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HARTFORD INDUSTRIAL & INSURANCE SOCCER LEAGUE LLC

BY-LAWS 1980, REVISION 1/25/24

 

  1. Purpose of the League         

The prime purpose of the Hartford Industrial and Insurance Soccer League is to promote the playing of soccer among industrial and business soccer teams in the Hartford area.

The League will function as the focal point of organization for the member teams and will provide the scheduling of games.  Also, representatives of member teams of the League will form a League Board which will make all decisions relating to changing the by-laws or rules of play, and also will decide on grievances and assure that each member team is receiving a fair chance of winning League games.  A team member may suggest changes to the by-laws which will be reviewed by the HIISL Board, and voted on by all team members.

 

  1. Team and individual eligibility
  2. A team is eligible to be a member if all team members are in good standing with the league and the team is paid in full for prior participation in the league.  Individual and team eligibility is one of the most important and influential decisions made by the HIISL Board.
  3. Each member team will submit a complete team roster to the League registrar before each season begins.  Also each player must have a current Photo Driver’s License or passport, and have signed the HIISL insurance waiver prior to playing a single game.  A new player is allowed to be added to a team during the season, as long as it is prior to June 30th. 
  4. Individual player eligibility is open with few exceptions:  (a) He must not play for more than one League member team (see section 2.4), (b) He must not be under suspension and, (c) He must not be currently a player on a professional soccer team or league.
  5. If a company has more than one team, a player may be moved from one roster to another only once during the year as long as it occurs prior to June 30th of that season.
  6. The penalty for using an ineligible player shall be a forfeiture by a score of 3 to 0.  Additionally, the ineligible player is also not eligible for the next match.
  7. The use of an ineligible player can be protested by calling the attention of the referee, in the presence of both captains, the participation of the allegedly ineligible player(s).  It will be the responsibility of the captain of the challenged team to verify the player'’ eligibility and report his findings to the President, who will make the final determination.  The challenged team must provide positive identification (driver’s license and HIISL I. D. card) of the allegedly ineligible player to assure his proper identification.  The President will then verify the eligibility of the player using the league Registrar and prior game reports.  In addition, any team captain can ask the President to verify the eligibility of any player on a roster.
  8. Each player must play a minimum of five (5) games during the regular season in order to be eligible to play in a playoff match.  Team managers will be provided a player roster to have teammates be checked in by the referee.  The manager shall then send a picture of both teams’ rosters for the HIISL board to review and give game credit for each player.  A playoff roster will be provided to the manger by the HIISL board naming the players eligible to compete in a playoff match. 

 

  1. Home field concept
  2. Each League member must establish a “Home” field and provide the League with the following information: (a) location of field, (b) assurance that the field is available for each home match, (c) special restrictions on use of field, i.e.: use of alcoholic beverages, dates field is not available.  The League will assist those teams having difficulty securing a field for “Home” play.

 

  1. Divisional play
  2. Organization.

The League is comprised of a single division with the top eight (8) teams to qualify for post season play (playoffs).  In the event the league expands to more than twenty (20) teams the league will then be organized into an A and B division.  The intent will be to have the more competitive teams in the A Division and the newer, less seasoned teams in the B Division thus providing more even competition for all.  Teams would compete only against teams in their own division. 

 

 

  1. Game day.

All League matches are played on Wednesday evenings unless otherwise scheduled among all parties with the HIISL Board.  All parties are defines as both team managers, the HIISL Scheduler and the game officials.

 

  1. Final Standings.

The regular season will begin the third week of April (weather permitting) and through to the third week of August (approx.).  The season will encompass 14 weeks (approx.) of scheduled games followed by a single elimination playoff beginning the first week of August.  Monogrammed league t-shirts will be awarded to the team that finishes in first place at the end of the scheduled 14 weeks of the regular season. 

 

Trophies will be presented to the first place finishing team at the end of the championship playoff game.  The trophy will be held for one year and then passed to the next year’s first place finisher.  The HIISL President shall attach the winning team’s team name on the trophy at the conclusion of the match, and present it to the winning side on the field. 

 

  1. Promotion

In the event the League has expanded into two divisions the first-place team in Division B will have the option to become a member of the A division for the next years play.  This will mean that the last place team in Division A will move to Division B at the same time.

 

  1. League Organization

 

  1. The HIISL League Committee is composed of one team member representative, and is the governing body for the League.  Policy will be incorporated into the By-laws by majority vote, each member having one vote.  In the event of a tie (when the League is made up of an even number of teams) the President will carry the tie-breaking vote.   The League officers include the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Scheduler, and Registrar.  A roster containing names, addresses and telephone numbers of representatives and their alternate will be kept by the League President.
  2. Any three-team representatives can call a League meeting to assure that the President is interpreting the by-laws properly.
  3. In the event of a disagreement between teams, a grievance committee will be composed of one representative per team, with a minimum of four teams and two officers.  When this is not possible, the President will decide such grievances unless it is his decision that is in dispute.
  4. The HIISL President shall review each red card offense, and gather information to present to the HIISL board for discussion about discipline.

