By-Law 1 - Duties of Executive and Board of Directors SASK FEMALE HOCKEY LEAGUE BYLAWS 1.01 Duties of the President a) The President shall have the duty of presiding over all meetings of the League. b) The President may represent any or all of the Executive and Board of Directors on any occasion and will be responsible to his Executive and Board of Directors for the same. In absence of the President, or at his request, the Vice President shall have the powers of the President in every respect. c) To call special meetings as deemed necessary or at the request of any of four (4) League Member Minor/Female Hockey Associations received in writing. d) To deal with and rule on all protests and/or suspensions and provide reports to the SHA General Manager and SHA Chairperson Female regarding the details of those protests and/or suspensions. 1.02 Duties of the Vice President a) The Vice President will assume duties in various areas of the League Structure which may include any of the following; i) Discipline ii) Operations iii) Finance iv) Administration 1.03 Duties of the Secretary / Treasurer a) It shall be the duty of the Secretary to; i) Record all minutes of League meetings and attend to all correspondence of the League. ii) Distribute notices to member clubs and Executive Committee members of all meetings when directed by the President. iii) Update and maintain the League s Constitution and Bylaws. b) It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to: i) Receive all monies of the SFHL and deposit same to the credit of the SFHL. ii) Pay all accounts as authorized by the Board of Directors iii) Maintain an accounting system detailing all receipts and expenditures. iv) Collect all membership fees and monies due to the SFHL. v) Co-sign all cheques with the President and or Vice President vi) Have all financial records subject to inspection of the President always and shall produce them at the request of the Executive Committee. vii) Have all financial records prepared for review by an Audit Committee. 1.04 Duties of the Referee-in-Chief (RIC) a) It shall be the duty of the RIC to; i) Be responsible to the President; however, the RIC is governed by the Rules and Regulations of Hockey Canada and the SHA. ii) Coordinate or delegate assignors for all league games and such games as exhibition/tournaments. To cooperate with the SHA in the assigning of officials for League playoff games. iii) Coordinate or delegate supervisors for league games as deemed necessary. iv) Assist the President in a consultative process of determining the facts to a incident(s) that might require a League ruling ie: coach, manager or player suspension. v) Formulate and communicate official s reports to and from respective individuals and the League. vi) Report to all meetings the concerns of officials and to relay concerns of the league back to officials. 1.05 Duties of the Webmaster a) this is an appointed position with an honorarium determined by the executive on an annual basis b) no voting privileges c) maintain website; rosters, game statistics, meeting minutes and other assigned duties 1.06 League Executive Honorariums a) President b) Vice President c) Vice President d) Secretary / Treasurer e) Referee in Chief determined by executive f) Webmaster determined by executive
By-Law 2 - Banking 2.01 The SFHL shall maintain it accounts in a Chartered Bank, Credit Union and/or Trust Company. 2.02 All withdrawals or cheques shall require the signature of the President or Vice President and Treasurer. Two of the three signatures are required. 2.03 The Treasurer shall submit a financial statement at the League s Annual Meeting. By-Law 3 - Cost of Membership 3.01 Performance Bond a) A performance bond of $500.00 shall be posted by all participating associations by the Annual Meeting of the current season. b) A performance bond shall be forfeit if a team fails to appear for a league game without the President s consent. The bond shall be forwarded to the non-offending team as compensation for the loss of game and expenses, less $100.00 for league administration costs. The offending team shall not be reinstated until the bond has been resubmitted to the SFHL. c) In addition to the loss of the bond, the team that fails to attend a league game as set for in paragraph b) herein, the offending team shall be fined an amount equal to the travel costs it saved by not appearing for the game. The offending team will not be reinstated until the fine has been submitted to the SFHL. d) That any team that fails to complete a game after it has started is subject to the loss of its performance bond, after a review of the circumstances by the league. e) That the league retains the team s performance bond. The teams will pay the league and outstanding amounts required to bring the performance bond up to the correct amount established by the league, by the Annual Meeting of the current season. 3.02 Application for Membership a) Application for Membership must be in writing and received by the SFHL Secretary thirty (30) days prior to the SFHL Annual Meeting (to be held by June 30th annually). The application must include payment for the membership fee and the performance bond. b) The SFHL membership will consider the application at the Annual Meeting and membership shall take effect upon the election of the applicant by a majority vote of the League Member Minor/Female Hockey Associations. 