(Effective March 1, 2006, Current as of September 16, 2010)
Article I: Philosophy
Paragraph A:
The basic philosophy of the league is to have good competitive matches and avoid injury to the players that would cause them to lose time from work. Players should refrain from excessively hard play, even when such play is legal. Excessive hard play will be a judgment call by the Referee(s). A verbal warning or a yellow card will be administered by the referee(s) for such play. Special emphasis shall be placed on protecting goalkeepers.
Paragraph B:
Each team will be required to pay an annual fee. The fee will be determined by expenses the League expects to incur for the upcoming season. The total projected expenses will be divided by the number of teams, so that each team pays an equal amount. In the event a new team wants to join the League, and is accepted, an entrance fee will be charged. The fee will be determined by a vote of the League's board. Acceptance of new teams is solely at the discretion of the League Board and each case will be decided on its' own merits.
Paragraph C:
These By-Laws Shall govern the League's conduct and shall remain in force at all times. The By-Laws can only be changed at the yearly meeting and need a two-thirds vote of all members present at the annual meeting. The annual meeting shall take place in September or October of each year. Periodic league board meetings shall be called, as necessary, to conduct league business.
Players must be born in 1960 or before. NO EXCEPTIONS! All players MUST be registered and have a league-issued ID card to play.
Proof of age is required. A valid California drivers license, a valid California ID card or a current valid passport are the only acceptable forms of identification.
Paragraph B: Teams
A team is a collection of players with an owner / manager, a team name and a specified roster. The maximum number of registered players per team is Twenty-Five.
Paragraph C: Team Owner / Manager
An owner / manager is the person who registers the team and is responsible for the team's adherence to Sunset Soccer League philosophies and applicable rules. Each team must determine their own owner / manager. A team MUST get Board approval to change the registered owner / manager.
Paragraph D: League Board.
The League Board consists of all team Owner / Managers. Each team may have only one recognized owner / manager. Each team gets one vote at any meeting or function that requires a vote of the board. If an owner / manager cannot attend an official meeting, he may send a person to represent his team. This person will have full voting rights for the team he represents. No proxy votes are allowed. Board meetings are not restricted to owner / mangers; any player is welcome to attend as a non-voting participant. To vote on League matters, each team must be in good standing and with all league fees paid. The league Board will meet as often as necessary to conduct league business. The league board shall meet at the end of each season to consider changes to these By-Laws. By-Laws are enforced for an entire season and may be changed ONLY at this required annual meeting. A simple majority is required to have an Official League Board meeting. All provisions of these By-Laws, except where noted, require a two thirds vote of the members present to pass.
Paragraph E: League Officers.
The following four offices shall be elected by the entire league board.
President: Conducts league board meetings and represents the league as necessary.
Vice President: Acts as President when the President is unable to attend a function.
Treasurer: Collects and accounts for all league monies.
Recording Secretary and Historian: Keeps board meeting minutes and is custodian of league records.
The following positions shall be appointed by the above four offices.
Player Registrar: Registers all players, makes ID cards and keeps records of players.
Referee Coordinator: Responsible to be a liaison with referee associations and provides a point of contact for them to schedule referees for league matches.
Field Coordinator: Keeps track of all playing field related problems and determines whether to play or not in rainy weather.
Trial Board: Five league board members, assigned to investigate and rule on disciplinary matters, including player and team issues.
Scheduler: Makes league schedule and keeps standings.
Web Master: Maintains the league's Web Site. (http://www.sunsetsoccerleague.com)
Paragraph F:
First elections were November 2005
Next elections must take place every two (2) years in October.
A reelection for only one (1) more period is allowed.
Note: Board members may have multiple responsibilities, i.e. a board member may be the Webmaster and serve on the trial board.
The two man system will be used. In the event only one referee is available to officiate a match, both team managers MUST agree to the use of a single referee for the game to be considered Official. If both managers do not agree to play an official game with the single referee, the match may be played as a friendly.
Paragraph B:
Each team will pay the referees $40.00 before the start of the match. In the event there is only one referee, the fee is $25.00 from each team. (Arrangements may be made with the referees to pay at half time) There is also a $3.00 assigner's fee, per match, that will be collected monthly from each team and sent to the referee assigner. Fees are subject to change by a vote of the league board.
Paragraph C:
In the event a match must be canceled, the referee assigner MUST be notified at least 24 hours before the scheduled start time. If such notification is done, no fees will be incurred. If prior notice is not given, one half of the fee is due to the referees that are scheduled to officiate the match. If a team can not field a team and the match is not played, the offending team is liable for the entire normal fee due ($80.00). If both teams can not field a team, they each MUST pay the normal fee due to the referees. If the match is played as a friendly, both teams shall pay the normal fee due to the referees.
Paragraph D:
Referees will officiate all matches in accordance with the F.I.F.A. Laws of The Game (with exceptions noted within these Bylaws).
Players shall commit to play for a team for one season.
Paragraph B:
If, for any reason, a manager does not wish to keep a player, he can release the player at any time.
