Stratford Girls Hockey Association
CONSTITUTION
June 7, 2023
ARTICLE 1: Name
This organization shall be known as the Stratford Girls Hockey Association, herein
referred to as SGHA.
ARTICLE 2: The Colours
The colors of the SGHA shall be Red, White with Blue accents.
· Team Winds Suits shall be red
· Team Jackets can be either red or black
· Other clothing shall be combinations of all three colors.
· Colour considerations should not be applied to player provided on ice equipment
such as, but not limited to, helmets, gloves or pants.
ARTICLE 3: Objective
The objectives of the Stratford Girls Hockey Association are:
a) To promote good sportsmanship, team play and good citizenship amongst the
participants, Coaches, officials, Parents and supporters.
b) To maintain and increase the interest in the game of Women’s hockey.
c) To have and exercise a general care, supervision and direction over the playing
interest of its teams and Players in accordance with the standards and playing rules as
defined by the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association and Hockey Canada.
ARTICLE 4: Affiliation
SGHA will be affiliated with Ontario Women’s Hockey Association and Hockey Canada
and will abide by the rules and regulations of the both organizations.
ARTICLE 5: The Membership
Membership to this Association shall be made up of:
a) Board of Directors
b) Members, consisting of:
i. Registered Players
ii. Parents/Guardians listed on Registration sheets in good
standing
iii. Approved Coaches, Trainers and Managers in good
standing
ARTICLE 6: The Board of Directors
The SGHA Board of Directors shall carry out the duties described in the constitution.
The Board shall be responsible for organizing, administrating and planning for the
SGHA. They shall conduct the business of the SGHA in a manner deemed in the best
interest of the Association and have the authority to suspend and/or discipline any
Coach, manager, Trainer, Players or other official connected to the SGHA.
The Board shall consist of the following Directors:
a) President
b) Past President
c) Vice President
d) League Liaison
e) Treasurer
f) Registrar
g) Ice Scheduler
h) Tournament Director(s) (2)
i) Players/Coach Development
j) Secretary
k) Equipment Manager
l) Webmaster/Social Media Director
m) Directors at Large (6)
n) Special Events Coordinator
o) Sponsorship/Public Relations
p) Rep Convener
ARTICLE 7: Elections & Appointments
a) All positions except for the Director of Players/Coach Development (appointed by
the Board), are to be elected at the Annual General Meeting and shall hold office for a
term at minimum.
b) The following positions should hold a minimum of 2 year terms at a minimum:
President, Vice President, Treasurer, Registrar, Ice Scheduler/Webmaster.
c) Any current term Board of Directors Member can resign on the day of the AGM for
the purpose of running for another vacant position.
d) The term of office of the SGHA Board of Directors will commence immediately
following the adjournment of the annual general meeting in June and will continue until
adjournment of the annual general meeting in June the following year.
e) A person may hold one or more of the above listed positions but that person will be
limited to one vote.
f) The President shall only vote in the case of a tie.
Qualifications for Appointments:
1. To qualify for positions of President, Vice President, Treasurer, Ice
Scheduler/Webmaster, or Registrar a candidate must have served on
the Board for the year preceding the AGM at which candidate is
seeking election.
2. To qualify for any other position on the Board of Directors, the
candidate must have been a member of the Association for the year
preceding the AGM at which candidate is seeking election.
3. Any exception can be made to the above rules by necessity, if no
candidate running for a position mentioned has the minimum years of
experience.
ARTICLE 8: Duties of the Board of Directors
The President shall:
(a) oversee the overall operation of the Association.
(b) plan the future direction of the Association.
(c) preside at all meetings of the Association with all the usual duties and privileges.
(d) call all meetings of the Association as deemed necessary.
(e) represent SGHA to the OWHA and has voting privileges for SGHA.
(f) the President shall attend the annual OWHA AGM meeting or designate another
Board member to attend.
(g) have cosigning authority of all cheques along with the Treasurer.
(h) meet with the Stratford Referee's Association pre-season.
