1. Title 1.01 The association shall be known as the Malta Baseball and Softball Association (MABS). 2. Emblem 2.02 The Emblem shall be that as approved by the Executive Committee. 3. Aim 3.01 The aim of the Association is to promote the games of Baseball and Softball in the Maltese Islands and to uphold the ideals of true sport and fair play amongst its members. 3.02 The Association shall be the governing body of Baseball and Softball in the Maltese Islands and as such shall be recognised as the only official National Organisation. 3.03 The Association shall organise competitions on a national level. 3.04 The Association shall be affiliated with the world and European governing organisation of baseball and softball. 1 The Association shall be affiliated with the Malta Olympic Committee. 2 The Association shall be run as a non-profit organisation. 4. Constitution of the Association 4.01 The Association shall be made of Baseball / Softball clubs, teams and individuals who play the game of Baseball / Softball. 4.02 Affiliation to the Association shall be open to all local Sports clubs or organisations provided that: They are ready to conform with the Statute and standing regulations of the Association; They pay the fees stipulated by the Association; They are prepared to take full and active part in the activities of the Association. Page 1 of 5
4.03 There shall be five categories of members within the Association: a b c d e Individuals as Honorary membership; Collective Membership for clubs; Associate Membership; Umpires; Scorekeepers. 4.04 Individuals selected as honorary members of the Association in recognition of their efforts and contribution towards the advancement of Baseball and Softball in the Maltese Islands, shall be so elected by the Committee. No fee is payable by membership categories a. 4.05 Clubs/teams wanting to participate in the Association s competitions and activities shall pay a fee according to the competition. The amount payable is to be decided upon by the Committee at the beginning of the playing season. Additionally, a Club must also be registered with Sport Malta. 4.06 Clubs or teams wanting to register with the Association shall pay an annual membership fee to maintain full member status. 4.07 Associate membership is accessible to Sport, Social, Educational or other institutions promoting the game of Baseball or Softball but not participating in the National competitions organised by the Association. There is no fee payable as an Associate Member. Associate members shall not be entitled to vote at meetings or AGMs. 4.08 Each team and member category shall appoint one member to act as representatives at MABS meetings. Each club is entitled to have a further member for a total of 2 members to act as representatives at MABS meetings. These representatives shall also have voting powers at meetings on behalf of their club/member category. Only paid up members shall be eligible to vote. 4.09 Where a club/team ceases to be an affiliate of the Association for any reason whatsoever, the registered players will fall under the jurisdiction of the association. Any requests from players wishing to join a participating club have to be sanctioned by the Committee. 4.10 All communication between MABS, the committee and members shall be done via their elected secretary/representative. 4.11 A team/club registered with MABS must have at least three players in the active roster with a valid Maltese Passport or a valid Maltese Residence Permit. If a team/club fails to have such minimum number of Maltese players, a fine of 2,000 euro for each missing Maltese player shall be paid Page 2 of 5
unto MABS prior to the start of the competition the team/club is competing in. 5. THE COMMITTEE The MABS Executive Committee (also referred to as the Committee) is to be elected at the Annual General Meeting and shall be composed of the following posts, which are tenable for two years: A) President B) Vice President C) Secretary General D) Treasurer E) Director Baseball Operations F) Director Softball Operations Candidates should submit their intention to run for election of a particular post to the Committee at least 7 days prior to the AGM. Candidates must be residents of Malta with a valid Maltese identity card. Candidates will be elected by simple majority. In the event no candidate receives a majority, then the candidate with the least votes shall be dropped from the list and another election will take place. The process will repeat itself until a candidate receives a majority of votes. In the event only one candidate applies for the position, said candidate is not automatically accepted into the Executive. A vote needs to take place and the candidate must have a majority of YES votes in order to be confirmed for the position. The person chairing the election process should ask the eligible members for either an open vote of a secret vote. Those eligible to vote are members as per Paragraph 4.03b. For voting, members must be fully paid and have no outstanding amounts with MABS at least one day prior the AGM and the team/club that they represent must have participated in at least one of the leagues organized by MABS for that year. 5.01 The Committee shall be responsible for the day-to-day management of the Association. Page 3 of 5
5.02 The Committee shall have the power to create and fill any other office, which, in its opinion, is necessary for the smooth running of the Association. These officials will not have any administrative and executive powers and will be called to attend meetings only when the need arises. 5.03 The quorum necessary for the transaction of the business of the Committee shall be half the number of positions filled on the Committee. 5.04 Any matter put before the Committee shall, except where otherwise stated in this statute, be decided by a simple majority of votes of the members present with every member having one vote. In the case of equality of votes, the Chairperson of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote. 5.05 The Committee shall meet at least four times annually. Meetings shall be chaired by the President or Vice President. 5.06 All Committee members and other officials elected to occupy specified offices, as stated in article 5.0 above, shall hand over to their successors in office or to any person authorised for that purpose, all documents or property belonging to the Association that may be in their possession within three months of such a change of office. Additionally they must carry out project handovers for as long as it is necessary to safeguard the completion of the project. 5.07 The Committee shall have the power to enter into any agreement with any organisation and raise, invest and dispose of funds and property belonging to the Association. 5.08 The decisions of the Committee shall be final. These decisions including the interpretation of this Statute shall be binding on all affiliates of the Association. Affiliates who fail to abide by the decisions of the Committee shall cease to be members of the Association. Such an eventuality will be communicated to the body concerned in writing. 5.09 The decisions of the Committee cannot be challenged in the courts of Justice. Such action by any of the affiliates of the Association will lead to immediate removal from the association. 5.10 It is within the powers and the duty of the Committee to: a b Organise competitions on a National level and lay down rules for such; Ensure that the rules of the games as set down from time to time are adhered to by all those concerned in the organisation of competitions within the Maltese Islands. To do so the Committee shall appoint three sub committees, The Baseball Organising Committee, The Softball Organising Committee and the Little League committee. These Committees shall be chaired by the elected MABS committee representative and shall have at Page 4 of 5
least one other appointed member. The responsibility of these committees is to: Organise competitions on a National level and lay down rules for such. Ensure that the rules of the games as set down from time to time are adhered to by all those concerned in the organisation of competitions within the Maltese Islands. Each committee shall have its own bank account. The Signatories on the bank account shall be the MABS Treasurer, and at least one other MABS committee member. 5.11 The Committee has the power to appoint sub-committees as may be deemed necessary. 5.12 Each sub-committee shall keep minutes of its meetings, which meetings shall be submitted to the Committee on request. 5.13 Decisions taken by a sub-committee, unless otherwise stated, shall not become effective before the Committee approves them. 5.14 Sub-committee meetings shall cease to function immediately before the Annual General Meeting. 5.15 All Committee members are expected to be present at all meeting of the Committee if possible. If a person fails to attend more than two meetings without good reason they forfeit their right to be on the Committee at the discretion of the rest of the Committee. 6. Annual and Extraordinary General Meetings 6.01 The Annual General Meeting of the Association will be held no later than 30th September of each year. 6.02 An Extraordinary General Meeting of the Association may be called by the Committee or by a written request indicating the reasons for such a request and carrying the signature of one third of the registered clubs of the Association representing at least two affiliated clubs. 6.03 Anyone elected as a member of the MABS Committee cannot attend the Annual General meeting or any Extraordinary General meeting as a club representative. 7. FISCAL YEAR 7.01 The Fiscal year of the Association shall be from 1st January to 31 st December. Page 5 of 5