Welsh Schools' Football Association

Cymdeithas Pel-droed Ysgolian Cymru

RULES AND REGULATIONS

JULY 2015

RHEOLAU A RHEOLIADAU

GORFFENNAF 2015

Welsh Schools' Football Association

GENERAL RULES

Whenever in this Constitution the letters WSFA or the word "Association" appears they shall mean the Welsh Schools' Football Association. The word "Organisation" shall be held to include all affiliated bodies.

  1. Name – The Association shall be called the “Welsh Schools’ Football Association”. (WSFA)
  1. Objectives – The objectives of the Association shall be:
  1. To introduce and promote football for boys and girls within an educational context.
  2. Create a structure for young people to achieve their maximum potential through the game thus further complementing the objectives of the Welsh Football Trust (More players – better players).
  3. The mental, moral and physical development of pupils through the medium of Association Football.
  4. To inspire, inform and educate pupils through the medium of Association Football and healthy competition.
  5. To strive towards offering equal opportunity for all.
  6. To assist such charitable purposes as the Association may from time to time decide.

3. Membership

3.1 Subject to the approval of Council full membership of the Association shall be open to:

a. Schools' Football Associations in Wales from individual Unitary Authorities

b. Schools' Regional Football Associations in Wales.

c. North Wales Schools' Football Association and South Wales Schools' Football Association.

3.2 Associate membership shall be granted to the following organisations but they are not entitled to representation on Council neither shall they have the right to vote in any ballot for the election of Officers.

  1. Welsh Schools' Organisations catering for pupils in Primary Schools not wishing to hold full membership.
  2. Other Welsh Organisations. All leagues catering for boys under the school statutory leaving age shall be allowed to affiliate, through the local schools' organisations, where they exist. Where no local schools' organisation exists, these leagues shall be allowed to affiliate through the Schools' Regional Organisations and, in the absence of these, directly to the Association.
  3. Where a Schools’ Area Association does not field a team in an age group competition the Welsh Football Trust (WFT) Development Group in that area or a FAWPremiereLeagueClubAcademy may affiliate to take part in that WSFA competition. They must not play pupils who attend their Academy or Development Group who qualify to play for another Organisation because of the school the pupil attends or by residence.
  4. Other School Football Organisations whose headquarters are not in Wales subject to the approval of Council.
  1. Membership Constitutions. All organisations applying for membership, and during affiliation to the WSFA shall satisfy the Council that they are properly constituted organisations, and playing football according to the "Laws of the Game" of the Football Association of Wales, except as these "Laws" may be modified by these rules of the WSFA. All organisations must be covered by adequate insurance and evidence must be forwarded to the Competition Department when organisations enter competitions. Failure to do so will mean that organisations will not be entered into the competition. Organisations must comply with the WSFA Welfare Policy and appoint an Education Welfare Officer. Organisations must also appoint a Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. The home address of each Official of an organisation affiliated to the WSFA shall be included on the affiliation form and Forms GEN012. Both forms must be submitted at time of affiliation. Council may at its discretion refuse the affiliation of the organisation failing to supply this information. Organisations must also have a Code of Conduct for staff, players and parents or guardians. It is mandatory that organisations conform to the WSFA National Player Registration Scheme.Associations and organisations that do not conform will be fined £50 if they have not registered players by the end of October and £50 for every month thereafter.

No school shall be registered by more than one organisation except WelshMediumSchools and DenominationalSchools. Pupils attending these schools may, at Secondary Level, play for the organisation for which they played at Primary Level, if that organisation requires them and if the school is affiliated to the said organisation. No existing organisation shall be allowed to extend into an area covered by another organisation without mutual written agreement and the consent of the Council, confirmed in writing. Organisations wishing to play in competitions organised by a body other than the WSFA may do so providing they compete at the same age level in WSFA competitions and where there is a clash of fixture date the date of the WSFA game takes priority.

