By-Laws
Policy Statement
IHM Athletic Council & Association
1) Mission & Goals
2) Purpose & Philosophy
3) Name of Council
4) Name of Association
5) Athletic Council
6) Athletic Association
7) Meetings
8) Terms of Office
9) Appointments
10) Nominating Committee
11) Vacancies - Athletic Council
12) Pastor/Priest Moderator
13) President
14) Vice President
15) Secretary
16) Treasurer
17) Registration Coordinator
18) Facilities & Equipment Coordinator
19) Gym Coordinator
20) Communication Coordinator
21) At-Large Member
22) Coordinators
23) Head Coach
24) Assistant Coach
25) Facilitator
26) Team Selection
27) Parishioner/Non-Parishioner participation
28) Rules of Order
29) IHM Gym and Field Rules
30) Amendments to By-laws
31) Fees
Article 1: Mission
A. To oversee the athletic programs of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish.
Article 2: Purpose & Philosophy
A. The IHM Athletic Council & Association is committed to providing the highest quality athletic program possible for our children, where a positive, supportive environment fosters the development of sportsmanship, athletic skills, team play and character. While development of individual skills and team play is considered important, we believe that the sportsmanship and Christian values exhibited by all those connected with IHM athletics to be the ultimate indication of our success.
Article 3: Name of Council
A. IHM Athletic Council
Article 4: Name of Association
A. IHM Athletic Association
Article 5: Athletic Council
A. The elected governing body of the IHM Athletic Council shall consist of the Pastor or his appointed moderator, the President or otherwise known as “Athletic Director”, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Registration/Website Coordinator, Communicaiton Coordinator, Facilities Coordinator, Gym Scheduling Coordinator, and one (1) At-Large Member.
Article 6: Athletic Association
A. The non-elected body of the IHM Athletic Association shall consist of all appointed Head Coaches, Assistant Coaches, Coordinators and facilitators responsible for the IHM sports program and its implementation thereof.
B. The IHM Athletic Council reserves the right to expand in number the Athletic Association when the need
demands. Such adjustments can only subtract members when programs or services are not available or needed regarding the number of players participating and facility constraints.
Article 7: Meetings
A. The IHM Athletic Council shall meet at least 2 times per year at a place agreed upon by Athletic Council. Such meeting shall be open to the membership of the Athletic Association, so coaches, coordinators and facilitators may express opinions or concerns.
B. Special meetings of the IHM Athletic Council may be called by the President on his own initiative or may be
called by the President at the request of any members of the Athletic Council. The Secretary or President shall
advise members of the IHM Athletic Council.
Article 8: Terms of Office
A. IHM Athletic Council consisting of President, the Vice President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Registration/Website Coordinator, Communication Coordinator, Facilities Coordinator, Gym Scheduling Coordinator, and (1) one At-Large Member. shall each serve a two-year term of office which will begin July 1 and end June 30.
B. All Athletic Association officials – (Non-Elected) Coordinators, Head Coaches & Facilitators are appointed by Athletic Council shall serve one-year term which may begin July 1 and end June 30.
Article 9: Appointments
A. The President of IHM Athletic Council shall, subject to Pastor/Priest moderator’s approval, appoint all (Non-
Elected) Coordinators, Head Coaches and Facilitators. The President may consult the Athletic Council upon making any formal decisions.
Article 10: Nominating Committee Election
A. At the Beginning of March, the Communication Coordinator will post in the Parish Bulletin and IHM Athletics Page, the open positions available for the next year. The President will appoint a three person Nominating Committee subject to the Athletic Council approval.
B. During the months of March and April, the Nominating Committee shall receive and review any interested parties for open positions.
C. If multiple parties are interested in any position, the Secretary of the Athletic Council shall then publish in the Parish Bulletin and IHM Athletics Page the slate of nominees and a date will be set for a vote by the nominating committee. New officers must be installed by June 30th.
D. Upon electing a new Athletic Council the outgoing Council must transfer all Athletic Council records generated
and maintained by the Athletic Council over to the incoming Council within 10 days of election.
