Constitution

CONSTITUTION OF THE INTERLAKE THUNDER FOOTBALL PROGRAM

 

April 30, 2011

 

(Amended: April 28, 2012 / June 5, 2014 / November 25, 2015 / December 8, 2016 / December 7, 2017/ March 13, 2019, January 26, 2023)                         

 

 

  1. Name of the Organization: 

The name of the organization will be the Interlake Thunder Football Program, hereafter called “the Program.”

 

  1. Objective: 

The objective of the organization is to promote football in the area of the Interlake bounded by Lake Manitoba in the west, Lake Winnipeg in the east and the City of Winnipeg in the south. The Program is not limited by the setting of physical boundaries in the promotion of football.

 

  1. Membership: 

All members of Interlake community, 18 years or older, previously registered players and or parents/guardians of said players who may reside outside of the Interlake Community are stakeholders in the organization and are eligible to both vote at the Annual General Meeting and hold a position with the Board of Directors.

 

  1. Annual General Meeting: 

The Annual General Meeting shall take place following the conclusion of the football season and prior to February 15 the following year. The date, time, and location of the meeting must be announced at least 45 days prior to the meeting being held. A quorum of the Annual General Meeting shall be a minimum of 3 members of the Board of Directors and an additional 5 members of the organization. The AGM will be called by the President. All officers of the Board will be expected to submit a written report at the AGM. The election of officers for the following year will take place at the AGM.   All votes require a 50% plus 1 majority. Any Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds vote.

 

  1. Program Governance:
  1. The Program shall be governed by a Board of Directors, in compliance with the Program’s Constitution, and shall consist of Seven (7) members.
  2. The members of the board shall be elected by the membership of the club at the Annual General Meeting for a one-year term.
  3. The Board of Directors will be made up of the following positions: President, Past-President, Executive Assistant, V.P. Finance, V.P. Football Operations, Director of Field Operations, and Director of Registration. All Teams within the Program will be governed by the one Board and will share all program duties, responsibilities, finances, and resources.
  1. Officers and Their Duties: 

 

  1. President:  Shall call and preside over all meetings of the Program (General, Board, and Executive) and shall perform such other duties that usually pertain to that office. Shall be an ex-officio member of all committees of the Board of Directors, and only has a tie-breaking vote. Shall prepare and submit to the Annual General Meeting, a statement and report of the preceding year for approval of the membership present at the Annual General Meeting. Shall be responsible for the club website and all club social media. Shall be one of the signing officers for all transactions of the Program.
  2. Past President: Responsible for supporting the President and Board.  Shall hold one vote and in the absence of the President chair Board meetings.  May accept nomination for any Board position.  Should he/she be successful their responsibilities will include that of their elected position and Past President, however will only retain voting privileges assigned to the Past President position.  Upon completion of that term will retain position of Past President until sitting President attains position of Past President.
  3. Executive Assistant:  Shall be the recording secretary at all meetings of the Program. Shall be responsible to ensure all required documents are distributed, collected, and gathered. Will act as liaison between the Executive and the League Reps. Shall be one of the signing officers of the Program.
  4. Vice President Finance:  Shall keep a regular account of the receipts and expenditures of the Program and shall be the custodian of all the books, records, and other documents pertaining to this office. Shall have custody of all funds belonging to the club. Such funds shall be deposited by the V.P. Finance in a chartered Canadian Bank or Credit Union as approved by the Board of Directors. These accounts shall be in the name of the Program. Shall be one of the signing officers of the Program for financial transactions. Shall only issue cheques upon the authorization of the Board of Directors. Shall prepare and present a financial report at each regular meeting of the Board of Directors. Shall be responsible for organizing fundraising and sponsorship for the Program.
  5. Vice President Football Operations:  Shall be responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the club’s football equipment. Shall be responsible for the distribution and collection of equipment. Shall be responsible for developing the annual Football Operations budget, for approval by the Board of Directors. Shall be responsible for ensuring all coaches have proper certification and are aware of training and certification opportunities. Shall act as liaison between the Board of Directors and the club’s coaches, athletic therapy staff and team managers.
  6. Director of Field and Facility Operations: Shall be responsible for ensuring that the Stonewall and Selkirk fields are prepared for practices and games, including the painting of lines on the field. Shall be responsible for working with the Town of Stonewall, Interlake School Division and City of Selkirk to ensure the fields in Stonewall and Selkirk are properly maintained, including the cutting and fertilizing if the grass.  Shall ensuring that practice and game field equipment is available and in working order. Shall ensure that storage facilities in both Stonewall and Selkirk are properly maintained, clean and organized.
  7. Director of Registration: Shall be responsible for organizing and carrying out the Program’s registration for all age levels. Shall be responsible for ensuring all rosters are properly submitted for each team when required by various leagues.

