OFC - Ontario Football Conference

1. The organization shall be known as the Ontario Football Conference (hereinafter referred to as the O.F.C.).

2. The O.F.C. shall be a member of the Canadian Junior Football League (hereinafter referred to as the C.J.F.L.).

3. The O.F.C. shall affiliate itself with other organizations (hereinafter referred to as “Member Teams)

as decided by the Membership, for the benefit of football in Ontario.

ARTICLE 2: MEMBERSHIP

1. The O.F.C. shall be comprised of Member Teams from Ontario and such other areas as approved by the membership at the annual general meeting.

2. Membership of the Conference shall be as approved at the annual general meeting.

3. The procedure for application for membership in the O.F.C. shall be:

(1)             The filling of a formal application for membership by the intended member by November 30.

(2) Contents of the application shall include:

(a) designation of individuals or corporation making application

(b) satisfactory proof of financial responsibility of the applicant for membership

(c) satisfactory evidence of the availability of a satisfactory playing facility.

(3) A non-refundable application fee of $1500.

(4) All applications for membership complying with the terms herein shall be circulated among the Member Teams at least 30 days prior to the annual general meeting. The application shall be presented at the annual general meeting of the O.F.C. and be voted upon.

4. In order to continue as a member in good standing in the O.F.C., the Member Team shall:

(1) Attend the Annual General Meeting of the O.F.C.

(2)             Present a cheque at the Annual General Meeting of the O.F.C. to cover the annual assessment to the Treasurer.

(3)             Submit to the President at the Annual General Meeting the name, address, personal and business telephone numbers of the following Member Team Officials:

President; Vice-President; Secretary; Treasurer; Team Manager

(4)             Each Member Team must appoint two official Conference representatives. The Team Manager shall be one member. The other representative must be a member of the Member Team’s Executive. No Member Team’s voting representative shall be a member of that Member Team’s coaching staff.

(5)             All members shall comply with the Constitution and By-laws of the O.F.C.

5. Associate Membership

An associate member is a non-voting member of the O.F.C. who is connected in the mind or the imagination of the O.F.C. for the mutual benefit of both parties in promoting football.

i.                An individual team must apply for associate membership through their respective division (i.e. Varsity Division).

ii.              An associate member division application must have at least four (4) participating teams.

iii.             Associate membership is only for a maximum of two years. Should the associate member not apply for full membership status by the end of the two years, they must re-apply for Associate Membership status or be affiliated with one of the existing junior teams.

iv.             Associate membership applications must be in writing to the O.F.C. by November 30 of any given year. The successful application would be for the playing season(s) following said application.

v.               An associate Member Team or Division may have a representative attend the O.F.C. Annual General Meeting (hereinafter known as the A.G.M.). Associate members do not have voting privileges.

vi.             Any annual associate membership dues are to be determined at the O.F.C.’s A.G.M. Associate Member Organizations must pay a one-time application fee of $1500.

vii.            An associate member shall have no rights or obligations under the O.F.C. rules and by-laws other than as prescribed by this article.

ARTICLE 3: O.F.C. EXECUTIVE

1. The O.F.C. Executive shall be composed of:

1.               President

2.               Vice-President(s)

3.               Past President

4.               Secretary

5.               Treasurer

2. The membership shall elect at the A.G.M. the following officials of the league:

1. President

2.       Vice-President –Operations

3. The executive shall appoint at the Annual General Meeting the following officials of the league:

1. Registrar

2.      Media Coordinator

3.      Referee-in-Chief

4.      Secretary

5.      Treasurer

6.      Chief Statistician

7.      Medical Coordinator

8.      Vice-President Development (President of the Varsity Division)

ARTICLE 4: DUTIES OF THE EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND APPOINTED POSITIONS

1. President

1)              shall convene, attend and chair all meetings of the O.F.C.

2)              shall provide leadership in the development of the O.F.C.

3)              shall be the voting member of the O.F.C. at all C.J.F.L. meetings.

4)              shall appoint a chairman for the nominating committee.

5)              shall be an ex-officio member of all standing or special committees.

