BYLAW NO. 1 - LEAGUE EXECUTIVE
1.1 The Saskatoon Touch Football League shall be governed by the League Executive. The League Executive shall consist of a President, Treasurer and at least five (5) additional Executive Members. Members of the executive may occupy more than one position on the executive subject to any restrictions as spelled out below. No person who is not a member of the league subject to Bylaw No. 2 shall be eligible to hold an executive position, vote, or attend meetings except by invitation by the League Executive.
1.2 President - The President shall be the chief executive officer of the league. He/She shall supervise the affairs of the executive. It is the duty of the President to call meetings and prepare agendas for consideration by the League Executive. In the case of tie votes on the executive, or any committee established by the executive, the President shall cast the last and deciding vote. The President is also the official league spokesperson for the league in the case of any media coverage of league-sponsored events. The President shall have signing authority (with the Treasurer) on all instruments used to withdraw funds from league accounts. The President may not occupy the position of Treasurer during his/her term as President.
1.3 Treasurer - The league Treasurer shall oversee all financial transactions of the league. The Treasurer shall report to the League Executive at each executive meeting, the financial status of the league. The following duties must be carried out by this position:
a. arrange for the collection of all fees, assessments or other revenue;
b. pay all debts and accounts and present statements for approval and ratification at each General Meeting and Executive Meeting;
c. prepare for each General Meeting, a Balance Sheet and a Statement of Revenue and Expenditure for the preceding year;
d. prepare and maintain a General Ledger to be presented at each Executive Meeting.
1.4 Role of the League Executive – The Executive is responsible to lead, manage and administer the League, including but not limited to:
a. to establish the League’s vision, values and strategic priorities;
b. to develop, implement and ensure compliance with League bylaws and policies;
c. to secure and manage fields, referees and equipment required by the League;
d. to maintain League records and statistics;
e. to ensure the financial health of the League by ensuring there are adequate resources to carry out its work and by monitoring the budget and expenditures;
f. to maintain ties to the membership and to ensure that the needs of the members are taken into consideration and that key decisions of the Executive are communicated effectively to the membership.
BYLAW NO. 2 - MEMBERSHIP AT LARGE
2.1 Any person having an interest in touch football may be qualified for membership subject to approval of the League Executive. All registered players and referees are automatically members of Saskatoon Touch Football.
BYLAW NO. 3 - GENERAL MEETINGS
3.1 Spring General Meeting. The financial year of the league shall end the last day of December of each year. The President shall call a meeting of the League Executive and the membership at large hereafter referred to as the Spring General Meeting. The Spring General Meeting shall occur on or before the last day of April with the approval of the League Executive.
3.1.1 The agenda of the Spring General Meeting shall include, but is not restricted to:
a. introduction of League Executive for upcoming year;
b. presentation of reports of the Executive and of any committees established by the Executive;
c. any matters to be considered by the membership-at-large in regards to any and all acts carried out by the League Executive for approval and ratification;
d. the format for the upcoming season, including the following:
i). league fees;
ii). league starting date;
iii). due date for league fees;
iv). due date for registration.
3.2 Annual General Meeting. The President shall call a meeting of the Executive and the Membership-at-Large hereafter referred to as the Annual General Meeting. The meeting shall be called at the completion of any season but before the end of November.
3.2.1 The agenda of the Annual General Meeting shall include but is not restricted to:
a. discussion of the past season including concerns, issues and successes that arose.
3.3 Executive Meetings. The President shall call meetings of the Executive at intervals necessary to ensure the smooth operation of all league activities.
3.3.1 Any executive member may call a meeting of the executive with prior approval from the league President.
BYLAW NO. 4 - QUORUM
4.1 No less than fifty percent (50%) of the members of the Executive must be physically present to constitute a quorum.
BYLAW NO. 5 - VOTING
5.1 Each member of the Executive shall have no more than one vote.
5.2 Each member-at-large shall have no more than one vote.
5.3 No team shall have more than one vote for representation purposes.
5.4 Voting shall be by show of hands provided. However, any person may call for a secret ballot at any time, in which case the President shall nominate two (2) scrutineers from among the members present to preside over the proceedings.
