Article I Name The name of the Association is the Greensboro Lady Gaters Basketball Association, and herein after referred-to as "GLGBA" or the Association. The name was taken from a professional minor league basketball team that played in Greensboro, NC in the early 1990's.The team was named the Greensboro City Gaters, which is a play on the city of Greensboro's nickname, The Gate City. Article II Mission Statement The Association is established to provide and promote girls basketball in the community. The program is designed to stimulate, initiate and improve the opportunities for girls' basketball competition, and to promote and develop leadership, integrity, sportsmanship, skill development, physical fitness, and educational opportunities. Article III Objectives The objectives of the Association are: To promote, encourage and support girls basketball in our community To participate in competitive tournaments To ensure quality competition at every grade level To encourage and recognize the volunteer efforts of those member teams, coaches, participants and organizations that contributes to the success of the GLGBA To provide fundamental development for both coaches and team participants through teaching and training of sound basketball and leadership skills Article IV Management The Executive Board shall be charged with establishing the basic rules, regulations, and policies of the Association and seeing that they are enforced. 1
The Executive Board shall consist of up to six (9) Association officers. They shall be elected by the Board of Directors to serve to serve a two year term and this vote will be held at the annual meeting of the Board or by the President sending out ballots to the Directors to be returned to the Secretary for compilation, If a board meeting is not held. There will always be an opportunity for write in candidates on each ballot. Each Executive Board member will serve two-year terms without limit to the number of terms served. The Executive Board officers shall be President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Director of Coaches. Their duties are as follows: President: Presides at all meetings of the membership and special meetings of the Executive Board; submits to the members at the annual meeting a report of the operation of the Association; is annex-officio member in all specially formed committees; authorized to sign all checks, drafts or notes of the Association under the direction of the Board; procures all equipment needed to maintain the program; provides guidance and helps make decisions consistent with the objectives of the Association. Vice-President: Performs the duties of President when the President is absent or retires mid-term; performs such additional duties as may be assigned by the Executive Board or President; chairs a committee responsible for proposing and implementing all projects for raising funds including, but not limited to, an annual sponsorship drive, and other special events such as Association sponsored tournaments played at the Association's "home" court, merchandise sales at said events, shirt or sweater sales and the like; and helps makes decisions consistent with the objectives of the Association. Treasurer: Maintains custody of all funds of the Association and deposits such funds in the bank or banks that the Executive Board may designate; maintains all finances, keeps accurate set of books, collects and banks all proceeds of the Association; authorized to countersign all checks, drafts, or notes of the Association under direction of the Executive Board; reports to the membership at each meeting as to the financial condition of the Association; and helps make decisions consistent with the objectives of the Association. Handles sponsorship or fund raising issues and approves the use of the GLGBA name and approval for use of the tax exemption number. Secretary: Keeps the minutes of all meetings of the Executive Board and general membership meetings; responsible for all correspondence; reports on the minutes of preceding meetings at each Association meeting; sends out all meeting notices and official correspondence; and helps make decisions that are consistent with the objectives of the Association. Director of Coaches: Responsible for the development of the leadership qualities of the coaches and to handle all parent-coach issues which need to be resolved. It is the responsibility of the Director of Coaches to make sure all coaches know the philosophy of the Gaters Organization and have completed an application and submitted a criminal report and that all coaches sign the Code of Conduct before working with the girls. An original of the signed Code of Conduct will be given to the Secretary of the GLGBA Executive Board to be kept as part of the official records of the Organization. (Coaches Code of Conduct is attached as Addendum 2). 2
The Executive Board may also appoint two additional positions annually and these positions may also be filled by Executive Board members or other parents or coaches of the Gaters organization. Those positions are as follows: Director of Basketball Operations: Oversees the entire organization and operation of the two GLGBA tournaments. Establishes tournament dates and coordinates all required gym time; Prepares budget identifying financial projections for the tournaments; Serves as official contact for teams inquiring about or entering our tournament; Prepares and distributes information inviting teams to participate in the tournament; Appoints support personnel as needed for the tournament; prepares itemized balance sheet and presents bills; a coach may assume the role of tournament director in addition to the coaching role. Proehlific Park Liaison: Oversees all contact between GLGBA and Proehlific Park as it pertains to scheduling, practice times and fees. Will also coordinate dates and times for fall and spring tournaments; will be responsible to get accurate number of players of each team and coordinate drafting payments of players; will assist in setting dates and organizing, coordinating all camps, clinics and tryouts sponsored by the GLGBA. (this position will be filled by a management member or employee of Proehlific Park) Section 4 Section 5 Section 6 The Executive Board shall be elected by a ballot of the Board of Directors of GLGBA every two years by ballots presented at the annual meeting of the Association. No one shall hold more than one office in any year. The President shall appoint someone to fill all vacancies that occur during an officer's term. The association will have committees for tournaments, publicity, clinics, and programs. The