Constitution of the English Senior Flag League

Article I - Name

Article II - Purpose

Article III - Membership

Section 2: Membership Entitlement

• Any member of the English Senior Flag League is entitled to hold a committee position.
• Each full team member of the English Senior Flag League will automatically be entitled to a single vote in any and all annual, general and special meetings. Each full team member must appoint or elect a representative(s) who may cast that teams vote at any annual, general or special meeting. The team must make that person(s) known to the officers of the English Senior Flag League.
• Each associate team member of the English Senior Flag League will not automatically be entitled to a vote in any annual, general and special meetings, although, in special circumstances, they may be awarded a vote if a majority of a quorum (Article 5, 5.) of full team members attending the meeting agree.
• Individual members of the English Senior Flag League are not entitled to a vote at any annual, general or special meeting.
• Honorary members of the English Senior Flag League are not entitled to a vote at any annual, general or special meeting.

Section 3: Full Team Membership

• Full team membership of the English Senior Flag League will be assessed on an annual basis. (Feb 1st - Jan 31st)
• Teams will be deemed full team members of the English Senior Flag League if, in any given year, they are able to meet the following criteria:
• Teams must agree to comply with the current English Senior Flag League Rules
• Teams must offer faithful assurances that they will make all possible effort to fulfill English Senior Flag League sanctioned matches.
• Teams must make a commitment to pay, in full, any team, player and/or administrative staff fee's that may be payable to the English Senior Flag League, and to pay any other financial charges that may be levied.
• Teams must make a commitment to compete in the annual series of English Senior Flag League sanctioned fixtures (in whichever format this takes, league, cup, knockout, combination etc.) which culminates in the crowning of the English Senior Flag League champion for that given year.
• Teams must compete in at least one English Senior Flag League sanctioned match as outlined above (Article 3, Section 3, d) during the previous 365 days.
• The team must make a commitment to provide a home field, on which to play sanctioned fixtures, the field must comply with the current English Senior Flag League rules and comply to acceptable standards of safety and hospitality.
• The team must make a commitment to support any national, regional or select teams that have been sanctioned by the English Senior Flag League.

Section 4: Associate Team Membership

• Teams must agree to comply with the current English Senior Flag League Rules
• Teams must compete in at least one English Senior Flag League sanctioned match during the period 1st February to 31st January.
• The team must make a commitment to provide a home field, on which to play a/the sanctioned fixture(s), the field must comply with the current English Senior Flag League rules and comply to acceptable standards of safety and hospitality
• The team must offer faithful assurances to the English Senior Flag League that they are making efforts to join the league as full members (see Article 3, Section 3.) at the earliest viable opportunity. A team may only be an associate member of the English Senior Flag League for 3 concurrent years.

Section 5: Individual Membership

• Individual membership of the English Senior Flag League will be assessed on an annual basis (Feb 1st - Jan 31st)
• Persons will be deemed individual members of the English Senior Flag League if, in any given year, they are able to meet the following criteria: coach, administrator, team judge, first aider or other ancillary personnel associated with, either a full or associate member team of the English Senior Flag League

Section 6: Honorary Membership

• Honorary membership of the English Senior Flag League may be awarded to any individual.
• Honorary membership of the English Senior Flag League may be awarded for any length of time.
• Honorary memberships may only be awarded during an English Senior Flag League annual meeting and only if a majority of a quorum (Article 5, 5.) of full team members attending the meeting agree to the award.
• Once awarded an honorary membership of the English Senior Flag League may only be revoked during an English Senior Flag League annual meeting and only if a majority of a quorum (Article 5, 5.) of full team members attending the meeting agree to the revoking of the award.