5.5 The right to vote is not transferable and a vote by proxy is not permitted.
BYLAW NO. 6 - STANDING COMMITTEES
6.1 Discipline Committee - The Discipline Committee shall have exclusive jurisdiction over all disputes and contentions involving the League versus an individual or a team for any league sanctioned event. All discipline matters must be brought to the Discipline Committee for review and execution of action when required. The Discipline Committee shall take disciplinary action against any team or individual as it sees appropriate and shall treat all players and teams in a fair and equal manner. All disciplinary action taken by the discipline committee must be recorded and retained for future reference in dealing with cases of similar circumstances. The decisions of the Discipline Committee are final and binding and have the full weight of the league.
6.1.1 The Discipline Committee shall be comprised of no less than (3) three members. The Discipline Committee must have at least one person of the opposite gender and must have one referee as part of its membership. The remaining membership of the discipline Committee shall be comprised of no more than (2) two members-at-large. The discipline Committee will report directly to the executive member that is the Referee in Chief.
6.1.2 The Discipline Committee shall appoint a chairperson from among its members. The chairperson must report to the League Executive on all matters dealt with by the Discipline Committee.
6.1.3 The chairperson shall convene a meeting of the Discipline Committee within a reasonable delay from his/her notification of an incident.
6.1.4 The Discipline Committee shall ensure, whenever possible, that each side of any dispute have an equal opportunity to present their case.
6.1.5 No less than three members of the Discipline Committee must be physically present to constitute a quorum.
6.1.6 If a dispute involves a member of the executive, or if the member is involved through team affiliation, that member shall not be involved with a quorum.
6.2 Ad Hoc Committees - The League Executive is empowered to appoint any number of Ad Hoc Committees with powers and responsibilities necessary to ensure the smooth operation of the League.
BYLAW NO. 7 - TERMS OF COMMITTEES
7.1 The terms of all committees shall be the set and determined by the League Executive in office.
BYLAW NO. 8 - RIGHTS OF A MEMBER
Every member of the Saskatoon Touch Football League has the following rights as stated below:
8.1 to call on the League Executive for assistance up to the limit of the Executive's jurisdiction.
8.2 to call on the Discipline Committee for assistance up to the limit of the Discipline Committee's jurisdiction.
8.3 every team has the right to name one member from the said team as representatives who will have the right to vote in accordance with the bylaws contained herein.
BYLAW NO. 9 - REGISTRATION
9.1 Each team must register with the league and list all players, managers, and coaches on a registration form prior to the registration deadline as determined by the League Executive.
9.2 Each team must pay a registration fee by the registration deadline as determined by the League Executive.
9.3 Extensions to the registration deadline and/or the registration fee deadline may be granted to any team or teams through formal adoption by the League Executive only.
9.4 Teams may register additional new players according to the rules set forth by the League Executive.
9.5 All teams are required to maintain a performance bond, in the amount as indicated in Policy 7.01, by the registration deadline as determined by the League Executive.
BYLAW NO. 10 - PLAYING RULES AND REGULATIONS
10.1 The playing rules for all teams registered with the Saskatoon Touch Football League shall be those rules as contained in the most current rulebook for touch football as produced by the Canadian Amateur Football Association (C.A.F.A.); including any deletions or modifications as approved by the League Executive.
10.2 Fields - All divisions shall play on a regulation size football field when available and possible.
10.3 Ball - An acceptable ball for playing touch football shall be that as indicated in the most recent Canadian Touch Football Rule Book.
10.4 Length of Games shall be determined by the most current Canadian Touch Football Rule Book. The only exception being where the official schedule specifies otherwise.
10.5 Scoresheets/reports - A record of each and every league game must be kept. The record of each game shall include the names of the teams playing, the date, time and place, the score at the half, the final score, any major fouls, game ejections or any other incident which may require further action by the League. Preferably, the record of each game shall be made on a league-approved scoresheet. The head referee shall note the name(s) of the team(s) who do not supply an official or who default any game.
10.6 Minimum Number of Players - Each team shall field a team in accordance with the rules contained in the most current Touch Football Rule Book. During any game, the head referee is the only person who has authority to deem a game as defaulted.
