HURLING CLUB OF MADISON
October 22, 2009
Official Club Rules
Below are the Official rules, regulations and procedures (referred herein as “The Official Club Rules”) to be followed by the Hurling Club of Madison (referred herein as “the club”).
Membership and Officers
Membership in the club is open to any individual who meets the following criteria:
(1) Maintains an interest in the game of hurling and the success of the club while, by words and actions, actively demonstrates such interest
(2) Is permitted to join by the General Manager if the individual has never been a member of the club before
(3) Pays the yearly dues for the club, as set by the general manager prior to the start of league play
The club will have a General Manager. The General Manager is responsible for overseeing the operations of the club, planning for the future of the club, assuring other officers are doing their jobs, and ensuring the that club maintains a healthy existence.
The General Manager will be elected at the club meeting held in October of each year, preferably on a date that is after the Midwest Tournament if the Tournament is held that year. The date and time of the year end meeting will be set by the outgoing General Manager. All active members to the club will be notified and invited to attend the year end meeting. At the year end meeting all nominations for the next year’s General Manager will be entertained. If the nomination is seconded by any active member, the nominee will be placed upon a list of nominees. A secret ballot will be conducted and the individual with the most votes will be named the new team General Manager. In the event of a tie, a second secret ballot will be held between those individuals who tied for the most votes. If after a second secret ballot there is still a tie, the outgoing General Manager will decide who, between those who tied for the most votes, will be the next General Manager.
Preferably within 30 days of being elected, the General Manager will contact various members of the club and ask if he will serve as a particular officer. Members may hold multiple offices at the same time, the GM may hold multiple offices at the same time as well. The General Manager must appoint the following officers:
Treasurer
Maintain finances for the club, handle all monies. Plan the budget.
Equipment Manager
Responsible for club owned equipment. Acquiring new equipment for the club. Bring club equipment to events, collecting club equipment afterward.
Coach
Planner and leader of club practices. Update the teamer.net website or other web presence for members to indicate their anticipated participation in practices. Determines what players will be on the travelling team and conducts additional travelling team practices if necessary. Coaches the travelling team games, decides what players will play what positions, and handle game strategies.
Asst. Coach
Take over practices and other coaching duties when coach is not available.
League Coaches
Based upon anticipated number of teams that will participate in league play, the GM will designate a coach for each league team. The league coaches will then hold a draft to pick their teams. League coaches will utilize the teamer web site to notify and keep track of anticipated team participation in league games.
Recruiter
Lead operations to bring in new players. Handle correspondence with potential new players. Train new players until they are ready to join the main group.
Event Coordinator
Handle details of events such as Home and Away Games with other cities, Madison Invitational Tournament, etc.
Fund Raiser
Develop ideas and implement them to raise money for the club.
Public Relations
Get as much press as possible, radio, newspapers, television, internet
Website manager
Develop and update our website as needed. Update all information regarding upcoming events, images, news and other items on the team website.
Field Manager
Locate a field for us.
UW rep.
Work with the UW to get us club status and on U-Bay fields.
Beer Guy
Collect and handle beer money from the club and pick up a case prior to practices as needed and when club funds are available.
Secretary
Record history of club meetings and events.
Prior to the start of league play, the General Manager will set the dues amount for the year and determine how many teams will be playing and what the full amount of players will be on each side during league play. Members must pay dues prior to playing in any league game.
Changing The Official Club Rules
Additions, Redactions, and Alterations to The Official Club Rules may be made pursuant to the following procedure:
1. An active member must ask the General Manager for the opportunity to hold a vote to add, redact or alter a rule.
2. The general manager will determine the best date and time upon which the most members will likely be present and set that date and time to hold a club meeting.
3. At the club meeting all members will hear discussion regarding the proposed change to The Official Club Rules
4. After the discussion a vote will be taken. A member unable to attend the meeting may vote in absentia by emailing the General Manager his or her vote prior to the meeting.
5. At least 10 votes must be cast to deem the vote to change The Official Rules valid
6. At least 75% of the votes tabulated must be in favor of the change for it to go into effect.
Official Rosters for League Play
Each team participating in league play will have an official roster. The official team rosters will be kept by the club’s general manager during that season. The official roster is created through a draft among the team coaches. The official rosters may be changed at anytime with approval by the club’s general manager.
League Game Rules
Unless otherwise modified and formally entered into the Official Club Rules, all league games will be played according to the most current GAA Official Playing Rules for Hurling.
Ejection From Game
First Ejection
If a player is ejected from the game in the last 5 minutes of play he must sit out the first half of the next game that he attends, otherwise there is no further penalty.