Executive Board will have the authority to establish new or eliminate existing committees as needed. Each committee will be comprised of three (3) or more members as determined by the Executive Board, one of whom will serve as chair. Members of the committee must be members of the GLGBA. All coaches must apply on an official application and be recommended by the Director of Coaches and approved by the Executive Board. Coaches will be selected based on criteria that will include the application, an interview, and evaluations of previous coaching experience. Assistant coaches will be selected by the coaches. Mandatory background checks be conducted on all coaches and coaching staff. Each member of the coaching staff will be required to provide a certified copy of their personal criminal record prior to the first team organized meeting/practice. All coaching positions with the GLGBA are voluntary and no team is allowed to consider hiring a coach without approval of the GLGBA Executive Board. Since it is the GLGBA desire to keep all positions in the organization voluntary, all teams should look at reimbursing the coach for his costs associated with out of town tournaments. Each team will be responsible for determining what constitutes a reasonable reimbursement. Article V Board of Directors The Board of Directors will consist of the Executive Board, and one (1) coach and one parent (1) from each team. The responsibilities of the Board of Directors shall be to assist the Executive Board in the operation of the Association through the involvement of its members. Positions on Board of Directors will be a two-year term. Meeting attendance at the annual meeting is required for the effective administration of the Boards duties and responsibilities. The Board Member wm be responsible for electing the Executive Board and annually approving all actions of the Executive Board and will decide any issues not covered under these bylaws. 3
Article VI Board of Directors Meetings The annual meeting of the Board of Directors will be held in the month of December. The purpose of this meeting shall be to discuss the past season, identify improvements needed for the upcoming year, and identify actions to be handled over the winter months and hold elections. The Executive Board shall meet once a month to discuss current ongoing activities of the Association. Any Board of Directors member may attend Executive Board meetings by requesting of the Secretary the time and place of the meeting Article VII Section 4 Voting The Executive Board will vote on disputes, dismissal of players or coaches, Disciplinary actions, rule interpretations, monetary issues, and other general items that affects a single team or group of individuals or the GLGBA. In addition, if any individual's ability to play is being impacted; the executive board will be involved. In most cases that result from the aforementioned items, the Executive Board will review the action or petition and consider the proper course of action, which may involve one or more of the following: A special Executive Board meeting with the affected parties, if any; or A special meeting with the full Board of Directors if needed. In addition, in regard to larger issues that involve rule changes, several teams, many individuals and/or the overall general operation of the Association, a four (4) step participatory process will be used: Initially, information on the concern will be identified as an agenda item for the Executive Board meeting; Information will be solicited from the GLGBA members by the Executive Board if needed or helpful; this information will then be presented at the OLGBA Board Meeting. A vote will be taken of the Board of Directors at the annual meeting. A quorum will be 60% of the Board Members in attendance at the meeting (a member must be present to vote) and The decision by the numbers will be final. For these and all general items that may be discussed at the annual Board of Directors meeting, excluding amendment of the, decisions will be made by a simple majority of the Board members present. These may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the board members present at the annual meeting, or at any board meeting called, (with a required two week notice) provided that the notice contains the proposed amendment information on the agenda. 4
Section 5 The Secretary of the GLGBA will be responsible for monitoring and validating the voting. Nominations can be accepted by the Secretary from any voting member of the Association. Proxies are not allowed. All board positions, except for the President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer of the GLGBA is open to anybody who is a member of the GLGBA organization. A member is a parent of a dues paying player on a GLGBA team and in good standing with their team. All active and approved coaches are also members of the GLGBA Voting for the President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer of the GLGBA is open ONLY to the Board of Directors. A simple majority shall determine the winner of the election for the open positions. Article VIII Funding The GLGBA as non-profit organization receives funds and donations through corporate sponsors, annual Association and /or participation fees from Association members, and from other fundraising activities that shall be used as general revenue to support the objectives of the Association. Typical use of the funds by the GLGBA will be used for the good of and the development of the GLGBA organization and its member and may include but is not limited to the following: Tournaments, advertising, community development, uniforms, balls, medical kits, supplies, and other items identified at the meetings and approved by a majority vote of the Executive Board. The annual membership fees are established for the upcoming year by the Executive Board. All fund raising shall be for the benefit of shared GLGBA revenue, with this exception: association members and teams may conduct independent fundraising drives such as car washes, candy sales, or any other activity that does not include use of the Association's tax exempt status, to sponsor individual team participation in tournaments not covered by GLGBA revenues. Funds raised through player-dependent activities (e.g. candy sales, car washes) may be allocated solely to the team(s) on which the players belong. These funds may be used to defray tournament costs for that team or for the purchase of team specific items such as sweatshirts. These funds may also be used for OLGBA approved uniforms and equipment. Teams have wide discretion as to the use of their fund but all