Article 1.0: Name BY-LAWS 1.1 The name of this association shall be the Blue Mountain Youth Soccer League, herein referred to as BMYSL. Article 2.0: Mission and Philosophy 2.1 The purpose of the BMYSL is to promote youth development in member organizations, through the offering of a recreational/intramural soccer program. It is to promote the sport of soccer; and to develop sound bodies, keen minds, and the spirit of teamwork and good sportsmanship. 2.2 It is the philosophy of the BMYSL to: 2.2.1 Promote teamwork, sportsmanship and fair play. 2.2.2 Afford equal opportunities to every player, regardless of age or sex. 2.2.3 To see that every child is given a chance to participate without regard to ability level, race, religion, nationality, or financial status. 2.3 All BMYSL participants, players, coaches, referees, and League officials should show the proper respect to each other, and others, at all times. Anyone disrespecting or verbally abusing a League official, who is in the course of performing their proper duties, will be subject to penalties ranging from reprimand, suspension, or permanent removal from the BMYSL. Article 3.0: Membership 3.1 Number of Organizations: 3.1.1 Charter Members consist of the following teams: Lehigh Township (1982) Gold and Green Wind Gap (1982) Gold and Blue Moore Township (1982) Black, White and Red Forks (1988) Maroon and White Palmer (1988) Green and White Wilson (1991) Light Blue Nazareth (1994) Royal Blue and White Slate Belt (1995) Grey, Black, Red St, Jane s (1996) Green and Gold Northern Lehigh (1996) Blue and White Bethlehem Township (1997) Gold and Black Our Lady of Perpetual Hope (2004) White and Royal Blue City of Easton Rec. Soccer (2013) Red, Black and White Page 1 of 11
3.2 Application for Membership: 3.2.1 A 2/3 majority vote is needed by existing members to approve organizations applying for membership in BMYSL. 3.2.1.1 Additional requirements include: 3.2.1.1.1 Each organization must enter a minimum of two teams during a fall season and must participate in at least two different age/gender divisions. 3.2.1.1.2 Each organization must have use of a field, which meets BMYSL requirements. (Refer: 8.1) 3.2.1.1.3 Each organization must have the financial ability to cover all league expenses as defined within these bylaws. 3.2.1.1.4 Team colors must be approved by the existing membership 3.2.2 A 2/3 majority vote is needed by existing members to eliminate a club that is not upholding the best interests of the BMYSL, it s member clubs, players and coaches. 3.2.3 All new member clubs will be required to post a financial guarantee, known as a Performance Bond to be held by the BMYSL, until that club has completed one year of required participation. The amount of the bond will be determined by a membership vote. The bond will be refunded at the end of one year. 3.3 Medical Insurance Coverage 3.3.1 Each Club shall be required to provide proof of supplemental medical insurance for each team or purchase supplemental medical insurance through the EPYSA. Proof of insurance or application for insurance provided through EPYSA shall be provided to the BMYSL registrar by the August meeting. Article 4.0 Dues, Fees, and Fines 4.1 Annual Fee Schedule 4.1.1 A schedule listing all fees, dues, & fines will be prepared and submitted to the league board of directors for approval at the February meeting. Approval for fees that are set by outside organizations (such as EPYSA team & player fees) may be deferred until a time when they are better understood. These fees will be listed on the schedule, but a value will not be associated with them. 4.2 Membership Dues: 4.2.1 Annual membership dues (Good Faith Fee) must be paid by each club. Dues will be determined as defined by the Annual Fee Schedule. Page 2 of 11
4.3 Referees Fees: 4.3.1 Each team pays one half (1/2) of the officials fees. 4.4 Cancellation / Postponement / Fines: (Reference Fines Addendum - 1A) 4.4.1 A forfeit fine will be assessed to any organization, which fails to notify the opposing team of a postponement or cancellation of regularly, scheduled game. It is the Home Team s responsibility to cancel a game. A minimum of 1 & ½ hour notice must be given to the opposing team. 4.4.2 Cancellations are conducted between commissioners and referee assignor five days before game and a reschedule date set three (3) days from notification date. All game postponements or cancellations not due to inclement weather must have prior approval by the league President. 4.4.3 Game Day Cancellations: Cancellations on game days is only allowed in the circumstance of inclement weather. Matches must be cancelled 1-½ hours prior to the match. If the referee arrives and the times frame was not met, the referee(s) gets ½ pay. Within 1-½ hours of game time, it is the referee s responsibility to cancel the game. 4.4.4 If a team fails to show-up for a scheduled game, the opposing team must wait a minimum of fifteen (15) minutes from original start of the game before declaring a cancellation. The team failing to show-up will forfeit game as well as be assessed a fine (Reference Fines Addendum - 1A). 