 

       7. League Representatives: (report to the board, but are not voting members of the board) 

 

  1. Rural Manitoba Football League Representative: Shall be responsible for attending the regular meetings of the Rural Manitoba Football League (RMFL) as the Club’s representative. Shall be responsible to report to the Board of Directors on the actions of the RMFL.
  2. Manitoba Minor Football League Representative: Shall be responsible for attending the regular meetings of the Manitoba Minor Football Association (MMFA) as the club’s representative. Shall be responsible to report to the Board of Directors on the actions of the MMFA.
  3. Manitoba Girls Football Association Representative: Shall be responsible for attending the regular meetings of the Manitoba Girls Football Association (MGFA) as the Program’s representative.  Shall be responsible to report to the Board of Directors on the actions of the MGFA.

 

        8. Board of Directors: 

Board meetings will take place at the call of the President. The Board of Directors will meet no less than by-monthly or as sufficient business arises. The Board has the power to make all decisions with the exception of constitutional amendments and election of officers. In the event of a vacancy on the Board the President may nominate an appointee for Board approval. The appointee shall hold the position for the duration of that term. During a vacancy the Board must assign the duties of the vacant position to one or several other members of the Board of Directors. All motions require a majority vote. Quorum for meetings shall be 50% plus 1 of the occupied positions on the Board of Directors. If it be determined by a majority of the members of the Board that an officer is not fulfilling his or her responsibilities, he or she may be removed from office at a regular board meeting with a 50% plus 1 vote by those present. All members of the Board must be given prior written notice 10 days in advance of the meeting that the removal of an Officer is being considered.

 

        9. Committees:

1) Ad Hoc Committees: Committees can be formed on an ad hoc basis by motion at an Annual General Meeting, or a meeting of the Board of Directors. The purpose and duties of any committee must be clearly explained at that time.

2) Parent Committees: Parent committees may be established by the Board to organize events or functions such as Thundergate and banquet.  The Board will assign a Board member to provide direction and liaison between the Board and committee members..

 

10. Head Coaches:

 

The Board of Directors shall be responsible for appointing all Head Coaches. Prior to the conclusion of each regular season a committee consisting of VP of Operations will conduct a review of each Head Coach, and make recommendation for vote to the Board of Directors as to whether each Head Coach is suitable to return the following season. Recommendations and vote must be held prior to the Annual General Meeting (AGM). If a Head Coach is a member of the Board of Directors he/she will withdraw from the review and vote regarding his/her position. In the event of a Head Coach vacancy the existing Board of Directors shall defer creation of a selection committee until after that seasons AGM. Post AGM the VP of Operations shall determine the selection process, whether by call for applications or to directly seek out qualified candidate/candidates. The VP of Operations shall bring its recommendation to the Board to be voted upon. The appointed Head Coach will be responsible for recruiting his/her assistant coaches, scheduling practices and other team related football decisions. The Board shall approve all team personnel choices made by the Head Coach. Should a suitable Head Coach at the minor level wish to age advance and there is a vacancy at the next age group within the minor level he/she shall be considered the incumbent. The Board reserves the right to remove or discipline with cause any Head Coach or bench personnel at any time.

 

 

11.  Physical and Intellectual Property

Any and all physical and intellectual property produced for or provided by the Program shall remain the property of the Program and must be returned to the Program at the completion of any person’s term or at the demand of the Board.  This may include but not be limited to physical property such as coolers and tents or intellectual property such as Program related art work or banking information saved on personal devices

 

12. Constitutional Amendments:

No constitution amendments will be accepted from the floor. Any amendments must be sent to the Executive Assistant in writing no later than 45 days prior to the Annual General Meeting. The Executive Assistant will have copies made available to the members no later than 30 days prior to the Annual Meeting. Amendments to the constitutions can only be made at the Annual General Meeting with a two-thirds vote.

 

13. Dissolution of the Program:

Any revenue which may accrue to the Program during the time it is in operation shall be used for further attainment of the objectives for which the Program is formed. In the event of the winding up of the affairs of the Program all assets of the Program including cash on hand or in the bank, after payment of all outstanding account and other liabilities shall be assigned, transferred and paid to a recognized charitable or non-profit organization as determined by the Board of Directors prior to the final dissolution.

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