By-Laws

Wilson Youth Soccer Association Bylaws

ARTICLE I: NAME

The name of the organization shall be the Wilson Youth Soccer Association, hereafter referred to as WYSA.

ARTICLE II: PURPOSE

The purpose of the WYSA is to provide our youth with a soccer program which will instruct them in the skills and strategies of the game, sportsmanship and fair play, and which will promote the health and physical welfare of all participants.

WYSA is affiliated with Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association (EPYSA), and its affiliated youth soccer leagues including and not limited to the Blue Mountain Youth Soccer League (BMYSL). Through these affiliations, WYSA becomes an officially sanctioned youth soccer program for the Wilson Area School District. WYSA is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

ARTICLE III PARTICIPATION

SECTION 1. YOUTH PARTICIPANTS Are registered players under the age of 19. They shall

submit an application to the Registrar in the format prescribed by WYSA. A fee

established by, and payable to, the WYSA shall accompany all applications, with the

exception of players on financial hardship or scholarship who must still submit an

application. Acceptance by the WYSA shall constitute approval of the application

provided space is available on a team for the player and the player fully registers within the

given deadline. All youth participants must abide by the Code of Conduct document.

SECTION 2. ADULT PARTICIPANTS Are registered adults who are officers, coaches,

managers, and other elected or appointed administrators who volunteer on behalf of the

WYSA. Acceptance of Adult Participants by the WYSA shall be subject to approval of the

application and verification of eligibility via WYSA’s Background Check. Adult participants must be 18 years of age or older and must abide by the Code of Conduct document.

SECTION 3. REGISTRATION REQUIREMENT Every player, coach, assistant coach, team

manager, club officer, Board Member, and volunteer who acts as an official representative of the WYSA must be registered with the Club.

ARTICLE IV MEMBERSHIP

Any Person with interest in the purpose of this club shall be eligible for membership. Active Members attend at least 4 Board meetings in a rolling 12-month period and volunteer with the WYSA in a 12-month period. Active members may vote on routine club business.  Criteria for membership shall be as follows: 

• Adult, 18 years old or older

• A resident of the Wilson Area SD

• A parent/guardian of a student in the Wilson Area SD 

ARTICLE V: THE Board

SECTION 1. The Board will consist of no more than eleven members, including the

Officers. Each Board Member will be an officer or head at least one standing committee.  A quorum of at least 5 Board Members needs to be in attendance in order to conduct business. Criteria for Board Members voting shall be as follows: 

• Adult, 18 years old or older 

• A resident of the Wilson Area SD

• A parent/guardian of a student in the Wilson Area SD 

SECTION 2. The term of a Board Member is one (1) year, from November to the following November. If any Board Member does not complete his or her term, the Board may elect a new member to complete the term. The opening will be advertised. Candidates should be present and prepared to discuss their qualifications at the next Board meeting. The Board will elect by majority vote for

the replacement.

SECTION 3. A Board Member may run for re-election every year, for a maximum of 9 years and may serve as an Officer for a maximum of 5 years. 

SECTION 4. All Board Members (including the President) have one vote and are expected to exercise that vote, abstaining only on the grounds of financial involvement or immediate family relationship resulting in conflict of interest. In the event of the above conflict, the Board Member is required to abstain. In the case of a tie, the Officers will have the final vote.

SECTION 5. Board Members are required to attend all meetings.

If unable to attend, a Board Member must notify another Board Member prior to the meeting.

If a Board Member misses 3 consecutive Board meetings or 4 meetings in a calendar year, the Board may vote to dismiss that member.

SECTION 6. Board Members may be dismissed for behavior and actions not in the best

interest of the youth participants, or in the best interest of WYSA following the review

process as outlined in ARTICLE XII SECTION 4. 

ARTICLE VI: OFFICERS

SECTION 1. The Officers of the WYSA shall be the President, Vice President, Treasurer,

Secretary, and Registrar.

SECTION 2. The President shall preside at all meetings and be obligated to execute all

decisions of the Board. The President shall supervise all activities of the Club and Board. The President shall be the presiding Officer at all Club meetings. The President shall appoint committees as needed or when charged to do so by a majority of the elected officers and shall be a member of all committees. The President shall be the official representative of the Club in all interactions with the public, except when another person has been given that authority by the President with the approval of the Board.

SECTION 3. The Vice President shall perform the duties of the President in the absence

of the President or upon his or her resignation. The Vice President shall preside over clearances and background checks to support the Coaching Committee and shall perform other duties as needed. 

