Constitution

Constitution of the St. Paul Rugby Football Club

I Preamble

It will be the purpose of the club to promote the spirit, educational and community aspects of rugby and the camaraderie associated with the game on and off the field of play, as well as acting as the means whereby players can be educated in the arts of the game and the organization of rugby clubs.

II Club Name

The club will be named the St. Paul Rugby Football Club (RFC). The mascot shall be known as a Jazz Pig.

III Club Affiliation

(A) The St. Paul RFC (Club) will be a member of the United States Rugby Football Union (USARFU) and any subunions where appropriate.

(B)The Club will be a member of the Minnesota Rugby Football Union (MnRFU) and will be subject to its regulations.

IV Membership

A Club Member (Member) can be either an Active Member or an Inactive Member (aka Old-Boy).

Active Member

An Active Member will be a current registered member of USARFU (fka CIPP) with St. Paul RFC as their club affiliation and a) have played a minimum of two matches or b) been registered with the Club for a minimum of six continuous months. If the USARFU aspect of membership has not been fulfilled, for example due to injury, outstate work assignment, etc., an Active Member must have been previously registered with St. Paul RFC for at least a six month period. An Active Member must also meet all financial obligations determined by the Club. The responsibilities of an Active Member will include the following:

(A) Participatory – Active Members must help in the running of the Club. They will be asked to assist the Board in the daily operation of the Club. All Members will be encouraged to participate as much as possible to ensure the growth and vibrance of the Club.

(B) Financial – Active Members will be responsible for meeting all financial obligations that may be needed to run the Club. These may include dues, fees, etc.

Inactive Member

An Inactive Member will have previously met the Active Member qualifications as stated above and be current with Inactive Member Dues. Inactive Member Dues will be determined by the Board, unless written otherwise in the Bylaws, and may consist of an outright payment to the Club, donations to the Club, paying the Old-Boys price for the pig roast, hosting the pig roast or other social event, services rendered, coaching, etc. The responsibilities of an Inactive Member will include the following:

(A) Participatory – Inactive Members must attend matches and socials from time to time. Inactive Members are encouraged to participate as much as possible to ensure the growth and vibrance of the Club

(B) Legendary – Inactive Members will be responsible for assuring the continuation of the Club culture, and disseminating Club history.

V Board of Directors

These elected positions will be referred to as the Board of Directors (Board). The responsibilities of the Board will be to oversee the operations of the Club in a manner best suited to meet the ideals of the Members. The Board will be elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) by a plurality of the Members present. The length of a term will begin the day after the elections and continue until after the next AGM. In the event that any Board member is not fulfilling their duties or not acting in the best interest of the Club, they may be removed by a unanimous vote of all six other Board members. A meeting of the Members will be called as soon as possible to elect a replacement. If the President is unable, for any reason, to chair a Club meeting, the Board will decide on one Board member to serve that purpose. The members and duties of the Board are as follows:

President

The President is responsible for the chairing of all Club meetings and the coordination of the Board. The President, or a designee appointed by him, will represent the Club at Minnesota RFU meetings and any other functions where a Club representative needs to be present. The President is responsible for assuring the continuation of the unique culture that has been created by the Club over the years. The President shall set the stage at the first Board meeting after the AGM for the general direction for the club competitively, socially and financially.

Technical Director

The responsibility of the Technical Director (TD) is to oversee the game playing (rugby) aspects of the club and to ensure that the play of the club is heading in the direction dictated by the Members and coach/es. To that end the TD shall attend practices and matches multiple times in the spring and fall seasons. The TD will serve as liaison to any outside organization pertaining to aspects of play.

(A) The TD will provide the Board of Directors with choices for coach or coaches. The Board will be responsible for the selection of a coach or coaches. If a suitable candidate cannot be found two weeks prior to the first match of the spring or fall season, the board will develop a plan pertaining to the playing aspects of the club. The plan will remain in effect until a suitable candidate has been found, the board votes on an alternate plan or until the following AGM. The coach or coaches will sign a contract with the club stipulating the terms that each party has to follow. The player selection process will be negotiated with the coach and in place before the contract is signed.

