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Constitution of the Penn-Trafford Soccer Club

Ratified July 20, 2022

Preamble

This restated constitution is hereby ratified for the Penn Trafford Soccer Club, established 1981. The mission of the club is to establish soccer as the preeminent sport in the Penn Trafford community by providing high quality facilities and training experiences with affordable, impartial programming in an environment safe from abuse and discrimination for players of all ages.

Article 1: NAME

1.1
The name of this organization shall be the Penn-Trafford Soccer Club, LTD.

1.2
The organization may also be known as Penn Trafford Soccer Club, PTSC or simply as the “club”.

1.3
The headquarters of the club shall be located at the fields and facilities at 100 Kuch Lane, Claridge PA, 15623.

Article 2: PURPOSE

2.1
The club shall have the following purpose:

     2.1.1
     Provide a quality and fun soccer experience to the community of Penn-Trafford and the surrounding area.

     2.1.2
     The club provides an avenue for players of all ages and skill levels to learn and play the game of soccer in an organized and
     safe environment.

2.2
The club is a not for profit entity

2.3
Any financial gain made by the club shall be used to further promote the mission and purpose objectives and shall not be used for direct or indirect gain of its members or board, individually or collectively. The board may, using fiscal discretion, engage, hire or contract individuals with skills or training needed to assist in the functioning of the club, providing compensation at prevailing rates of payment. The details of all such arrangements shall be made available to members and any member of the board upon request.

      

Article 3: AFFILIATION

3.1
The Penn Trafford Soccer Club will be affiliated with the PA West State Soccer Association. In the unlikely event that PA West should disband/split or should an alternative governing body be created, PTSC shall affiliate with the organization that has stated objectives most closely aligned with the values expressed in our mission statement and articles 1 through 3.

3.2
In the event that the constitution or ratified policy or by-law does not specifically address a situation or serious concern, the club shall be subject to the published rules in declining order of authority of the following governing organizations to which it is affiliated:

     3.2.1
     The Club

     3.2.2
     Local or Regional Soccer governing body

     3.2.3
     
United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer (collectively, “US SOCCER”)

3.3
The club shall participate in PA WEST and its approved leagues and/or events. The board of directors shall determine on a case by case basis whether further associations or
leagues shall benefit its members according to the stated mission and purpose in the constitution. Prior approval does not constitute approval for a subsequent season. Approval is awarded based on a simple majority vote.

3.4
The club shall remain agnostic with respect to classic and academy teams. It shall be understood that classic and academy teams are those teams which strive to compete at the highest levels of competition in PA WEST (such as d1,d2,d3) or teams which have sought the highest level of competition in leagues including but not limited to the GLA, GLC, ECNL, E64, MLS NEXT, etc.

3.5
The club shall not provide player information nor shall it participate in recruitment initiatives for the benefit of any particular classic team or outside entity.

3.6
The club shall not engage in any sponsorship deals with classic or academy teams wherein said team shall describe the fields and facilities as “the home of X,” or any obvious derivatives. First and foremost the fields and facilities will always be used and be home to the club and its members.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, PTSC may rent its fields to other clubs to use, for an appropriate fee determined at the discretion of the director, so long as such outside use does not limit, impair or impede the ability of the club members to use the fields.

Article 4: MEMBERSHIP

Membership in PTSC shall be determined as follows:

4.1
Membership within PTSC is to be granted and controlled strictly by the Board of Directors of PTSC.  Membership of the family having a child play for a PTSC team is automatic.  Membership only occurs when the child is placed onto a PTSC team.  Signing up and payment of a registration fee does not confer membership status and the enrollee shall have no rights except to contest arbitrary denial of and/or placement onto a team.

4.2
Regardless of the number of children from a single family playing for the club, for the purposes of voting, the family has one (1) vote at the Annual General Meeting.

4.3
Regardless of the number of board members a family may comprise, the family has one (1) vote at the Annual General Meeting.

4.4
The Board may by special action at its discretion confer membership upon any person for the purposes of playing, coaching, Board membership or any other reason.  Such membership shall be approved by simple majority of the Board.  The application for membership shall be read and held over to the following meeting where it shall be voted upon. Special dispensation does not confer voting rights for an upcoming election or majority vote when granted within two months of said election or majority vote.

4.5
The Board can and has the absolute power to revoke or refuse membership upon notice, to any person(s) for any reason including conduct unbecoming to soccer or detrimental to PTSC or its members. The Board action requires a simple majority. Any board member may nominate an individual for a removal vote for conduct unbecoming to soccer or detrimental to PTSC, its mission or its members. The aggrieved individual (s) may request a hearing before the Board or its designated panel.

Membership in PTSC shall not unreasonably be denied by the Board.  The Board shall, by voice vote, unless a question is raised, certify membership of enrollees, prior to the player fee being paid to Pa West for each spring and fall season.

4.6
Those members who are coaches, Board members, or who have contact with any youth player or referee shall follow the requirements as mandated by PA West, PA state law and/or federal law, as applicable, regarding volunteers for positions.

     4.6.1
     Any member receiving discipline from PA WEST or US SOCCER while acting in a capacity representing the club, may face
     sanctions and/or removal in addition to fines/sanctions handed down from PA WEST or US SOCCER by the club. Any member
     of the board without a conflict of interest may nominate said member for supplemental discipline and will be enacted by a
     simple majority vote.

4.7 
Any person who has an Order known as “Protection from Abuse Order” that is either current or has expired and desires a position outlined in 4.6 above must declare the existence of said Order whereupon the Board shall determine the individual request.  This provision is included as PFA Orders are civil in scope and do not appear on criminal background checks unless the Order was violated and criminal contempt proceedings were filed.  Any person who lies or falsifies their application for a position in 4.6 shall be immediately removed from that position. Members holding positions or roles identified in 4.6 shall notify the board immediately of any arrests or convictions relating to abuse of any kind. Failure to notify the board of such events will result in immediate dismissal from coaching, board positions or any other position which has contact with youth players or referees.

4.8
No member shall serve the club in any capacity without providing current child abuse clearances and criminal history. This includes board positions. Should any past incidents of child abuse, violence, inappropriate sexual behavior or miscellaneous criminal behavior be revealed, regardless of time elapsed, the club may reject the member outright for any position within the club or board membership. 

4.9
PTSC shall respect the policies of its governing body with respect to recruitment and team placement for all age groups. In addition, PTSC will not actively recruit members outside of its normally recognized geographic area when players within said geographic area are provided with a team that they can play on. Recruitment violations by coaches or board members may subject the individual(s) to removal from their positions in accordance with 6.1.3.