3.03 Membership Fee a) The yearly membership fee shall be determined annually by the Annual Meeting. By-Law 4 - Probation/Withdrawal from the League 4.01 Probation a) All Member Minor/Female Hockey Association teams in the SFHL shall be on a probationary period for one year following which an evaluation will be completed and a vote taken to determine full member status in the league. 4.02 Withdrawal from the League a) That any Member Minor/Female Hockey Association that withdraws a team(s) from the League after the final league schedule has been completed and causes extra expenses to the Member Minor/Female Hockey Associations in the league will be charged with such expenses. Those extra expenses might include, but are not limited to, expenses paid to teams affected by such withdrawal, rescheduling costs, special meeting costs or any additional costs related to the withdrawal, may exceed the $500.00 performance bond. Should the Member Minor/Female Hockey Associations that withdrew wish to re-enter the league in some future season, then in addition to double the performance bond, the Minor Association would be required to pay those expenses before being accepted back into the league. b) Any member of the League may withdraw from membership with the consent of two-thirds (2/3) of all members of the League. The member must file a notice of withdrawal by April 1st and if accepted by the League members, will become effective as of the Annual Meeting. c) Any member of the League may apply for a maximum of a one (1) year leave of absence with the consent of two-thirds (2/3) of all the members of the League. The member must file a notice of withdrawal by April 1st and if accepted by the League members, will become effective as of the Annual Meeting. During a leave of absence, no voting privileges will be extended. d) Any Minor/Female Hockey Association on a leave of absence shall not have voting privileges at League meetings. By-Law 5 League Meetings 5.01 The SFHL shall hold two meetings per year to be held in a central location or a location of the President s choice. 5.02 Missing League Meetings a) Fines of $500.00 shall be levied against teams that do not attend league meetings.
By-Law 6 - Registration 6.01 Membership a) The SFHL shall consist of five divisions i) Midget AA ii) Midget A iii) Bantam iv) Pee Wee v) Atom b) If a Minor/Female Hockey Association Tiers their teams within the Midget age division, the top tiered team(s) must play in the Midget AA division and the second tiered team(s) must register in the Midget A division. c) The SFHL Executive has the authority to move a team from the Midget AA to the Midget A or from the Midget A to the Midget AA division at the midpoint of the League Schedule if a team is deemed to be too strong or too weak for the respective division. 6.02 Team Sweaters Teams must have two sets of sweaters (Light and Dark) to be worn as follows; a) Home team will wear light sweaters b) Visitors will wear dark sweaters c) Sweater numbers shall be the same for the home and away sweaters 6.03 Registration/Eligibility of Players a) Member Minor/Female Hockey Associations must fax/email in SHA approved team rosters to the League Vice President or Statistician PRIOR to the first League game being played. Failure to abide by this bylaw will result in a fine of $100.00 being assessed to the Member Minor/Female Hockey Association. (If the SHA has not returned an approved roster prior to the first game a copy of the roster must be faxed/emailed, and an approved SHA team roster forwarded when it is received from the SHA). All additions and deletions to rosters approved by the SHA deadlines of January 10th and February 10th must be faxed/emailed to the League Secretary. b) No player shall be permitted to participate in a League game unless she is properly registered through the SHA as a registered player or affiliated player. If a member team allows an ineligible player to play in a game, such game, upon ruling by the President, shall be counted as a win for the opposing member team and the coach of the member team who played the ineligible player, shall be suspended for a length determined by the President. By-Law 7 Scheduling 7.01 League Format a) The SFHL Board of Directors shall determine the schedule at a Scheduling Meeting held annually in September b) Each Member Minor/Female Hockey Association must submit a minimum of twenty (20) weekend and weekday dates via league provided spread sheet with appropriate ice times to the league a minimum of 72 hours in advance of the scheduling meeting for each of their teams. Failure to provide ice times will result in forfeiture of the League Bond and membership in the SFHL. c) League play will commence and end on the dates determined by each division at the scheduling meeting (October and Feb 15 th should be used as a guideline) d) All Divisions of the SFHL will play a minimum of twelve (12) games and the maximum amount will be determined annually at the League Scheduling meeting. 7.02 Exhibition and Tournament Play a) There shall be no alterations to the league schedule permitted for the purpose of attending exhibition games or tournaments after the schedule is finalized. A fee of $200.00 will be charged for any approved changes. 7.03 SHA Sask First Under 18 Provincial Team/Sask First Program a) The SFHL schedule will be set in conjunction with the SHA Sask First Under 18 Provincial team and Sask First Female Program in order to avoid conflicts. 7.04 Scheduling a) Weekend play i) If possible, SFHL shall schedule games primarily on weekends to avoid excessive travel mid-week, unless two teams agree to a midweek scheduled game. 7.05 Cancellation of Games
