Bylaws of the Greater Springfield Junior
Amateur Hockey League
(as of March 10, 2021)
ARTICLE 1. Name
The name of this organization shall be the Greater Springfield Junior Amateur Hockey League (aka GSL) and shall be a total USA Hockey League.
ARTICLE 2. Purpose
To sponsor amateur hockey games at rinks in the Greater Springfield and surrounding areas in order to provide the opportunity for organized play for youth from 6U (novice) to 18U (midget) age classification. To develop and foster good sportsmanship and conduct among all participants, coaches and spectators. To encourage parents, relatives and friends to support the League in an active and constructive manner.
ARTICLE 3. Membership
A. Membership in the League shall be open to any USA Hockey Registered Team designated by Massachusetts Hockey as a hometown program in the Greater Springfield and surrounding areas.
B. Membership shall be contingent on adherence to the League By-Laws, and such other rules and policies as established by the Board of Directors and in meeting all financial obligations set by the League.
C. Teams from outside of Massachusetts may be granted membership on a case-by-case basis. Application for membership by new Associations shall be given in writing to the League Secretary prior to August 15th of any given year and shall be approved by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors.
D. On admission to the League, each Association will pay an entrance fee of $100.00 to the League Treasurer. Each member team will pay an annual assessment per team to be set at the start of each season by the Board of Directors and shall be due by November 1st of that season to cover League operational expenses for the current year.
E. Prior to the start of the season, each Association shall submit an Association Registration Form listing all elected officers, ice coordinator and head coaches.
F. Any Association / Team may be dropped from membership for repeated violation of League rules, for conduct that is detrimental to the League and its stated purpose, for failure to meet its financial obligations or for any other cause that would warrant disassociation. Expulsion shall be by a two- thirds vote of the Board of Directors.
G. Member associations whose payment balance is unpaid more than 30 days will have their voting rights revoked till paid in full.
ARTICLE 4. Executive Board
A. An Executive Board consisting of the President, the 1st and 2nd Vice Presidents, Treasurer, Secretary, League Statistician, and the immediate past President, shall be responsible for carrying out the directives of the Board of Directors and running the day to day affairs of the organization. The Executive Board shall meet as often as its members deem necessary without the requirement of any notice to the Board of Directors or the membership and it may conduct its business as informally as it deems necessary. Each member of the Executive Board shall have one vote. All actions of the Executive Board shall be subject to majority vote. Actions taken by the Executive Board shall be reported to the Board of Director at its next ensuing meeting. A meeting of the Executive Board may be held by any means of electronic or other communication through which all the participants can hear each other.
Past President: This position is advisory in nature and allows the out-going President to remain on the board in an effort to provide a cohesive transition between the departing and incoming Board members. The Past President will be available to clarify previous motions, offer background/history, and assist the new President whenever necessary. They will serve the on the Board of Directors for at least one (1) year after his/her position has expired.
B. All Executive Board Officers and Appointed Board of Directors who may participate in decisions where a personal gain may be possible, are required to sign a "Conflict of Interest" Statement.
ARTICLE 5. Board of Directors / Meetings
A. The Board of Directors shall have all the powers necessary or desirable to carry out the management of the affairs of the organization.
B. The Board of Directors shall consist of the Elected Officers and one representative from each member association. No Association shall hold more than two (2) voting positions (i.e. one (1) elected officer and one (1) Association Representative.)
C. The Board of Directors shall hold a minimum of six regular meetings per year at times and places to be determined by the of the President including the annual meeting which shall be held before the 30th of April at which time the election of officers shall be held. A schedule of all meetings to be held for the season shall be sent out at the September meeting.
D. An agenda shall be distributed to the member associations one week in advance of any scheduled meeting. Any member of the Board of Directors wishing to have a specific item added to the meeting agenda, shall notify the Secretary of the item at least one week prior to the scheduled meeting.
E. A Special Meeting of the Board may be called at the request of five (5) Directors. Such a request shall be submitted in writing to the League Secretary. It shall clearly state the purpose of the meeting and shall be received at least seven days prior to the requested date of the special meeting.
F. A quorum shall constitute voting representatives of one-half plus one of the Board of Directors including a minimum of three (3) officers. Failure of an association to be represented at two consecutive meetings of the Board of Directors may lead to removal of the association from the membership of the GSL.