4.4.5 If game is in progress and game is called by referee before half-time, game will be rescheduled and replayed in its entirety. If game is in progress and is called by the referee at half-time, and or later, than game is official and score stands as final. 4.5 Failing to Attend League Meetings 4.5.1 A fine will be assessed for missing a scheduled BMYSL monthly meeting, after a Missed Meeting Mulligan has been taken. Fines must be paid at the next scheduled meeting as per the fee schedule. 4.5.2 Member clubs who chronically miss meetings will be subject to increased fines and penalties. Article 5.0: Rules 5.1 Governing Rules: 5.1.1 All BMYSL meeting protocol will follow parliamentary procedures and Roberts Rules of Order unless otherwise stated in the By-Laws. 5.1.2 Meeting agenda s shall be set by the President 5.2 Voting Procedures: 5.2.1 Only the official representative from each member organization shall be permitted to bring a motion before the membership. Page 3 of 11
5.2.1.1 The League Registrar, Referee Assignor and Website Administrator shall also be permitted to bring a motion before the membership. 5.2.2 Each organization shall be given one (1) vote on any motion brought before the membership. The official representative from that club if they are present or their delegate will cast that vote if they are not present. 5.2.2.1 The League Registrar, Referee Assignor and Website Administrator shall also be given one (1) vote on any motion brought before the membership. 5.3 Incident Reconciliation: 5.3.1 Any grievance and or disagreements between member clubs are to be mediated by the Executive Board. 5.3.2 All incidents requiring mediation or consideration by the Executive Board shall be submitted in writing by the concerned commissioners and witnesses (coaches, players, bystanders) within 24 hours of incident. Article 6.0 Officers 6.1 Officers: 6.1.1 BMYSL shall be made up of: the Executive Board, Board of Directors, and the General Membership. 6.1.2 The Executive Board consists of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The president cannot vote on any issues that come before the league unless there is a tie in which case the president casts the tie-breaking vote. The president and vice-president may not be a representative to BMYSL of his/her organization at the same time as their term in office. 6.1.2.1 An addition to the Executive Board will be a Board of Directors elected representative. This position will be elected at the same time as the President and serve the same term as the President. 6.1.3 The Board of Directors is made up of one representative from each organization. 6.1.4 A general member of BMYSL shall consist of any person with a child playing on a BMYSL club team. These members may address the BMYSL at any regularly scheduled meeting. These members may not make motions and will not have a vote on any issues brought before the Board of Directors. 6.1.5 Executive Board members (President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer) are prohibited from holding any paid BMYSL position while in office. 6.2 Term of Service: 6.2.1 Anyone seeking or elected to the position of President or Vice President must have been a league member in good standing for at least one year. 6.2.2 If an officer, before the completion of his/her term cannot fulfill his/her duties, an election will be held at the next scheduled meeting to fill the vacancy for the remainder of that term. Page 4 of 11
6.2.3 Officers will be elected for a 2-year staggered term. The President and Secretary will be elected during odd-years, the Vice-President and Treasurer in even years. 6.3 Non-Elected Positions: 6.3.1 Registrar The registrar will be a paid position. Nominated by the president and approved by the board, this position will report to the secretary. Amount of compensation shall be determined by the annual fee schedule in the February meeting. He/she shall collect and prepare all required paperwork mandated by EPYSA. 6.3.2 Referee Assignor The referee assignor position shall be a paid position. Amount of compensation shall be determined by the annual fee schedule in the February meeting. Nominated by the president and approved by the board, this person shall be responsible for assigning referees for the spring, preseason, fall, and end of season tournament games. 6.3.3 Website Administrator The website administrator position shall be a paid position. Amount of compensation shall be determined by the annual fee schedule in the February meeting. Nominated by the president and approved by the board, this person shall be responsible for administrating the league website. 