  1. Affiliation Fees. Council will set on an annual basis full membership affiliation fees, associate membership fees and competition fees. These will be set at the Spring Term meeting of Council for the following season.
  1. Officers of the Association. The Officers of the Association shall be the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Immediate Past Chairman, Chief Executive, Minute Secretary, Treasurer, Head of Competitions Department, Head of Domestic Department, Head of International Department/ Under 18 Manager, Inter Association Competition Secretary, Inter School Competition Secretary, WSFA and Under 18 Education Welfare Officer, Under 18 Secretary, WSFA/WFT Partnership Education Welfare Officer, Disability Football Officer, Girls Football Officers (North and South), Website Manager, Player Registration & id Officer and other Officers as decided by Council. The Immediate Past Chairman will serve for three years following his or her term of office as Chairman. The Vice Chairman is elected for a three-year period and will, except in extenuating circumstances, is to be elected as Chairman for the next three years following his or her period of Office as Vice Chairman. All other Officers except those of the Head of International Department/Under 18 Manager. WSFA and Under 18 Education Welfare Officer and WSFA/WFT Partnership Education Welfare Officer, shall be elected for a three-year period by postal vote (conducted as per Rule 8) the results of which shall be declared at the Annual General Meeting. The Head of the International Department/Under 18 Manager, the WSFA and Under 18 Education Welfare Officer and the WSFA/WFT Partnership Education Welfare Officer, are appointed as per Rule 25. Holding more than one post at the same time is at the discretion of Council.

7. Nomination of Officers. Each candidate for office must be a practicing teacher or a retired teacher, or a member of an affiliated organisation and be nominated by an affiliated organisation on a form, which shall be sent out by the Chief Executive of the WSFA by 15th May. Such nomination form duly completedand signed by the Chairman and the Secretary of the nominating organisation must be returned to the Chief Executive of the WSFA by the 1st June. No nominations shall be accepted unless the nominee's consent has been obtained in writing.

8. Voting for Officers:

a. One voting paper (with the names of the candidates nominated for the respective offices printed thereon) together with a copy of the candidates C.V. shall be sent to each Full Member Affiliated Organisation in Wales and to Life Members, at least twenty-one days before the Annual General Meeting. One vote for each Full Member Affiliated Organisation and one vote for each Life Member.

b. Such voting papers, duly completed and signed by the Chairman and

Secretary of the organisation and in the case of Life Members by the Life Member, shall be returned at least three days before the Annual General Meeting in a sealed envelope marked "Voting Paper" to the Vice-Chairman of the Association, who shall act as Returning Officer.

c. Where there are more than two candidates for any Office, the system of "Preferential Voting" shall be adopted and the organization or Life Member shall vote for the candidates in order of preference. The full quota of votes must be recorded or the voting paper shall be declared null and void.

d. The votes shall be counted by at least two scrutineers (who must be members of Council) duly appointed by the Returning Officer. The results declared at the Annual General Meeting shall give a complete record of the number of votes cast for each candidate. The scrutineers must not be candidates for election to office.

e. If an election results in a tie, the Returning Officer shall have the right to a casting vote.

f. Every five years the WSFA is invited to nominate the Chairman of the Schools’ Association International Board (SAFIB). Officers will nominate the person to fill the post.

9. Council. The Association shall be governed by a Council consisting of the Officers and:

a. Two nominated Councillors from each organisation in full membership who shall be a practicing teacher or a retired teacher or a practicing lecturer in Further Education or a retired lecturer in Further Education or a member of an affiliated organisation subject to the approval of the Council. At Council Meetings and the Annual General Meeting each Council Member has voting rights except in the case of the election of Officers where each organisation has one vote as do Life Members.

  1. Life Members who shall be granted full voting powers.

Either the WFT Chief Executive or his representative shall be invited to all Council Meetings. He or she will not have voting rights.

An organisation has the right to send a deputy to a Council Meeting if its Council Members are unable to attend, and that deputy, a practicing teacher or a retired teacher or a member of an affiliated organisation subject to the approval of the Council, shall have the same power to vote as the original Council Member.

The said deputy shall produce an authority duly signed by the Chairman and Secretary, or the Council Member of his organisation. Any teacher or a member of an affiliated organisation shall have the right to attend any meeting of Council, provided he pays his own expenses, does not vote and does not participate in any Council discussion or activity.

The Association may at the Annual General Meeting, elect to Life Membership those who have rendered exceptional and meritorious service to Schools Football and shall have served on Council or as an Officer of an affiliated organisation for a period of no less than 10 years. Such proposals for life membership must be forwarded to the Chief Executive in writing by the 1st June. Life Members shall have the rights and privileges of a Council Member and shall have the right to attend Council Meetings with the right to vote.

10.Council and Other Meetings.The Full Council shall meet when, and as often as, the Chairman and the Chief Executive shall decide there is sufficient business to warrant such a meeting. There shall be a minimum of three meetings per annum including the AGM. Council shall decide the meeting venues. No minute of Council can be rescinded within a period of six months.