SECTION 4. The Treasurer shall perform the duties of the President or the Vice President in their absence. The Treasurer shall give a complete financial report at each regular meeting. The Treasurer shall maintain the WYSA bank account and shall keep a careful and accurate record of all monies received and expensed. The Treasurer shall be responsible to accurately keep his/her own records and be able to furnish them upon request. The Treasurer shall receive, disburse, and account for all funds which shall be kept in a bank designated by the Officers and shall disclose and report monthly statements. The Treasurer has the right to approve all unbudgeted items less than $100, but cannot exceed $500 in a 6-month span. The Treasurer shall Preside over the Finance Committee.

SECTION 5. The Secretary shall perform the duties of the President or the Vice President in their absence and the absence of the Treasurer. In the case of this happening the Secretary will appoint someone to take the meeting minutes or appoint someone else to run the meeting. The secretary shall take the roll and record the minutes at each meeting. The minutes will be ready to review no later than 7 days after the meeting.

SECTION 6. The Registrar shall organize and coordinate all procedures for player registration and maintain the club’s database. The Registrar and Treasurer shall maintain accurate payments and refunds within the club’s database. The Blue Mountain Commissioner(s) and the Registrar will ensure rosters are submitted to the league.

SECTION 7. The Officers shall be elected annually at the November Board meeting. The Board shall elect the officers by a majority vote. The officer nominee must be an Active Member of the WYSA.

SECTION 8. The term of office is one year and officers may seek re-election for a maximum of 5 years.

SECTION 9. No more than one person from the same household shall serve as an Officer on

the WYSA Board at the same time.

ARTICLE VII: ELECTIONS

SECTION 1. Nominations will be accepted at the October meeting for all Board positions

and Officer positions.

SECTION 2. Elections shall be held annually by vote at the November meeting.

SECTION 3. Voting Members consist of all active club members as outlined in Article IV. 

ARTICLE VIII: COMMITTEES

Special committees shall be appointed for any purpose, and shall consist of as many Board or Active members as the President may direct. A committee is created for a specific purpose and automatically goes out of existence when its work is done or there is no longer a need for that committee.

ARTICLE IX: MEETINGS

SECTION 1. January through December meetings will be on the first Monday after the first Thursday of the month. In the months of February, March, July, and August, a second meeting will occur to prepare for the upcoming season. The Officers reserves the right to cancel or reschedule a meeting. 

SECTION 2. The President may call for an emergency meeting provided it is publicly advertised.

SECTION 3. The BMYSL Commissioner shall attend all league meetings and report communications from such meetings to WYSA. In the absence of the BMYSL Commissioner, the appointed alternate shall attend said meetings.

ARTICLE X: COACHES

SECTION 1. The Coaching Committee, President, and Vice President shall make all decisions on appointment, evaluation, and retention of coaches.

SECTION 2. Individuals volunteering to serve as coaches will be evaluated, then accepted or rejected

pending receipt of their police and child abuse, background checks, and FBI Clearances or waiver. Accepted coaches must complete any required training by EPSYA/BMYSL prior to the start of any training sessions with their assigned team.

SECTION 3. Coaches must adhere to and enforce the Code of Conduct prescribed by WYSA and its affiliated leagues.

SECTION 4. Head coaches shall be 21 years of age or older.  Assistant coaches under the age of 18, shall be considered for team assignment by the Coaches Committee, President, and Vice President. The total number of coaches on a team is at the discretion of the head coach, Coaching Committee, President, and Vice President.  In accordance with league rules, the head coach will determine which coach will assist on the bench during games. 

SECTION 5. Coaches may become certified voluntarily. With Board approval, the cost of the certification course would be reimbursed by the WYSA upon course completion and coaching for the WYSA for a minimum of two Fall seasons.

SECTION 6. Coaches must be present and in control of all practices and games. No team game,

scheduled practice, or scheduled activity can be conducted without a coach present.

SECTION 7. The Board reserves the right to dismiss a coach at any time following a Board review process, as outlined in ARTICLE XII SECTION IV. 

SECTION 8. Coaches (or a Team Representative) are encouraged to attend WYSA Board

meetings.

ARTICLE XI: TEAMS

SECTION 1. Teams are determined by WYSA Board or Board-appointed designee and coaches. Once rosters have been finalized, players may not be moved unless necessary and must have Board approval.

SECTION 2. Players are encouraged to register for an age-appropriate team based on birth date. Any player that chooses to register for a team above their age-appropriate group can be evaluated and moved to their age-appropriate team at the discretion of the Board.  These decisions will be made on a case by case basis with input from the coaches.  Following each season's registration period, players may be asked to change their age group based on need and must have Board approval. 

SECTION 3. In the fall season, any player who wishes to play on the A-Team should complete an evaluation by an independent evaluator, WYSA coach, then approved by the Board.

