| Maritime
Women's Football League Bulletin Board |
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Minutes
of the MWFL 2012 AGM held February 25 at Rocky Stone Field Meeting
was called to order (1)
at 2:03pm. Welcome! (2)
(Lisa H) (3) Introductions (Attendance):
Lisa H (SJ), Lisa R (SJ), Michelle M (SJ) Jim Mather (SJ) Larry H. (SJ)
Jenny M (Moncton), Melanie L (Moncton), Tracy B (Moncton?), Marie-Noel (Moncton),
Ali via Ipad (Halifax), Tasha (Halifax), Kevin B (Halifax), Steve, D.
(Fred), Hannah (Fredericton) Kristen (Fredericton). (4) Voter certification:
Player reps were identified for each team. 2 votes per team,
clarification on player rep should Hannah be elected to president.
(Steve, despite being coach, could vote on behalf of team) (5) Additions
2 were made to the Agenda under “Other”. (Touchdown for the Cure-
Steve. Sponsorship Proposal-Larry) At
this time, Steve presented his "Touchdown for the Cure"
concept while waiting for Halifax crew to arrive. In 2010 they raised
about $2,000 for Breast Cancer Research. In 2011 they raised $7,000.
There are 4 games (3 pee wee, 1 bantam). Steve would like to see
the Women's League partner/take-over this initiative. It's good exposure
for the league. Minimal expense, most items donated. Would like to keep
event(s) as grassroots as possible.
Lisa
handed out concussions cards packets for each team (every player gets
one) and encouraged one player per team takes the training. Steve
emphasized importance of it NOT being a coach so as to keep as objective
as possible. (6) Adoption of 2011 AGM
Minutes
(Lisa quickly reviewed topics from 2011 such as admission of new teams;
forfeit policy, rule changes, skills camps). Motion to adopt 2011
minutes by Jenny, 2nd by Ali. Motion passed. (7) Reports:
Commissioner (Lisa): 2011 was one of the best years so far in
terms of functionality/competition. 1st annual skills camp (in
Fredericton) was a huge success (45-50 girls). Season started 1 week
early to avoid heat and work around U2 concert in Moncton. Games are
getting closer in score. Thanking Moncton for hosting a great
Championship.
President
(Ali): High points include: better communication, better community,
healthy rivalry, more structure, creation of a legacy, better at
addressing team "issues" right away, eliminated negative
"perceptions" of other teams, re-establishment of links with
their PSO (Football NS). Treasurer (Jenny): We started 2011(Jan)
with $2053 in bank account. We are starting 2012 (Feb) with $2300. Part
of the extra will help to absorb the increase in Officials fees (fees
will stay the same at $200 per game for 2012, but will increase to $250
per game in 2013). Also, league fees will increase (from $1500 per team
to $1650 per team…..with $20 per additional player) Tasha
(Halifax): Highest # returning players so far. Coaching staff
came/went. No wins all season. They are still paying for their new
helmets. Not all girls are helping fundraise. Still no sponsors. FNS
will open online registration, #'s for this year look good. Practices
start March 6. First football 101 session was not well attended
(possibly due to city bus strike), another one is scheduled for this
week and 10 are registrar so far. Fields are good, getting gear is still
an issue. Michelle
(SJ): Most players are
returning, few new girls. Team is currently practicing in gym. Last year
many new rookies (under-aged) and many vets left. This creates a social
dilemma in that its difficult to plan team outings (all the more reason
to create player-mentor program). Steve (Fred.): Good growth, 1/2
are new players (18 new, 18 returning, 36 total). Team is going back to
2006 structure. Team has been practising in gym for 3 weeks now (30
participants). Jenny (Moncton): Had a great year. Still some
coaching issues (we have none). Have lots of returning players and good
participation all around. Motion
to adopt reports (Jenny, second by Tasha). Motion passed. (8) Amendments to
Constitution/By-Laws:
A new position was created at last months planning
session in response to the growth of the league and ever increasing need
for public/social awareness. It will either be called
"Communications Director" or "Public Relations
Director". This position will serve as the key contact for the
media/official spokesperson. It will have voting power on the executive.
Treasurer and Officials Liaison will NOT have voting power. Lisa read
proposal (Article#5). Motion to adopt by Jenny, seconded by Hannah.
Motion passed. Lisa read through the proposed revised "Roles
and Responsibilities" which included consideration for the newly
adopted position. (See Appendix A for updated Description of
Roles and Responsibilities, see Appendix B for official changes
to the constitution further reflecting said changes). Motion
to adopt by Jenny, seconded by Tasha. Motion passed. (9) Elections of
2011 Executive: Election procedure
was lead by Larry Harlow. Lisa Harlow reoffered as Commissioner. Hannah
Hamilton offered as new President. Jenny Miller reoffered as
Vice-President. Ali McKellar offered as new Communications Director.
