AFL Bylaws

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• PDF of the AFL 2017 Bylaws •

ALBERTA FOOTBALL LEAGUE – BY LAWS (2017)

ARTICLE I – NAME

Section 1. – The name of the organization shall be the Alberta Football League.

ARTICLE II – PURPOSE
The Alberta Football League is a non-profit society dedicated to regulate and promote Senior Men’s amateur football in Alberta.

ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. – The Alberta Football League shall consist of all current member teams meeting admission requirements, teams that are in good standing and teams that have paid the league fees due at the Annual Meeting, unless otherwise approved by the League Council.
Section 2. – Each member team in good standing shall be entitled to one (1) vote.
Section 3. – A team shall be considered not in good standing if it has forfeited a game or if, in the judgment of the League Council, it has acted in willful violation of the Alberta Football League By Laws or Standing Rules. A forfeited game is defined as a game played, not played or not completed because:

One of the teams failed to show up
The home team changed the game time, day or location without proper notification as outlined in the Alberta Football League By-Laws per Conduct and Regulation of Team Unit, Section 8
One of the teams used an ineligible player.

In the event of a forfeit should the game be played the following will occur:

Score set at 30-0 Loss for the forfeiting team
Stats shall be removed for the forfeiting team
Forfeiting team in bad standing and must reapply for status at following AGM with new application fee of $500

Section 4. – All new teams are on a one-year probationary period with voting rights, with exception of By Laws issues. Probationary status will be reviewed at the Alberta Football League Annual Meeting.

ARTICLE IV- OFFICERS

Section 1. – The Alberta Football League officers shall consist of a President, Vice President, Director Media Relations, Director League Statistics, and a Secretary-Treasurer.

Section 2. – The Alberta Football League officers shall hold office for a two (2) year term or until successors are named.

Section 3. – An Alberta Football League officer may come from within an AFL team, or come from outside the AFL.

ARTICLE V – LEAGUE COUNCIL
Section 1. – The League Council of the Alberta Football League shall consist of two (2) representatives from each Alberta Football League member team in good standing. This League Council shall determine all policies in effect. It shall elect Officers, which will oversee all Council business. It shall select delegates from the Alberta Football League to attend the meetings of any affiliated body and shall adopt standards governing the operation of the Alberta Football League games and the rules that shall govern those games. The Alberta Football League President shall call the meetings of the League Council.

ARTICLE VI – JUDICIAL DUTIES & DISCIPLINE
Section 1. – The League Council will hear all grievances that arise in the AFL. Any player, coach, official, or team may file a grievance and shall be heard by the League Council. The League Council shall also rule on any disciplinary action to be administered as per the current by-laws. Grieving teams, players, coaches, or officials, as well as the subject of the grievance, may present such facts or arguments that they deem proper, subject to the control of the League Council who will conduct the hearing. The League Council shall deal with inappropriate conduct on the part of any team, team official or any individual player. The offending person or persons may be subject to suspension. Each team shall be held responsible for the conduct of its players and its staff, whether individually or collectively. The League Council may, if they deem it beneficial to the Alberta Football League, suspend any team personnel. In the event of an emergency situation, the League Council may act upon the grievance prior to the receipt of a written copy of said grievance.

Section 2. Any player or team official ejected from a league game by the Referee, for any offence, is subject to Suspension for the remainder of the game and the next scheduled Alberta Football League game, said player has the right to appeal the following game suspension.

In the case of a player or team official being ejected from a game for a second time in the same year, his privilege to play in the Alberta Football League shall be revoked for the next 4 scheduled League games, including playoffs, or the remainder of the current year, whichever is longest, with no right of appeal.

Section 3. – The intent to submit an Alberta Football League grievance must be submitted within forty- eight (48) hours of the incident, by phone or e-mail, to the Alberta Football League President. A written copy of the grievance must be filed with the Alberta Football League President within one-week (7 days) from the time of the alleged infraction. In the event that the subject of the grievance is the AFL Presidents team, or the AFL President himself, the grievance shall be submitted to the AFL Vice President. The written grievance, as well as any written statements or evidence submitted by either side, shall be sent to the League Council. It is the responsibility of each member of the League Council to read & review all written material prior to the disciplinary hearing. Along with notification of grievance a $100 fee must be sent to league treasurer prior to the call. Should the grievance be successful the $100 fee will be returned. If the fee has not been submitted prior to the call – grievance shall be considered void.

