RIVER VALLEY JUNIOR HIGH BASKETBALL LEAGUE

CONSTITUTION

Article 1 NAME, PURPOSE, LOCATION

1.1. The organization shall be known as the River Valley Junior High Basketball League, a non‑profit organization herein after referred to as the League.

1.2. The purpose of this League shall be to foster within its participants the spirit of good sportsmanship, loyalty, and respect toward others, within a competitive atmosphere. The objective will be achieved by providing a supervised girls basketball program.

1.3. The League mailing address will be that of the league secretary for all correspondence.

Article 2 MEMBERSHIP

2.1. The League will be comprised of teams representing towns (schools) within the Merrimack Valley area, northeastern Massachusetts, and southern New Hampshire.

2.2. The League as presently organized consists of the teams listed in Addendum No. 1.

2.3. Any girl who lives in the town or who attends the school that is described in Sec 1 of Article 2 shall be eligible for team membership. The eligible member must play for the town (school) where she lives or attends and not for any other league team. Any exceptions to this article must be approved by a majority vote of the teams present at the AGM or Scheduling meeting.

2.4. No players from outside organizations or schools may play on this League.

2.5. The member organization or school assumes full responsibility for team selection; conduct of their coaches; disciplinary action; their own internal recognition awards; and for any other internal matter.

2.6. The League has no responsibility relative to the handling of the internal affairs of a team.

2.7. The League Directors are as follows: (a) Each team's HEAD coach. (b) Each organization's director/coordinator, if one exists.

Article 3 OFFICERS

3.1. The officers of the League shall be: Commissioner, Treasurer, Secretary, Statistician, and Referee Assignor (non‑voting).The officer's terms shall be one year.

3.2. Elections shall be held at the first meeting of each season.

3.3. The League directors shall govern the League by utilizing the League Constitution and establishing appropriates by-laws.

Article 4 MEETINGS

4.1. A minimum of three (3) meetings shall be held.

4.2. The first meeting held prior to the start of each season will be the Annual General Meeting (hereinafter, the AGM) for election of officers and to determine the number of teams participating in the upcoming season. This meeting should be between October 20 and November 5.

4.3. The second meeting held is for the purpose of scheduling. This meeting date should be between November 15 and November 30.

4.4. The third meeting held is at the end of the regular season to plan particulars of League play‑offs with teams involved. This meeting date is to be determined at the second meeting.

4.5. A meeting shall be called by the League Commissioner when requested by one‑third of the League directors.

4.6. Other meetings may be called by the League Commissioner as required.

Article 5 ASSESSMENTS

5.1. Assessments for the League shall be set forth in the by-laws.

Article 6 RULES

6.1. Girls rules, as interpreted in the League area, will be utilized during the conduct of all scheduled games.

6.2. The 30‑second shot clock will not be used and will be replaced by the 10‑second halfcourt rule.

Article 7 FINANCIAL POLICY

7.1. The League directors shall decide all matters pertaining to the finances of the League.

7.2. All income shall be deposited into a checking account by the League treasurer, who shall be responsible for maintenance of said account.

Article 8 VOTING

8.1. .

This Constitution may be amended at the AGM by a four fifths (4/5) vote of the directors present. Proposed changes must be presented at a prior meeting before the AGM for open discussion, and be listed on the agenda for the AGM meeting notice before the actual vote.

8.2. The League may adopt such by-laws as necessary to carry out its purpose and function.

8.2.1. By-laws may be adopted or amended at the AGM by a four‑fifths (4/5) vote of the teams represented.

8.2.2. Each team represented in the League shall be permitted one vote.

8.2.3. Voting privilege is extended to each team's head coach or in his or her absence the team director/coordinator or designated representative.

8.2.4. For seriously contested issues, each town director will cast his or her vote ‘for’ or ‘against’ the motion based on the number of votes allowed to the organization as shown in Addendum No. 1. This vote will be done on a roll call basis.

8.3. This constitution shall be declared ratified if four‑fifths (4/5) of the teams represented vote in favor of ratification.

Article 9 PROTESTS

9.1. Games should be decided, if at all possible, within the confines of the Gym. The two coaches and referees should, in conference, decide any disputes whenever possible.

