MichCA Constitution

1. Constitution

1.1. Name

The name of the association is “MICHIGAN CRICKET ASSOCATION” and will be referred to as MichCA. MichCA is a non profit organization registered with the state of Michigan. MichCA consists of various cricket clubs in the state of Michigan and its neighboring states and countries.

1.2 Charter member

A Charter member is a representative (President or the Secretary) of a registered cricket club with MichCA. MichCA was formed with 10 charter members in 2001. The rights of Charter members are:

1. Establish and dissolve MichCA.
2. Formulate and modify the Constitution and By-laws of MichCA.
3. Define; modify the Structure, roles and responsibilities of the Governing Body (GB).
4. Elect, appoint and terminate the GB and its members.
5. Empower the GB to define the structure, roles and responsibilities of the Executive Committee.
6. Empower the GB to select, appoint and terminate the Executive Committee.
7. Over rule the Election Officer decisions if found detrimental to the rights of members.
8. Verify the budget, plans and finances of the organization.
9. To execute all these activities, the charter members have a right to vote.

1.3 Associate Member

An Associate member is a representative (President or the Secretary) of a newly registered cricket club with MichCA for its first season. All the newly registered clubs with MichCA, will be treated as “Associate members” for the first year. Associate members will become Charter Members subject to no over dues and pending disciplinary cases, of MichCA at the end of their first season. The Associate and the Charter member will be represented by an individual normally nominated President or Secretary of the member club.

1.4 Formation of MichCA

Michigan Cricket Association was formed by 10 charter member clubs in the year 2001 as a nonprofit organization to promote the game of cricket in the State of Michigan.

1.5 Dissolution of MichCA

MichCA can be dissolved at any point of time through an extra ordinary General Body meeting or an emergency meeting called by the Governing body, with a 15 days notice, 75% of defined charter member quorum, with a minimum of 3/4th voting majority.

1.6 Purpose

The core purpose of MichCA is to provide a common platform for all the cricket players to play in competitive cricket while enjoying the game. Cricket is one of the most popular games in world played mainly by the Common Wealth countries. There are several cricket loving people who have migrated to USA from Cricket dominant countries like Great Britain, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, South Africa, West Indies and Canada.

1.7 Objectives and Goals

The goals and objectives of MichCA are to:

1. Organize the MichCA League and the Great Lakes Tournament.
2. Improve the infrastructure for cricket in the State of Michigan.
3. Conduct youth cricket coaching camps.
4. Facilitate young cricketers to play in National and International tournaments.
5. Provide a platform for all the cricket loving people to play competitive cricket
6. Seed the game at the school and community level to provide an opportunity to the youth to learn, play and master the game of cricket
7. Participate in the Regional and National Cricket Tournaments and help MichCA players get an opportunity to represent the regional and USA national team in the ICC and non ICC sponsored international games
8. Help the communities by providing an opportunity to the youths participate in the sports activity like Cricket and divert their energy in right direction.

1.8 MichCA Organization Structure

 

1.9 The Governing Body

The Governing body shall comprise of Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and PR & Events Coordinator. The Chairman is elected and the rest of the GB is nominated by Elected Chairman and approved by the Charter members. The term for the GB is 2 years. The GB or any member of the GB can be terminated through an emergency meeting. The GB is empowered to manage standard expenses such as

1. Insurance, Umpiring Fee, Facilities Development and Cultural Activities
2. Regional, National memberships, Tournament Participation and Sponsorship of Players.
3. To rise funds to upkeep the financial health of the organization

1.9.1 Chairman

1. The Chairman shall nominate Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and PR & Events Coordinator upon his election.
2. The Chairman shall provide leadership of the MichCA to: ensure the enjoyment of the game by all participants, administer the league efficiently, promote the game of cricket in the state of Michigan and improve the standards of fairness, umpiring, playing and facilities in Michigan.
3. The Chairman shall preside and facilitate all the meetings in the league. The chairman is expected to guide all the other members of the governing body to assist them to conduct their duties smoothly.
4. The Chairman-elect shall submit a document containing his plans for the development of the league before the start of the season. Plans should clearly list down the items or areas, the Chairman will focus and how he plans to work towards accomplishing these goals for the forthcoming season.
5. At the end of the each season the Secretary and the Chartered members shall review the Chairman’s contributions. Both the documents shall then be distributed to all clubs four weeks before the AGBM during which the election will be held.

1.9.2 Vice-Chairman

1. The Vice-Chairman shall work closely with the Chairman and assist him to accomplish the goals for the season.
2. The Vice-Chairman will preside over the meetings in the absence of the Chairman.