6.3.4 Competition Committee The Competition Committee will NOT be paid by the league. Members of this committee are volunteers. This committee shall be responsible for, but not limited to: Analyze the competitive level of each team and distinguish whether they belong to the A or B division. o Assess requests that come from the individual clubs in writing as to whether they should have teams in the A or B divisions. o Make recommendations to the board as to which division teams should belong in. 6.3.5 All service positions must perform their duties as proscribed by the BMYSL Executive Board and its member clubs, in accordance with the League s agenda, policies, and philosophies, essentially function as BMYSL employees. 6.4 Duties of the Officers: 6.4.1 President: He shall preside at all league meetings. He shall have the right to appoint standing committees. He shall have the right to execute all decisions of the membership and to determine a vote in case of a tie. He shall have no right to act on an important matter on his own accord unless authorized by the membership. He shall be an ex-official member of every committee. He shall sign with the treasurer all legal papers and official documents in the name of the league. He/she shall review and approve all public relation information and communications pertaining to the BMYSL before their released. He/she shall also assign duties to other league members as required. 6.4.2 Vice-President: He/she shall perform all duties of the president in his/her absence and shall be entitled to all his/her prerogatives. He/she shall carry out all other duties assigned by president. 6.4.3 Secretary He/she shall keep a record of all the proceedings for all BMYSL meetings and a roll of all attending members. The secretary shall: Keep and handle all BMYSL paperwork, determines the format of all documentation required for each club on league matters, holds maps and coaches lists for current season, handles all correspondence for the league and corresponds with all league members via email, Page 5 of 11
phone, and through all line of communication available to relay meetings, notices, and any other business. 6.4.4 Treasurer He/she shall receive and collect all monies, dues, fines and funds due to the league. All BMYSL funds will be deposited in an interest-paying bank. He/she shall keep a careful and correct record of all monies received and expenses paid. He/she shall report the financial condition of the league at each regular meeting of the league. The Treasurer is also required to reconcile all league financial records at the end of each season. He/she shall also submit a fee schedule for all fines and fees for the upcoming year to be voted on by the league board at the February meeting. He/she shall also fulfill the Secretary s duties when the secretary is not available. 6.4.5 Executive Board Duties of the Executive Board shall include: Mediating and resolving issues between clubs, coaches, and players. Discuss and introduce new policies and procedures to bring before the Board of Directors and the General Membership. Additional duties will be added as circumstance dictates. Article 7.0 Teams and Personnel 7.1 League will be open to all eligible boys and girls. 7.2 Ages: 7.2.1 The season runs from August 1st through July 31st of the following year. The age guidelines listed below are used to judge a player s eligibility at the beginning of the season. Once age eligibility has been established for a season, it does not change until the following season. U-08 Any player who attains the age of eight (8) on or before August 1 st, is not eligible to play. U-10 Any player, who attains the age of ten (10) on or before August 1 st, is not eligible to play. U-12 Any player, who attains the age of twelve (12) on or before August 1 st, is not eligible to play. U-14 Any player, who attains the age of fourteen (14) on or before August 1 st, is not eligible to play. U-16 Any player, who attains the age of sixteen (16) on or before August 1 st, is not eligible to play. U-18 Any player, who attains the age of eighteen (18) on or before August 1 st, is not eligible to play. 7.3 Player Eligibility: 7.3.1 Players may only participate with teams on which they are rostered. 7.3.2 Male players may only be rostered on and only play with one team per age group for which they meet age requirements. Female players may only be rostered on, and only play with one boys team and one girls team per age group for which they meet age requirements. 7.3.3 No player shall be rostered with more than two (2) BMYSL teams during a season. 7.3.4 A player s age appropriate level shall be defined as the youngest age bracket at which they are eligible to play. 7.3.5 No player shall be rostered on a team playing at an age level that is more than one level above his/her age-appropriate level. Page 6 of 11