Paragraph C:
For a player to change teams, he must sit out two games and pay a transfer fee. The player must get a new ID card showing his new team. Whenever a player is released from his commitment to a team, the owner / manager must inform the league’s player registrar. There shall be a $25.00 transfer fee, due from the receiving team or the transferring player, paid to the league for all player transfers that occur during the season. The fee is due and payable before the player can play for the new team.
Paragraph D:
Recruiting players from other teams is discouraged.
Players not registered with the League are not allowed to play under any circumstances.
Paragraph B:
If a team cannot field at least seven of its’ own rostered players, they may use other league registered players to play the match. If a team uses a player from another team, they forfeit the match and the match will be played as a friendly. The score will be recorded 1-0 in favor of the team that was ready to play.
Free and unlimited substitution, on any dead ball and with the Referee’s permission.
Yellow carded player MUST sit out for 10 minutes and MAY be substituted for.
Red carded player MAY be substituted for. His team will not play short. (Provided the team has an available player.) Effective October 10, 2010 this provision is repealed. From this date forward Red Carded players MAY NOT BE SUBSTITUTED FOR,
Any player receiving a Red Card shall not play for a least one league match. The trial board will review all Red Cards and may impose a longer suspension period.
Any player receiving three Yellow Cards shall be suspended for one league match.
Players who continue to receive Red Cards may be suspended for longer periods of time, up to and including being expelled from the league. Penalty will be administered according to the degree of fault.
Note: Friendlies do not count as part of the suspension.
Paragraph B:
The following penalties will be used as guidelines by the trial board:
Starting a fight: 4 match suspension.
Retaliation: 2 match suspension.
Verbally abusing referees (Resulting in a red card): 3 match suspension.
Physically abusing referees: 12 matches or longer suspension.
Using another player’s ID card: Expulsion from the current playing season and his team will lose the points.
Creating and or using a false ID card: Expulsion from the league. For an owner / manager or a player to be reinstated the entire league board must vote two thirds in favor of reinstatement. The team for which the player plays is not allowed to vote in this matter.
Alcohol or illegal drugs are EXPRESSLY prohibited. Any team in violation of this standard will have a minimum of three matches suspended and the points forfeited.
Additional penalties may be imposed on teams or players who are chronic repeat offenders of any league rules.
To expel a player, an owner / manager or an entire team from the league, the entire league board must vote two thirds in favor.
Paragraph C:
All decisions of the trial board may be appealed by the affected parties. The appeal must be in writing and submitted to the trial board, along with supporting documentation stating the reasons for the appeal. In the event the trial board denies the appeal, the team owner / manager can submit the appeal to the full league board. Once the full league board has ruled on the appeal, the decision is FINAL.
Paragraph D:
Owner / Managers are responsible to ensure their players and teams follow the Sunset Soccer League's By-Laws.
A match may be forfeited for any of the following reasons:
If a team is unable to field seven players by the end of the 10 minute grace period. Or, refusing to start on time with less than eleven players.
Using a player who has not finished a suspension.
Using an un-registered player.
Using a registered player from another team.
Cancellation of a match without proper notification. Proper notification is: One or more weeks prior to the scheduled match.
Severe misconduct that results in termination of the match by the referee.
Decision of the trial board or the entire league board.
Paragraph B:
Forfeiture of a match for Paragraph A item 1 is automatic. The result will be recorded 1-0 for the other team. All other items will be reviewed by the trial board. The trial board will take into account the referee’s report, any statements by team owner / managers and other witnesses that may have information to assist in the determination of the facts.
Paragraph C:
Forfeiture of a match may be waived by the opposing team owner / manager. The match may be played as official. Or, be rescheduled, as circumstances require.
Each team will maintain one net for the goals. The two teams at the first match will each put up a net. At each subsequent match, the incoming teams will each give their net to one of the leaving teams. The two teams at the last match of the day will take down the nets.
Paragraph B:
The home team, when possible, will provide the match ball.
See separate Appendix A. Appendix A is the only part of these By-Laws that may be changed or amended, by the League Board, as may be required during the season. Changing the provisions of the Rules of Competition requires a simple majorty vote, by the League Board, in favor of the change(s).
Appendix A
Sunset Soccer League Rules of Competition
Matches should start at the time they are scheduled. If a team has seven or more players the match must start on time. If the ten minute grace period is invoked, the game should still be played full time. If the match commences 20 minutes, or more, after the scheduled start time, the referees shall shorten the match to finish at 10 minutes before the start of the next match. The referees shall divide the allotted time in two equal amounts and inform both team owner / managers of the length of the match. At no time shall the timing of the match start BEFORE the kickoff.
Each team will provide a roster to the referees prior to the start of the match.
The referees will check each player"s ID card and hold them until the match has concluded.
The referees will hold a red carded player's ID card and return it to the president of the league.
Substitution is governed by Article VII: Substitution
The number of rounds will be determined by the number of teams and the available fields.
Standings will be kept by the scheduler and posted on the Web site by the webmaster.
A champion will be determined by which team has the greatest number of points at the conclusion of the schedule.
Three points will be awarded for a win, one point will be awarded for a tie.
In the event there is rain, the field coordinator will make the determination on Saturday afternoon/evening by 7:00 PM. He will notify all teams of the decision to play or not play.