South Park Basketball Association (SPBA)
By-Laws
Elected Board Member Duties and Responsibilities
The Total Board Membership shall consist of the following seven board voting positions. All positions are two-year terms effective April 1st of either an odd year or even year as indicated below. All elections are to be held at the regularly scheduled March Association meeting, unless otherwise indicated below:
Board Members:
President – elected in odd years
Vice-President – elected in even years
Secretary –elected in odd years
Treasurer –elected in even years
Scheduler – elected in even years
Commissioner– elected in odd years
Tournament Director – elected in even years
*Elections to be held during the April meeting to permit newly elected positions to work with current position holders prior to the following basketball season. Voting rights and responsibilities are effective April 1.
Duties and Responsibilities of Board Members
The President shall:
• Organize, arrange for meeting places, and preside at all Association meetings.
• Represent the Association in all activities requiring the official presence of the Association (or may appoint a representative for such activities). Such activities would include Metro meetings, meetings with township or school district officials, and meetings with other organizations.
• Co-sign checks for the Association.
• Temporarily appoint any vacancy occurring on the Board during the year, as stated in the Constitution.
• Call Board meetings when needed.
• Coordinate (with help from the Vice-President) the activities of all Board Members in carrying out the Association’s activities. Generally, unless otherwise agreed upon by both the President and Vice President, the President will coordinate the activities of the Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Scheduler, Commissioner and Tournament Director
• Prepare a yearly budget.
The Vice-President shall:
• Assume the President’s duties whenever the President is unable to do so.
• Cosign checks for the Association when either the Treasurer or President is unable to do so.
• Assist the President in coordinating the activities of all Board Members in carrying out the Association’s activities. Generally, unless otherwise agreed upon by both the President and Vice-President, the Vice-President will help the President by coordinating the activities of the Association.
• Prepare a yearly budget.
The Secretary shall:
• Keep accurate records of the minutes of the Association’s meetings.
• Attend to all correspondence of the Association and keep accurate records of such.
• Keep and maintain all of the official documents of the Association including but not limited to the official copies of the Constitution, By-Laws, and Rules and Regulations for all grade levels and various leagues of competition.
The Treasurer shall:
• Process vouchers, collect debts and fees owed the Association, maintain bookkeeping records and cosign checks for the Association.
• Maintain the necessary bank accounts as authorized by the membership.
• Prepare and submit financial reports to the membership at each regular meeting.
• Prepare an overall Association budget based on input from all Board Members.
• Submit all financial records of the Association for independent review upon completion of each seasonal year.
The Scheduler shall:
• Coordinate and schedule practice times in a fair manner to all teams based on availability given by the school district.
• Act as the primary contact with the various leagues of competition when schedule conflicts exist and work to proactively to resolve those issues.
The Commissioner shall:
• Organize and coordinate all teams ensuring adherence to the league rules and regulations.
• Act as the primary contact with the various leagues of competition regarding any issues arising from the association.
The Tournament Director shall:
• Organize and coordinate all teams during MIT ensuring adherence to the league rules and regulations.
• Serve as the liaison between Metro USA Sports and SPBA.
• Design/secure brackets and update brackets during MIT.
• Ensure that all coach/team duties are scheduled and covered during MIT.
Duties and Responsibilities of Non-Board Committees
The Hearing and Appeals Committee (HAC):
• Shall consist of the President, Vice-President, and the Commissioner.
• A Board Member may not be a member of the HAC if such Member is the subject of such hearing or action. In such instance, the President, Vice-President, Treasurer, or Secretary, in that order, shall appoint another Board Member to replace such Officer.
• Shall have the right and authority to suspend, expel, or otherwise discipline an individual (player, coach, parent, or team) for matters provided for in Association Rules and Regulations and the Association Constitution and By-Laws.
The Risk Management Committee:
• Shall consist of the Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Commissioner.
• This Committee will oversee the implementation and adherence to the Association’s risk management guidelines, as well as continue the development and improvement of the Association’s risk management program.