7.3.6 No player shall be rostered on a team that is below his/her age-appropriate level. 7.3.7 No carded travel player shall be rostered on a B Division Team. 7.3.8 No high school varsity player shall be rostered on a BMYSL team during the season in which he/she is playing varsity soccer. 7.4 Number of Teams Per Bracket 7.4.1 The maximum number of teams that may be entered per club in any one division is four (4). 7.4.2 A/B Mix: (Special requests at Competition Committee discretion.) Note: Requests need to be submitted 1 week prior to FINAL team commitments in writing and voted on, July league meeting. 1 Team - Must enter A Division 2 Teams - Must enter 1 A Division 3 Teams - Must enter at least 1 A Division 4 Teams Must enter at least 2 A Division 7.5 Team Rosters 7.5.1 Team rosters must be handed into the league Registrar prior to the season opener in a format dictated by the Secretary. Roster must have coach s name, team s information, etc... Revisions to team rosters may be made until the Friday following the first weekend of league play. All roster revisions must be presented to the league Registrar and cannot be considered official until a verbal approval is received by the Secretary. An updated printed copy will be supplied to the Registrar before the end of the next league meeting. Rosters are to have the following information: club name, age group, coach s name(s) and, players names and jersey numbers as well as the Registrars Date stamp of approval. 7.5.2 Clubs must be prepared to present a copy of a player s birth certificate if that player s eligibility is challenge by another club. 7.5.2.1 Only a club commissioner or league representative is eligible to lodge a challenge to a player s eligibility. 7.5.2.2 The challenge shall be presented, in writing, to the executive board. The written challenge should include the basis for questioning a player s age eligibility and any corroborating information. 7.5.3.3 The executive board shall have final authority on whether or not to pursue the challenge. 7.5.3.4 Once the executive board has notified a club s commissioner that one of that club s player s eligibility is being challenged, that player will be ineligible to participate in any league games until the matter is resolved to the satisfaction of the executive board. 7.5.3 Team coaches have the option to delete players from the game roster prior to start of game. 7.5.4 At the beginning of each game a team roster must be handed into the opposing team and the referee. Rosters should include club name, age group, coach s name(s), players names and jersey number. Page 7 of 11
7.6 When a player is assigned to a team roster for a given season, he/she may not play on any other BMYSL organization s team until released by the former organization. 7.7 During the off season, any player who moves to another area served by an active organization in the league may continue to play for either organization for the upcoming season. 7.8 Coaching: 7.8.1 Each coach must have a current BMYSL sanctioned coach s card. This card must be presented to the game official before the start of the game in order to coach. 7.8.2 Only coaches for whom the game office has obtained & accepted a valid BMYSL coach s card will be permitted in the coaches boxes. 7.9 A player must play in at least 50% of the regular season BMYSL games to be eligible to play in the end of season tournament. Article 8.0: Game Play 8.1 The BMYSL shall be governed by the official playing rule of USSF, except where noted by BMYSL playing rules 8.2 Field Dimension 8.2.1 Field Size: U-18, U-16 & U-14 Girls and Boys Minimum 50 yards by 100 yards Maximum 75 yards by 120 yards Note: Field size 50 yards by 100 yards recommended for U-18, if playing 8 v 8 format. 8.2.2 Field Size: U-10 & U-12 Boys and Girls Minimum 45yards by 70 yards Maximum 60 yards by 80 yards 8.2.3 Field Size: U-08 Co-Ed Minimum 30yards by 50 yards Maximum 40 yards by 60 yards 8.2.4 Goal Size: U-18, U-16, U-14 Girls and Boys Standard 8 X 24 U-10, U-12 Boys and Girls Minimum 6 X 18 U-08 Co-Ed Maximum 6 X 12 8.2.5 Whenever possible a minimum ten-foot spectator s line from each sideline is required. 8.2.6 Whenever possible coaching boxes will be used on both senior and junior fields. 8.2.6.1 Dimensions: One (1) yard from touchline, twenty (20) yards extending from each side of mid-field. Junior fields extend ten (10) yards from the mid-field. Page 8 of 11