Section 4. – The League Council shall conduct the hearing by conference call. This hearing shall be scheduled no later than seven (7) days from the date the written grievance is received. All parties to the grievance have the right to be heard during the hearing. Each team representative involved in the grievance shall be granted five (5) minutes to state their positions. The subject of the grievance shall be granted five (5) minutes to state their position. After hearing from both sides, & reviewing all the relevant evidence, the Alberta Football League President or Vice President shall then call for a vote decision from the League Council. This vote will be conducted in the following 3 steps:

Step 1: Does this incident warrant a suspension by the Alberta Football League? Yes or No? If the majority vote is no, the grievance is dismissed, however it may be forwarded to an Appeals Tribunal at the request of the Grievor(s). If the majority vote is yes, the League Council proceeds to Step 2.

Step 2: How long shall the suspension be? Each team representative will submit a number of games they deem appropriate. The total of all numbers submitted shall be added together & divided by the number of teams. This aggregate number shall be the length of suspension voted upon. If the majority votes yes, the suspension shall be implemented; however the decision may be forwarded to an Appeals Tribunal at the request of either side. If the majority votes no, the grievance is dismissed, however the decision may be forwarded to an Appeals Tribunal at the request of either side.

The teams directly involved in the grievance do not have a vote during this process; however they are entitled to listen as the votes are taken.
Section 5. – Any League Council decision will be immediately released to the Alberta Football League membership. This includes the record of the vote(s) but not the minutes of the discussions.

Section 6. – All decisions reached by the League Council may be reviewed by an Appeals Tribunal, at the request of the parties involved. All such appeals shall occur within seven (7) days of the League Council Decision. All appeals are subject to a one hundred dollar ($100) fee, payable by the team or individual filing the appeal. Any player filing an appeal will be allowed to play until their appeal has been heard by the Appeals Tribunal. The only incidents that may be appealed are: 1. Player ejection by a referee, game forfeits and appealing a grievance won by another team. Governance brought by the AFL league council is not subject to appeal. The Appeals Tribunal shall be comprised of three (3) members. One (1) member shall be mutually agreed upon by both sides subject to the grievance. One (1) member shall be chosen by the Grievor’s side. One (1) member shall be chosen by the subject of the Grievances side. These members may be chosen from within the membership of the Alberta Football League. The membership of the Appeals Tribunal shall be immediately released to the Alberta Football League membership. The hearing shall be conducted by the AFL President or AFL Vice- President, as in Section 4, with the following exception:

The first vote taken by the Appeals Tribunal shall be:

Do you support the decision of the League Council in the case of this grievance? If the majority vote is yes, no further action is required and the discipline decision is implemented immediately. If the majority vote is no, then the Appeals Tribunal will hold a new series of votes as in Section 4. The decision of the Appeals Tribunal is final. There is no further appeal process.

The final decision of the Appeals Tribunal shall be released to the Alberta Football League membership. This includes the record of the vote(s) but not the minutes of the discussions.

Section 7. – All suspensions come into effect immediately after the final decision is released. Suspensions must be served immediately. No player shall be allowed to participate in an Alberta Football League game until his suspension is served.

ARTICLE VII – ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES
Section 1. – Meetings shall be called by the Alberta Football League President or at the request of the majority of the Alberta Football League membership.
Section 2. – Meeting attendance shall be required by at least one (1) of two (2) team representatives designated in writing to the Alberta Football League President. They shall be the only persons from that team to be recognized by the Alberta Football League to correspond with the Alberta Football League, on behalf of their team. Meeting attendance to be defined as attending and staying for the entire length of the league meeting. The Alberta Football League fine for not having a representative attending an Alberta Football League meeting, regular or special, without the prior consent of the President, will be $500. The absent member team will be reviewed by the League Council to consider “not in good standing”.
Section 3. The first meeting in the calendar year shall be known as the Annual General Meeting and will occur within calendar season no later than December 15^th. The agenda for this meeting shall contain, as a minimum, the following items:

Reports/Minutes
Review of League Statistics
Election of Officers (every 2^nd year)
Admission of New Teams
By Laws
Scheduling

Section 4. – The Alberta Football League shall hold at least two (2) other conference calls in addition to the Annual Meeting. One of the conference calls will be before the start of the Alberta Football League regular season and the other will follow the conclusion of the Alberta Football League season.