 

 

  1. President, Treasure, Registrar and Scheduler duties
  2. Duties of the President are:
  3. Assure the proper observance of the By-laws.
  4. Initiate/answer correspondence pertaining to and on behalf of the league.
  5. Coordinate team members and their efforts.
  6. Schedule committee meetings and call grievance committee meetings, produce minutes from these meetings.
  7. Publish rule changes, important information pertaining to the league and updates to the by-laws.
  8. Assume the functions of the Treasure in his absence.
  9. Award a trophy to the winner of the division playoff, and ensure team name plates are up to date with winners
  10. Be the official signature on record for the bank that holds the league fees.
  11. Chair the pre and post season meetings, as well as, grievance and disciplinary committees. 
  12. Sign the yearly insurance policy for league liability insurance.

 

  1. The office of Treasurer is to:
  2. Maintain the League checking account.
  3. Pay the referees upon receipt of a referee report.
  4. Produce yearly finical reports on the Leagues receipts and expenses.
  5. Assume the Presidents function in his absence
  6. Collect yearly league fees from the team manager prior to the season start.
  7. Communicate with insurance agent and pay league insurance.  Also, handle requests for insurance binders for teams as needed.
  8. Pay for league meetings, and all miscellaneous costs attributed to the league
  9. Pay the referee 3 times per season (end of May, end of July, end of playoffs) Review arbiter to confirm not only which referees did games but how many.  Also need to confirm with scheduler if any games were not completed or not started once the referees show up
  10. Pay assignor three times
  11. Pay for field rentals

 

  1. Office of the Registrar is to:
  2. Send returning teams their previous season roster, prior to the beginning of the new season, for both cleaning up and adding new players alphabetically.
  3. Make sure roster received back prior to the season to help with conformation of player eligibility for playoffs
  4. New players are added to the bottom of the roster after the season begins
  5. New players are added after the receipt of a signed waiver, photo I.D and updated roster to be submitted by the team manager.
  6. Send updated rosters to person handling the player eligibility and CC team manager for conformation

 

  1. The scheduler duties is to:

a) Schedule games according to field availability prior to the beginning of the season, and upload the schedule to the league website.

b) Balance schedule for both Home and Away games

c) Handle rainouts and forfeits by communicating with the assignor/referees before 4pm on matchday.

d) Coordinate playoff schedule

e) Update standings every week as the season progresses via arbiter review

f) Handle new team inquiries

 

  1. Other League members may be appointed by the President to aid him.
  2. Terms of office will run one (1) calendar year.  Appoints are made by team member votes.

 

  1. Account

An account has been established with the Bank of America to provide a fund for payment of expenses mutually incurred by members of the League.  Payment methods include Cash, Check or by Venmo and Zelle.

 

  1. Valid League expenses are limited to payments for referees, first-place trophy and cash, bank maintenance charges and other league expenses including insurance and meetings.  The Committee must authorize any expense not outlined above.  The committee must authorize all trophy money each year.
  2. Three signatures, the President, the Treasurer and the Registrar are to be recorded with the bank for check validation.  This is required to insure that control of official withdrawal.  Anyone of the three signatures will validate a check.  Maintenance of the account is the responsibility of the Treasurer and President
  3. Accurate records of expenditures and deposits made are vital.  Records are subject to inspection by any League member, at any time.  When changes in office occur, records will be turned over to, and validated by, the new official.  An address must be kept on file with the bank for mailing of statements, etc.  The work address of the President/Treasurer will be used, and changed with each change of office.
  4. A seasonal fee will be set based on the number of games expected to be played, plus enough to cover anticipated additional costs, trophies, rained-out games, Referee costs and bank charges.
  5. Half of the team league fee is due before the first game, and the full balance needs to be paid by June 1st.   No team is allowed to compete in a season if the previous seasons fees and penalties are unpaid.

 

 

8.         Rules and regulations for play                                                                                                                                                                                         

 

  1. Playing time and standing.

The game will be played in two halves of 45 minutes each.  A 10-minute break will be observed, during which individuals may take refreshment by their own responsibility.  These time intervals can be changed by agreement among referee and both team captains.

 

No overtime will be played in any League game due to an even score.  A record of team standing in the League will be kept in the standard soccer fashion -  3 points for a win, 1 for tie, and 0 for lose.  A team with more wins will always stand higher than those teams with fewer wins.  However, should two or more teams have an equal number of wins, those teams will be placed according to the ratio of total goals scored to total goals given up, excluding forfeitures.                           The team with the highest ratio will have the highest standing. Tie breakers are decided first by points earned, then the number of wins, followed by the head-to-head matchup, and by goal differential.

 

  1. Substitution.

A policy of free substitution will be observed during any game.  The time of substitution is at each captain’s desecration, but he must adhere to the FIFA rules for bringing subs on the field with team possession: goal kick, throw in, and after a goal.  Opposing teams can sub on a non-possession stoppage in play only when the team with possession is making a sub.  The individual referee can modify substitution rules to insure adequate game control.  When a player from either team comes off the field due to injury then both teams are allowed to make a substitution. 