8.3 Both teams shall be on the same side of field and spectators shall be on opposite side of the field. 8.4 Spectators are prohibited from behind the goal during the match. 8.5 Substitutions shall be done from the mid-field. All substitution shall follow USSF rules and is at the discretion of the game official. 8.6 Ball Size: Size 3 Division U-08 Size 4 Division U-10, U-12 Size 5 Division U-14, U-16, U-18 8.7 Playing Time: U-08 20 Minute Halves U-10 25 Minute Halves U-12 30 Minute Halves U-14 35 Minute Halves U-16/U-18 40 Minute Halves 8.7.1 There will be a five-minute break after the half. This is at the discretion of the game official and may be adjusted to meet game/weather conditions. 8.7.2 All players must play: U-08 / U-10 Fifteen (15) minutes per game. U-12 Twenty (20) minutes per game. U-14 Twenty-Five (25) minutes per game. U-16 / U-18 Thirty (30) minutes per game. NOTE: At the End of Season Tournament, all players, across all age groups must play at least, ten (10) minutes per game. 8.7.3 No overtime periods will be played. Games ending in a tie score at the end of regulations play shall be judged a draw. 8.7.4 If a game is in process and the game is called by the referee before half-time due to weather or unplayable conditions, the game will be rescheduled. If the game is in process and is called by referee at half-time and or later, the game will stand as final. 8.8 Free Substitutions: 8.8.1 There are no limitations as to the number of times a player may enter or leave a game. 8.8.2 USSF rules govern when substitutions can be made. 8.9 Team Scoring: 8.9.1 Win - 3 Points 8.9.2 Tie - 1 Point 8.9.3 Loss - 0 Points Page 9 of 11
8.10 When a player receives one (1) red card that player will sit out the remainder of that game as well as the next regular scheduled game. When a player receives two (2) red cards that player will sit out the remainder of the game for which they received the second red card as well at the next two regular games. When a player receives three (3) red cards during a season, that player will sit out the remainder of the playing year and be brought before the executive board for review for before participating in subsequent seasons. The executive board shall have the authority to impose shorter or longer punishments for red card violations. 8.10.1 If a player receives one (1) red card during the end of season tournament that player will remove him/herself from contact with his/her coach and other players for the remainder of that game as well as the next game. Second red card during the end of season tournament removes player from the remainder of the tournament. 8.11 When a coach is expelled from the game by the referee, that coach will remove himself/herself from the playing venue immediately. Coach must appear before the Executive Board to gain re-instatement and reclaim all coaching privileges. Executive Board reserves the right to institute penalties and disciplinary actions on any carded coach up to and including dismissal from the BMYSL. This includes all pre-season and post season play. 8.11.1 If a coach is expelled during the end of season Tournament, that coach will be banned for the remainder of the tournament and will remove him/herself from the site. Article 9.0: Uniforms 9.1 Shorts, shirts and shin guards must be worn. 9.1.1 Use of long pants and sweat suits are not allowed. Exception: In climate weather at the discretion of the game official. 9.1.2 All team members must wear the same color shirts. Those shirts must conform to the colors listed under article 3.1. 9.1.3 Numbers must be worn on the backs of each shirt. Size of the numbers must be six to eight inches in height. 9.1.4 Player numbers on back of uniform shirts must not be in duplicate. 9.2 Use of steel cleats not allowed. Players can use sneakers or the multipurpose athletic shoe. 9.3 Pinnies (net practice jersey) of a contrasting color 9.3.1 In case of uniform color conflicts, the referee will determine if pinnies must be worn. 9.3.2 Pinnies, if required, are recommended to be worn by the home team. Article 10.0: Miscellaneous 10.1 Meetings will be held the first Thursday of each month unless noted otherwise. (A 72 hour notice shall be given) Page 10 of 11
10.2 Treasures books will be audited at the end of his/her tenure. 10.3 A club hosting any BMYSL tournament is required to have ambulance services available for the entire length of the tournament. 10.4 For the duration of a BMYSL game, the maximum number of coaches permitted in the designated coach s box is three (3). The coaches are required to stay on their half of the field. 10.5 BMYSL will maintain its annual membership in EPYSA. 10.6 Each team is required to supply a sideline runner. 10.7 All member clubs are required to implement a system to perform background checks on all coaches for the purpose of identifying and screening out anyone who poses a threat to our players, based on their past behavior. Whatever means utilized should identify anyone convicted of a felonious crime, or any crime against children. 10.7.1 All member clubs are required to provide checklist of all club coaches, team parents showing proof of passed background check, child abuse and concussion certification. Background checks are done by EPYSA, but the clubs can elect to run their own background check. Revised (August 2015) Page 11 of 11