SDU Bylaw Amendments for 2024/2025

We've made significant updates to our club's bylaws to clarify things, improve our operation, and better support our players, parents, and volunteers. Some changes update membership rules, board rules, and meeting processes, while others help clarify existing policies.

To simplify things, we’ve broken down the updates part by part—click on each topic below to see what’s changed! We aim to make this information easy to understand, but we recommend you review the bylaw documents to be fully informed.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. Thank you for being part of the SDU community!

See also:

Summary of Changes

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  • Clearer Legal References

    • The Societies Act, SBC 2015, c 18 is now explicitly referenced.

    Clarification of Membership Terms

    • "Active Member" now refers to a representative of a Family, clarifying that each family, not each individual, has one vote.

    • A new definition for "Family" explains who qualifies under this term.

    Updated Terminology for Season and Registration

    • "Current playing season" was replaced with "Current Season" for consistency.

    • The season is now explicitly stated as September to March to prevent confusion.

    Inclusive Language Update

    • Gendered terms like "male person" and "female person" were replaced with gender-neutral wording.

  • New Membership Category: Volunteer Membership

    • Volunteer Members must commit to volunteering for a full season and can vote in Club meetings.

    • This membership is not available to parents/guardians of registered players to prevent multiple votes per family.

    Clarification of Active Membership & Voting Rights

    • Only one parent/guardian per family can be an Active Member with voting rights.

    • Families in spring/summer programs can attend meetings but must pay dues to vote.

    Membership Dues Requirement for Active Members

    • Paying annual membership dues is now mandatory for families with players in the main season (September - March).

    Life Membership Clarification

    • Life Members may participate in discussions but cannot vote.

  • Board Size Expansion

    • The Board can now have between five (5) and seven (7) directors instead of a fixed five.

    • Two optional Director-at-Large positions were added to provide flexibility in leadership roles.

    Longer Term Lengths for Key Roles

    • President, Vice President, and Treasurer now serve two-year terms (previously one year).

    • Other directors continue to serve one-year terms.

    • Directors may serve consecutive terms if re-elected.

    New Eligibility Restriction for Board Candidates

    • Individuals with a substantiated disciplinary issue with the Club or BC Soccer cannot run for a Board position in the next AGM.

    Election Process Change – No More Nominations from the Floor

    • Nominations must be submitted in writing at least 10 days before the AGM.

    • Nominations from the floor during the AGM are no longer allowed to ensure a more transparent and organized election process.

    Clearer Rules on Board Compensation & Reimbursements

    • Board members serve without pay, but they may be reimbursed for reasonable expenses related to Club duties.

  • More Flexibility for the AGM

    • The AGM is no longer required before June 1.

    • It must now be held within 210 days of the Club’s fiscal year-end, allowing more time to plan the meeting.

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Please note: It’s important to stay informed. We’ve summarized the key changes to make them easier to understand, but members are responsible for reviewing the full bylaws to ensure they understand the changes and their impact.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • We’re updating the bylaws so they match the current rules from BC Soccer and reflect best practices for how youth soccer clubs should be run. We also want to ensure the board has enough time and structure to make good decisions before each new season starts.

  • Only Parts 2, 3, 4, and 5 are changing. These are the sections about how we define membership, how the board works, and how we plan meetings and decision-making. All other sections will stay the same.

  • Each Part with changes will be voted on separately. This allows you to support the parts you agree with and ask questions or raise concerns about specific items.

    • The club’s old bylaws did not clearly define who qualified as a "member" or explain how registration fees connected to membership.

    • This caused confusion, especially for families who registered for spring and summer programs but were not considered official members and could not vote.

    • The bylaw changes are being made to fix these gaps, create a fairer system, and make membership rules clear and transparent.

    • Families who register for the regular fall season will automatically become voting members.

    • Families who only join spring and summer programs will have the option to pay a small membership fee, likely between $5 and $15, to become voting members.

    • Membership fees will be separate from registration fees, which will now be clearly explained, including the portion that covers B.C. Soccer insurance.

    • The club will save membership fees in a dedicated fund to support long-term needs like clubhouse maintenance and asset replacement.

  • We’re clarifying that the board has four required positions: President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary.  There are also optional director-at-large roles to help with board work, but those are not mandatory. We’re also proposing that people with proven disciplinary issues—either with the club or BC Soccer—be unable to run for a board role. From now on, board nominations must be submitted at least 10 days before the AGM. Nominations will not be accepted during the meeting.

  • Our financial year ends in March, and the AGM happens in May. That doesn’t give us enough time to review financials and plan for the next season. We’re changing the fiscal year end to June 30, and the AGM will happen by January. This gives the board more time to prepare and helps us make better program and player decisions.

  • Yes. There were some issues with access before, but we ensure all members can see the latest minutes and budget through PlayMetrics. The approved budget for 2024–2025 is already in place, and finances for the short transition period (April–June 2025) will be ready by the end of May.

  • Yes. If you want a specific part of the bylaw changes to be voted on separately or changed, you can bring that forward during the SGM. This follows Robert’s Rules, which the club uses to run meetings fairly.

  • The current bylaws and the proposed updates are linked above and on the SDU website under the Club Policies section. The same links were also sent out through PlayMetrics.

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