PREAMBLE

The exclusive purpose of this Association shall be educational. It shall strive to train the minds, bodies and spirits of the boys and girls of South Gwinnett for the purpose of developing their capabilities. It shall seek to promote that ultimate goal of all education and understanding. In furtherance of its educational purposes, the Association shall provide supervised athletic contests and tournaments. Those contests shall be held for the purpose of demonstrating hard work, self-discipline, self-sacrifice, extensive practice, cooperation with others and the enjoyment which can result therefrom. The supervisory members of the Association shall at all times bear in mind that the outcome of the contests is secondary to their value in implementing constructive values and teaching understanding of self and others. 

 

ARTICLE I: NAME AND LOCATION

1.     The name of this corporation is SOUTH GWINNETT ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION. It was incorporated under the laws of the State of Georgia on July 22, 1966, as a non-profit corporation to organize, sponsor, and administrate programs of athletic and recreational training of all types, including, but not limited to the operation of baseball and softball programs for young people; to purchase, own, develop and maintain property and  facilities for recreation purposes and to do any and all things incidental, necessary, and convenient to the accomplishment of the foregoing. 

2.     No members of the Board of Directors, officers of the corporation, Commissioners, Coaches, Managers, or  League Commissioners will be paid for  their administrative services. The association is not organized for monetary gain or profit. 

3.     No part of the property or net earnings of the association shall ever benefit any individual or member of the association. 

4.     In keeping with community tradition, the official colors of the South Gwinnett Athletic Association will be navy blue and gray. ARTICLE II: DIRECTORS

1.     The  Executive Board shall manage the business and property of the Association. 

2.     The Board shall consist of 28 members. The Executive Board shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Gene Ford and Tony Britt  (Lifetime Board Members). The rest of the Board of Directors shall consist of the Director of Baseball, three Baseball Board Members; plus a Director of Fall Baseball; the Director of Softball plus three Softball Board Members; the Director of Football plus three Football Board Members; the Director of Cheerleading plus three Board Members; the Director of Grounds and Facilities, and the Director of Roller Hockey plus three Board Members. All above members shall be voting members. No one shall be eligible to hold any of these offices who is not a member of the association. 

3.     The President of the association shall vote only in the case of a tie. 

4.     All Directors shall serve without compensation. 

5.     Election of Directors shall be held in November of each year at the general meeting of the association.  Each elected official must receive a majority vote. Nominees receiving less than 10% of the total votes cast will not be considered in the run-off rounds. After the first run-off round, the two nominees with the most votes will continue to the next run-off round. The Directors shall serve for a term of two years and be eligible for re-election.  This shall be done on a rotating basis by position beginning January 1, 1987.  Members interested in running for a position on the Board must notify the SGAA Secretary by November 1st of each year, in writing. Their written request should include a brief personal history and background along with references. Applicants should also state their qualifications and interests in regards to the position for which they wish to run. 

6.     Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called by the President or any six voting members of  the Board. All members of the Board will be notified before-hand of any special meeting. No other business will be conducted other than that specified for the meeting. The purpose of any special meeting must be announced at the next regular meeting of the Board of Directors. 

7.     A quorum for the transaction of business at any regular or special meeting of the Directors shall consist of one more than half of the voting members of the Board. 

8.     Vacancies on the Board may be filled for the unexpired  terms by the President of the association with the consent of the Board of Directors. 

9.    Selection of managers and head coaches for Baseball, Softball, Football, Cheerleading, and Roller Hockey will be made by the directors of the respective sports. The director and board members for each sport shall be responsible for the conduct of the members thereof on the field. 

10.    The Executive Board  shall have the authority to suspend from the Association or take other appropriate actions, any member whose conduct is considered by the majority of the Board to be detrimental to the best interest of the association. Any member suspended will be on probation for one year upon re-entering the association. 

11.    No Board member of the South Gwinnett Athletic Association shall serve in a like or similar position with any other association within the SGAA boundaries or district. 

12.    The Executive Board  shall have the authority to take disciplinary actions against a board member with a two-thirds majority vote. 

 

ARTICLE III: OFFICERS

1.     The Executive Officers of this association shall be a President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer who shall hold office until their successors are duly elected and qualified. The offices of Secretary and Treasurer may be held by one person. 

2.     The President shall preside over all meetings of the Board of Directors and shall sign all written contracts approved by the Board of Directors of the association. The President shall sign all checks along with the Treasurer. In case of disability of the President or vacancy of the office, the duties thereof shall be performed by the Vice President. 