1.9.3 Secretary

1. Secretary shall head the executive body, which comprises of several sub-committees.
2. Secretary shall attend all the meetings and take note of the meeting minutes.
3. Secretary shall keep an accurate record of the proceedings of the league and update it on the website.
4. Secretary shall be responsible for approval of registration of new clubs.
5. Secretary shall appoint an election officer to facilitate the election process each year.
6. Secretary shall collect nominations for the elections to the governing body and forward them to the election officer.
7. Secretary shall publish the minutes of meeting within 7 days of the date of the meeting.
8. Secretary shall publish the changes to the constitution and by-laws after approval from the governing body and the sub-committees within.
9. Secretary shall publish the reports and decisions of the sub committees to all the chartered members and governing body.
10. Shall coordinate with USACA for various activities.
11. Shall update the wesite regularly.

1.9.5. a The Executive Body

The executive body shall comprise of the Secretary and all the sub-committees, which function under him.

1.9.5. b Sub-Committees

1. Sub-Committees shall report to the secretary on the progress of the open issues that might have been identified during the meetings.
2. Sub-Committees decision shall be final in case any disputes or incidents, rule changes, scheduling and all other disciplines.
3. The owner of the sub-committees shall send reports and decisions in case of disputes to the secretary, cc to governing body members, cc to other members of their committee.
4. The owner of the sub-committee shall communicate regularly with the other members of the sub-committee and should make announcements/reports only after clear consensus among the other committee members.
5. The inputs from all the members of the sub-committee shall be given due consideration before taking a decision.
6. The owner and members of the sub-committee will be nominated during the AGBM by the governing body, secretary and the chartered members. In case a sub-committee cannot reach a verdict (no clear majority) on any given issue, then the case shall be presented to the Chairman and Secretary. The decision will then be taken collectively with the sub-committee, based on a majority vote.

1.9.4 Treasurer

1. The Treasurer shall keep an accurate record of all the money transactions for the whole season.
2. He shall have the books of the League audited by the finance sub-committee and shall make a report of the transactions of the league and present it at every Annual General Body Meeting.
3. The Treasurer shall issue a receipt for all the money received and shall deposit the same in a chartered bank or trust company.
4. The treasurer along with finance committee shall publish a budget before the league starts and get it approved by the Governing Body.

1.9.5 PR & Events

1. The PR & Events coordinator shall be responsible for dissemination of the activities of the MichCA league through media or by any other means.
2. Responsible for organizing exhibition games, award presentation and fund raising events.
3. Shall coordinate with the Chairman for sponsorship activities.
4. Shall coordinate with USACA
5. Shall plan and improve the website. Also coordinate with the Secretary for updates on the website.

1.10 Registration of New Clubs

1. New clubs wanting to register with MichCA shall apply by completing the registration form. The completed form along with the registration fee shall be sent to the Secretary. The approval/non-approval decision of the registration will be communicated within 2 weeks from the date of the application. If the application is not approved the registration fee will be refunded.
2. All new clubs shall nominate an associate member along with their written application. The associate member will not be eligible to vote in the elections, in their first year to elect the GB. The associate members will become Charter Members, subject to no over dues and pending disciplinary cases, of MichCA at the end of their first season. In case of a new club not having their own home ground, shall state the nearest ground, which will be used as their home ground.
3. Finance committee shall decide the registration amount for each year.
4. New Teams without a home ground shall register with an association to a ground.
5. Old teams will be grand fathered.

1.11 Termination of a Registered Club

Any registered club of MichCA could be terminated at any point of time through an emergency meeting called by the GB.

1.12 Existing Clubs

All the clubs shall maintain a good standing with the league by paying the dues before the deadline, abiding by the rules and regulations of the league, satisfy the umpiring committee requirements (minimum of 3 umpires from each team), abide by the disciplinary committee actions etc.

1.13 Meetings

There are four types of meetings. It is mandatory for all the Charter members and Associate Members to attend these meetings. The Venue for these meetings will be communicated by the Secretary.

1. Annual General Body Meeting:
2. Mid term progress review meeting:
3. League Completion meeting:
4. Emergency meetings

1.13.1 Annual General Body Meeting

1. The Annual General Body Meeting shall be held before the end of Feb each year. The Secretary will communicate the date, time and the venue of the meeting.
2. All the chartered members shall attend the AGBM and take part in the election process. If not, alternate arrangements should be made to send a replacement with proper authorization from the President or Secretary of the respective club. Club delegate or an officer, who will be unable to attend, will need to notify the secretary at least 24 hours in advance of their replacement. Attendance to AGBM is mandatory.
3. Written proxy votes of all members are permitted and shall be sent to the Secretary by mail, e-mail or be handed over personally at the meeting. These proxy votes should be sealed and opened only at the meeting by the Chairman in the presence of the members attending.
4. No person who is not a registered player, an officer of the league, or an officer of a member club shall have any voice at any meeting of the League.
5. The Secretary shall give three (3) weeks of notice for the Annual General Body Meeting of the League to all the chartered members of all member clubs. The secretary shall send out notification for any other meeting at least ten (10) days in advance of that meeting.
6. The governing body members or the Secretary may call for any meeting as and when required. Every Chartered member should make it a point to attend all the governing body meetings and take active interest in the proceeding for the betterment of the League. A club that defaults by attending less than 2/3rd of the regular governing body meetings (starting with the AGBM) may lose membership to the MichCA league.