Kristen Warner reoffered as Secretary. Melanie Leger was reappointed as
Treasurer. Marie-Noel was appointed Officials Liaison. All present were
in favour of these candidates. Motion passed. (10) New Business: As a result of the newly developed Strategic Plan,
a "Mission Statement" was presented; Larry made some
suggestions to eliminate redundancy, the end-result of which is the
following "As the voice of women’s tackle football in the
Maritimes, we aim to develop, promote, and advocate for the sport
in a cooperative, safe, and fair environment while providing
leadership, guidance and sound management for all participants." Motion to adopt the new format was made by
Jenny, seconded by Hannah. Motion passed. The Strategic Plan was
presented as a working document which will be reviewed each, year and
can be changed at any time throughout the year as needed. The Executive
will work to review/reword, add responsibilities and send amended
version to team reps. Motion to adopt by Jenny, seconded by Kristen.
Motion passed. SPECIAL RULES #6: Length of Play. Halifax expressed
desire to lengthen the quarters from 12 minutes to 15, in order to allow
their players optimal playing time, given that they are required to
travel much further to attend games, and in the spirit of helping them
improve their skills through actual game play. Some discussion was had
surrounding how greatly the newly adopted rule changes will effect
player energy, roster shortages (due to injury and attrition) and the
‘real-time’ implications of what an extra 3 minutes per quarter will
entail (potentially, an extra hour per game).
Key considerations include: do we have enough players to do this
safely? What about when playing in extreme heat? This will bring us
closer in-line with the men's league/CFL. Are our players properly
conditioned to handle the extra strain that added minutes will bring?
Short nature of the season means we don’t get to fully take advantage
of game time. How subjective will our coaches be in calling games if the
game score is tight? Will enforcing the 20 second rule help to alleviate
this problem? We could find a middle-ground compromise of strengthen
wording but this will only add more confusion to officials whom are
already struggling to understand all of our special rules. We were
worried about going from 10-12 minutes before, and it worked out ok. In
the end, the original motion for 4 quarters consisting of 15 minutes
each was retracted and replaced with a new one. The motion is now to
PILOT THE 4X15 MINUTE QUARTES DURING THE LAST TWO WEEKS OF REGULAR
SEASON. (which would ultimately affect 4 games total, each team having
the opportunity to play 2 lengthened games). Holding the pilot games at
the end of the regular season will serve us well to determine whether we
can withstand the most harsh summer heat, as well as the lowest roster
numbers of the season (due to injury and attrition). We would need to
take very accurate statistics for these two games and review at next
years AGM. Vote was 11 in favour of the 2 pilot games, 2 opposed. Motion
passed. Steve withdrew proposed change to the Mercy Rule
(Special rule 17).
Steve motioned to change the current defensive pressure
restriction (Special rule #9) to make it more in-line with men's' rule.
It would see moving from "2 yards or less ….when the offence is
scrimmaging inside the defensive teams' 3 yard line"
to "2 yards or less ….when the offence is scrimmaging
inside the defensive team's 5 yard line". This would allow
defensive team more room to move. Tasha seconded the motion and motion
to adopt new rule was passed. Lastly, Steve motioned to change Special Rule #16
(Converts and Field Goals) to make it more in line with Men's League/CFL.
Also, it will help reduce score inflation due to so many successful
Point After kicks. Point After Kicks will go from 2 points to 1 point,
and scores that are passed in/ran in will go from 1 point to 2 points.
Field goals will remain at 3 points. This will help develop game
strategy. (See Appendix C
for complete details of Rule Changes). Motion was seconded by Jenny and
new rule was passed. 2012 Schedule- Current schedule (previously
circulated) still stands. Go ahead and book fields. 2012 Skills Camp will be held in Moncton (in
April?). No field booked yet. Details to follow. 2012 Fee Deadline will be due to Melanie before the
first game of the season (May 26). It will remain $1500 per team for 20
players, plus $20 per additional player. New players must also submit
proof of age with registration fees. (11)
Other: Larry presented a sponsorship deal with Russell
Athletics. It encompasses gear, jersey, pants etc. They will give us
$1000 per year for 2 years if we offer them the first right of refusal (ie
socks etc) . This would include a 30% discount for team jerseys/gear etc
(buy 1 get 1 free) as well as 5% back to the team on all sales including
purchases made by fans (at E-Store). No major purchase is required. As
far as set up fees go, when we provide the quote to beat, it will
include our set-up fee and it will be up to Russell to be able to match
or beat with set-up fee included. All teams agreed to take on the offer.
Lastly, Ali reminded teams to keep sending pics to
the facebook group, which is now up and running. (12) Motion to adjourn at 4:08 pm by Lisa, seconded by Kristen. |
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