G. All meetings shall be conducted under Roberts Rules of Order. Also, Roberts Rules of Order shall be the default document, when applicable, if these Bylaws fail to address a particular situation.
H. If a Director representing a member association is unable to attend a meeting, his/her vote may be cast by proxy by an individual from the same association. The League Secretary shall be notified of any proxies prior to the meeting.
I. A Director or Officer may be removed from the Board for cause by a two-thirds vote of all Directors.
J. A roll call shall be taken at the beginning of each meeting, to keep an accurate record of attendance.
ARTICLE 6. Officers
A. The officers of the League shall be a President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Statistician. They shall be elected to hold office for one year at the Annual Meeting to April 30th. Tenure of office shall be from May 1st to April 30th.
President: The President shall schedule meetings of the Board of Directors, preside over these meetings, appoint committees and perform other duties normally associated with this office. The President shall appoint a Webmaster, a Time Keeper Coordinator, a Marketing & Communications Director, a Regristrar, or other necessary positions with the approval of the Board of Directors. This is a paid position.
1st Vice President: The 1st Vice President shall preside at meetings in the absence of the President and shall perform such other duties as assigned by the President. He/she shall be the Chairperson of the Nomination Committee. He/she shall serve as Disciplinarian and shall be responsible for enforcing all league suspensions for both players and coaches and shall be responsible for investigating any complaints brought against players, coaches, etc. by another association. This is a paid position.
2nd Vice President: The 2nd Vice President shall preside at meetings in the absence of the President and the 1st Vice President. The 2nd Vice President shall serve as League Scheduler and shall perform such other duties as assigned by the President. He/she shall be responsible for securing ice from member associations, and as otherwise determined by the member associations, and the scheduling of all games. He/she shall also determine if any GSL games are to be cancelled because of adverse weather. This is a paid position.
Secretary: The Secretary shall record the minutes of the board of directors and shall maintain the League records, give adequate notification of meetings, record the minutes of all meetings and handle all League correspondence. In the absence of the Secretary, a Secretary Pro-Tem shall be appointed by the President. This is a paid position.
Treasurer: The Treasurer shall deposit all funds, pay all bills and maintain accurate records of all League financial transactions. The Treasurer shall present a written report to each Board of Directors at least once each quarter and at the end of the fiscal year, May 31st. This is a paid position.
League Statistician: The League Statistician shall keep and publish all standings, records, and penalties. This is a paid position.
B. The stipend for paid positions shall be set by the Board of Directors on an annual basis at the first meeting of the season based on the budget. Any person in a paid position may also serve in a non-paid position.
C. In the event there is no person willing to fill a particular position as an officer, another officer may seek election to a second officer position. Any person who holds more than one officer position shall have only one vote during any votes of the Board of Directors. The President shall only vote in the case of a tie, whether or not he/she holds another position as an officer. Any Vacancy occurring during the season shall be filled by a majority vote at any regular or special meeting of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE 7. Appointed Positions
A. The following board positions may be appointed by the President with approval of the Board of Directors:
Webmaster: The Webmaster position shall be responsible for the design and management of all aspects of the Association's web site, distribution of information to the Association membership, and for promoting the GSL in the community in the best interest of the League. This is a paid position.
Timekeeper Coordinator: The Timekeeper Coordinator shall be responsible for timekeeper process/procedure, training, and coordinating timekeeper duties. This is a paid position.
Communications & Marketing Director: This position’s primary role is to market our hockey league to our communities and define options, communication strategies and target local advertisement opportunities. This person would utilize local businesses, local newspapers and the league’s website for communication and advertisement options.
Registrar:The Registrar shall have the responsibility for recording and confirming the registrations of all members, players, and coaches in the league, including obtaining all required forms. The Registrar shall maintain an active Player Member list, and ensure that all the guidelines and requirements of Mass Hockey and USA Hockey are met by the Members and the Associations. In addition, the Registrar shall act as the Board representative and liaison with all organization registrars to ensure that all procedures, policies, rules, reports and requirements are met throughout the hockey season.
B. The stipend for paid positions shall be set by the Board of Directors on an annual basis at the first meeting of the season based on the budget. Any person in a paid position may also serve in a non-paid position.