(B) The TD will be the convener of selectors (not necessarily a selector). The selection process will be presented to the Board, by the TD, for approval. The selection process may be a condition of the coaching contract. If a selection committee is put in place, the convener is responsible for making sure the selectors make selections in a timely manner.

(C) The TD will oversee the match scheduling process. The TD may appoint other Members to help in this duty, unless otherwise written into Bylaws. The TD will work with the coach to establish a schedule that follows the coaching plan for the season.

(D) The TD will meet with the coach/es prior to the start of the spring season, the fall season and after the end of the fall season but before the AGM. The main purpose of these meetings, besides making sure there is an open line of communication with the Board, is to determine if: there is a needed change in strategy, the coaching staff will be changed, there are equipment requests, there are requests of the Club from the coach, there are requested of the coach from the Club, etc. The TD shall provide a meeting report to the Board.

(E) The TD is not prohibited in holding any of the above positions if so deemed by the Board of Directors.

Financial Officer

The responsibility of the Financial Officer (FO) is to oversee the financial affairs of the club.

(A) The FO will oversee the team treasurer.

(B) The FO will determine the amount of dues, if necessary.

(D) The FO will be the chairman of the Special Fund Committee

(E) The FO will inform the Club of the status of all team finances at all Club meetings

(F) The FO will submit an annual budget proposal to the Board for approval at the first Board meeting after the AGM.

Unless otherwise written into Bylaws, the FO may appoint Members to fill the position of treasurer(s), fund raiser(s) or other positions of a financial nature with the exception of the Special Fund.

Communications Officer

The Communications Officer (CO) will be responsible for all aspects of communication needs of the club.

(A) The CO will oversee the maintenance of the club web site.

(B) The CO will oversee the handling of media coordination, including social media and other publications such as a newsletter.

(C) The CO will oversee the maintenance of current club contact lists which will include email and may also include phone and mailing lists.

Unless otherwise written into Bylaws, the CO may appoint other Members of the club to help in all the above duties.

Recruiting Coordinator

The Recruiting Coordinator (RC) will be responsible for recruiting new members to the club, playing and on-playing. The RC will be prepared to discuss a high-level recruiting strategy at the first Board meeting after the AGM, and then present a more detailed recruiting plan within the following 4 weeks. At the discretion of the RC, the strategy and plan may be presented to the Board together at the first Board meeting after the AGM. Unless otherwise written into Bylaws, the RC may appoint other Members of the club to help in all these duties.

Logistics Director

The responsibility of the Logistics Director (LD) is to oversee the procurement, distribution, maintenance and replacement of materials, equipment and fields used by the club. The main responsibilities will be field preparation and team kit.

(A) The LD will make sure that all pitches are prepared for match play one hour prior to game time.

(B) The LD will make sure that the team kit is present at all matches.

(D) The LD will oversee the scheduling of the fields for practice and match play.

(E) The LD will make sure that maps and any other logistical concerns are organized for all away matches. The information needed will be available the week before the match.

(F) The LD will present a logistics plan to the Board at the first meeting after the AGM which shall include at a minimum the strategy for practice and home match locations, indoor practice strategy, lighted outdoor practice strategy and equipment strategy which would include an inventory of existing equipment.

Unless otherwise written into Bylaws, the LD may and will appoint other Members of the club to help in all the above duties.

Social Chairman

The Social Chairman (SC) will handle all social responsibilities for the club. These will include the after match social, maintaining an Old-Boy relationship, the annual formal and any other social events that will benefit the club. The SC will present a high-level social strategy to the Board at the first meeting after the AGM, and then within the following 4 weeks present a more detailed social plan which shall include social venue relationship status and/or opportunities, initial plans for after-match socials and plans for maintenance of the relationships with Old-Boys. At the discretion of the RC, the strategy and plan may be presented to the Board together at the first Board meeting after the AGM. Unless otherwise written into Bylaws, the SC will appoint other Members of the club to help in these duties.