9.2. If absolutely necessary, games may be protested to the League Commissioner.

9.2.1. A phone call must be made within 24 hours after the game by the coach who is protesting the game.

9.2.2. The oral protest must be followed within 72 hours by a written protest to the League Commissioner.

9.2.3. A signed statement from the two assigned referees must accompany the protest, either in a favorable, neutral, or unfavorable position. Referee's judgment decisions can not be protested.

9.2.4. Protestable items include but are not limited to such elements as time keeping, game conditions, players eligibility, and roster violations.

9.3. The League Officers (secretary, treasurer, and statistician) will evaluate and decide upon the validity of a protest at a meeting conducted by the League Commissioner.

9.4. The League Commissioner will notify the protesting coach in writing of the outcome of the protest hearing.

RIVER VALLEY JUNIOR HIGH BASKETBALL LEAGUE

BY‑LAWS

1. ORDER OF BUSINESS:

A. Calling meeting to order and roll call

B. Report of Treasurer and Secretary

C. Old Business

D. New Business

E. Adjournment

2. PLAYER PARTICIPATION:

A.

Although the League is competitive in nature, all coaches are required to play all team members present at the game at least four (4) minutes per game..

3. FINANCIAL REPORTS:

A. A final fiscal report will be submitted for the past season at the first meeting of each new season by the League Treasurer.

4. MEMBERSHIP:

A. A four‑fifths (4/5) vote of the membership at the AGM is required to expand the League.

5. TEAM ROSTERS:

A. Each team must supply a roster of team coaches and players by November 25th to the League Statistician. Data must include the name, town or school attended and birth date of each player and a phone number where the coach can be reached.

B. All games played prior to the receipt of a "valid" roster by the League will result in a forfeit and a loss for the team(s) playing without a valid roster.

1. Rosters may be changed through the League Statistician up to January 1st by submitting a new roster on the League Roster form.

6. ELIGIBILITY: A girl is eligible to play for a team if:

A. She is a student in the 8th grade or lower.

B. She is less than 15 years old as of September 1 prior to the start of the season. If she is more than 13 years old as of September 1, she must play in the 7/8th division.

C. Her name appears on the team roster by the deadline

D. The League Commissioner will rule on all questions of eligibility

E. A girl may play on only one team in the league

7. LIABILITY INSURANCE: All teams must have Liability Insurance ($1,000,000 coverage) to be provided through the League's insurer or though their own source.

A. The insurance fee and the team's designation for medical coverage must accompany the team's roster due by November 25th to the league Statistician. Medical insurance will only be required as necessary for the league to obtain Liability coverage.

B. Teams insuring themselves must supply a copy of their insurance certificate to the League with their team roster.

C. The League's insurer will be determined each year at the Annual meeting.

8. LEAGUE GAMES:

A. Notice of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be given to the prior year’s town director and/or a coach considered likely to be continuing in the program, at least two weeks in advance of the meeting date by the league statistician.

1. The notice will be emailed to the respective directors and posted on the league website.

2. This notice will require the following response from each town or organization:

· The number of teams being entered by the organization by grade and the level of competition requested for each team

· Name, Address, Phone Number and email address of the town director or primary contact for the upcoming year

· This information must be mailed to the league statistician one week prior to the date of the AGM.

· Changes to this initial information, although not preferred, may be made up to ten (10) days prior to the date of the scheduling meeting. No teams will be added after the scheduling meeting.

B. A motion providing for the Divisional assignments within each grade level will be presented to the Board of Directors(Town Directors and/or coaches) at the AGM by the League Officers from the prior year. The motion will be accepted "as is" or amended by grade level by the coaches and/or Town Directors within the respected grade level. Criteria for the placement of a given team shall include (in order of consideration):

1. Interscholastic Divisional placement of the High School Team by the MIAA or the NHIAA.

2. Performance in the prior season(s), if applicable.

3. Input from the team's coach and/or Town Director regarding any changes in the composition of the team, etc. made 1 week prior to the AGM utilizing the League Form for such purpose.

