By-Laws
The Vice-President shall:
· Serve as an ex officio member of all standing or ad hoc committees
· Act as a liaison to other organizations and agencies, including, but not limited to the Sycamore Park District, Sycamore Community School District 427, and Sycamore Girls’ Softball.
· Work with SYB legal counsel as necessary.
· With approval of at least one other member of the Executive Committee, have authority to receive and disburse monies in the absence of the Treasurer
The order of succession, should the Vice-President leave or be dismissed from the Board, shall be as follows: Secretary, Treasurer.
The Secretary shall:
· Be responsible for keeping an accurate record (Minutes) of each regular or special meeting of the SYB Board of Directors.
· Record the results of each roll call vote and maintain a record of all Board members’ attendance at meetings during each term.
· Ensure that copies of SYB’s bylaws and league rules are available at each SYB Board of Directors meeting.
· In the absence of the Secretary at any meeting, the President (or presiding officer) shall appoint another member of the Board of Directors to keep an accurate record (Minutes) of the meeting.
The Treasurer shall:
· Receive and disburse all monies of SYB
· Maintain an accurate record of all SYB financial transactions
· Prepare for presentation at all regularly scheduled monthly meetings a summary of SYB revenues and expenses on a year-to-date basis as well as a report of all available balances in SYB bank accounts.
· Prepare for presentation at the regularly scheduled March and September meetings, a set of SYB financial statements. Such financial statements must include, at a minimum, a balance sheet as of the most recent month end, a year-to-date income statement for the fiscal year. These financial statements should be prepared on a comparative basis so Board members can easily compare SYB’s financial position and results to the budget and to the previous fiscal year.
· Pay those expenditures authorized by the Board.
· Work with the Fundraising Director and Sponsorship Director in planning the collection of player dues, sponsorship fees, and fundraising monies.
The Past President shall be responsible for advising the President as both he or she and the President see fit and for any other duties as determined by the President
The league commissioners (Rookie, Futures, Minor, Major, and Pony) shall act as administrators and oversee the management of their leagues for both in-house and tournament play. These duties include, but are not limited to:
· Organizing player evaluations as well as compiling and distributing such evaluations prior to the league drafts.
· Assisting in registration as necessary.
· Assigning managers and assistant managers.
· Organizing and scheduling league drafts.
· Scheduling games.
· Assigning fields.
· Resolving protests.
In addition, the Pony League Commissioner shall act as a liaison to the Northern Illinois Pony League.
The Equipment and Uniforms Director shall be responsible for:
· Ordering, distributing, and collecting team and umpiring equipment owned by SYB.
o Before ordering uniforms, the Equipment and Uniforms Director shall consult with the Board of Directors.
· Working with the Treasurer and obtaining proper Board approval for equipment, uniform, and other related expenditures.
· Maintaining field boxes and storage space.
· Providing keys for access to field lights, field boxes, and storage spaces.
· Keeping an accurate record of all equipment owned by SYB.
The Fundraising Director shall be responsible for coordinating and scheduling all fundraising activities during the year. In addition, the Fundraising Director, along with another Board member, shall collect funds provided by fundraising activities and remit those funds to the Treasurer. The Fundraising Director and the other Board member who collect such funds shall both sign a receipt for those funds. Such receipt shall indicate the date the funds were collected, the amount collected, and from whom the funds were collected. The person who remits such funds to the Fundraising Director shall also sign and receive a copy of such receipt.
The Tournament Director shall be responsible for coordinating all activities connected with any tournaments hosted by SYB. In this capacity, the Tournament Director shall work with the owners of all tournament facilities, schedule tournament games, coordinate the recruitment and duties of volunteers, concessions sold at the tournament(s), and trophies / awards for teams participating in the tournament(s). The Tournament Director shall also work with the Board of Directors and the Equipment and Uniforms Director in ordering uniforms, as necessary, for SYB Tournament teams. The Tournament Director shall also identify tournaments in which SYB tournament teams might play. Before committing SYB Tournament teams to play in any tournaments, other than those hosted by SYB, the Tournament Director must receive Board approval. Board approval in such cases will be determined by majority vote.