The Teams of the Association
1. The number of teams in each age group will be determined based on the number of players participating in that age group, the availability of coaches to adequately manage a team, and the level of talent for that age group. For Grades 3, 4, and 5, it is the sole discretion of the coach or coaches in that age group to determine the number of players per team. For Grades 6, 7, and 8, the number of players will be limited to 10 players. If 10 or more players try out for Grades 6, 7, and 8, and a coach wants to keep only 8 or 9 players, the coach may present his/her case to the board for approval.
2. “A” and “B” teams are permissible at a given grade level whereby an “A” team is defined as one, collectively and not individually, with a higher degree of talent than a “B” team. If it is decided to field “A” and “B” teams in a particular age group, the “A” team must play in a division higher than the “B” team.
3. If only one division exists at a certain grade level, then the talent must be spread evenly if more than one team exists (as determined by an evaluated tryout or series of tryouts). In this situation, there will be neither an “A” nor a “B” team.
Playing Time
Playing time for all players on the team will be as follows:
• For grades 3, 4, and 5, the coach is required to provide even playing time for all players on the team.
• For grades 6, 7, and 8, the coach may base playing time on how it is earned. The factors of talent, commitment, attendance, dedication, and attitude should all be considered.
Call Ups
A coach may have a player from the next lower grade play up for his/her team, given the following criteria are all met:
• For a season long call up (player targeted for majority of games), the coach did not cut any players to form his/her team.
• The team has less than 8 players available to play on game day.
• The coach will be missing a player for the upcoming game (illness, injury, schedule conflict).
• For each game where a call up is used, the coach communicates directly with the team coach of the lower grade and the parent(s) of the child being called up.
Post Season Tournaments
The Board will pay for post season tournament(s) for each team up to a maximum amount as determined annually by the board. All monies must be used by March 31st or monies lost. The Metro season is considered over by this date.
The Players of the Association
1. Are eligible to be registered with the Association if they are a resident of South Park Township or neighboring communities, if the neighboring community has no organized travel basketball program.
2. Are eligible provided either of the parents/guardians resides in South Park Township.
The Members of the Association
1. Parents/guardians of players registered with South Park Basketball Association, provided either the parents/guardians or the player resides in South Park Township, are members of the Association.
2. The Board, though a majority vote of all Board members at a regularly scheduled Association meeting, may extend guest membership to individuals not meeting the criteria in Item 1. Such guest membership shall last until the Board votes in a similar manner to end the membership. A maximum of twelve guest memberships may exist simultaneously. Guest members will not have voting rights at the meeting that they are granted guest membership.
3. Members of the Association must not have been convicted of a criminal activity that the State of Pennsylvania (or any other state within the Commonwealth) considers injurious or harmful to working with children.
4. There will be no limit to the number of members of the Association.
5. The members are not personally liable for the debts, liabilities, or obligations of the Association.
6. Members of the Association may coach and vote.
7. A Member may register to vote at any regular scheduled meeting.
8. Members of the Association who are also residents of South Park Township may also hold office. A member of the Association may vote or run for office if he or she has registered to vote at a previous meeting during the current seasonal year defined as April 1st through March 31st of the following year.
Meetings
1. Meetings of the Association shall be held on a regular monthly basis, with the exception of the months of January, July, and December. Meeting places, dates, and times shall be scheduled for the entire year prior to the start of the calendar year and advertised in material such as a newsletter that is accessible to all members. All meetings must be held within the boundaries of South Park Township.
2. The date, time, and place of the monthly meetings may only be changed if the scheduled meeting place is no longer adequate to hold the meeting or other conditions such as poor weather make it difficult to hold the meeting. Under such circumstances, signs indicating the new meeting time or place must be posted at the original site of the meeting indicating the alternative site, date, and time
3. The agenda for each meeting shall be determined by the Board and can include the following:
a. Call to Order
b. Secretary’s Report or reading of previous minutes
c. Treasurer’s Report
d. Reports of President, Commissioner and other committees
e. Unfinished Business
f. New Business
g. Adjournment
4. Matters not included on the Agenda may be brought to the floor during any meeting provided two-thirds of the members present agree to do so.