Article 11: Vacancies of Athletic Council
A. It shall be understood that individuals who take on the position of Athletic Council have a duty to fulfill their mission and expedite their duties. In an event this cannot be fulfilled, and an individual vacates a position, the
following will occur.
B. The President shall appoint a successor to serve out an unexpired term of the position of Vice President,
Secretary, Treasurer, Registration Coordinator, Facilities & Equipment Coordinator and At-Large Member.
C. If the President vacates the Vice President shall become President and shall appoint a successor to his/her
position.
D. If the President and Vice President vacate, the Treasurer will become acting President and will instruct the Pastor or Priest Moderator to appoint a new Athletic council that will finish the term of office.
E. Head coach, Coordinator and Facilitator vacancies will be filled by the President after consultation with the
Athletic Council.
Article 12: Pastor/Priest Moderator
A. The Priest Moderator is the representative of the Pastor to the Athletic Council. Most often the Priest Moderatorand Pastor are synonymous.
B. He shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.
C. When an issue arises where there is not consensus or closure, Pastor/Priest Moderator shall confer with parish council or serve as Moderator to resolve and provide closure.
D. Final authority on all matters rests with Pastor/Priest Moderator.
Article 13: President (Athletic Director) Athletic Council
Elected Position
A. The President of IHM Athletic council shall be executive officer of the Council and Athletic Association. The
President shall preside at all meetings of both Athletic council, Association and its affiliates.
B. The President shall appoint all (Non-Elected) Coordinators, Facilitators, Head Coaches, assistant Coaches and affiliates subject to Pastor’s approval.
C. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee.
D. The President shall report the activities of the council and Association at Pastoral Council meetings as
appropriate.
E. The President may appoint an Athletic Council Member to represent the President at Pastoral Council meetings.
Article 14: Vice President Athletic Council
Elected Position
A. The Vice President shall have all the powers and shall perform all the duties of the President in his/her
absence.
B. The Vice President shall be-the conflict resolution manager for the Athletic Council and the
Athletic Association.
C. The Vice President shall address such problems, but is not limited to, roster conflicts, payment discrepancies, problem players, parents concern, enforcement of code of conduct of players, coaches and parents, eligibility, parish boundaries, enforcement of CYM rules and regulations and equipment disbursal and retrieval.
D. The Vice-President shall inform expeditiously the President and shall confer resolution.
E. The Vice-President shall automatically become President at the end of their term as Vice-President, subject to the Council’s approval.
Article 15: Secretary Athletic Council
Elected Position
A. The Secretary shall take minutes of all meetings of the Athletic Council and of the Association.
B. The Secretary shall assist in all correspondence required by the Athletic Council and shall cause to be published in the Parish Bulletin a notice of the date, time and place of all meetings of the Athletic Council.
C. The Secretary shall maintain appropriate mailing and phone records to conduct the business of the council.
D. The Secretary shall maintain a current copy of all sports rosters.
Article 16: Treasurer Athletic Council
Elected Position
A. The Treasurer shall keep a written account of all receipts and expenditures and shall report thereon at each
meeting of the Athletic council in writing.
B. The Treasurer shall serve as “Collector of receipts” and transfer receipts to the proper parish accounts.
C. The Treasurer shall serve as a liaison with parish staff concerning any Athletic Council fiscal concerns.
D. The Treasurer will work with the Parish Finance staff to reconcile all monies spent. This report will be completed in June and sent to the entire Athletic Council.
E. The Treasurer at the end of each individual sports season shall prepare a Budget as to project the cost of running that individual sports season in the next calendar year.
Article 17: Website/Registration Coordinator Athletic Council
Elected Position
A. The Website/Registration Coordinator shall be responsible for overseeing the registration process for all sports programs.
B. The Website/Registration Coordinator shall advertise the process for all sports signups and send out appropriate emails to reach all major athletic program constituencies as possible, including the IHM school, the CRE program and the general IHM Parish community.
C. The Website/Registration Coordinator will see that all registration rules and regulations are posted and communicated through the IHM Athletics Website.
D. The Website/Registration Coordinator will maintain a ledger and listing of every athlete that signs up. This ledger and listing will include contact information, date of birth, community name, parish registration, school attended, medical restrictions, parental volunteer information and record of payment.