 

  1. Game time and forfeits.

A team must field at least seven (7) players in order to play.  The League Scheduler will show the date and location of each game to be played will publish a schedule to each member team.  Game time will be at 6:00p.m. but a 15 minute grace period will be allowed.  If at 6:15 (including game time), and if one team does not have 7 players they will forfeit the game by a score of 3 to 0.   A team may also forfeit a game if the field they have been assigned to play on does not have goal nets and/or corner flags.  Each team is required to have one goal net and 2 corner flags unless their home field comes with nets.

 

  1. Cancellations.

Cancellations due to weather will be made only at the field and by the referee. Cancellations prior to the day of the game can be made with the agreement of both captains.  Day of cancellations must be made by 4pm to the Scheduler of HIISL board.  The referee must be notified of this change.  If a game is cancelled it must be made up before the end of the regular season and prior to playoffs.  The teams must agree among themselves on a date and time, and arrange for a referee through the league referee assignor.  If the referee stops any game for any reason and does not restart it, a minimum of 60 minutes must have been played to be an official game.

 

  1. Refereeing.

Refereeing fees for each year are set at the beginning of the season.  If a referee fails to show, the game should not be played no matter what.  Without a referee present, our insurance is not in effect.  The decisions of the referee are final.

 

 

9.                     Serious personal offenses

Penalties and administration of serious offenses.

 

Red Cards

  1. If a player physically attacks a referee, than his team automatically forfeits that game by a score of 3-0 or the existing score, whichever is worse for his team.  Furthermore, the offending player is forever ineligible to play in the HIISL in support of the referees.

 

  1. Ejected player ineligibility

If a player is ejected (red-carded) from a game by the referee then he is ineligible to play in the next League game regardless of season.  Red cards are reviewed by the HIISL President.

 

  1. Yellow cards.

If a player gets four (4) yellow cards and for every two yellow cards that follow, the player is ineligible to play the next league game regardless of the season.

 

  1. Reporting a serious offenses.

In any case of player eviction, the referee will keep that players’ information and report back to the HIISL President.  The referee will then mail the pass along with game report to the Treasurer who in turn record the eviction, and mail the pass back to the team captain prior to the next game the player is eligible to play.  The HIISL President will notify both team managers of the next game with pictures and details.    

 

 

  1. Playoffs
    1. Playoffs must be completed by the last week of August.  For this reason regular season must finish before playoffs begin, this includes make up games.  Make up games are to completed before the playoff games begin. 

 

  1. Effective 2009 season, any player playing in a playoff game, must first have been included in five (5) game rosters and checked off by the referee during the pre playoff season.

 

 

10.3     Effective 2019 season, there will be No golden goal.  If overtime is needed to determine a winner the time on the clock must be completed even if a goal is scored by one team.  Overtime will consist of two 10-minutes halves with no break in between.  If there is no winning goal then penalty kicks will determine the winner with only the players that finished on the field at the end of overtime.

 

 

 

Conclusions

Needless to say we all are playing for the fun of it.  A sportsman like attitude should always be displayed.  It must also be recommended that many of the fields used for play have been secured through the cooperation of schools, town parks and company facilities.  So we may continue to use these facilities please respect their rules and insure these facilities are not abused.  Team Managers are responsible for upholding the intent of these by-laws, and discouraging their use to find “loophole” advantages.

 

Each team Captain must be recognized by wearing a captain’s armband, and ensure the game officials understand who that is. 

 

Amendment:  Due to the fact that the HIISL is a LLC and a tax except organization, the following guidelines must be followed to allow us to continue under the two statuses.

 

  1. The HIISL is organized exclusively for exempt purposed under section 501 (c) (7) of the Internal Revenue code, and the HIISL may not carry on activities not permitted to be carried on by an organization described in section 501 (c) (7).
  2. The HIISL is set up for members may play recreational soccer and not for financial gain for its members.
  3. 501 (c) (7)
  4. The HIISL must remain a social club under 501 (c) (7)
  5. Sole purpose of assets generated are to by HIISL are to continue running recreational soccer leagues.
  6. Upon dissolution of the HIISL, the assets remaining after the payment of liabilities shall be distributed to its members under 501 (c) (7) Internal Revenue code.
  7. Any amendments to the by-laws in reference to the organization and operating agreement be consistent with section 501 (c) (7).
  8. At no time may the HIISL merge with or convert into a for-profit entity.
  9. HIISL may not distribute any assets to members who cease to be organizations described in section 501 (c) (7) or governmental units or instrumentalities.
  10. In the event of one or more of the officers cease to be a part of the HIISL’s organization, a meeting of the remaining team representatives will replace the officer’s by popular vote.
  11. All HIISL members, officers must enforce all of their rights in the LLC and will pursue all legal and equitable remedies to protect their interests in the LLC.

 

 

By-laws revised February 2024

Christopher Vicente

President, HIISL