Constitution
Constitution and By-Laws
Revised February 19, 2022
Constitution
Preamble
The purpose of this organization shall be to promote and to carry on the playing and the traditions of the amateur game of Cricket both adult and youth Cricket.
Article 1. Name, Colours
This organization shall be known as the STATEN ISLAND CRICKET CLUB. The Club’s colours shall be yellow and light (Cambridge) blue stripes on a black background.
Article 2. Membership
NOTE: Wherever the word “he” appears in this document it is to be understood that it applies to both male and female members.
2.1. Playing membership of the Club is open to persons who are approved in accordance with the By-Laws Section 1 and who pay dues in accordance with the By-Laws Section 2(a). Playing members shall be eligible for selection for the Club’s Cricket teams, and shall have the privilege of attending meetings, participating in discussions, and voting in all matters. Modified Playing Membership shall be the same as Playing Membership except that such Members shall not have the right to vote or hold Club Office.
2.2. Associate Membership of the Club is open to persons who are approved in accordance with By-Laws Section 1 and who pay dues in accordance with By-Laws Section 2(b). They shall have the same privileges as Playing Members, but shall be ineligible for selection for the Club’s Cricket teams, except as provide for in By-Laws Section 5(b). Modified Associate Membership shall be the same as Associate Membership except that such Members shall not have the right to vote or hold Club Office.
2.3. Junior Membership of the Club is open to persons under 18 years of age who are approved in accordance with By-Laws Section 1 and who pay dues in accordance with By-Laws Section 2(b). They shall have the same privileges as Playing Members except that they shall not be allowed to vote.
2.4. Honorary Members shall be elected at a Club General Meeting and shall have the same privileges as Playing Members. They shall not be obliged to pay dues.
2.5. Any Member may be suspended from the Club until the next General Meeting of the Club by simple majority vote of the Executive Committee. Expulsion from the Club requires the approval of a General Meeting.
Article 3. Officers
The Officers the Club shall be President, First and Second Vice-Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer and Match Secretary.
Article 4. Meetings
4.1. The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held between seasons, no later than 15 March. The Executive Committee shall determine the need for other General Meetings and shall schedule such meetings. Notification of a General Meeting and the agenda for the meeting together with minutes of the last General Meeting shall be circulated to all members by the Secretary at least two weeks prior to the meeting. At least fifteen voting members or one third of the voting members, whichever is less, must be present for a General Meeting quorum. Written proxies received by the secretary can nominate a member attending the meeting to exercise a vote on behalf of an absent Playing Member or on behalf of an absent Associate Member who has been a member for at least two years. Only Playing Members, Associate Members and Honorary Members, who are in good standing and present at the meeting shall be eligible to vote.
4.2. A General Meeting of the Club may be requested by one or more voting members by an application in writing to the Secretary. The calling of a General Meeting in response to such a request is subject to the approval of the Executive Committee, except that the Executive Committee must call a General Meeting if so requested by five or more voting members. A General Meeting held at the request of members, shall be held within six weeks of the receipt by the Secretary of the request. Such General Meetings shall be called and held in accordance with the procedures of Section 4.1 above.
4.3. The Executive Committee shall, in principle, meet during the four week period immediately prior to each Club General Meeting and the first week of each month from April through October, if requested to do so by any member of this committee.
Failing such request, the Secretary shall consult with the President and the Club Captain to determine the need for a meeting. The Secretary is responsible for notifying the other members of the Executive Committee if a meeting is to be held. A quorum shall be 2/3 of the Executive committee. A member holding dual membership of the Executive Committee shall count two towards the quorum, but shall also have two votes. No proxy voting is allowed for absent Executive Committee members.
Article 5. Amendments
5.1. Any amendment to the Constitution or By-Laws must be submitted to a General Meeting of the Club. The wording of any proposed change shall be distributed by the Secretary in writing to all members at least two weeks prior to the General Meeting at which it is to be discussed. At the General Meeting, the proposed amendment shall be read by the Secretary, and shall become part of this Constitution
By-Laws
Section 1. Applications for Membership
Applications must be proposed by Playing or Associate Members, and approved by the Executive Committee. Any subscriptions paid shall be refunded in full if the application is not approved. An applicant for Playing Membership may be approved for Modified Associate Membership, if the Executive Committee judges this necessary to avoid a conflict of interests. The Executive Committee may at any time, if it believes an existing Playing or Associate Member has conflicting interests, modify their category of membership to Modified Playing or Modified Associate, respectively. No more than 4 such Modified Memberships shall be created.
Section 2. Membership Fees and Subscriptions
a. The Executive Committee shall determine the annual subscription to be paid by Playing Members. Part, 50%, of the annual subscription shall be a membership fee. (For the 2012 season the Playing Member subscription was $150, of which the membership fee was $75).
b. The membership fee shall be paid by May 15th and reminder of the subscription by June 15th. All Playing Members shall pay the membership fee in full, but for those joining after July 1st, the balance of the subscription shall be pro-rata, to be paid within one month of applying to join the Club.
c. The Executive Committee shall determine a membership fee to be paid by May 15th by Associate and Junior Members. (For the 2012 season this membership fee was $50). For those joining after May 15th, this membership fee shall be paid within one month of applying to join the Club.
d. Any member failing to comply with the provisions of this Section of the By-Laws shall be ineligible for selection for the Club’s Cricket teams and shall be deprived of voting rights until he does so.
e. All payments of subscriptions to the Club shall be in cash or by check or money order. A receipt shall be given by the Treasurer for all cash payments.
f. The Executive Committee shall determine a match fee to be collected each match by the team Captain from each member playing in a Club team. The team Captain shall have discretion to waive payment of this fee, either due to financial hardship or if a game is incomplete.