SECTION 4. The WYSA reserves the need to double roster players. This will be done at the direction of the President, Registrar, and the coaches involved for the particular teams that may not have enough players to play during a regular season game. Players will be double rostered based on ability and parent permission. It is understood that players will play with their primary team should there be a conflict in schedules. Primary team is to be considered the team at which the player has been assigned to at the beginning of the season. Players who are doubled rostered are, for the sole purpose to help in situations when the need arises, not as a secondary team to gain further exposure with the sport. Coaches must ensure the playing time of secondary players will not exceed the playing time of primary players. 

ARTICLE XII: COMPLAINT PROCEDURES

SECTION 1. Parents are encouraged to approach the coaching staff directly or via direct email with concerns. Coaches are not to be approached during or immediately after games. 

SECTION 2. If not satisfied, parents should notify the Board who will designate a Parent/Player Representative who shall mediate “the concern” with the coach in order to resolve the problem.

SECTION 3. If no resolution is made, the Board will review the complaint (in a closed-door session) using the following procedure:

1.       Fact-Finding: Individually interview all parties with pertinent information.

2.       Review collected information as a Board.

3.       Determine an outcome or ruling by majority vote.

4.       Notify primary parties affected.

ARTICLE XIII: LEGACY AWARD CRITERIA (Formerly the Service Award)

SECTION 1. Legacy Award will be presented annually at the conclusion of the fall season.

SECTION 2. In order for players to earn a Legacy Award they must:

• Have participated in 5 or 10 fall soccer seasons. The 5 or 10 Fall seasons start with in-house up to u19 and will receive the award upon completion of the 5th or 10th Fall season.

• It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian(s) to notify a WYSA Board Member via email that they believe their child has met the criteria to receive the award.

ARTICLE XIV: DONATIONS

The Board may vote to give a monetary donation or gift to a volunteer within the WYSA community. The amount of the monetary donation will not be greater than $100.00 unless the donation is for hardships due to family needs, death of a family member, or natural disaster. Monetary donations may also be given to recognize service above and beyond.

ARTICLE XV: WYSA SCHOLARSHIP FUND

SECTION 1. WYSA will deliver a scholarship to eligible graduating high school players. The fund will

consist of two scholarships totaling $2,000:  One for $1,000.00 to a male player, and one for $1,000.00 to a female player. 

SECTION 2. Scholarship Guidelines:

• Applicants must have participated in at least three fall seasons for the WYSA. 

• Applicants must be residing within the limits of the Wilson Area School District their entire senior year of high school. (Not necessarily graduating from Wilson Area High School).

• Applicants must type a 500-word essay about his/her experience while playing for the WYSA.

• Deadline for application submission will be March 31st.

ARTICLE XVI: SURPLUS FUNDS

It is hereby stated that WYSA prohibits the use of any surplus funds for private inurement to any person in the event of a sale or dissolution of the institution. In the event of dissolution of the WYSA, all monies are to revert to the Wilson Council Board.

ARTICLE XVII: BACKGROUND CLEARANCES

All volunteers that will have access to players i.e. Board Members, coaches, and team managers must have all background clearances completed by PA State Law every five years: PA State Police Criminal Check, PA Child Abuse History Clearance, and FBI Federal Criminal History Background Check, or 10 year waiver, if resident of Pennsylvania. 

ARTICLE XVIII: AMENDMENTS OF BY-LAWS

The BY-LAWS will be reviewed in their entirety every three years or if someone requests a review. Changes to the by-laws may be affected after motion, second, discussion, and tabling for 30 days to allow for public review and comment. After the 30-day period the vote shall be called and must receive a 2/3 Board majority to pass and amend.

Revisions and Readings:

• Revised November 16, 2007 Revised January 22, 2011 Revised January 22, 2011. 

• 1st Reading - December 5, 2007 1st Reading - October 5, 2009 1st Reading - October 19,

2009 2nd Reading - January 7, 2008 2nd Reading - November 9, 2009 2nd Reading - November 9, 2009 3rd Reading - February 11, 2008 3rd Reading - December 7, 2009 3rd Reading - December 7, 2009

• Revised January 22, 2011 *Revised August 24, 2015 **Revised July 8,2018 1st Reading- October 25, 2010 1st Reading - May 11, 2015 1st Reading - April 9, 2018 2nd Reading- November 8, 2010 2nd Reading - July 6, 2015 2nd Reading - May 14, 2018 3rd Reading - December 6, 2010 3rd Reading - July 20, 2015 3rd reading - June 11, 2018

• Revised October, 2019: 1st Reading - Nov. 25, 2019; 2nd Reading - Dec 9, 2019; 3rd  Reading - Jan 6, 2020. 

• Revised May 12, 2025; Revised May 19, 2025;  1st  Public Reading - June 9th; 2nd Public Reading - August 11