funds raised or supplied to the team should be used for the benefit of the team girls or team participatory activities. Funds through donations of various charitable individuals or organizations should be coordinated through the Treasure of GLGBA Executive Board. The distribution of these funds will be Association-wide and equitable (but not necessarily equal). Allocation of these funds will be determined by a majority vote of the Executive Board. All solicitation of donations involving the GLGBA need to be approved and coordinated through the executive board. This will avoid several teams contacting the same organization for support. The goal is to continue to make every donation a shared donation through the GLGBA back to the teams. A donation by a Team Parent or Team Parents organization to a said specific team does not need to be approved unless the GLGBA name is endorsing or recognizing the donation. The Treasurer shall chair the sponsorship for GLGBA fundraising. All fund-raising projects must be presented to the GLGBA Executive Board for approval. 5
Article IV Section 4 Membership in the Greensboro Lady Gaters Basketball Association Membership in the GLGBA is open to all parents or guardians of a Lady Gaters Team member in good standing with a Lady Gaters Team. To be in good standing a member has to be current with the team member's dues. Membership fees are determined by the board and are allocated by team members not the number of parents or guardians and are included in the spring and fall fees. All teams' fees are to be used for the benefit of the Team and the Girls. The teams have wide discretion on bow team fees are used. All team fees must be deposited into an approved OLGBA team bank account. All bank accounts will be coordinated through the Treasure of the GI.GBA. The Treasurer will always have availability to view and review team accounts to confirm to the Executive Board proper use of team funds. All members and Teams must abide by the rules and regulation of the GLGBA organization at all times and must make sure all fees and dues are kept current with their team. Team rules: All team must abide by the rules and regulation of the AAU and must comply with all rules and regulation of the GLGBA organization. All teams must be named the Lady Gaters adding the team's graduation from high school year. (i.e. Lady Gaters 2019) This will be the distinguishing part of the name for each team. This will allow us to consistently present banners for accomplishments of teams in regional, state and national tournaments. If an age group has more than one team then the first team will be the Lady Gaters with year of graduation. The second will be the Lady Gators Orange with year of graduation; a third would be the Lady Gators Blue with year of graduation. All teams must recognize that the Proehlific Park is the home of the Lady Gaters and that if there is available court space practices must be held at Proehlific Park. The fee for guaranteed two hour practices twice per week is $40 per month per team member and is drafted by Proehlific Park monthly during the complete year, unless the team is a middle school or high school team, then they will discontinue drafts during the months of school ball (October through February). No team may practice at another facility unless they have approval from the GLGBA Executive Board. All teams are required to purchase their team uniforms, team clothing. bags and other Gaters artifacts through approved GLGBA vendors. This coincides with our goal to have all teams in the same uniforms and to project one image of the Gaters Organization throughout. All team parents must agree to participate in the two Lady Gaters Tournaments; these are our two annual fundraisers and require a commitment of everyone to make them a success. The GLGBA also makes commitments from time to time for different tournaments, based upon reciprocal agreements with those organizations to our tournaments. All teams will be expected to support GLGBA's commitments by participating in said tournaments it does not conflict with previous commitments. GLGBA members may be needed to participate in additional fund raisers as determined by the Board which may be on time events or annual events developed in the future. It's the team's parents and guardians' responsibility to support the Association and to assist and do their fair share in any fundraising or support activities undertaken for the benefit of the Association. Parents and guardians should ensure that their daughter is on time for practice and games and attends all practices unless there is a valid excuse. Parents and guardians need to attend games when possible and be good fans and supporters. 6
Section 5 Section 6 Section 7 Parents and guardians will be responsible for signing and returning a copy of the conduct policy as it pertains to behavior by players, coaches, and parents. Failure to sign policy will result in suspension of player until form is signed and returned. Coaches are required to help players learn the fundamentals of basketball and to help players develop to their fullest potential. Coaches must act responsibly and ethically at all times and carry on and exemplify the traditions of good sporting behavior prescribed by the Association. Coaches are to identify at least (2) team parents or guardians who are willing to assist the Association by serving on the board of directors/committees. Players should show up on time for practices and games and should give their best efforts. Players should respect the team concept and direct their efforts toward team goals. Players must come to practices with good attitudes and expect to work hard. Players should represent the community with pride and good sporting behavior. Article X Eligibility Teams will be formed by the guidelines as mandated by the policies set forth by the North Carolina AAU Organization; Teams are formed by grade. Players are allowed to be placed on a roster a grade up, but not a grade down unless the players age allows for such. Players may only be rostered a grade up if there is no player available in that grade and they are needed to fill out a team or upon review of the Executive Board. Article XI Miscellaneous The accounts, books and records of the Association shall be open to inspection by the Association members. The fiscal year shall begin January 1 st and end the following December 31st. Robert's Rules of Order shall be the parliamentary authority on and shall govern the dilations of meetings except where they may be modified by the recommendation of the President and approval of a majority of Association members present. 7