a) Except in the event of adverse weather or misadventure, the team cancelling a game will forfeit the points for the game on notice of less than 48 hours and will be fined $500.00 to be paid to the league in trust and forwarded to the other team unless the game cancellation and replacement is accepted by both teams. This rule applies to both scheduled league and playoff games. The fine is to be paid within 48 hours of the date of the forfeited game and no further play is to be commenced until such payment has been received by an officer. b) In the event of a game cancellation, the home team will notify the RIC, VP, President & Webmaster immediately of cancellation using the league cancellation/re-schedule form. The home team will be responsible for getting the cancelled game rescheduled within (7) days. The home team will use the cancellation/re-schedule form from the league indicating the reason for cancellation and the appropriate dates. Failure to follow this can result in a fine to the teams of $100 each. 7.06 Tie Breaking Procedure a) The SFHL will apply the SHA Tie-Breaking Regulation 3.09.01 for the determination of the playoff spots following the regular season s league play. By-Law 8 - Playoff Format 8.01 All teams in the SFHL shall participate in the league playoffs. The Playoff Format will be reviewed annually at the League s Fall Scheduling Meeting. 8.02 The Playoff Dates will be determined at the League scheduling meeting. 8.03 Each playoff series in Midget AA, Midget A and Bantam A shall consist of a best of 3 games. All 3 dates must be set before the start of the series. Any game ending in a tie will proceed to overtime as per Rule 10.16 of the Hockey Canada Official Hockey Rules. Playoff format may be looked at and changed at the scheduling meeting each year. Each division would vote separately and could only change format with 2/3 majority vote. 8.04 The team finishing League play in the higher position shall receive the extra home game. 8.05 Teams must complete their Playoff series in the time frame allotted and they must advise the Statistician with the agreed upon times, dates and locations forty-eight (48) hours prior to the start time of the first game. 8.06 Teams who wish to extend the time frame allotted to complete their series must first receive permission from the President. Failure to gain permission and playing games will result in a $100.00 fine to the Member Minor/Female Hockey Association responsible. 8.07 SFHL players must play in a 1/3 of Female team s games they are registered on to be eligible to play in playoffs with their registered team or the team they are AP d to. Players that did not play in 1/3 of the games will have to be approved by the SFHL Executive before they can play for any team in playoffs. i) Affiliated players/goalies(ap) have no other restrictions or limitations to be eligible to play in SFHL playoffs other than having to be registered with SHA See 6.03 b) NOTE- In the event of a team requiring a replacement goalie, teams MUST contact SHA to go through their process of allowing a replacement goalie. Upon SHA s granting of said replacement goalie, the team is responsible to notify the league immediately with documentation authorizing the replacement. Failure to do so may result in sanctions from the league to the team. By-Law 9 - Conduct of Game 9.01 Game Warm-ups b) Each team will be allowed a five (5) minute warm-up c) Each home team is responsible to supply pucks for the warm-up. d) Each team shall confine itself to its respective side of the centre ice red line during the warm-up, and any player, coach or team official who instigates any incident by crossing the centre ice red line, or creates an incident by verbal abuse, shall be subject to league discipline, which can include fines and suspensions. 9.02 Game Timing a) The format for the timing of periods for Midget AA will be as follows: i) Games must be two (2) hours & fifteen (15) minutes long. ii) Periods should consist of three (3) twenty (20) minute stop time periods with a minimum of two (2) ice cleaning every period. b) The format for the timing of periods for Bantam, Midget A will be as follows: i) Games must be two (2) hours long. ii) Periods should consist of three (3) twenty (20) minute stop time periods with a minimum of one (1) ice cleaning every two (2) periods. c) The format for the timing of periods for Pee Wee will be as follows: i) Games will be 1.75 hours long ii) Periods will consist of three (3) 20-minute stop time periods. d) The format for the timing of periods for Atom will be as follows: i) Games will be 1.5 hours long ii) Periods will consist of two (2) 20-minute straight time periods and one (1) 20-minute stop time period.