4. Past history of the organization.

5. Geographical location.

6. When an organization enters more than one team at a grade level, the teams will be designated A, B, C, etc. for placement purposes. Team A shall be placed subject to the above criteria and Teams B, C shall be placed at the same level or lower depending on the above criteria.

7. New teams at the 6th grade level or lower shall be placed primarily by criteria 1, 4, and 5.

C. All League games will be scheduled by the mutual consent of the teams based on the League scheduling format for their respective division.

D. Whenever school is closed due to a storm, games are automatically cancelled

E. The Home Team must supply 2 referees for each home game (preferably certified)

1. No parents of a player are to be used.

2. In the absence of certified referees mutual consent must be obtained between the coaches. Otherwise the game will be rescheduled.

F. Certified referees will be supplied by the League for all playoff games.

G. The Home Team is responsible for providing a scorer and a timekeeper plus a operable time clock. The Visiting Team should be provided space at the scoring table.

H. Game reports must be submitted within the timeframe designated by the League Statistician to the designated address by mail or e-mail.

I. MISSING GAME REPORTS WILL BE COUNTED AS LOSSES FOR BOTH TEAMS.

J. Each League game will consist of two halves. Overtime periods will be used as required, until a winner is determined.

1. There will be a 6 minute intermission between halves.

2. The game clock will be stopped at all whistles.

3. A quality ball will be used to be supplied by the Home Team.

4. Uniforms must be worn.

5. The lengths of the halves are as follows:

a. For 7th/8th grade divisions a minimum of 14 minutes.

b. For 5th/6th grade divisions a minimum of 12 minutes.

c. Halves may be extended by 2 minutes for the 7th/8^th grade divisions and by 4 minutes for the 5th/6th grades.

d. Overtime periods will be 3 minutes.

e. All playoff games will be 16 minute halves for the 7th/8th grade divisions and 14 minutes for the 5th/6th grades.

K. League playoffs and Awards will be determined annually at the AGM. In the event of a tie in the League Standings, the following procedure will be invoked:

1. All ties will be broken by considering head to head results.

2. If the tie can not be broken by that means and the tie is only for tournament seeding, then a coin flip will be made by the League Statistician.

3. If the tie involves a Divisional Championship, then a playoff game will be scheduled by the League at a neutral site to determine the winner, unless the teams involved agree to share the title. The League supplies one set of Championship trophies. The teams would be responsible for the purchase of additional trophies.

L. Standard girl's basketball rules will apply to all games with the exceptions noted as follows:

1. 1 and 1 foul shots will be taken upon the 7th team foul per half and two foul shots will be awarded upon the 10th foul in a half.

2. Three 60-second and two 30-second time-outs may be charged to each team during a regulation game.. Unused time-outs accumulate and may be used at any time.

.3. 1 additional 60-second timeout will be allowed during the overtime period.

4. As no shot clock is utilized, the 10 second back court rule will apply.

5. On all courts with a designated 3 point arc, 3 point shots will be allowed.

6. For the 5th/6th grade only,

1. a foul shooter is allowed a foot violation provided she does not continue on into the lane until the ball touches the rim

2. teams will be limited to a half-court defense only after a 10 point lead.

3. In the 5^th grade division teams may press only in the last 4 minute of the game, subject to the restriction in 2.

4. A technical foul will occur on any intentional violation of the half court rule when a team has a 10 point lead

7. For the 7th/8th grade only, teams will be limited to a half-court defense only after a 20 point lead. Otherwise a full-court defense may be used.

a. A technical foul will occur on any intentional violation of the half court rule when a team has a 20 point lead.

8. Mouth pieces are not required.

M. All regular season and playoff games in the League take precedence over games outside the League. Any team not meeting their League commitment and unable to resolve scheduling with another League Coach will forfeit the game.

N. Injured players who have blood showing must be removed from the game.

1. The injured player can not reenter the game until the bleeding has stopped and the wound is properly covered.

2. Uniforms stained with blood must be changed. No player with a blooded uniform will be allowed to play.

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9. LEAGUE ALL‑STAR GAMES: League all-star games will be held for the 7^th and 8^th grade divisions each year during the second week of March.

A. Each coach will chose 2 players from their team to participate in the all-star game.

B. League officers will act as coaches for the all-star game for reasons of neutrality.

C. A team(s) may be assembled from the League all-star’s for the purpose of participating in some post season tournaments.

