ARTICLE I
NAME
The name of the organization is “North Carroll Soccer Club”, commonly known as North Carroll Travel Soccer, or the Club.
ARTICLE II
MISSION
The North Carroll Soccer Club (NCSC) strives to provide soccer players in the Manchester Valley
and North Carroll areas the opportunity to develop soccer skills in a competitive environment that promotes teamwork,
fitness, and an emphasis on sportsmanship.
ARTICLE III
AFFILIATION
North Carroll Soccer Club is affiliated with the North Carroll Recreation Council in
cooperation with the Carroll County Department of Recreation and Parks.
The organization, North Carroll Soccer Club, agrees to abide by all rules, policies,
and regulations of MSYSA, US
Youth Soccer and US Soccer.
ARTICLE IV
ORGANIZATION
MEMBERSHIP
NCSC shall be comprised
of member teams in various age/gender groups. Any person sincerely interested
in active participation under the By-laws of NCSC and under the rules and regulations of USYSA and MSYSA may be a member.
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
The governing body
of NCSC shall consist of an Executive Council. The council will also recognize
a person from each team in good standing, each of whom shall be entitled to vote. The
person from each team will normally be the head coach. The head coach may delegate
this position, but it must be approved by the Executive Council.
The Executive Council members shall be nominated
during the month of November and shall be elected by a vote of the existing Council members at end of the fall season meeting
normally held in December. Their term in office shall extend to December 31st
of the following year.
The executive council is comprised of the following:
President
The President
shall preside at all club meetings and serve as a member of all club committees. The President (or designee) will represent
NCSC at USYSA, MSYSA, NCRC, and other soccer related meetings, conventions and workshops.
The President must also prepare an annual budget and have it approved by the Executive Council prior to the beginning
of the registration period.
Vice President
The Vice President shall act in the absence of
the President and will coordinate special projects.
Secretary
The secretary shall
be responsible for all records affiliated with NCSC, correspondence, meetings, notices and carrying out the necessary duties
as are customary with this position.
Treasurer
The Treasurer shall be responsible for
all duties as set forth for receipt of all monies, collection of fees, and payments.
The Treasurer will develop control over expenditures and reconcile/report the Club’s cash position on a regular
basis.
ARTICLE V
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL RESPONSIBILITIES
The Executive Council
shall guide and preserve the image of NCSC by its authority to approve various actions of the member teams and to impose sanctions
on teams and individuals that fail to comply with the by-laws.
The Executive Council
will facilitate the coordination of teams, equipment, fields, publicity, and registration.
The Executive
Council shall:
Emphasize
proper ethics and recruitment rules during
player
selection.
Emphasize
fairness in player selection during try-outs.
Foster intra club
and inter-team cooperation to the benefit of the players and the Club.
Support
a high level of soccer competition.
Serve as the final
point of appeal and intercession in disputes between players, parents, and coaches of the member teams in matters that affect
the image of NCSC.
ARTICLE VI
MEETINGS and VOTING RIGHTS
The Executive Council shall meet on an as-needed
basis to address matters concerning the operations of the organization. All Executive Council members must attend the meetings
or send a substitute from their team. Coaches, parents, and players have an open invitation to attend. It is the responsibility
of all Executive Council members to distribute pertinent meeting and MSYSA-related information to their respective teams in
a timely fashion.
All decisions concerning
the operation of NCSC shall be determined by a majority vote of the Executive Council members (or substitutes) eligible and
present at the time of the voting. The President shall make the determination that the Executive Council members are sufficiently
informed and there is adequate representation to call a vote. In the event of a tie vote, the President shall make the final
decision.
ARTICLE VII
FINANCES
All funds
raised by the NCSC shall be used to cover operating expenses of NCSC and further the objectives of NCSC as it relates to development
of soccer players in the organization. The budget as submitted by the President
must be approved by the Executive Council. Financial records of NCSC are subject
to review and/or audit by the Executive Council at any time. All monies disbursed
must have an itemized receipt or valid invoice.
Once a budget
is approved, modifications to the budget exceeding 10 percent must be approved by a majority of the executive council.
As noted, the Executive
Council will review the reconciled report of the Club’s cash position on a regular basis as prepared by the Treasurer.
ARTICLE VIII
REGISTRATION
The registration process for the NCSC begins
in May. The timing gives each team plenty of time to organize try-outs and identify
the need for additional teams. Each team will arrange for the acquisition
of the necessary player pictures, cards, completed rosters, and any other paperwork as required by the respective leagues
or tournaments.
Registrations received
after the closing date of registration may be charged a late fee. Players whose registrations are received after the registration
closing date are not guaranteed an opportunity to play soccer for a NCSC team if all suitable teams are full. In that case
the registration and any other fees shall be refunded.
NCSC will
register at least annually all players, coaches, and teams who participate within NCSC with MSYSA and pay the appropriate
registration fees.
ARTICLE IX
TEAMS
COMPOSITION
NCSC will place
children on teams according to age requirements and level of play. The age group
for each team is based on birth dates and ranges from August 1st to July 31st of the following year. These age ranges comply
with MSYSA and USYSA guidelines and may be amended as these associations amend their birth date ranges.
It is the intent
of NCSC to maximize the development of every player. In support of this objective, NCSC believes that players are best developed
by playing at the age within the U-9 - U14 age divisions.