9.03 Playing Regulations All SFHL games shall be played in accordance with Hockey Canada and SHA playing rules. 9.04 Shaking of Hands Teams shall shake hands upon the completion of each SFHL game. 9.05 Time-Outs Each team shall be permitted one thirty (30) second time out during each game. 9.06 Off-Ice Officials - The Home teams shall be responsible for the assignment of a timekeeper and scorekeeper and these positions must be filled by adults. 9.07 Game Sheets a) Home teams must submit game sheets and reports to the League Statistician within 24 hours of each game being completed. b) Teams failing to comply within the stated time could be subject to a $100.00 fine. By-Law 10 Referees 10.01 Assigning of Officials a) All Member Hockey/Female Hockey Associations must provide the name of the Referee assignor in their Association to the Leagues Referee-in-Chief. b) The home Member Minor/Female Hockey Association shall assign and pay the cost of the officials. c) All SFHL league and playoff games at the Midget level MUST be scheduled with a modified referee system (2 referees & 1 linesman). All league finals at the Midget level will be a four-man referee system (2 referees & 2 linesman). d) The SFHL Referee-in-Chief will ensure that there is the assignment of neutral officials for all League Semi-Final and Final playoff games. e) At the request of a team, the SFHL Referee-in-Chief shall assign neutral officials for a League or League Playoff game however the following will apply: f) Request must be made seventy-two (72) hours prior to the start of the game or playoff series and in the event of a playoff series, if the request is made; neutral officials are used for all games. g) Team making the request for the neutral official(s) is responsible for all referee fees and travel mileage. h) Upon receiving a request for the assignment of a neutral official(s), the Referee-in-Chief will advise the other team. i) A neutral official shall be deemed an individual(s) who have no personal relationship with any individuals associated with the teams participating in the game or series. j) All fees paid to officials will be determined by the Member Minor Hockey Association hosting a game. 10.02 Protection for Referees and League Officials a) Each Member Hockey/Female Hockey Association shall provide at its rink a separate dressing room for the exclusive use of the referees and other League Officials and shall take all steps necessary to ensure that no other person without the permission of the referee, gains access to such dressing rooms. b) No official or player of a member team shall enter such dressing room, except with the permission of the referee. By-Law 11 - Suspensions a) The SHA Minimum Suspension Guideline, Regulation 3.07.02, will be enforced. These are minimum suspensions and additional suspensions may be imposed wherever conditions and circumstances are warranted. b) The Executive Member assigned to be in charge of issuing Suspensions will notify the Manager of the team involved and copy the Member Minor/Female Hockey Association of the team involved of any suspensions arising from infractions occurring during League Games. Managers and Coaches are reminded that any player or team official assessed a match penalty cannot participate in any further games until notified by the Executive Member in charge of suspensions. By-Law 12 Action Detrimental to the League 12.01 If, in the opinion of the President, based upon such information and reports as he may deem sufficient, any act or conduct of any official of a Member team or player, whether during or outside the playing season, has been dishonorable, including the use of racial epithets or racist acts, prejudice to or against the welfare of the SFHL or the game of hockey, he may expel or suspend such person. 12.02 Prior to any expulsion or suspension, a player or member team has the right to submit a written report of the incident which may involve an expulsion or suspension as long as the report is received by the League President via electronic message no later than noon of the day following the incident in question.