ARTICLE VIII – ORDER OF BUSINESS
Section 1. – The presence of the majority of the Alberta Football League team representatives shall be necessary to constitute a quorum for the transaction of Alberta Football League business.

ARTICLE IX – AMENDMENT PROCEDURE
Section 1. – These By-Laws may be amended at any Alberta Football League Meeting including conference calls as long as quorum is present by a majority vote of the membership present in good standing.

STANDING RULES

It shall be the duty of the President to:

Preside over all Alberta Football League meetings
Have general supervision over the affairs of the Alberta Football League
Handle all necessary Alberta Football League correspondence, except Official Media Releases.

It shall be the duty of the Vice President to:

Assume the duties of the President in his absence, incapacity, or resignation.
Assist the President as required.

It shall be the duty of the Director Media Relations to:

To write & distribute all Alberta Football League Official Press Releases.
To field any and all enquiries from the media regarding the Alberta Football League.
To develop & implement, subject to League Council approval, a marketing campaign designed to promote the Alberta Football League.

It shall be the duty of the Director League Statistics to:

Insure all member teams are recording statistics in a uniform manner.
To record and update all league statistics each week during the season.
Insure that updated statistics are forwarded on a timely basis, especially for posting on the league website.

It shall be the duty of the Secretary-Treasurer to:

Keep accurate records of all Alberta Football League meetings
Circulate copies of the minutes of each meeting within two (2) weeks of the last meeting.
Maintain complete and accurate records of the Alberta Football League’s income and expenditures.
Have charge over all Alberta Football League finances.
Present a current report on the Alberta Football League’s finances at each league meeting.

Canadian Major Football League Meeting Participation

The Alberta Football League will send two (2) members of the AFL Council to all CMFL meetings. One member shall be the AFL President; the other will be elected by the AFL Council.
All expenses shall be paid up front by the members.
Upon the submission of a brief expense report, including receipts, to the AFL Treasurer, the two members shall be reimbursed by the AFL for the following:
Return airfare to the meeting location.
Shared hotel accommodation (maximum of 2 nights)
Transportation (at the reasonable discretion of the AFL Council)
Each member will be paid an allowance of $45.00 per day for meals & incidentals (maximum 2 days)

ADMISSION OF NEW TEAMS:

It shall be the duty of the League Council to:
Receive applications from new teams
Review and recommend applications for meeting minimal requirements
Investigate new team applications and present at the Annual Meeting
All teams meeting minimal requirements shall be invited to the Annual Meeting for presentation to the Administrative Committee.
In order for a new team to be admitted into the Alberta Football League, a minimum of two thirds (2/3) of the member teams in attendance must approve.
Minimum qualifications for admission of a team currently in operation shall be evidence of financial stability, operational stability, ability to be competitive and evidence of ownership of the necessary equipment and the availability of adequate playing facilities as defined in Conduct/Regulation.
Upon admission to the Alberta Football League, the team will pay to the Alberta Football League an entry fee of five hundred ($500) dollars in addition to the normal Alberta Football League fees due at the Annual Meeting.
A team not in good standing will be required to reapply for admission to the Alberta Football League as a new applicant not currently in operation. Forfeits shall result in reapplication for admission unless the League Council declares forfeit No Fault. The entry fee will be waived.

ALBERTA FOOTBALL LEAGUE FEES:

Alberta Football League fees shall be two thousand dollars ($2000) for each team. $250 of said fees per team will be given to AFL All Star Committee to pay for game. All fees shall be paid prior to the commencement of the regular season. Any team that has not paid their fees, in full, prior to the start of the regular season shall be deemed as not in good standing. Each year at the AGM, the League Council will determine possible additional operating costs.
Fees must be paid to league on time prior to the first league season game. Teams will be fined $100 per week late fine and put on probation (non-voting status) until fees and fines are paid in full. Should dues not be paid in full plus penalties prior to Week 4 then team is found in bad standing and ineligible for playoffs.