6)              shall be the liaison between the O.F.C. and the C.J.F.L., C.F.L., Ontario Football Alliance, Football Canada and Ministries of the Federal and Provincial Governments and any other bodies that are deemed necessary from time to time by the O.F.C. Executive.

2. Vice-President(s)

1) They shall assist the President in all aspects of his/her duties. The executive shall appoint one of the Vice-Presidents to fill the office of the President in the event that the President is absent from a particular meeting or the President is unable to complete his/her terms of office.

2)     They shall fulfill such other duties as are assigned by the President.

The First Vice-President (Vice-President Operations) will assist with all matters/operations pertaining to the health of the athlete, equipment considerations, doping education and act as a compliance officer in all of these matters. He/she will also assist with media and communications. He/she will also sit on the disciplinary committee.

The Second Vice-President (Vice-President Development) will assist with all matters pertaining to expansion of the league, coaching certification and the development of coaches and athletes. He/she will act as liaison with the CFL development camps. He/she will be President of the Varsity division of the O.F.C.

3. Past President

1)     shall attend all O.F.C. meetings.

2)     shall be available to the President or his designate if required in all matters concerning the O.F.C.

3)     shall fulfill such other duties as are assigned by the President.

4)     shall prepare the league schedule on an annual basis and act as play-off Convener

5)     shall arrange the awards for the O.F.C. All-Stars and Outstanding Players/Coach

6)     shall sit as Chair of the Discipline Committee

7)     shall preside over the All-Star and Outstanding Players/Coach voting

4. Secretary

1) shall keep minutes of each O.F.C. meeting.

2) shall forward all pertinent communications to the Member Team representatives.

3) shall conduct correspondence on behalf of the O.F.C.

4) shall fulfill such other duties as are assigned by the President.

5)      shall assist with all recording functions of the league such as Referee-in-Chief, Statistician and Registrar.

5. Treasurer

1)      shall keep the financial accounts of the O.F.C. and prepare an annual operating statement and assist with the budget.

2)      Shall manage the insurance coverage for the league’s players, coaches, trainers and Conference Executives

3) shall fulfill such other duties as are assigned by the President.

6. Registrar

1)        shall register players as required by the C.J.F.L. and as prescribed in the By-laws and current

minutes of the O.F.C.

2) shall fulfill such other duties as are assigned by the President.

7. Statistician

1) shall prepare the statistics required by the O.F.C.

2) shall circulate Conference statistics to all divisions of the media and other interested people.

3)      shall assist with the annual league schedule and shall assist with the All-Star and Outstanding Player’s/Coach voting.

4) shall update the O.F.C. website as needed.

5)     shall assist in educating team statisticians.

6)     shall attend and coordinate the statisticians at all Conference Championship games.

7) shall perform other duties as assigned by the President.

8. Supervisor of Officiating

1) shall appoint game officials for each scheduled O.F.C. contest.

2) shall attend as many league games as possible and shall submit a

written report to the President outlining his concerns if necessary.

3) shall be the official liaison between the officials’ organizations and the O.F.C. Executive.

4) shall fulfill such other duties as are assigned by the President.

5) shall sit on the Disciplinary Committee .

7)     shall make recommendation for traveling officials to Inter-Conference games and recommend league assistance to anyone wishing to learn to become a referee.

9. Media Coordinator

1) shall produce and distribute all O.F.C. media releases plus game and weekly statistics to the

appropriate media.

2) shall, with the O.F.C. chief statistician, choose the O.F.C. Players of the Week.

3) shall distribute the O.F.C. and, if necessary, the C.J.F.L. Player of the Week Certificates

to the O.F.C. recipients.

4) shall, when possible, interview and photograph O.F.C. Players of the Week for distribution

to the media and posting on the O.F.C. website.

5) shall assist with the O.F.C. All-Star and Outstanding Players/Coach award voting and the

immediate release of the results to the appropriate media.

6)      shall maintain and update www.ofcfootball.com as necessary.

7)      shall attend and coordinate the media at all conference Championship games.

8)      shall fulfill such other duties as are assigned by the President.

