BY-LAWS of the MISSISSAUGA BRANCH

PREAMBLE

The intention of by-laws to provide simple and workable rules for the day-to-day operation of the Branch. It is, however, impossible to provide legislation to cover every possible situation.

It is intended that the over-riding principles of Common Sense, the Spirit of Fair Play, and the Code of Ethics for Canadian Referees will apply in the application of these by-laws.

BY-LAW 1: RULES OF ORDER

  1. The rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the Branch in all cases to which they are applicable, and in which they are not inconsistent with by-laws or the Constitution of the Branch.

BY-LAW 2: FEES AND DUES

  1. The total annual cost of membership in the Branch shall be the sum of the fee levied by the O.S.R.A. and the fee levied by the Branch.
  2. The annual Branch fee shall be as follows:
    1. Class 4, under age 16 ........ $5.00
    2. Class 4, age 16 and over ... $20.00
    3. Class 3 and higher ............. $20.00
  3. For items (b) and (c), age shall be as at January 1 of the membership year.
  4. The Branch shall pay the O.S.R.A. fee for Special Members and Honourary Life Members of the Mississauga Branch if these members are not affiliated with any other Branch.
  5. All Ordinary and Associate Members must be registered with the Ontario Soccer Association having paid the appropriate fee as determined by the O.S.A.
  6. The Branch shall levee a $5.00 late registration fee for each returning Ordinary Member registering after February 1st of each year.

BY-LAW 3: UNIFORMS

  1. The official uniform of Ontario referees shall be the official uniform for members of this Branch when officiating matches within the Peel Halton District.
  2. The official uniform for an Ontario referee is: Black shirt with white collar and cuffs, black shorts, black soccer-style shoes, and black socks with three white rings around the top. The shirt may have short sleeves for summer use. One badge shall be worn on the left breast area of the shirt. The badge shall be for the highest level for which the referee is qualified.
  3. Mississauga Branch referees shall have two alternative shirt colours: yellow and red.
  4. The Branch does not endorse the wearing of hats. Under exceptional conditions the OSRA black cap may be worn.
  5. The choice of alternative colour shall be decided by the referee.
  6. Alternative uniforms are approved for use outside the Peel Halton District subject to the following conditions:
    1. The alternative uniform must be a recognized referee uniform.
    2. The same uniform is worn by all three officials; or
    3. The alternative uniform is worn by the referee and all other match officials wear the current official uniform.

BY-LAW 4: EDUCATION

  1. The Branch will each year, at no additional charge to members, provide for the presentation of Referee Training.

BY-LAW 5: FITNESS

  1. The Branch will conduct fitness training in order to help Members prepare for the O.S.A. Fitness Test each spring.

BY-LAW 6: DISCIPLINE

  1. A discipline committee consisting of three (3) members shall be convened at the convenience of the Executive Committee to deal with any referee misconduct that is delegated to Club level by Rule 5.1.1 of the O.S.A. Policies and Procedures, or
  2. A discipline committee consisting of three (3) members shall be convened at the convenience of the Executive Committee to deal with any referee misconduct arising within the Branch.
  3. Any act of misconduct shall be dealt with by one jurisdiction only.
  4. The Vice-President shall be the chairman of the Discipline Committee.
  5. Additional members of the Discipline Committee shall be drawn from the Branch membership and may include one other member of the Executive Committee.
  6. A separate discipline manual shall be prepared as a supplement to this by-law and shall address the following topics:
    1. Who can be subject to discipline?
    2. Types of referee misconduct.
    3. Rights and responsibilities of concerned party.
    4. Procedures for discipline hearings.
    5. Penalties for misconduct.
    6. Appeal procedures.
    7. All complaints, charges and requests for action by the Discipline Committee must be delivered in written form to the Secretary.

BY-LAW 7: DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF CONVENORS

From time to time, the Executive Committee may appoint Branch members to serve as convenors whose duties shall be to assign games to Branch members.

  1. The convenors shall execute this appointment by distributing game assignments fairly and taking into account the following criteria: experience and abilities of the referee; fitness level; and relative position in the Branch point standings.
  2. The refereeing ability of Branch members shall be evaluated by the Executive Committee in consultation with experienced Branch members selected by the Executive for their evaluation skills.
  3. Convenors may consider other factors such as missed appointments, failure to return calls, and unwillingness to accept offered appointments.
  4. Convenors shall submit a report to the Executive at end of season. The report shall include a summary of match assignment and an explanation of the distribution process employed and available to members upon request.
  5. The Executive Committee shall review the performance of Convenors.

BY-LAW 8: RESOLUTION OF CONFLICTING APPOINTMENTS

The following criteria shall be applied in resolving conflicting match assignments:

  1. On no account shall an official leave the field so that a match is short of the requisite number of officials.
  2. Members shall resolve their respective roles based on the needs of the match concerned.
  3. Referees shall settle any conflict fairly, quickly and quietly without the players, team officials or spectators being made aware of the difficulty.
  4. If the appointed referee has not arrived 15 minutes prior to the scheduled kick-off, one assistant referee may assume the referee's assignment. Once the coin toss has been performed, this official will continue as referee subject to the over-riding condition of (ii) above.
  5. All conflicting appointments shall be reported to the Convenor who shall review the circumstances and, if necessary, report back to the Executive Committee.
  6. Members violating these principles may be subject to discipline.

BY-LAW 9: RESPONSIBILITY FOR COMPLETION OF ASSIGNMENTS

Once a Branch member accepts a match appointment, he is responsible for the completion of that assignment.

  1. Paragraph 7 of the Canadian Soccer Association Code of Ethics states: "A Canadian referee shall honour any appointments made for and accepted by him unless unable to do so by virtue of illness or personal emergency."
  2. If a referee is unable to fulfil an appointment, he shall return the appointment to the convenor with a minimum 24 hours' notice.
  3. If a referee is unable to comply with paragraph (ii), he shall: (a) find a suitable substitute of equal classification or higher, and (b) notify the convenor.
  4. An appointment shall not be returned or given to another referee in order to accept a higher paying appointment.
  5. Members violating these principles will be subject to discipline.

BY-LAW 10: FEEDBACK AND REFEREE CONDUCT

  1. Any member who is concerned with the actions of a fellow Member is encouraged to discuss his concerns with the Executive Committee
  2. Such concerns are to be submitted to the Executive in writing.
  3. Any such discussions will be held in confidence.
  4. If warranted, the Executive Committee will initiate either corrective action or a disciplinary action.

BY-LAW 11: EXECUTIVE CONDUCT

  1. The members of the Executive Committee are expected to fulfil the obligations of the offices to which they were elected and/or the duties to which they are assigned.
  2. Members of the Executive Committee shall lead by example.
  3. Absence from three (3) consecutive Executive Committee meetings without valid explanation may be considered as just cause for dismissal from the Executive Committee.

BY-LAW 12: BRANCH POINT SYSTEM

  1. Members of the branch will be ranked using a point system reflecting aspects of participation in Branch and O.S.R.A. activities.
  2. The Secretary shall maintain a record of points earned.
  3. Points are a form of currency that may be considered in decisions of the Branch Discipline Committee.
  4. Points shall be earned as per the following schedule: (a) 1 point for every Education Session attended, and (b) 5 points for attending the AGM.
     

*  Revised May, 2006