By-Law 13 Harassment Policy 13.01 The purpose of a Harassment Policy is to ensure the SFHL and its member teams take reasonable steps to ensure that the care of all individuals involved in the operation of the League are addressed. This includes players, coaches, trainers, management, volunteers, billets, and league and game officials. 13.02 The SFHL will not tolerate abuse of any nature (sexual, emotional, verbal or physical) to any player, coach, trainer, management, volunteers, billets, and league and game officials. The SFHL requests that all Member Minor/Female Hockey Associations, who have a team as a member of this league provide documentation that indicates they are satisfied that the staff and volunteers associated with their team have an acceptable background for their position of trust. 13.03 Reports of harassment provided to the Executive of the SFHL will be directed to the Member Minor/Female Hockey Association governing the team in question and/or the appropriate government agency for investigation and action. By-Law 14 Protests 14.01 Protests and all evidence in support thereof, must be in duplicate and signed by the President of the Member Minor/Female Hockey Association of the protesting team along with the Manager of the team. Protests and evidence in support thereof, must be in the hands of the League President within twenty-four (24) hours of the advertised time of the game and must be accompanied by a deposit of $300.00 which sum shall be forfeited to the SFHL should the Executive Committee, whose decision shall be final, disallow the protest. If the protest is upheld, the team not upholding the regulation shall lose their defense fee of $300.00. 14.02 A copy of said protest and the evidence thereof must be served upon the protested club receipt of the protest. The team protested shall be allowed twenty-four (24) hours to file a defense and evidence with the President and must be accompanied with a defense fee of $300.00. 14.03 The President shall render a decision in writing as soon as possible and not later than three (3) days after receipt of the defense. 14.04 All transmission of the protest and evidence may be completed by fax/e-mail By-Law 15 Appeals 15.01 Any player, coach, manager or team shall have the right to appeal in regard to any decision of the Executive Committee, providing the following conditions are met: a) An appeal is sent to the President within twenty-four (24) hours of the decision of the Executive Committee outlining all reasons for said appeal which is to be dealt with within four (4) days. b) All appeals must be accompanied with a non-refundable cheque in the amount of $300.00 payable to the SFHL. c) The President shall appoint an Appeal Board of three (3) Executive and/or Directors which shall render a decision within four (4) days. d) All appeals can be transmitted by fax and/or email. By-Law 16 Recourse to the Saskatchewan Hockey Association 16.01 Any recourse to the Saskatchewan Hockey Association of any jurisdiction of any member, before all rights of appeal and all the rights of remedies of the Constitution and By-Laws of the SFHL shall have been exhausted, shall be deemed to be a violation and breach of these By-Laws, and a violation and breach of the League decisions, and shall result in the automatic indefinite suspension of such member from SFHL activities and games. 16.02 Any member team, manager, player, coach who has sought Saskatchewan Hockey Association action before exhausting all proper procedures of appeal will be liable for any expenses and disbursements incurred by the SFHL. 16.03 Until all expenses are paid, at the discretion of the President, the right of membership of the said party will be suspended. 16.04 Any team, manager, coach or player who having exhausted the appeals procedures within the SFHL and proceeds with an appeal to the Saskatchewan Hockey Association will be liable for all SFHL expenses which are incurred by the League as a result of said appeal to the Saskatchewan Hockey Association, should the SHA rule in favor of the League prior to reinstatement of said party s membership with the SFHL. By-Law 17 Amendments to the By-Laws
17.01 The By-Laws may be amended by the submission of a notice of motion to the Secretary a minimum of thirty (30) days prior to the SFHL Annual Meeting. The Secretary shall circulate said notices of motion to the members a minimum of fourteen (14) days prior to the Annual Meeting. 17.02 The giving of notice hearing may be waived by a two-thirds majority vote of those present and eligible to vote. By-Law 18 - Overage Players 18.01 Application for the use of any Overage players in the Midget divisions must be made in writing by the Member Minor/Female Hockey Association and presented to the SFHL Secretary seven (7) days prior to the Fall Scheduling meeting. The use of an overage player(s) must be approved by the League Executive. Overage players in the Midget Division must be attending High School and have history playing in the league including the previous year. Overage players will not be eligible for playoffs. By-Law 19 Game Admission 19.01 Gate Admission will be discussed for approval at scheduling meeting. By-Law 20 - Winding Up 20.01 In the event of dissolution of the League, the assets, after payment of all liabilities, shall be divided in an equitable manner and donated to community or female sports activities as determined by the Board of Directors.