10. Medical Coordinator

1)         shall be responsible for promoting the health of the athlete by ensuring all teams have adequate medical staff (minimum first responder), an emergency action plan and adequate injury forms, particularly for serious injuries.

2)         shall be responsible for monitoring doping education for the athlete, coaches and trainers.

3)         shall assist in monitoring equipment standards and submitting suggestions for rule changes as they pertain to player safety issues to the Referee-in-Chief.

11. Committee Chairs/Members-at-Large

1)           shall be appointed from time to time by the Executive of the O.F.C.

2)           shall assume the responsibility and have the authority to carry out the requirements of their assignments.

3)           Shall report directly to the President of the O.F.C. or his designate.

ARTICLE 5–MEETINGS

(1) The Annual General Meeting of the O.F.C. shall take place in February each year.

(2) Special, General and Executive meetings shall be called by the President at his discretion.

(3) The fiscal year shall be the calendar year.

(4) Each Member Team Representative shall receive in writing at least two weeks in advance the date, time and

location of each meeting.

(5) A Special General Meeting shall be called when 50% of the Member Teams request same from the

President and, failing the President calling the meeting, the Secretary shall give notice of the meeting at the

instance of the said 50% of Member Teams.

(6) A Quorum at an Annual or General Meeting shall consist of a representative from a minimum of 2/3 of the

Member Teams.

(7) A Quorum at an Executive Meeting shall consist of 3 members of the Executive.

(8) At a General Meeting, other than the Annual General Meeting, a member may cast a ballot for one proxy

only.

ARTICLE 6–ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

At all Annual General Meetings of the O.F.C. the following shall be the order of business:

1)              Registration of Delegates

2)              Reading of Minutes

3)              Business arising from Minutes

4)              Treasurer’s report

5)              Membership

6)              Report of the C.J.F.L.

7)              Report of Officials appointed by the Executive

8)              Report of Committees

9)              Unfinished Business

10)            Amendments to Constitution and By-laws

11)            Election of Officers

12)            Appointments

13)            New Business

14)            Adjournment

ARTICLE 7–VOTING

(1) At a meeting, a member of the Executive may vote on any matter involving the Constitution. On all other matters no member of the executive may vote except the President shall vote in the event of a tie vote of the membership in order to break the tie.

(2) All votes at any meeting shall be taken by a show of hands and recorded if so requested.

(3) Each Member Team of the O.F.C. shall declare, at the beginning of each meeting, the one member who

shall be the voting member during the sessions.

(4) A proxy shall be in writing and shall state the name of the holder and shall be presented to the Secretary for recording prior to the commencement of the meeting.

ARTICLE 8–AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS

(1) The Constitution may be amended by a 2/3 vote of the total voting members who are present at the Annual General Meeting.

(2) By-laws may be amended or instituted only by a majority of the voting members attending an Annual or General Meeting.

(3) Proposals to amend the Constitution, amend By-laws or institute new By-laws shall be submitted, in writing, to the Secretary four (4) weeks prior to the Annual or General Meeting and distributed to the full membership two (2) weeks prior to the meeting.

ARTICLE 9–SIGNING OFFICERS

(1) The President, Vice-President(s) and the Treasurer are authorized to sign cheques in the name of the O.F.C. Each cheque shall require two signatures, one of which shall be the treasurer. A designate, agreed to by the teams, may be authorized to sign cheques.

(2) The President and the Treasurer are authorized to execute contracts and other legal documentation in the operation of the O.F.C.

ARTICLE 10—POLICIES

The O.F.C. has developed and/or adopted the following policies:

Privacy Policy—describes the manner in which the O.F.C. shall adhere to all relevant legislative privacy requirements of the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

Code of Ethics & Conduct—describes a series of ethics and conduct that have been developed to guide the O.F.C. members and employees both organizationally and individually in the performance of their duties and activities.

Harassment & Abuse Policy—sets out the principles and practices regarding harassment and abusive behaviour towards participants and applies to all employees, directors, officers, volunteers, coaches, athletes, officials and members of the O.F.C.