VI Meetings

Annual General Meeting (AGM)

There will be a meeting of the Members of the Club held annually prior to the MnRFU AGM each year. The purpose of the AGM is to elect the Board, elect one member of the Special Fund committee, vote on any Special Fund committee recommendations, vote on amendments to the Constitution and discuss the direction the club wants to pursue in the upcoming year. The President will set the agenda for the AGM. The elections will follow the order the Board of Directors are listed in Section V. Each Member will have one vote and must be present to vote. One month notification of the meeting with the published proposed agenda will be given. The Board of Directors will decide the date of the AGM.

Board Meetings

Board meetings must be held at least quarterly. Other meetings can be called at the discretion of the President. The President is responsible for the agenda. The President can call for a vote on any issues the Board needs to consider. If the President will not bring an issue to a Board vote, the Board may call for a vote with four assenting Board member votes. All Board members have one vote with the exception of the president. The President will only vote in case of a stalemate. A two week notice will be given for all Board meetings. Club Members must be invited to attend at least two Board Meetings. Club Members will only have a vote on SF approvals.

VII Special Fund

The Special Fund (SF) is a fund set up to handle financial matters not dealing with the day to day expenses of the club. The SF will be run by a committee of five club Members. The FO will be a member and the Chairman of the committee. The other four members are elected by the Club to four year terms. One of these four’s post is up every year on a rotating basis. The SF committee will meet at least semiannually, unless the investment allocation for the SF is changed, at which time the committee will meet quarterly for the first year after the change. The committee will also meet quarterly if any portion of the SF is invested in anything other than a mutual fund, bank savings account, CD, treasury or money market. The committee is responsible for the investment allocation of the fund’s assets. The committee will also consider and recommend uses of the fund. For the recommendation to be presented to the Members it must be approved by four or more affirmative votes by the SF committee. Once a usage has been recommended, it will be presented to the Members at the next AGM, Board Meeting or the Board can call a special Club Meeting. Approval will require a two thirds vote of the Members present at the meeting.

Each special fund initiative that is presented to the committee must be in writing.
Each initiative approved by the committee must be signed by each member of the committee indicating the way their vote was cast on the issue before the recommended initiative can be presented to the Members or Board for vote.
Each special fund initiative that has been approved by the process stated above is only valid until the next club Annual General Meeting. After the AGM any initiative that has been approved by the special fund process previous to that AGM, that have not been executed, are void and must go through the process again in order to be valid.
In the event that a person holds more than one voting post on the special fund committee, that person may cast only one vote per issue presented to the committee.
In the event that a SF committee member cannot fulfill his four year term, a replacement for said member will be elected at the next AGM to fulfill the remainder of the term.

VIII Team Captains

The Board will determine the process for selecting captains, unless otherwise written into Bylaws. A first and second side captain will be selected. If the captain/s are unavailable for a match, the coach will appoint a captain for that match.

IX Disciplinary Action

In the event that some Member exhibits behavior contrary to the best interests and philosophy of the Club, the President will convene a disciplinary committee, consisting of the Board, in order to determine what action should be taken against the member in question. The club will respond to disciplinary action as required or requested by any union in which the Club is a member.

X Amendments

Amendments to the constitution will require a two thirds vote by membership present at the AGM. Any proposed amendments must be presented to the Board, in writing, prior to the AGM notice. These proposed changes will be included in the notification sent to the membership.

XI Bylaws

The Board may create a system for the Establishment of Bylaws. If any Bylaws are created, the Bylaws cannot conflict with the Constitution, and in any case of conflict between the two the Constitution shall supersede the Bylaw. The system for the Establishment of Bylaws can be amended by a majority vote of the Board.

Revised 29 January 2015 by resolution of Club at 29 January AGM –Jeff Zweber