If a team intentionally
fields players older than their designated age group or fraudulently enters any tournament or league, the Executive Board
will impose sanctions or dismiss the coach from NCSC.
TRY-OUTS
The evaluation period for travel players
will be held during the month of June of each year. It is expected
that each team hold at least three try-out sessions during this period so that all interested players are given the opportunity
to make at least two try-out sessions. This policy takes into account vacations
and other commitments. A team may schedule additional times during the evaluation
period.
MULTIPLE TEAMS WITHIN NCSC
Players may not play for multiple teams within
NCSC for league play. However, with the consent of both coaches, a player who
meets the necessary age requirements may play as a guest player for another NCSC team in tournament play. The player may only do so when no conflicts are created with the player’s primary registered team.
TEAM SELECTION
The head coach will make the final selection
of players based on open tryouts. Open is defined as all players are given the
same opportunity to make the team. All coaches must make their best effort to
select the best possible players within their age group. NCSC makes available
resources (other coaches within the program) to assist in the evaluation process, but as noted, the final decision is that
of the head coach.
PLAYING UP
The term “playing up” is defined
as a player who would like the opportunity to play for a team that is older than the age group they are assigned based on
birth date.
a.) The player indicates
their desire to play up on the registration form.
b.) The player must participate in an equal number of tryouts at each
age
division (not less than one at each age division).
c.) The selection of the player to a particular team must be made jointly
by the head coaches for each of the respective teams. The overriding factor must
be what is best for the player, not necessarily what is best for a particular team.
This is in the spirit of the mission of NCSC. The executive council will
make the final decision in the event a decision cannot be made or the respective coaches do not reach a consensus.
The rule of thumb
is that a player who “plays up” must be a major contributor to the older team, that is, a starter. While at the same time, the player’s age appropriate team will not be adversely impacted. The coaches involved must do what is best for the player and the organization as a whole.
RECRUITING
Any team participating
in NCSC which attempts to induce any player listed on a valid team roster of another MSYSA affiliated team to leave his/her
team shall be deemed to have recruited that player. This is a violation of our
organizations by-laws and must not be done in any manner. Those who violate the
rule will be subject to the violations outlined in Article XVI.
Invitations
to play as a guest player for another team must be handled through the relevant coaches.
ARTICLE X
COACHES
ELIGIBILITY
All members
of NCSC ages eighteen and older are eligible to coach a team. The coach must uphold the NCSC code of conduct as well as any code of conduct imposed
by the league or organizations where that coach's team plays. Violators of any agreed upon code of conduct may be removed and banned from any further coaching for the
NCSC.
SELECTION
Head coaches are appointed by the executive council based on the coach’s qualifications, experience,
and past performance. Candidates interested in a coaching position will either note their interest on the registration form
or contact the executive council. In certain situations, a qualified candidate
will be approached by a member of the executive council to fill a vacancy.
TRAINING
A qualified coach shall have a USSF, MYSF, or FIFA license or two years of coaching experience. Coaches
will be expected to further their licensing and training to the level and skill of the age/gender group they are coaching.
ARTICLE XI
LEAGUES
Every team shall play in at least one outdoor league. Teams are encouraged to participate
in the highest capable level of MSYSA or SAY affiliated leagues. It is the belief of the NCSC executive council that teams
develop best when playing in a challenging environment.
The executive council must be notified of the league in which the team intends to play.
This is to assure proper coordination of field availability.
ARTICLE XII
TOURNAMENTS
Every team is encouraged play in a minimum of two outdoor tournaments per year. Each
team is encouraged to compete in the highest level of USSF/ USYSA/ MSYSA affiliated tournaments. Tournament participation
will be coordinated by the head coach or team manager for each team. The executive
council must be made aware of all tournaments to be participated in by any team under NCSC.
Travel permits, fees, liability/medical release statements, and other functions will be handled by the individual team.
ARTICLE XIII
FACILITIES
Facilities includes
all equipment and field space utilized by NCSC. As noted, a portion of registration
fees is applied for the maintenance and upkeep of the playing fields including, but not limited to field paint, upkeep or
replacement of nets and goals, light usage, seeding, fertilization and other expenses.
ARTICLE XIV
UNIFORMS
The primary colors of the North Carroll Soccer
Club are red, white, and black. The design and style of uniforms will be consistent
for each team within NCSC and approved by the Executive Council.
Warm-ups and other accessories are typically
ordered by each individual team and must be consistent, aside from gender
specific differences, throughout the Club.
ARTICLE XV
SPORTSMANSHIP
Good sportsmanship
is one of the primary lessons being taught to the players and is important to the image of NCSC. Teams and individuals can
be penalized for the failure of players, coaches, and parents to maintain the proper demeanor before, during, and after games
and practices.
ARTICLE XVI
VIOLATIONS
Situations
in which parents or relatives, players, and coaches fail to comply with the by-laws of NCSC or whose behavior discredits NCSC
will be investigated by the Executive Council.
After collecting
all of the pertinent facts it is the Executive Council’s responsibility to act in the appropriate manner. That may include one of the following:
Suspension
of voting rights.
Suspension
from coaching or playing in NCSC
Removal
of member from the Board.
Dismissal
of a player or coach from NCSC
Any member,
player, or coach receiving disciplinary action may petition the Board of Directors to appeal his/her case. In all cases, including those related to appeals, the decision of the Executive Council is considered final.