Section 3. Duties of Officers
a. The President shall preside at all meetings when present. In the event of a voting tie, he shall cast a deciding vote. He shall be a co-signer of all checks. He shall rule on what are reimbursable expenses for members performing Club duties. He shall represent the Club at all league and other Club business meetings. In the event of prolonged absence he shall make full provision for delegating his responsibilities.
b. The Vice-Presidents, in order of their rank, shall exercise all of the powers of the President in his absence, for both league and other Club business meetings.
c. The First Vice-President shall be responsible for all matters pertaining to the ground, including renewal of the ground permit, and liaison with the ground staff. He shall also coordinate with the Club team Captains and the Treasurer, the purchase of equipment.
d. The Second Vice-President shall co-ordinate all matters dealing with entertainment and publicity.
e. The Secretary shall keep all records of the Club, attend to all correspondence, and keep the minutes of all meetings. He shall convene all General Meetings and meetings of the Executive Committee in accordance with Article 4 of the Constitution. He shall be responsible for circulating relevant Club information and notices of Club events and other activities to all members.
f. The Match Secretary shall be responsible for completing the fixture list and confirming it or amending it as necessary as the season progresses. He shall distribute to all other clubs the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the President, team Captains, Secretary, and Match Secretary. He shall receive like information from all other clubs. He shall advise the Club team Captain of the ground, the time and the best method of transportation. He shall confirm the matches for the next weekend with the opposing clubs by the Monday immediately prior to the match.
g. The Treasurer shall have charge of the finances of the Club and shall report their condition upon request of the President. He shall collect all monies, and deposit them in a bank in the name of the Club. He shall approve all purchases of playing equipment, after discussion with the Captains and with the agreement of the First Vice-President. For purchases other than playing equipment, the Treasurer shall seek approval of the President for amounts greater than $50, and of the Executive Committee for amounts greater than $100. The accounts of the Treasurer shall be submitted annually for audit to two members appointed by the President. The fiscal year shall end December 31st of each year. All payments and disbursements are to be made by cheque, signed by the Treasurer and co-signed by the President. The signatures of the President and Treasurer and one other Officer, appointed by the President to act in his absence, shall be registered with the bank for withdrawal of funds.
h. At the request of the Secretary, the Executive Committee may appoint an Assistant Secretary, who shall assist the Secretary with his duties, sit on the Executive Committee, and deputize for the Secretary in his absence.
i. The Treasurer shall establish and maintain a Reserve Fund of not less than five thousand dollars ($5,000.00). Expenditures of funds from the Reserve Fund shall require unanimous agreement of the Executive Committee or of all Executive Committee Members present at a meeting.
Section 4. Election of Officers and Captains
Officers for the ensuing season shall be elected by ballot at the Annual General Meeting of the Club. Only Playing Members, Associate Members and Honorary Members, who are in good standing and present at the meeting, shall be eligible to vote. In the election for each position, the candidate receiving the largest number of votes shall be elected to office. Officers shall serve for one year unless they are removed from office by a vote at a general meeting. Officers so removed shall be replaced for the balance of their term by election at the meeting at which they are removed from office. Offices vacated by other means, such as death or resignation, shall be filled on an acting basis until the next General Meeting by a majority vote of the Executive Committee. In addition to the Officers of the Club, a Club Captain, Club Vice-Captain, and up to 3 Friendly XI Captains, shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting. Their terms of Office and conditions of replacement shall be same as those of the Officers of the Club.
Section 5. Committees
a. Membership of the Executive Committee shall be President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Secretary, Assistant secretary (if any), Treasurer, Match Secretary, Club Captain, Club Vice-Captain, and Friendly XI Captains. No member shall hold more than two of the positions sitting on the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee is the Club administrative body and shall rule on all matters relating to broad policy and the day-to-day running of the Club.
b. Membership of the Selection Committee shall be the Club Captain, Club Vice-Captain, and one other Playing Member nominated by the Friendly Captains. This third member of the Selection Committee shall preferably be a regular player in both the League and Friendly XI’s, and can be replaced at any time at the discretion of the Friendly Captains. The Selection Committee shall select teams to play against foreign touring teams and shall advise the Team Captain regarding selection of other teams. The final decision regarding all matters of 1st XI selection (i.e. the League team) shall rest with the Club Captain. The Friendly XI Captain who is to lead the Friendly XI in a match shall generally be free to select his own team, except that he shall be obliged to accept any recommendation of the Selection Committee. The Club’s selection policy shall generally be that a Member in good standing shall have preference over a non-member or a member whose dues are overdue. In the event that less than 11 Playing Members are available for selection, an Associate Member may be invited to play with no effect on his status.
c. The Executive Committee may, at it’s discretion, appoint any sub-committees to deal with specific areas of the Club’s business. Any such sub-committee(s) dealing with matters concerning the ground shall be headed by the First Vice-President. Those dealing with entertainment or publicity shall be headed by the Second Vice-President. Those dealing with matters concerning the playing of games shall be headed by the Club Captain.
Section 6. Order of Business
The following shall be the order of business at all meetings unless transposed by motion made and carried:
- Determination of quorum
- Minutes of previous meeting
- Matters arising from the minutes
- Reports of Officers
- Reports of Committees
- Election of Officers
- Unfinished business
- New business
- Adjournment