E. The Website/Registration Coordinator will be responsible for maintaining the IHM Athletics Website.
Article 18: Facilities Coordinator
Elected Position
A. The Facilities Coordinator is responsible for overseeing the physical condition of the IHM athletic
field and gym.
B. The Facilities Coordinator is responsible for working with the Parish and the School regarding
any maintenance or cleaning issues surrounding the IHM athletic field or gym.
C. The Facilities Coordinator will be responsible for the complete inventory of all IHM Athletic
Association supplies and equipment.
D. The Facilities Coordinator will work with each sports coordinator to make sure that each sport has
appropriate equipment and that such equipment is in good condition. All new equipment and uniform purchases
will be overseen by the Facilities Coordinator subject to budgetary controls.
E. The Facilities Coordinator will provide the treasurer with an estimated budget for supplies and
equipment purchases, broken down by sport, as well as estimated maintenance costs for the athletic field and gym. All budget information for the next fiscal year should be presented to the Treasurer at the end of each sports season.
Article 19: Gym Coordinator
Elected Position
A. The Gym Coordinator will maintain the Gym Calendar. The Gym Calendar is located on the IHM Athletics Page
B. The Gym Coordinator will work with all Sport Coordinators and Coaches to create the practice time schedules for each sport. The Gym Coordinator is the final say to any issues raised by practice time concerns.
C. The Gym Coordinator will work with outside agencies to procure Gym space for certain sports. This will include filing of all necessary paperwork (insurance).
Article 20: Communication Coordinator
Elected Position
A. The Communication Coordinator will handle all communication methods to inform our School, CRE, and Parish Communities of all IHM Athletic announcements.
B. The Communication Coordinator will work with the School and Parish office to get information onto the website and Parish Bulletin to include the open Council positions during the first week of March.
C. The Communication Coordinator will handle all Social Media pages to include Facebook and Twitter.
Article 21: At-Large Member
Elected Position
A. The At-Large Member will, at the direction of the President or the Athletic Council, coordinate and/or assist with the management special projects of the Association.
Article 22: Coordinators Athletic Association
Appointed Position
A. Coordinators shall serve as a liaison between coaches and Athletic Council.
B. Coordinators shall oversee scheduling of Gym and Field times with the help of the Gym Coordinator
C. Coordinators shall monitor equipment and uniform distribution by the head coaches under their control.
D. Coordinators, in consultation with the Treasurer and with the approval of the Facilities & Equipment
Coordinator and President, shall purchase equipment and uniforms as needed and warranted.
E. Coordinators are responsible for equipment inventory and collection, employing the help of head coaches.
F. Coordinators are responsible to report to the Athletic Council any adverse incidents or controversies which affect Athletic Council and its duties.
G. Coordinators are responsible for implementing the team selection process (Article 26) for sports that field multiple teams at any level.
H. Coordinators are responsible for participating in all CYM Meetings pertaining to the sport.
Article 23: Head Coach Athletic Association
Appointed Position
A. Head Coaches must be appointed by the Coordinator and approved by the Athletic Council.
B. Head Coaches will fill out all CYM forms and complete all CYM requirements for coaching to include background checks and all training.
C. Head Coaches are responsible for equipment and field of play.
D. Head Coaches at the beginning and end of a season should inform the Coordinator of any equipment needed.
E. Head Coaches are responsible for disbursement and collection of equipment.
F. Head Coaches are responsible for submitting rosters through the CYM system in the proper time and manner.
G. Head Coaches shall arrange schedule with consultation from coordinator and conduct team practices in
accordance with CYM and IHM Athletic Council rules.
H. Head Coaches shall check and be responsible for player and Assistant Coach eligibility.
I. Head Coaches shall support Athletic Council/Coordinators in verifying player eligibility.
J. Head Coaches are responsible for knowing all CYM rules and regulations that pertain to their certain sport.
Article 24: Assistant Coach
Appointed Positions
A. An Assistant Coach shall assist a Head Coach in every aspect of the Athletic Program
B. An Assistant Coach shall assume all responsibility of Head Coach upon the Head Coach’s absence.
C. An Assistant Coach must complete all the CYM requirements for coaching to include a background check and training.
Article 25: Facilitators
Appointed Position
A. Facilitators or Committee-chairs are individuals associated with Athletic Council in that they sponsor and
coordinate special events that support the IHM Athletic program.