The Sponsorship Director shall be responsible for procuring sponsorships for all SYB teams and shall work with the Tournament Director to procure sponsorships for any tournaments hosted by SYB.
The Projects / Special Events Director shall organize and coordinate
· SYB’s annual picture day
· Coaches’ and / or players’ clinics
· Special events / days at area professional baseball games
The Umpire Coordinator shall oversee the recruitment, hiring, scheduling, and if necessary, dismissal of umpires for SYB games. He or she shall also consult with the Board of Directors as to rates of pay for SYB umpires. The Umpire Coordinator shall also provide the league accurate records necessary for payroll purposes as necessary.
The Website Administrator shall be responsible for the operation of and information contained on the SYB website.
Article VI: Leagues and Age Requirements
SYB will operate the following leagues open to both boys and girls meeting the indicated age / grade requirements. Age / grade requirements are determined as of April 1 of the season year. If a child is not enrolled in public or private school, their eligibility for a particular league shall be based on the age and grade requirements in effect for Sycamore Community School District 427.
Rookie: Age 5 Kindergarten
Futures: 1st or 2nd grade
Minors: 3rd or 4th grade
Majors: 5th or 6th grade
Pony: 7th or 8th grade
Parents or guardians may request that their children be allowed to “play up” one level. For example, the parent or guardian of a player who is in the 4th grade
Article VII: Playing Rules and Facilities
SYB leagues shall use the rules set forth by Pony International Baseball and Softball, as amended from time to time with Board approval. The Board shall approve amendments that, in its opinion, change the Pony International rules so they are better suited to SYB’s circumstances.
SYB recognizes that policies, rules, and regulations at any facilities utilized by SYB could supersede SYB’s policies, rules, and regulations, particularly where facility policies, rules, and regulations are stricter than those of SYB.
SYB Board members or umpires have the authority to eject any person from any SYB event. The umpire or SYB Board member who ejects any person from any event shall notify the commissioner of the appropriate league if the ejection occurs at a game or the SYB Board of Directors if the ejection occurs at any other event. Any person who is ejected from any SYB event (including but not limited to SYB games) shall be suspended for at least one game. The SYB Executive Committee may impose a lengthier suspension for any such incident after considering factors including but not limited to the nature of the reason for the ejection and any previous ejections of the same person.
Article VIII: Managers and Coaches
The Commissioner of each league shall identify persons to serve as managers and coaches.
The manager (head coach) of any SYB team must be at least 18 years of age prior to the season starting. In order to coach an SYB team, any person over the age of 18 years must submit to a background check, the results of which must be found acceptable to the SYB Board of Directors. A person under the age of 18 years may serve as a team’s assistant coach. However, at any practice, game, or other team event, at least one person who is at least 18 years of age, has submitted to a background check and has been approved by the SYB Board of Directors, must be present.
The Board of Directors shall vote on a policy as to items in a background checks that may disqualify individuals from coaching in SYB. The list of such items shall include any felony conviction.
Article IX: Amendments
These Bylaws may be amended in part or in whole by a two-thirds vote of the SYB Board of Directors, provided that written notice of such proposed changes is delivered to each Board member at least seven days prior to the vote. Prior to such a vote, each member shall be allowed three uninterrupted minutes to discuss his or her position.
Article X: Dissolution
Upon dissolution of SYB, the organization shall, after paying or making provisions for the payment of all liabilities of the organization, dispose of all the organization’s assets exclusively for charitable, educational, religious or scientific purpose as shall at the time qualify as an exempt organization or organizations under section 501(c)3 of the United States Internal Revenue Code and as the Board of Directors shall determine. Any such assets not so disposed shall be disposed of by the court of common pleas of the county in which SYB’s principal office is located.