(i) ensure all duties of the executive members are fulfilled properly.
(j) be responsible for the complete well being and operation of the Association.
(k) only vote in the event of a tie, in order to break the tie.
The Immediate Past President shall:
a) Assist in / and oversee the transition from one year’s Board of Directors to the next
year’s Board of Directors.
b) Will have a vote in all meetings, but if absent will not be part of quorum.
c) This position is at the leisure of the current Board and shall be voted in.
The Vice President shall:
(a) act in the absence of the President.
(b) assume the duties of the President, if the President resigns.
(c) organize the AGM, agenda and be responsible for appointing election officials.
(d) submit a slate of officers for the election at the Annual Meeting.
(e) have cosigning authority of all cheques along with the Treasurer.
(f) oversee the Risk Management Program.
(g) act as coordinator of the House League and Rep Conveners, and shall assist the
conveners as necessary.
(h) attend all disciplinary hearings for Coaches, Players, and Parents.
The League Liaison shall:
(a) represent SGHA at the Stratford Minor Sports Council (SMSC), Women’s Ontario
Girls hockey league. (WOGHL)
(b) attend meetings for WOGHL, and the Stratford Minor Sports Council.
(c) serve as liaison between all affiliated leagues and the Board of Directors.
The Treasurer shall:
(a) be responsible to provide support and advise the board on finances of the Association
(b) Collect all payment requests & invoices, verify and pay these requests in a timely matter
(c) keep accurate records of all financial transactions of the Association.
(d) submit a report at all Board of Director Meetings.
(e) have cosigning authority of all cheques along with the President and Vice President.
(f) prepare year-end financials by last Board meeting prior to AGM for review, and
present at the AGM.
(g) prepare preseason draft budget for organization. Finalize based on boards feedback and approval
(h) receive an honorarium to be set by the Executive
The Registrar shall:
(a) be responsible to register all Players within the Association to OWHA, LLFHL and
WOGHL.
(b) attend or appoint persons to attend rep tryouts, and collect rep tryout fees.
(c) be the liaison with OWHA regarding all registration issues.
(d) attend or appoint persons to attend the Parent Rep meeting in the spring to collect
registration payments.
(e) keep files of registered Players and submit changes to OWHA as they arise.
The Ice Scheduler shall:
a) be responsible for the scheduling of appropriate amount of games and practices
for all teams within the Association.
b) be responsible for scheduling of referees for all home games of the Association.
c) receive an honorarium to be set by the Executive.
d) attend League Scheduling Meetings.
e) be the contact with the City of Stratford Master Ice Scheduler.
f) be responsible for scheduling all timekeepers for all league games.
The Webmaster/Social Media Director shall:
a) be responsible for maintaining the Aces website
b) ensure all teams post scores and news articles on the website and newspaper for sponsorship recognition
c) submit ads to the local media re: tryouts and registration deadlines
d) control and maintain all social media accounts
The Secretary shall:
a) keep accurate minutes of all meetings of the Association and distribute to all Board
of Directors.
b) Ensure all minutes are posted on the Aces website in the Board of Directors portal.
c) be responsible for collecting criminal record checks from the conveners and ensure
Coaching staff has proper certifications.
d) respond to any correspondence as directed by the Association.
e) notify all Executive Members as to the time and date of all meetings.
f) book the facilities for all meetings
g) update the Constitution and policies on the Aces website as necessary.
The Players/Coach Development shall:
a) provide all Coaches with resources on hockey strategies and drills.
b) oversee the Coach’s selection committee for all teams and present the chosen
coaches to the Board prior to finalization.
c) review all Coach's evaluations and mid-season reviews.
d) coordinate the training of Coaches and Players through the use of appropriate
clinics and strategies.
The Special Events Coordinator shall:
a) organize the annual Aces Day, Aces Tournament.
b) provide press releases to the media as necessary.
c) assist with tournament - Parent volunteer schedules.
d) Organize and run “try girls hockey day” annually.