BYLAW NO. 11 - SCHEDULE AND TEAM STANDINGS
11.1 All teams must adhere to the league schedule as approved by the League Executive.
11.2 Any team that wishes to reschedule a league regular season game may do so by following the procedures described in Policy 5.00. Any team that wishes to reschedule a playoff game may do so by following the procedures described in Policy 6.00.
11.3 Team Standings - Team standings shall be determined by their winning percentage in their division of play.
11.4 Tie Breaking Procedure
11.4.1 Two teams
a. victories between the two teams;
b. if the tie condition remains after the application of 11.4.1 a, the larger difference between points for and against between the teams shall determine final standings;
c. if the tie condition remains after 11.4.1 b, the larger difference between points for and against during season games in that division shall determine final standings;
d. if the tie condition remains after 11.4.1 c, a winner shall be determined by a coin toss. The President of the League will witness the coin toss and the outcome shall be deemed as final.
11.4.2 Three or more teams
a. the larger difference between points for and against between the teams shall determine final standings;
b. if the tie condition remains after 11.4.2 a, the larger difference between points for and against during season games in that division shall determine final standings;
c. if the tie condition remains after 11.4.2 b, a winner shall be determined by a coin toss. The President of the League will witness the coin toss and the outcome shall be deemed as final.
BYLAW NO. 12 - PROVINCIALS
12.1 Only leagues affiliated with Football Saskatchewan will be permitted to participate in the provincial championships.
12.2 Only teams registered with Football Saskatchewan will be accepted to play in the provincial championships; no all-star teams will be allowed to participate.
BYLAW NO. 13 - ELIGIBILITY
13.1 Teams
13.1.1 An eligible team is one that has registered with Saskatoon Touch Football;
13.1.2 A team's eligibility may be removed at any time as a result of disciplinary action taken against said team by the Executive.
13.2 Players
13.2.1 A player is eligible to play on a registered team after having signed a registration form supplied by the league or electronically through the league website, prior to the registration deadline as established by the League Executive. Any team playing with an unregistered player or a player registered on another STFL team shall be fined in accordance to Policy 7.02 (v);
13.2.2. once any player has signed a written or electronic registration form with one team, he/she is bound to that team for the entire duration of the Touch Football Season ending December 31st of that season;
13.2.2.a. There will be a one game grace period per player. This will be in effect for new players to the STFL only;
13.2.3 each December 31, each registered player is released from any bond they have with the team they have registered with and effectively become "free agents" and may register the following year with any team of their choosing;
13.2.4 notwithstanding 13.2.3 above, for the purpose of collecting fines imposed on a team as the result of disciplinary action, each member of a team which has been fined by the league is responsible for payment of that fine and may not register with any other team until all league fines are paid in full;
13.2.5 if any registered team folds for any reason in that season, all players registered with that team become "free agents" and may sign with another registered team for the remainder of that season provided that the League Executive is notified;
13.2.6 if the League Executive removes a team from eligibility due to disciplinary action, all players registered with that team may not exercise "free agent" privileges until December 31st of that year.
13.2.7 a player may not sign or play with more than (1) one registered team; violation of this regulation will mean immediate suspension from the league for a period to be determined by the Discipline Committee; the only exception to this is bylaw 13.2.2.a;
13.2.8 any team determined to have forged any individual player's signature(s) for the purpose of registration shall be disciplined by the League Executive as they see fit;
13.2.9 a player who signs with a registered team during the current season will be required to play a minimum of (6) six games with that specific team in order to be eligible for the city and provincial playoffs. If a major injury is sustained during the season to a player, special consideration may be given to waive the minimum amount of games played for eligibility provided that a medical letter is submitted to the League executive within (14) fourteen days of injury and describes the period of time the player is unable to participate. No other conditions will allow for a player who has not played the minimum amount of games to be eligible for playoffs;
13.2.10 all players must be at least 16 years of age. If the player is under 18 years of age, they must have the STFL Parental Consent Form completed, signed by their parent or guardian and handed to the Head Referee prior to stepping on the field to participate in a League game.
BYLAW NO. 14 - PROTEST
14.1 A protest may be lodged when a registered team or player feels they have been harmed during any league sanctioned match play. This harm must have been caused by an infraction of the rules and/or by the improper application of the rules of touch football and/or an irregularity in the organization of a competition.