Second Ejection
If a player is ejected a second time from a league game within the season or the season’s playoffs, he must sit out the next game that he attends during that season’s league games or playoffs. Note: a player must attend the game and sit on the sidelines and act in a respectful manner in order to deem the suspension served
Third Ejection
If a player is ejected a third time from a league game within the season he may not play any league or playoff games that season
Discipline
If a member’s actions on the field are repeatedly unsafe and outside the rules; or
If a member’s actions are unacceptably confrontational with or disrespectful towards other players, spectators or the refereeing crew; or
If a member of the club violates the confidentiality requirements described below
A formal complaint may be filed verbally or in writing with the club’s general manager and is to be kept confidential. A person issuing a complaint must use the phrase “I am hereby submitting a formal complaint” or something of that nature to clearly communicate that the complaint is something more than general discussion. If the complaint is about the team’s general manager then the complaint is to be presented to the club’s coach and to be kept confidential. The confidentiality of the complaint is not only to be kept private among the officers but also by the complaining member as well.
Once a complaint is filed the general manager, coach, assistant coach and team recruiter shall meet to discuss the credibility of the complaint and determine what discipline, if any, is necessary. If the complaint is made regarding any of the four mentioned officers, then that officer will not be included in the meeting.
After discussion between the officers and investigation as needed is completed, a decision among the meeting officers shall be made regarding discipline. The decision made by the majority of the officers at the meeting shall be the final decision. If an officer chooses not to or is unable to participate in the meeting then he will not be counted when determining whether a majority has been reached. If a majority consensus cannot be reached, the general manager will make a final decision.
Discipline can range from a private warning to lifetime expulsion from the club.
If discipline is deemed appropriate, the general manager will inform the member of the decision. The member being disciplined is not entitled to know who made the complaint however he is entitled to know what the complaint was.
Whether or not discipline is deemed appropriate, the general manager will inform the complaining member of the discipline decision. The complaining member shall keep that discussion confidential.
If discipline that is of a non-private nature is levied upon a member, the general manager will inform the club in a manner he deems most appropriate. A non-private form of discipline need not be kept confidential by anyone.
Delay of start to a game
Games shall start promptly at the scheduled time unless both coaches agree to delay the start time. It shall not be deemed discourteous for one coach to refuse his consent to a delayed start time and it will be deemed a form of disrespect for any member, player or coach to unreasonably protest to any refusal by a coach to grant a request for a delayed start to the game. If there is a subsequent game scheduled to be played on the same field that will have a delayed start time as a result, the start of the game may not be started more than 15 minutes late unless the coaches agree to shorten the playing time, shorten the half-time break, or otherwise make arrangements to ensure that the start of the subsequent game is not delayed by more than 15 minutes. If both coaches from the subsequent game are amenable to starting the subsequent game late by more than 15 minutes then the above described shortening of the halftime break or playing time need not be followed.
Tie games
At the end of regulation, if a game is tied, the teams will play two more 5 minute overtime halves with the teams changing sides and taking a 5 minute break in between halves. If the game remains tied after overtime then the game shall be ruled a draw unless the game is a playoff game. If a playoff game remains tied after overtime, a replay of the entire game shall be scheduled on a date and time agreeable to opposing coaches but is not to be delayed more than 7 days. If opposing coaches cannot agree on a date and time to play the replay match, the date and time of the replay match will be set by the club’s general manager. A team may utilize all eligible players on its official roster in the replay game, whether or not the player played in the playoff game that is being replayed. Any player that sits out of a playoff game that ends in a tie requiring a re-play of the match shall be treated, as it relates to eligibility and determination of whether he is to be credited for sitting out the game, as he would if the playoff game had not ended in a tie.
Teams with limited players
The full amount of players that teams will play during league play shall be 9 players vs. 9 players unless otherwise set by the general manager at the start of that year’s league. The full amount of players may be increased by agreement of the coaches of the teams at the start of the game. A team may begin its game with as few as 8 players. If by the time a game is scheduled to start (or by its delayed start time if such a delayed start time is arranged as described above) a team cannot field 8 players from its official roster then the team forfeits the match. At that time a scrimmage, with the short team using non-roster players, borrowed players, or the teams playing each other with fewer players (such as 7 v. 7), may be played between the teams if the coaches choose however the result of the scrimmage will not be deemed an official league game. If neither team can field 8 players when the game is to begin, it is a draw or, if it is a playoff game, the game must be rescheduled as if it were a re-play match described above.
If a team is unable to field a team of 8 at any time after the game begins (due to injury, ejection, or otherwise) then that team must forfeit the match.
One team’s inability to field the full amount of players does not mean an opposing team that is able to field the full amount of players must play with less than the full amount of players.