5. The Board may call special meetings.
Risk Management
• All Board members, coaches, and assistant coaches must supply the Association with the Volunteer Disclosure form before being permitted to work with players. Failure to submit this form shall disqualify the candidate.
• Individuals supplying forms without affirmative responses shall be cleared to work with players.
• Individuals supplying forms with affirmative responses shall be subject to review by the Risk Management Committee to determine status. All decisions of the Risk Management Committee may be appealed to the Board. The Risk Management Committee shall define and publish the guidelines for clearance of individuals with affirmative documents.
• All coaches and volunteers must have at least one adult with them at all time when working with players.
• The Association shall use the following safety standards for all games and practices:
• All goals shall be anchored at all times when in use. Coaches caught in violation of this process shall be subject to disciplinary action.
• The gym or court shall be checked for debris and uneven playing surface. Debris shall be cleared before use; playing surface issues shall be directed to the President and activity moved away from the dangerous area.
• The area surrounding the gym or court shall also be checked for potential hazards.
• The Association shall develop and implement a financial policy to insure safe handling and recording of all club monies and assets.
Hearings and Appeals
• The Association recognizes the rights of its members to have a fair hearing regarding any matter of discipline.
• The Hearing and Appeals Committee (HAC) shall afford the accused the timely notification as to the date, time, location and reason for the hearing. The notice shall also include any witnesses who shall testify against the accused. The notice shall be sent by certified mail and postmarked no less than 14 days prior to the scheduled date. The accused shall have the right to present evidence in defense, use the help of counsel, and confront their accuser(s). The decision of the HAC shall be mailed (by certified mail) within 10 days of the hearing date. The decision should include all evidence considered and the reasoning for the decision.
• Appeal of disciplinary hearings shall be held using the following procedures:
• Appeals of disciplinary matters shall be made in writing by certified mail the Association Board within 10 days upon receipt of the HAC findings.
• The Board must schedule the appeal hearing within 30 days of receipt of the appeal.
• The appeal hearing must afford all parties involved the same privileges as outlined in the disciplinary hearings section of this item. The appeal hearing will not be held to reexamine the evidence, but to insure that the hearing examined all evidence presented and was conducted according to procedure set forth in the above paragraph.
• The findings of the appeal hearing shall be mailed by certified mail within 10 days of the hearing date.
• The decision should include all evidence considered and the reasoning for the decision.
• All decisions of the Board will be final.
• Appeals of non-disciplinary decisions will be heard using the following procedures:
• A hearing shall be heard by a panel of composed of at least 3 members of the Board.
• The appeal must be made in writing by certified mail to the Board.
• The letter should include the reason for the appeal and any evidence believed to be relevant to the issue at hand.
• A hearing shall be scheduled within 30 days of receipt of the appeal; issues that are subject to a deadline must be dealt with prior to that deadline.
• The appeal hearing must allow all parties to present evidence on their behalf and requires that both parties provide the other with a list of witnesses and evidence to be presented against them.
• The finding of the appeal hearing shall be mailed by certified mail within 10 days of the hearing date.
• The decision should include all evidence considered and the reasoning for the decision.
• All decisions of the Board will be final.
Amendments
The By-Laws may be amended or repealed, in whole or in part, by a two-thirds vote of the existing elected Board membership at any regularly scheduled meeting. Proposals for amendment or repeal of the constitution must be made in writing and be submitted to the Secretary to be advertised at a regularly scheduled meeting. The amendments will then be voted upon by the elected Board members at a subsequent regularly scheduled meeting. Association members present at that same meeting, having met the voting registration requirements, must then ratify the changes with a simple majority vote of those voting members present. The By-Laws should be reviewed at least once every 2 years.
Drafted: 15 January 2006
Revised: 11 June 2006
Revised: 15 July 2007 (Draft) – Inclusion of A and B Teams.
Revised: 21 November 2010 – Inclusion of guidelines for Call ups.
Revised: 28 August 2011 – Inclusion of number of players per team, Playing Time, and Post Season Tournaments
Revised: 01 October 2014 – Combined boys and girls Commissioner positions and added Tournament Director.