The Departments of Council will be as follows:

(a) Competitions Department

(b) Domestic Department

(c) International Department

Departments (a) and (b) to convene for a minimum of three times in the academic year (this responsibility rests with the Head of Department. The Head of each Department shall send the minutes of their meetings to the Chief Executive for circulation to all Officers and Council members. The International Department will meet on occasions deemed relevant by the Head of International Department/Under 18 Manager. Members of Departments (a) and (b) will be elected for a three year period at the Autumn Term meeting of Council. At the first meeting of each Department a Secretary shall be elected for the ensuing threeyears.

The Officers of the Association will form the Executive of the Council and shall meet for a minimum of three meetings per year, once during each of the three terms of the academic year. The Chief Executive shall circulate minutes of such meetings to Council members for ratification.

An Executive Committee consisting of all the Officers with power to co-opt shall deal with matters of urgency.

An Appeals Committee shall be set up to consider matters of dispute. Such a committee shall be three members of the WSFA and shall be elected from organisations not concerned in the dispute under consideration. It shall consider evidence from both organisations concerned in the dispute and in the case of matches from the match official(s).

All WSFA Officers and the person attending SAFIB meetings will produce a written report prior to each Council Meeting. The reports must be distributed by the Chief Executive with the notice of the meeting and the meeting agenda.

11.Quorum. For the transaction of business at a Council meeting a minimum of six persons shall be in attendance whether they be Officers of the Association or representatives of organisations affiliated to the Association shall form a quorum.

The Council may fill any vacancy that occurs in its personnel, appoint such Committee or Commissions as it may consider necessary, delegate all or any of its powers to any such Committee or Commission of the Council, and make any recommendations for the management of the Association and control of the game as from time to time may be necessary.

12.Expenses. Members of the Council shall be paid their traveling expenses and subsistence allowances as approved by Council.

13.Donations to Charitable Organisations. The Council may, with a view to carrying out the objects of the Association, as set out in Rule 2, apply any balance of the Association's receipts remaining after working expenses have been defrayed, and due provision made for emergency purposes.

14.Investments. The investments of any other property of the Association (other than cash in the Bank on current account, which shall be under the control of the Treasurer), shall be held and vested in two Trustees who shall be elected by Council fromtheir own number (one of whom shall be the Treasurer), and they shall respectively hold office whilst they are members of the Council or Officers of the Association or until resignation, unless previously removed fromoffice of Trustee by a resolution of Council The power of appointing new trustees shall be vested in the Council The Trustees shall, fromtime to time, invest and deal with the funds set aside by the Council for investment as directed by resolution of Council (of which entry in the Minute Book shall be conclusive evidence), and they shall be indemnified against risk and expense out of the funds of the Association.

15.The Annual General Meeting. The Annual General Meeting shall be held on or before the second Saturday in Julyof each year. The venue of this meeting shall alternate fromyear to year between suitable venues in North and South Wales or as decided by Council. The Chief Executive shall give twenty-one days clear notice to the affiliated organisations of the venue, date and the hour of such meeting.

An agenda, specifying the nature of the business to be transacted at the meeting shall accompany the notice.

A printed abstract of the Treasurer's accounts for the year, duly audited by an independent body (appointed by Council) shall be sent to each affiliated organisation at least five days before the Annual General Meeting. The financial year shall end on the 31st May of each year.

16.Election of Patron, President and Vice Presidents. The election of the Patron, President and Vice-Presidents shall take place at the Annual General Meeting.

17.Special Meetings. The Council or the Executive Committee shall have the power at any time to convene a Special General Meeting.

The Chief Executive must convene a Special General Meeting at any time on receiving a request stating the objects of the meeting and signed by two officers from each of not less than five organisations in full membership. Council members will be given 14 days notice of a special General meeting. An agenda of the business to be transacted at such Special Meeting must accompany the notice convening the meeting.

18.Voting. At the Annual General Meeting or any other meeting of full Council, the voting powers shall be vested in the Officers, Councillors and Life Members. Should it be necessary the Chairman shall be allowed a casting vote.

19.International Matches. The Council shall have the right to arrange Under 18 international matches following consultation between the Head of International Department/Under 18 Manager and Officers. Internationals shall be organised under SAFIB regulations and agreements. The Head of International Department/Under 18 Manager will notify all Officers, Council Members, Life Members, FAW members and WFT Chief Executive and Board Members as to the details and protocol of all Under 18 Internationals.

The Chief Executive will notify Officers, Council Members and Life Members with details of Under 16 Internationals organized by the WFT/WSFA partnership. No expenses to be paid for persons attending

Under 18 internationals except for the Chairman, Chief Executive & Staff of the Under 18 Department or others decided by Council