1. The League will pay the entry fee for tournaments for the League all-star team.

10. OFFICERS AND THEIR DUTIES:

A. Commissioner: Shall preside at all meetings, appoint committees as required, enforce the League Constitution and by-laws, have the right to participate and debate all issues, but with no vote. Responsible for obtaining all play‑off locations. Rule on matters not covered by this Constitution and by-laws, obtain meeting locations. (A Commissioner's ruling may be overturned by four‑fifths (4/5) vote of the directors.)

B. Treasurer: Responsible for maintaining the League's banking account. Will make financial reports when required and dispense League funds as required and approved by the directors. This is a non-voting position.

C. Secretary: Will maintain a registry of League members and directors, record minutes when necessary, send out notices of meetings, and maintain a record of League activities. Also will receive correspondence and inform the Commissioner and directors of same; maintain and post changes to the Constitution and by-laws; and preside at meetings in the absence of the Commissioner. This is a non-voting position.

D. League Directors: Will manage the affairs of the League through the League officers. Adopt rules and regulations as required.

E. Statistician: Will maintain a record of the League standings of each team and division. (The extent to be determined by the directors at the election of officers.) In addition, the statistician will handle the formation of team placement within grade level divisions and tournament pairings. This is a non-voting position.

F. Referee Assignor Responsible for assigning certified referees to all play‑off games. Also will assign certified referees to League games as requested by the participating teams in the League. Conduct referee clinics and referee certification seminar to develop new certified referees for the League. This is a non-voting position.

11. Financial Policies:

A. No funds shall be expended from the League account without the prior approval of the League officers and/or directors.

B. Entrance fees required for League participation for established teams and new teams will be determined at the AGM.

1. The entrance fees will be amended each year and shown in Addendum No. 2.

2. The entrance fees will be used to cover the cost of awards, League operation, and play‑offs.

3. Admission charges to League games, although not prohibited, are not encouraged. An exception might be the playoffs and should be determined at the appropriate meeting.

4. Awards will be determined at the Annual General Meeting on a yearly basis.

12. Disciplinary Actions by the League Officers

Failure to follow any provisions of the constitution and by laws may result in the assessment of monetary fines or suspension of a team or town organization. Including, but not limited to:

a. A. Failure to adhere to bylaw 8A(d) for requesting changes for adding or subtracting teams after the 10 day deadline prior to the scheduling meeting will result in a fine of $50 per change

b. Any team not showing up for a properly scheduled league game without 24 hour notice to the opposing coach will be liable for the costs of the referees at $70 a game. This cost must be paid to the league statistician two (2) weeks prior to the tournament meeting. Failure to do so will result in the team being suspended from participation in the league tournament. The offended organization will be reimbursed for the referee costs from the amount collected from the offending team or from the league treasury.

c. Town organizations not providing two (2) certified referees on a reoccurring basis may be put on probation by the league commissioner and officers. The terms of this probation are up to the discretion of the league officers.

d. Any team using an ineligible player due to age, address or not being listed on the team roster, or for misinformation given for a player exception will forfeit all games up to the point of discovery. The team will be allowed to play their scheduled games in the League without the ineligible player and be eligible for tournament play without the ineligible player.

The Constitution and by-laws of the League were ratified by the League directors at their Annual General Meeting,.