3.    The Vice-President shall have charge of the fund raising programs of the association.  The fund raising programs will include a raffle, advertising sales, the sign program, sponsorships, and any program used to generate income for the SGAA other than the normal registration fees and concession sales. The Vice-President may have the assistance of a Vice-Commissioner from each league to help coordinate fund raising activities. The Vice-President will also be responsible for public and community relations. In the event of the  absence of the President or his (or her) inability to bear the duties of the office, the Vice-President shall perform all presidential duties. Subject to the control of the Board  of Directors, he (or she) shall have all such powers and duties as generally are incidental to the position of Vice-President as may be assigned to him (or her) by the President or the Board of Directors. 

4.     The Secretary shall issue notices of all meetings of the Board of Directors and the Association; shall have charge of all association books, records and papers, and shall perform all such duties incidental to the office.  The Secretary of the Association shall keep an up-to-date roster of the membership of this corporation. 

5.     The Treasurer shall have custody of all money and securities of the association. They shall be able to be bonded conditioned upon the faithful performance of the duties of the office. He/She shall sign checks along with the President, shall keep regular books of account and shall submit them together with all vouchers, receipts, records and other papers to the Directors for their examination and approval as they may require; and shall perform all such other duties incidental to the office. 

6.     The Directors of Baseball, Softball, Football, Roller Hockey, and Cheerleading with the concurrence of their individual boards shall be charged with making the local rules and regulations under which teams and leagues shall play; provided, however, that no rule, regulation or change shall be effective until approved by a majority of the Board of Directors. The Directors of each sport and his/her board shall arbitrate and decide on any dispute of protest concerning rules and regulations. The Directors and their individual boards shall perform such other duties as may be assigned to them by the Board of Directors. The Director of each sport shall provide timely notice to the Board of Directors, via the President, of full details and action taken in regard to any major dispute, protest or disciplinary action against any member. 

7.     The Director of Grounds & Facilities shall be charged with the responsibility of maintaining all the property, capital improvements, and capital equipment of the Association. This includes the fields, all buildings, and all equipment purchased by the Association for maintenance of the same. He will work with the league commissioners on each field to insure that optimum playing conditions are maintained for the youth of our program.  A budget shall be submitted to the President for consideration during the month of December for the following year.  Expenditures must remain within the budget guidelines approved by the Board of Directors. Expenditures exceeding this budget must be approved by the Board of Directors, which will be based on the present overall financial position of the Association. 

8.     The President of the Association will not be allowed to manage a team. This also applies to the Directors of Baseball and Softball. 

9.   The out-going President will serve as an advisory member of the Executive Board for one year following his term. 

 

ARTICLE IV: MEMBERS AND MEETINGS

1.     Persons paying a $5.00 annual fee shall be members of the association.  They will be allowed to participate, vote, and have an active interest in the association. Sports registration constitutes payment of this fee and is effective from registration date to registration  date. 

2.     A husband and wife will only be charged a single membership fee but each will have voting privileges. 

3.     A suspended member will not be allowed to vote at a regular meeting. A suspended member is one who has been, removed from the Association roster for disciplinary reasons. 4.     Regular meetings of the association shall be held at least quarterly on a date and time specified by the President of the association. 

 

ARTICLE V: FINANCE

1.     A registration fee shall be charged for participation in each sport at a rate specified by the Board of Directors based on budget requirements. All fees collected from

SGAA Registration shall be deposited in the association's general fund. 

2.   There shall be a $20 late fee for each child who is registered after the published or  posted registration dates set by the Executive Board and respective sports boards. This policy is strictly enforced.  Our Sports Boards need to plan the number of teams, coaches needed, field requirements, etc., they have to know how many children we are going to have. Registering late makes all this planning very difficult. 

3.     The refund policy shall be as follows: 

 A.   Full registration refund only (less $50.00 administrative and     insurance fee) will be allowed up to but not including the day of the  first official tryout or practice of each respective  sport. 

 B.   Beginning Sunday of second week of practice -no refunds. 

 C.   Exceptions may be made by the Executive Board. 

4.     Other means of raising revenues shall be left to the discretion of the Board of Directors. No money may be raised in the name of the association without the prior approval of the Board of Directors. A record of expenditures must be filed with the Board of Directors for any money raised in the name of the association. 

5.     The President of the association shall submit to the Board of Directors a proposed budget for the year no later than the first regular board meeting of the association after January 1 for its approval. The budget will be presented to the members of the association at the first regular general meeting after January 1 for their approval. 

 

ARTICLE VI: PROXY TERMS 

1.     Attendance and voting at meetings of the Board of Directors may be proxy in such manner as provided by the Board of Directors. 

 

ARTICLE VII: AMENDMENTS

1.     These bylaws may be altered or amended and additional bylaws adopted by a two-thirds vote at the first regular meeting of the calendar year or at any special meeting of members at which a quorum is present. Notice of the meeting must be made by a mail out to the entire association stating the subject of the By-Law changes or amendments. The proposed amendment or new bylaws shall be set forth verbatim. (A quorum shall be 25 members as shown on the roll.)