers at the specified meeting date to respond to such charges. The President shall preside, unless the President shall be a party or witness in the matter, in which case the Vice President shall preside, and then the Secretary and Treasurer as necessary. Each member agrees to abide by all the terms and conditions set forth in these Bylaws.

Article IV Board of Directors

It is the responsibility of the board to ensure the proper publication of these bylaws and approved Board Meeting Minutes on the website. Bylaws & minutes are not to be removed or modified without board approval. These publications shall be posted at least one week before the next board meeting. Financial statements will be provided as soon as practical upon written request, but no later than seven (7) days after the request is received by the CYSA Treasurer.

a.) The general affairs of the Columbia Youth Soccer Association, Inc. shall be managed under the direction of the Board of Directors. At the discretion of the board, the members shall manage the day to day affairs of Columbia Youth Soccer Association, Inc.

b.) The Board of Directors shall be comprised of an Executive Board consisting of 6 Executive Officers, Board Members, and standing committee chairs;

c.) Board Members List:

Officers: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, IT Director, Operations Director

Suggested Board Members: (may change based upon the needs of the organization)
Registrar, Recreational Coordinator, Scheduler, Concessions Coordinator, Travel Team Coordinator, Advertising Director, Photography Coordinator, Awards & Uniforms Coordinator, Director of Coaching (Paid, Non-voting), Referee Assignor (Paid, Non-voting), Volunteer Coordinator

d.) No (2) members of any family shall serve on the Executive Board.

e.) Board members may serve in multiple capacities if elected into multiple positions, but will retain a single vote in board matters (unless one of those positions is a paid position). A person may retain voting rights by electing not to receive payment for services. No officer may ever be paid for services, unless being reimbursed for board-approved expenses that benefit the club.

f.) The term of office for board members will be 2 years. Board members may be re-elected, or if unopposed, remain in office for an additional term.

g.) There are no consecutive term limits.

h.) Vacancies occurring mid-term may be filled by the board member election process.

i.) If any Board member should be absent for (3) consecutive meetings without sending a communication to the president or secretary stating his/her reason for so doing and his/her excuse should not be accepted by the members of the Board, his/her seat on the Board may be declared vacant by a vote from the Board. A vacancy will not occur automatically due to absences.

j.) A board member may resign from the board by submitting a resignation letter to the board, to be reviewed at the next board meeting. The resignation letter must be accepted before that person is relieved of his/her duties. It is expected that there will be full disclosure and transfer of all information relevant to the position held.

Committees:

Committees will be created by the Board of Directors as needed. All committee chairs will be elected board members. Committee members will be made of elected board members and non-board members as deemed necessary to accomplish the task at hand.

Any C.Y.S.A. Board Member may hold more than one position on the Board of Directors as approved by the board. Regardless of the number of positions held, each member has only one vote. If the C.Y.S.A. President holds more than one position on the board he/she shall still only be allowed to vote as a tie breaker.

Executive Committee:

An Executive Committee will consist of a Minimum of the President, Vice President, and the Secretary. The Executive Committee will meet over matters demanding immediate attention when it is impractical or impossible to call an Executive Board meeting. All actions of the Executive Committee are temporary until review by the Executive Board.

Appeals and Disciplinary Committee:

The Executive Officers, the Director of Coaching, and the Director of Operations will constitute the Appeals and Disciplinary Committee. The Committee will review and rule on all protests and appeals submitted. The Recreation Director will also serve on the Committee on issues regarding the Recreation Season.

a.) In the event of any rules violation any officer, the Director of Coaching or the Director of Operations has the right to suspend any club member from any club activities for any game or amount of time, until the disciplinary committee may convene.

Article V CYSA Records and General Procedures:

b.) All CYSA financial transactions will be recorded In a Quick books program and a backup stored in a drop box program

c.) All CYSA records will be archived at the in a “neat receipt” program and hard copies archived in a secure location.

d.) All expenditures over $500 that are for non-operational purposes must be board approved prior to the expenditure being accrued. Operational expenditures include but are not limited to field, field preparation, concessions and FYSA expenses. Voting which is in reference to elections or policy change will be conducted on a ballot and a record kept of same for 2 years. Rules of play except as modified herein shall be in accordance with FIFA and FYSA.

Article VI Meetings

All meetings and elections will be conducted by Robert’s Rules of Order.

a.) There shall be an annual meeting held each year in the month of April. The meeting shall be advertised at a minimum of three (3) of the following options: in the local newspaper, placed on CYSA website, placed on CYSA social media and/or posted at the CYSA facility. It should reflect any available board positions and request a formal letter be submitted to the board’s March meeting for nomination and ballot preparation. This notification of available positions is required to take place no later than 60 days prior to the annual meeting.

b.) The annual meeting shall be held for the purpose of electing the Board of Directors. Any member wishing to vote at this meeting must be current with his/her membership status.

c.) Board meetings shall be held monthly. All meetings will be open to the public. Any organization or individual wanting to address the board should contact the CYSA secretary, at least 5 days in advance, to be placed on the agenda.

c. 1)

Meetings may be held on electronic / digital platforms. Board members attending a member on a digital platform will be permitted to vote but may not submit motions for business.
Members will be limited to no more than 2 consecutive digital meetings. More than 2 consecutive meeting will constitute as an absence from the meeting.

c. 2)

In such a circumstance that all board members are not allowed to attend meetings in person due to an Act of God or rule of law, the board meeting may be held on a digital platform without restriction.

Article VII Quorum

A quorum at a board meeting or annual meeting shall consist of a minimum of five (5) board members. A majority vote of board members (3 or more) shall decide any business or questions that may properly come before the board meetings provided the entire membership of the board is properly notified of said meeting.

Article VII Elections

Elections of board members will take place annually in the month of April. All elections results shall be posted at the CYSA facility and on the web site. Only General Members will be eligible for participating in the election process. During the month of February a public notice to fill empty and challenge existing positions will be publicly posted along with the yearly board meeting announcement for April.

The Vice-President, whose term does not expire in the current year, or in his/her absence, such person as designated by the President, shall supervise the election of the Board held at the Annual Meeting. All votes shall be cast on an official ballot prepared by the Vice President. A majority of votes cast shall be required to elect. If a general member, who is nominated for office, is not present at the Annual Meeting, a letter of acceptance must accompany the nomination. A person may be nominated from the floor at the Annual Meeting; however they must be present to accept the nomination. Vacancies occurring on the Board outside of annual elections shall be filled through nomination and election by vote of the remaining members of the Board as soon as practicable. The replacement shall serve on the Board for the remainder of the unexpired term of the vacancy.

a.) OFFICERS shall be elected at the annual meeting by a majority vote of all general members present, each eligible voter being entitled to cast one hard-ballot vote for each vacancy on the board.

b.) BOARD MEMBERS shall be elected at the annual meeting by majority vote of the Executive Board, each OFFICER being entitled to cast one hard-ballot vote for each vacancy on the board, if there is a tie vote, the incumbent will concede. If there is no incumbent, the entire board will vote, with the current board chair having the deciding vote.

Article VIII Complaints/Grievances:

All complaints and/or grievances by players, parents or other persons must be submitted in writing to an active CYSA Board Member in order to be considered valid. The Complaint must include details of the situation or event with a contact name and information. All complaints will be reviewed by the CYSA Board of Directors at the next scheduled meeting and a written response will be provided by the President. Cases in which the situation involves the safety of any person or could involve damage to CYSA or County property will be immediately addressed by the Executive Committee. A written response will be provided ASAP.

Columbia Youth Soccer Association Bylaws