14.2 the team or player lodging a protest must forward a written copy of the protest to the League Executive within 48 hours of the incident.
14.3 the referee in charge of the match must record any and all protests on the official score sheet to be submitted to the League Executive within 48 hours of incident.
14.4 the League and/or Discipline Committee are responsible for hearing the protest and rendering a decision within fourteen (14) days of the incident. The decision must be forwarded verbally to the team/player(s) involved within twenty-four (24) hours and the decision must be recorded by the League Executive for future reference in dealing with similar incidents.
BYLAW NO. 15 - APPEAL
15.1 Any player, referee or team may appeal any League sanction or decision by writing to the Discipline Committee within seven (7) days of the decision or sanction, to request a hearing. The Discipline Committee is obliged to review the facts in order to determine if an appeal hearing is warranted. Should a hearing be convened, the Discipline Committee will act in accordance with its normal procedure.
BYLAW NO. 16 - CONDUCT
16.1 A certain code of conduct has been clearly established by the Canadian Amateur Football Association in the Canadian Touch Football Rule Book. These rules are hereby adopted as part of the code of player and team conduct for the Saskatoon Touch Football League.
16.2 any player or team personnel ejected must immediately leave the field of play and shall not further criticize the decision of the head referee.
16.3 if a player or team personnel is ejected for physically abusing any individual, player or referee, the incident shall be referred immediately to the Discipline Committee. The offending party or individual is suspended from further play until a hearing is convened by the Discipline Committee.
16.4 the head referee has the right to send any player off the playing field for a five (5) play "cooling off" period after an objectionable conduct penalty has been called.
BYLAW NO. 17 - LEAGUE FINES
17.1 Double Default - In the event of a Double Default, where both teams scheduled to play each other have an insufficient number of players to legally play the game, a fine in the amount as indicated in Policy 7.02 (ii) shall be levied against each team and will be assessed on both teams performance bond.
17.2 Single Default - In the event of a Single Default, where one team scheduled to play does not have a sufficient number of players to legally play the game, a fine in the amount as indicated in Policy 7.02 (i) shall be levied against the defaulting team and will be assessed on the defaulting team’s performance bond.
17.3 Subsequent Defaults - In the event that a team commits two (2) or more defaults in the same season, the defaulting team shall be fined in accordance to Policy 7.02 for each and every default over and above a first Default. If a team defaults two or more games, the defaulting team will not be eligible for playoffs.
BYLAW NO. 18 - APPLICATION OF FINES
18.1 If accumulated fines for any one team total an amount which is greater than that team's performance bond (held in trust by the league), the amount over and above the performance bond shall be paid to the league one week prior to the start of the City Playoffs; otherwise the fines imposed shall be collected on top of the registration fee in the following year in order to bring the penalized team's performance bond back to full.
18.2 Payment of League Fines over and above performance bond. Two situations may occur,
a. Teams eligible for playoffs: any league fine over and above the performance bond must be paid prior to the start of City Playoffs. Failure to do so will result in the penalized team forfeiting their playoff spot to the team with the next best standing. The matter shall also be referred to the Discipline Committee for further action if circumstances warrant.
b. Teams not eligible for playoffs: any team that has been fined a total amount over and above the performance bond and is not eligible for the City Playoffs, must pay the performance bond plus any amount over the performance bond in the following year. No player who was a member of a team that was fined may play in the league until all debts are paid in full to the league.
BYLAW NO. 19 - LEAGUE RIGHTS
19.1 The Saskatoon Touch Football League or any Committee of the League reserves the right to impose discipline to any registered team, player, coach, manager, trainer or team personnel as it deems appropriate for actions that occur at any League sanctioned event. Discipline may include but is not limited to any or all of the following:
a. suspension from any or all league games, playoff games, and functions;
b. expulsion as a "member-at-large" from the League;
c. impose a fine;
d. impose a performance bond;
e. dock points from any team's standings;
f. to notify the Saskatchewan Amateur Football Association and/or the Canadian Amateur Football Association with the aim of obtaining a Provincial and/or Nation-wide ban of any registered team or player.