ADDENDUM NO. 1

Teams 2006-2007

	#		8^th Grade		7^th Grade		6^th Grade		5^th Grade
Amesbury	4	1	8C	1	7B	1	6C	1	5B
Andover	2	1	8A	1	7A	0		0
Beverly	4	1	8A	1	7B	1	6C	1	5B
Billerica	4	1	8A	1	7A	1	6A	1	5A
Burlington	2	1	8C	0		1	6C	0
Chelmsford	5	2	8A,8B	1	7B	1	6A	1	5A
Danvers	5	2	8A,8C	1	7A	1	6B	1	5A
Dracut	4	1	8B	1	7A	1	6B	1	5A
Essex-Man	4	1	8B	1	7C	1	6C	1	5B
Georgetown	5	1	8C	1	7C	2	6C,6C	1	5B
Gloucester	4	1	8B	1	7B	1	6A	1	5B
Ham-Wenham	7	1	8B	2	7C,7C	2	6B,6C	2	5B,5B
Haverhill	2	1	8C	1	7C	0		0
Ipswich	3	1	8C	1	7C	1	6B	0
LawrenceBGC	1	1	8C	0		0		0
Lexington	2	1	8C	1	7C	0		0
Lowell	3	1	8A	1	7C	1	6C	0
Lynnfield	3	1	8B	1	7B	1	6B	0
Malden	3	1	8C	1	7C	1	6C	0
Masconomet	8	2	8A,8C	2	7A,7B	2	6B,6C	2	5A,5B
Melrose	3	1	8B	1	7C	1	6A	0
Melrose Y	5	1	8B	1	7B	1	6A	2	5A,5B
Methuen	3	1	8A	1	7B	1	6B	0
Mystic Valley	1	0		0		1	6C	0
Nashua NH	4	1	8B	2	7A,7B	1	6A	0
Newburyport	7	2	8B,8C	1	7C	3	6C,6C,6C	1	5B
N.Andover	7	2	8A,8C	2	7B,7C	2	6A,6B	1	5A
N.Reading	4	1	8B	1	7A	1	6B	1	5A
Peabody	6	2	8A,8B	2	7A,7B	2	6A,6B	0
Pelham	3	1	8B	0		1	6A	1	5A
Pentucket	5	1	8A	2	7A,7C	1	6A	1	5A
Reading	5	1	8B	1	7B	2	6A,6B	1	5A
SalemMA	3	1	8B	1	7B	1	6B	0
Salem NH	3	0		1	7B	1	6C	1	5A
Saugus	1	0		1	7C	0		0
Stoneham	5	2	8A/8C	1	7C	1	6B	1	5B
Swampscott	2	0		1	7B	1	6B	0
Tewksbury	4	1	8A	1	7B	1	6A	1	5A
Triton	3	1	8A	1	7C	0		1	5B
Tyngsboro	3	0		1	7C	1	6A	1	5A
Wakefield	3	1	8B	1	7B	1	6B	0
Wilmington	5	1	8B	2	7A/7B	1	6A	1	5A
	160	44		45		44		27

ADDENDUM NO. 2

Annual Entrance Fees

1989 ‑ 1990

The entrance fees for the 1989 ‑ 1990 season are $65.00 per team.

1990 ‑ 1991

The entrance fees for the 1990 ‑ 1991 season are $80.00 per team.

1991 ‑ 1992

The entrance fees for the 1991 ‑ 1992 season are $70.00 per team.

1992 ‑ 1993

The entrance fees for the 1992 ‑ 1993 season are $70.00 per team.

1993 ‑ 1994

The entrance fees for the 1993 ‑ 1994 season are $70.00 per team.

1994 ‑ 1995

The entrance fees for the 1994 ‑ 1995 season are $75.00 per team.

1995 ‑ 1996

The entrance fees for the 1995 ‑ 1996 season are $80.00 per team.

1996 ‑ 1997

The entrance fees for the 1996 ‑ 1997 season are $85.00 per team.

1997 ‑ 1998

The entrance fees for the 1997 ‑ 1998 season are $85.00 per team.

1998 ‑ 1999

The entrance fees for the 1998 ‑ 1999 season are $85.00 per team.

1999 ‑ 2000

The entrance fees for the 1999 ‑ 2000 season are $85.00 per team.

A tournament gym fee assessment is an additional $10.00 per team and

the league will reimburses host towns for expenses incurred for the RVL

Tournament at neutral sites. Total fees are $95.00.

2000 ‑ 2001

The entrance fees for the 2000 ‑ 2001 season are $85.00 per team.

The tournament gym fee assessment is an additional $10.00 per team.

Total fees are $95.00.

2001 ‑ 2002

The entrance fees for the 2001 ‑ 2002 season are $85.00 per team.

The tournament gym fee assessment is an additional $20.00 per team.

Total fees are $105.00.

2002 ‑ 2003

The entrance fees for the 2002 ‑ 2003 season are $90.00 per team.