Team fees shall be used by the Alberta Football League for the following:

Pay expenses of two (2) Alberta Football League representatives at all Canadian Major Football League meetings, as per the article:

Canadian Major Football League Meeting Participation

Pay an honorarium to the AFL Champion, which shall be:
One Thousand dollars ($1000.00) in a year when the CMFL National Championship is being held in Alberta.
Nine Thousand dollars ($9000.00) in a year when the CMFL National Championship is being held outside of Alberta.
Pay expenses involved in hosting the CMFL National Championship game. These costs include:

– Stadium Rental and Game Officials

– Twenty (20) hotel rooms for two (2) nights for the NFC representative.

– One (1) hotel room for one (1) night for the AFL representative.

** Note** this is only in the event that the AFL representative is not from the host city

– Transportation to and from all venues for the NFC representative.

– Providing one (1) meal for both the AFL and NFC participants.

– Other costs submitted by the host committee & approved by the League Council.

SCHEDULE:

The preparation of the schedule shall be the responsibility of the Alberta Football League President.

All games will be played as scheduled, unless mutually agreed upon by both teams.

CONDUCT AND REGULATION OF TEAM UNIT:

Each Alberta Football League team shall furnish the entire League Council with a full & complete listing of all players on their team. This roster must be submitted no later than seventy-two (72) hours prior to the first AFL regular season game of the year. Website rosters are not to be considered as official team rosters. New players may be added to a team’s roster anytime during the season. When a new player is added to the roster notification must be made to the entire League Council no later than four (4) hours prior to game time.
Should a player dress for one (1) game they then will not be allowed to request a release from said team to play for another. The player has the right to appeal this policy to the League Council, as per Article VI.
Upon completion of the season, all players are considered free agents & are permitted to change teams. Any player wishing to leave his team must obtain a written release that states the player does not owe any fees or possess any property of the team. No team will unreasonably deny a players release. In the event of a dispute between a player & team, the player has the right to plead his case to the League Council, as per Article VI.
Any team not on the field, ready to play within fifteen (15) minutes of the scheduled start time for the game, will be considered as having forfeited the game. Any team that forfeits a league game shall be referred to the League Council for judgment on its standing within the league.
Each visiting team must contact the home team prior to the playing date, fax, or e-mail their rosters to each other and confirm playing field and locker room locations. Each team is to provide the opposing team with any roster changes prior to game time. Failure to adhere to any of the above will result in the violating team being referred to the League Council for possible disciplinary action.
The field must be adequately marked and properly lighted for night games. Separate shower and locker room facilities will be provided for each team. Proper rest room facilities must be provided for the fans.
All Alberta Football League games shall be scheduled on weekends. All efforts shall be made to schedule games for either Saturday nights or Sunday prior to 4pm. The participating teams must mutually agree upon all other playing dates/times. If the participating teams are unable to agree upon a date/time, the AFL Council shall determine the status of the game.
If the home team must change the required start time or field location, they must provide the visiting team a minimum of 1 week notice of said change. Failure to provide sufficient notice shall be reviewed by the League Council and the team considered “not in good standing”.

Each team will appoint a team statistician, who will gather all required statistics for Alberta Football League regular season, Playoff and Championship games. Each team is to report the game stats for its team to the Director League Statistics by noon the Thursday following the game. Failure to submit on time will result in a fine. 1^st warning, 2^nd $100 and 3^rd $100 fine and bad standing with the league.

No Alberta Football League team shall play any non-Alberta Football League team if that team is considered “not in good standing”.
Each team will be responsible for providing certified medical personnel at Alberta Football League games. The certified medical personnel via direct communication will call ambulances if necessary. The certified medical personnel’s identification will be shown, upon request, to the visiting team.
All AFL member teams must maintain a team website. Each team website must contain updated links to the Alberta Football League website as well as every AFL member team website. All AFL member team websites must be kept as up to date as possible. Any AFL member team failing to maintain their website may be subject to discipline as per the AFL Bylaws. Teams required to have roster, game times and field address on website prior to week 1 of AFL schedule
The home team is responsible for providing game film before midnight on the following Monday. Game film sharing will be provided using hudl.com. Failure to provide film on time will result in a first time $100, 2^nd time $200 fine and result in bad standing.
Game clock shall be run by USports University rulebook, unless both head coaches agree to change to run time.