Article IV - Committee

• The Chairman, who shall oversee all the meetings and activities of the English Senior Flag League, and who shall make sure that, at all times, the English Senior Flag League is abiding by this constitution. In the case that a representative of the English Senior Flag League is required, the Chairman will represent the English Senior Flag League on its behalf, except in the case where another member of the English Senior Flag League has been assigned, at an annual, general or special meeting by a majority of a quorum (Article 5, 5.) of full team members attending said meeting. The Chairman is responsible for determining when and where annual, general or special meetings are to be held and publicizing this to English Senior Flag League members.
• The Secretary, who shall be responsible for documenting all association paperwork and who will distribute the minutes from all meetings. In the absence of the Chairman, should fulfill his/her tasks.
• The Treasurer will keep complete records of all financial dealings of the English Senior Flag League and shall maintain a correct balance of English Senior Flag League funds. In addition he or she shall keep track of the chequebook of the English Senior Flag League, and shall regularly make available a written breakdown of the income and expenses of the English Senior Flag League.
• Any number of additional committee members can be appointed during an English Senior Flag League annual, general or special meeting, however, only if a majority of a quorum (Article 5, 5.) of full team members attending the meeting agree to the appointment.

Section 2: Appointment of Committee Members

• All English Senior Flag League committee members must be distinct persons and individual or honorary members of the English Senior Flag League.
• In extraordinary circumstances two of the committee posts can be combined and undertook by one person. The English Senior Flag League must have a minimum of two committee members.
• The term of office of each English Senior Flag League committee post is one year, from February 1st till January 31st.
• Any individual or honorary member of the English Senior Flag League is eligible to stand as a committee member.
• Members of the English Senior Flag League committee shall be selected by general vote of a quorum (Article 5, 5.) of full team members, from the pool of candidates, each year during the annual meeting.
• Each candidate must be proposed and seconded by full team members that are present at the annual meeting.
• The proposing and seconding full team members may vote in the selection process.
• Any individual or honorary member shall be elected to a committee post if he or she has been proposed, seconded and wins a majority of a quorum (Article 5, 5.) of the voting full team members present at the meeting.
• If any vote for a committee member ends in a draw between two candidates, the outgoing committee member in the position to which the vote applies shall cast the deciding vote, even if this means the existing committee member has cast two votes (i.e. the committee member is also representing a full team member)
• If more than two people are running and no one wins a majority, then the person with the fewest votes is dropped from the ballot and votes are recast.

Article V - Operations

• Meetings shall be held at least once a year.
• Members will be informed of each of these meetings at least seven days in advance.
• Meetings shall be presided over by the Chairman, unless she/he is absent, and in that case the Secretary shall preside.
• All decisions shall be made by a majority vote of all voting full team members present or by proxy (Article 5, 9.).
• A quorum for any annual, general or special meeting shall be 51% of the voting full team members of the English Senior Flag League in any given year.
• If a quorum cannot be reached at any annual, general or special meeting the meeting will be dissolved and reconvened at a later time/date.
• At any annual, general or special meeting, in order to pass a decision, motion or amendment, at least 51% of the present full team members must vote in the affirmative. If a vote results in a 50/50 split the decision, motion or amendment will not be passed.
• When necessary, special tasks can be assigned to members by the committee if a majority of a quorum (Article 5, 5.) of full team members attending the meeting, and the particular member agree.
• Proxy votin may be used by the ESFL to allow for full team members to be present at any Annual, General or Special meeting. Proxy voting can be used on the production of an agenda by the ESFL Chairman which will be published to all member teams at least 7 days before any type of meeting. To be eligible for proxy voting the full team member must return a copy of the agenda to the ESFL within the period of publication to Meeting date which is a minimum of 7 days. To proxy vote, a full team member will answer any proposal, which is documented on the agenda for that meeting under the title of VOTING, with a reply of YES or NO or ABSTAIN. If the full team member does not answer any proposal with any of these 3 replies then the answer will be taken as ABSTAIN. If the full member team does not return a copy of the agenda to the League, with or without their proxy voting, then it will be taken that the full member team was equivalent to not being present at the meeting. If any of the full team members decide not to be present at the meeting then the quorom (Article 5, 5.) will take effect.

Article VI - Finances

Article VII - Impeachment

Article VIII - Amendments