B. Facilitators shall be appointed by the Athletic Council subject to pastor approval.
C. Facilitators responsibilities are unique in that it pertains to the special event itself, and open conclusion or closure of the special event.
D. Special event may include Tournaments, Fund Raisers, Team Pictures, The IHM Sports Banquet, Field
Maintenance or any and all support functions associated with IHM Athletic Association.
Article 26: Team Selection
A. The IHM Athletic council will field a team in all sports approved the CYM provided interest from coaches and
participants are enough to field a team and resources are available.
B. The number of teams fielded in a sport or division will be based on the number of candidates, available gym time and practice field time and available coaches.
C. The number of players on a team will be decided after tryouts occur.
D. All participants play at grade level.
E. Participants may play above grade level when there are not enough participants to fill out a team.
F. A parishioner or non-parishioner cannot play on an IHM team sport if he or she is playing the same sport at the same time in his or her High school.
G. Independent evaluators will be used to evaluate players for sports that divide teams by ability. Independent evaluators are persons knowledgeable in the sport that are not related to any players being evaluated. If we are unable to get enough Independent evaluators, the Athletic President will make decision to accept other evaluation methods.
Article 27: Parishioner/Non-Parishioner Participation
A. All IHM School and CRE Students are the first players to be considered. If a team has the required number -
enrollment stops.
B. IHM parishioners not attending IHM School or CRE Programs would be considered next provided they were
signed parishioners before sign-ups for intended sports program.
C. Neighboring parishes that do not have a given sport would be considered next.
D. Non-parishioners within parish boundaries would be the last players chosen.
E. No less than 50% must be IHM parishioner participants with an additional 30% neighboring Catholic parish
children without sports programs and the remaining 20% may be made up of community participants.
F. All participants or potential participants are subject to CYM rules and regulations.
Article 28: Rules of Order
A. All meetings of the IHM Athletic council shall be conducted in accordance with the mission statement and
articles set forth in this document.
B. The President of the Athletic Council is responsible for the procedure of order.
Article 29: IHM Gym and Field Rules
A. Hard soled shoes are not permitted on the gym floor at any time. Rubber-soled court shoes are to be worn to protect the finish of the floor.
B. The window screens are to remain down and properly locked in position during any athletic activity. These
screens are designed to allow air flow when the windows are open while providing protection against accidental window breakage.
C. Coaches are to ensure that player conduct is appropriate. Anyone found violating conduct standards may subject themselves to a loss of gym privileges. Players are not to wander away from the gym or practice field for any reason without the Coach’s permission.
D. Gym and field time is at a premium. If a coach is canceling a practice, they are to contact the assigned gym
coordinator, so that the time may be utilized by another group.
F. The last team practicing each night is to:
1) Close all open windows.
2) See that the gym, bathrooms and locker rooms are clean of any trash.
3) See that all equipment is put away.
4) See that all lights are out and doors locked.
5) The last team practicing on the soccer field at night is to see that the lights are turned off and all
equipment and players belongings are removed from the field.
Article 30: Amendments to By-laws (Policy Statements)
A. These By-laws may be amended by the Athletic council at any regular or special meeting. Parish Council will be informed as to changes in the Athletic Council’s By-laws.
Article 29: Fees
A. All fees collected will be used to provide IHM Athletic programs and events, and /or maintain facilities used for IHM Athletic programs.
B. Athletic Council reserves the right to charge a fair fee for participation in sponsored activities.
C. After registration has occurred a late fee may occur.
D. Non-parishioner fee may be higher than Parishioner fee.
E. Participants engaged in IHM Athletic programs will not be permitted to participate in scheduled practices if they do not pay before the first scheduled practice.
F. Hardship cases must be submitted in writing to the IHM Athletic Council for any consideration