PLAYER ELIGIBILITY

To be considered eligible, each player on a team must wear the same colored helmet & facemask, jersey and pants.
To be considered eligible, any players having moved from one team to another must have a written release from their former team.
To be considered eligible, no player shall be paid for participating in an Alberta Football League game. Travel money to a practice or game shall be considered as paying the participant and shall not be allowed by the Alberta Football League.
Any player who is listed on the roster of a CJFL, NCAA or CIS team, and that team is currently “in season”, is not eligible to play in the Alberta Football League. “In Season” is defined as the period from the first regular season game to the conclusion of any playoffs. Any player currently under contract with an NFL, CFL, AFL (Arena Football League), or AFL 2, or any other professional football organization is not eligible to play in the Alberta Football League until said contract expires or is revoked.

In order to be eligible to play in the playoffs, Player must play 2 games in the first 5 games or 4 consecutive games to be eligible for playoffs. Injured players must be approved weekly by opposing team to count for eligibility

GAME PROCEDURES:

The Alberta Football League rules shall be Usports rules except as modified by the Alberta Football League as follows:

The Alberta Football League follows the Football Canada cut blocking rule.
The center on all kicking situations (field goals, converts, punts) shall not be hit while engaged in a snap, nor immediately following while his head is down.

A crew of officials, qualified and certified by Football Alberta shall work each game.
The home team shall furnish chain crews, chains and sideline markers. The visiting team has the right to place one (1) member of its organization on the chain crew if it desires. The visiting team however, must notify the home team of such decision at least fifteen (15) minutes before the scheduled game time.
The home team will furnish two (2) CIS/CFL approved game footballs, of which at least one (1) will be a new football unused and second of close to new condition. The game officials must approve the two footballs prior to game time.
The home team will provide access to the locker room and field facilities, for the visiting team, a minimum of two (2) hours prior to kickoff.
All teams must accept playoff ranking and participation. Failure to participate will be forwarded to the League Council for review.

The team with the better record has the first option of hosting a playoff game. Upon mutual consent of both teams, the team with the lower record could host the game. The league shall pay Field rental & officials fees for all playoff games. All teams shall charge a $5.00 admission fee for all AFL playoff games. All money raised through gate receipts, concessions etc. shall go to the AFL, up to the total cost for fields & officials. Any money above this amount shall be kept by the host team. All teams reserve the right to waive the $5.00 admission fee but will then have to pay for field rental & officials themselves.

Alberta Football League Tie Breakers:
1. Head to head games
2. Points for/points against differential (head to head)
3. Most points scored overall
4. Coin toss

ALBERTA FOOTBALL LEAGUE AWARDS & ALL STAR SELECTIONS

The Alberta Football League will recognize outstanding play each year by recognizing several categories of achievement as AFL League Awards and AFL All Stars. The Categories of achievement, known as the AFL League Awards are as follows:

– AFL Most Valuable Player
– AFL Most Valuable Player – Offence
– AFL Most Valuable Player – Defense
– AFL Outstanding Lineman – Offence
– AFL Outstanding Lineman – Defense
– AFL Outstanding Player – Special Teams
– AFL Outstanding Player – Rookie

AFL League Awards Selection Procedure:

Prior to the yearend conference call, each team will select 3 candidates for each award. These candidates will be ranked from 1^st to 3^rd. No team may select candidates from their own team. Rankings will be calculated during the year end conference call. The player with the most 1^st place votes shall be declared the award winner. Should 2 or more players have the same 1^st place votes, then 2^nd place votes shall be used to break the tie. If 2 players are still tied, 3^rd place votes will be used to determine the winner.

AFL LEAGUE ALL STAR SELECTIONS:

Prior to the start of the AFL Post season the All Star Selections will be made. Each team shall compile a list of 1^st & 2^nd team all-stars for nomination. No team may select candidates from their own team. The nomination shall be tabulated prior to the AFL Quarter Finals. First Team All-Stars will be awarded 2 points & 1 point for 2^nd Team players. Points are totaled & those numbers are used to determine rankings. The player receiving the most points at each position will be named the winner. 2^nd team votes will used to break ties.

This team selection will be used to comprise the All Star Game. The All Star committee will choose how AFL teams are divided and use these players accordingly. Next the All Star Committee will choose how additional players from all team organizations will be chosen.

Results shall be announced by the AFL President immediately following the All Star Team Conference Calls.