The Tournament Director(s) shall: (2 Directors)
a) organize and convene the annual Aces tournament
The Equipment Manager shall:
a) manage equipment for the full year including the off season.
b) recommend to the Board the equipment needed.
c) purchase equipment authorized by the Board.
d) arrange for all handling, storage, repairing and cleaning of equipment.
e) keep a documented inventory of all equipment owned by the Association and
update on a regular basis.
The Sponsorship/Public Relations shall:
a) coordinate with the equipment manager regarding sweater sponsorship printing or
other means of sponsorship advertising.
b) be responsible for securing team sponsorships by September 1st, collecting
sponsorships and providing team pictures to the sponsors as well as sending thank you
letters to all sponsors.
c) organize a photographer and ensure that all teams have pictures completed.
d) promote and advertise registration and special events.
The Rep Convener shall:
a) act as a liaison between rep Coaches, Players, and Parents and the Board of
Directors.
b) be responsible to understand rules and regulations of the OWHA and any
other affiliated leagues as they apply to Rep teams.
c) be present at all team orientation meetings, monitor tryouts and evaluations,
and if requested by the Coaching staff, otherwise the Coaching staff can note
the Rep Convener at the Parent meeting if they have any concerns.
d) obtain approval from the executive with the planned agenda.
The Director(s) at large shall: -
a) There will be a maximum of six positions per year.
b) Participate in Board of Director Meetings
c) Represent the league with the membership.
d) Assist with other positions as necessary.
e) Participate on subcommittees as deemed necessary.
ARTICLE 9 – MEETINGS
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
a) The Annual General Meeting shall be held during the month of June each year.
b) A notice of this meeting must be published on the SGHA website at least thirty (30)
days prior to the date of the meeting.
c) New members who wish to stand for a Board position must submit their name no
later than 14 days prior to the AGM to the Vice President.
d) If a Board position is vacant at the AGM the Board will accept nominations for
vacant Board positions.
e) Any constitution changes must be submitted 14 days prior to the AGM and they will
be placed on our website.
f) Each Parent is entitled to one vote at the AGM for every child they have registered
with SGHA. You must attend the AGM in order to vote and you must be over 18 in order
to vote at the AGM.
g) Agenda for the AGM includes: Minutes of the previous meeting, Financial Report,
Presidents Report, Correspondence relating to AGM, Constitution Amendments, New
Business, Election of Officers
g) Conflict of Interest: Any member of the Board will declare that he/she has a
conflict of interest wherever they or one of their family members is directly or
indirectly involved in a matter before the committee/Board of Directors of which they
are a member. If the member does not declare a conflict, another member has the
discretion to declare the said person in conflict with proof and approval of the Board
of Directors. Once the conflict of interest has been declared, the said member may
not vote on any resolution to approve the matter in question.
Monthly Meetings
a) The regular Board meetings of SGHA will be held monthly during the hockey
season, or as needed as determined by the President.
b) Meetings may also be called at the request of three Board members.
c) Meetings may be held at any location as deemed by the Board.
d) All Board members will be notified of all meetings by the Secretary.
e) There must be a majority vote to form a quorum.
f) If an Officer or Director has a conflict of interest respecting a matter subject
to a vote, such Officer or Director shall disclose the conflict of interest and the
Officer/Director will not vote.
g) All resolutions carried or defeated shall be entered in the minutes of the
meeting.
h) If a Board member is absent for three meetings in one year the President can
terminate that Board member and put that position up for re-election.
i) All SGHA Board members will be entitled to one vote at all general and
annual meetings. There will be no proxy voting. You must attend to vote.
j) The President shall only vote in the event of a tie.
ARTICLE 10 – SWEATER #8
Sweater #8 shall not be used by any team in the Stratford Girls Hockey Association, in
memory of Cassie Williams a Stratford Ace who lost her battle with cancer.
ARTICLE 11 – ACES LOGO
The SGHA Aces logo can only be used with the Board of Directors approval