ARTICLE 8. Protest Committee / Disciplinarian
The Protest Committee shall consist of the 1st Vice-President as Chairperson and two other members appointed by the President. The 1st Vice President shall serve as Protest Committee Chair and/or Disciplinarian. In the event the 1st Vice President is unable to serve as Protest Committee Chair and/or Disciplinarian, the President shall appoint another member to serve in those positions.
ARTICLE 9. Nominating Committee
The President shall appoint a nominating committee at the meeting held at the beginning of February consisting of not less than three persons, who shall accept nominations for election of officers for the coming year.
A written report of the nominating committee shall be submitted to the League President and/or Secretary at least 10 days prior to the Annual Meeting. Additional nominations for any office may be made from the floor at the Annual Meeting.
ARTICLE10. Other Committees
The President shall appoint such other committees, as he/she deems necessary to implement any League function or activity.
ARTICLE 11. Financial Authorization and Liability
A. The President and Treasurer shall be authorized to sign all checks on behalf of the League. All checks over $500.00 shall be signed by both the Treasurer and the President.
B. The Treasurer shall prepare and submit an annual operating budget to the Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting, or within thirty (30) days of a request by the Executive Board.
C. Any unbudgeted bills over $500 shall be approved by two (2) officers of the Executive Board; any bill up to $500 shall be approved by one (1) officer of the Executive Board.
D. The Treasurer’s books shall be audited during July of each year by a qualified committee appointed by the President and a report shall be given at the first meeting of the following
season.
E. The League or Board of Directors shall not be responsible or held liable for any injury or loss sustained by individuals participating in its program or by spectators.
Article 12. Payments
A. The payment and collection of ice rental payments shall be handled between member associations, with the exception for games played at the Olympia Ice Rink in West Springfield, MA. The Olympia Ice Rink will establish payments terms and conditions with each association and collect payment. Any association with an existing account at the Olympia will be sent invoices and can continue to make payment via the mail. Those associations without an account at the Olympia must present ice payment prior to the start of the game.
B. Ice rental payment must be sent via mail to the collecting association ("Direct Pay"), with the exception for games played at the Olympia Ice Rink as noted above. Ice rental payments shall be received by the collecting association within 14 days of the scheduled game unless alternate payment terms are mutually agreed to between member associations. In lieu of Direct Pay, the paying association can deliver ice rental payment on the day of the game.
C. A team shall only be responsible for the payment of one-half of the game ice used for a scheduled game.
D. Payment matters and disputes shall be handled between member associations. In the event a payment dispute cannot be resolved, after all avenues have been exhausted between member associations, the President of an association may notify the GSL Treasurer and request a hearing. A GSL Ice Committee shall be formed and consist of the GSL Treasurer and two other members appointed by the GSL President. All parties should be notified of the meeting date, time and location. Any party not able to attend the hearing may send a letter stating their case. Each association will be heard separately and a binding decision will be made by the GSL Ice Committee.
E. While a hearing is in process, the GSL Ice Committee may require an organization or team to make ice rental payments at the rink on game day. If payments are consistently late or the financial condition of an association or team is in question, the GSL Ice Committee may require a team or association only be able to deliver ice rental payments on the day of the game and may require other payment terms and conditions. An association / team may be dropped from membership for failure to meet its financial obligations, as defined in Article 3 of the GSL Constitution.
F. Unpaid ice rental fees that are incurred by a team in a regularly scheduled game because of forfeit or failure to show must be paid to the collecting association within 30 days of being notified from the GSL that a forfeit or no show has occurred.
G. Unpaid officials’ fees that are incurred by a team in a regularly scheduled game because of forfeit, non-payment or failure to show must be paid to the League Treasurer within 30 days upon receipt of bill.
Article 13. Amendments / Motions
A. Amendments to these Bylaws shall be made in writing to the League Secretary and submitted to the Board of Directors at least fourteen (14) days prior to the Board Meeting at which such amendments shall be approved or defeated by a two thirds Vote of the Board of Directors.
B. Any amendment to the By Laws previously defeated by the Board shall not be brought before the Board for reconsideration for a minimum of two (2) years, unless a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors authorizes reconsideration. Any motion previously defeated by the Board shall not be brought before the Board for reconsideration for one calendar year, unless a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors authorizes reconsideration.