1.13.2 Mid Term Progress Review Meeting

This meeting will be held in the last week of July. This meeting will focus on the progress of the League and also immediate concerns to be addressed if any.

1.13.3 League Completion Meeting

This meeting will be held in the third week of October. This meeting will focus on feedback got from all the member clubs with respect to the shortfalls in the League. The GB will address all the issues and will give a plan of action to all the charter members.

1.13.4 Emergency Meetings

The Chairman or the Secretary, on a 24-hour notice, to discuss issues of great importance, where time is off the essence, may call an emergency meeting of the Charter members.

1.14 Quorum

A 51% attendance of the Chartered members shall constitute a quorum for the AGBM or an emergency meeting. If such a meeting is cancelled due of the lack of quorum, the Secretary shall provide a notice for a second meeting. Members present at the second meeting shall constitute the quorum.

1.15 Eligibility

Any cricket club in the state of Michigan ,its neighboring states and countires are eligible to participate in the MichCA League. An application for the registration should be sent to the Secretary before the due date. Every effort will be made by MichCA to accommodate the new clubs but MichCA can not guarantee participation to a new club in the League because of various constraints.

1.16 Amendments/ Additions to By-Laws

1. The bylaws shall not be amended except at the Annual General Meeting or at an extraordinary general meeting called for that purpose. Every resolution to amend the bylaws shall, be approved by the Governing body members and the chartered members of the club who are in attendance at the meeting on a majority-voting basis. No such resolution shall be passed unless the same is carried by at least a 2/3rd vote of the quorum. (Clarification: In general, any change to bylaws shall require 2/3rd majority to support it. Since bylaw changes are significant an attempt should be made to contact all members of the governing body and the chartered members by the secretary to get their vote if any member is not present at the meeting. Votes can be cast in person, by mail, e-mail or telephone.
2. A copy of the resolution to amend the bylaws of the MichCA shall be sent by the Secretary along with the notices calling the meeting at which time the same is to be proposed.
3. An amendment that fails to get a majority vote shall be discarded. Such an amendment cannot be reintroduced for a period of 6 months

1.17 Contingency

Should any contingency arise which is not provided for by these bylaws, the governing body is hereby empowered to deal with the same at its own discretion.

1.18 Grounds

Each individual club will be responsible for the procurement of their home grounds through the appropriate authority, exercising jurisdiction over the ground. It is recommended that clubs in the same region shall cooperate with each other in their efforts to find a ground. The clubs shall work closely with the grounds committee in procuring/improving the infrastructure. The governing body members shall assist the clubs to procure the grounds. MichCA shall pay for the ground usage fees only for the games scheduled for teams without home grounds to the respective authorities. This fee shall be included in the clubs registration fees. It shall be the responsibility of the respective President of the registered clubs to notify the Secretary if there is any fee for the usage of their home ground.

1.19 Insurance

MichCA has a Commercial General Liability Insurance (CGL) with Francis l.Dean & Associates, Inc. The special risk accident coverage is underwritten by American National Life Ins. Co. of Texas and the special risk liability coverage is underwritten by United National Insurance Company.

1.20 Indemnity

The Charter Members and Associate members have a right to participate MichCA activities. Incase of disagreements and conflicts, the members have a right to change the rules, terminate the office bearers. However, being a non profit amateur organization, members don’t have a right to file any legal action in the court of law, nor ask for any monitory damages. All the members have to sign a document holding MichCA and its members harmless for any known or unknown reasons/conflicts arise from the activities of MichCA. MichCA will not be responsible for personal conflicts between the members.

 1.21 Elections

Elections will be held once in two years to elect the Chairman. The newly elected Chairman shall nominate the rest of the governing body. These nominations then shall go through approval process by the Chartered Members to be deemed valid. The validity of the GB would be for the duration of two years. The eligibility criterion for elections is that the candidates should be a member of a MichCA Registered/Affiliated Club. This will be verified by Rules committee. The elections will be conducted by an election officer during the AGBM or according to the process outlined/approved during the AGBM by Chartered Members. It is mandatory for the Charter members to attend the AGBM and vote. In case the chartered members cannot attend, a replacement should be sent with a proper authorization from President or Secretary of the Club.

1.22 Election Results

In case of a tie, the newly elected GB can cast their votes. If still a tie, then toss of a coin

1.23 Number of Votes

The number of votes is per team and not per club. A club which has 3 teams will have 3 votes

1.24 Resignation from EB/GB

Any individual who is a part of MichCA GB or EB resigns, he or she shall not be eligible to contest for any post in MichCA for a span of 4 years

1.25 Communication

The President/Secretary of a club shall be the only authorized person to communicate to the concerned MichCA authorities. If anyone wants to communicate shall send it through the Secretary. Any individual deviating from this for the first time shall be suspended from playing in MichCA. If that continues, the team with which the individual is associated shall be suspended from playing in MihCA.