R.F.L BYLAWS 2022
The Royal Football League Bylaws
The Royal Football League,( hereby know as RFL) Bylaws. This
guide is governed by the RFL Staff and adhered to by RFL Team
Ownership and affiliations. This guide will not be used to benefit any one team more
than another and the league President and Staff has the authority to
make common sense judgements to maintain good order and discipline.
I - NAME
1.- The name of the organization shall be the Royal Football League (RFL)
2. - The names of the Divisions shall be determined by the League President once all teams are determined.
II - PURPOSE
The Royal Football League is a registered 501c3 non profit organization and was formed by three HBCU Graduates and former football players for the following purposes: (a) To provide a football league / events that fosters and facilitates to all aspects of football from the Royal youths to the Royal adults, to promote competitions, sportsmanship, and passion for the game (b) To support the growth of amateur football regionally, nationally, and internationally (c) To organize, coordinate, and support football games / events with other regional, national, and international; football teams, leagues and development organizations. (d) To train, educate, and promote football players who desire to participate on regional, national, and international football teams / events. (e) To publish information which (f) To solicit, receive, maintain, invest, and reinvest funds of real and personal property and to contribute its income and principal as deemed advisable for the purposes provided in (a)through (e) above.
III – MEMBERSHIP
1. - The Royal Football League shall consist of all current RFL teams that meet admission requirements, teams that are in good standing and teams that have paid the league fees due at the scheduled times given, unless otherwise approved by the League’s Staff. Membership is recognized as being season-by-season.
2. - Each RFL team in good standing after completion of 1 successful season, shall be entitled to one (1) vote, when a voting situation is presented.
3. - A team shall be considered not in good standing if it has forfeited a game or if, in the judgment of the RFL Staff, it has acted in willful violation of the Royal Football League By-Laws or Standing Rules. A forfeited game is defined as a game not played or not completed because:
a)One of the teams failed to show up to the designated competition site
b)The home team changed the game time, day or location without proper notification as outlined in the RFL By-Laws per Conduct and Regulation of Team Unit, Section 9
c)The game was called by the RFL Referee Official for failure to follow RFL regulations
d)One of the teams used an ineligible player. A player without a release from his former team. (A player’s ineligibility must be documented prior to game day kickoff)
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 by the RFL Staff. A team needs a vote by the President, Treasurer, and Secratary to pass from probationary status to good standing. If there is a negative vote, in which majority of the teams within good standing vote for a team to be removed, the President, Treasurer, and Secratary will strongly consider the vote into the final decision.
5. - All league debts are to be paid in full one (2) weeks prior to opening date of the current season. If payment is not made, the team has decided to forfeit the current season. Regardless of which team violates this.
6. - A team that has forfeited a prior season must be voted in by the majority of the returning RFL Owners and will be required to pay the league dues in full by the date given by the RFL President.
7. – RFL Players that choose to play in other semi-pro/minor professional leagues during the same calendar year are subject to the following restrictions:
1. Players can not miss a RFL to participate in any other league.
2. Players are not eligible for selection or play for any RFL All-Star events.
8. —RFL Event participates must apply and register for specific events.
IV – LEADERSHIP & OFFICERS
1. - The Royal Football League leadership shall consist of league President, Secretary, Treasurer, Board Members, President of the Player Association, and Activities
Specialist.
2. - The Royal Football League President CANNOT be voted out for any reason besides criminal actions detrimental to the league.
3. - The Royal Football League Treasurer CANNOT be released from his/her duties for any reason besides criminal actions detrimental to the league.
4. – The Royal Football League Officers shall consist of a Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner(s) and Head of Officials.
5. – RFL Officers can be removed by the league President, Secretary, and Treasurer for cause.
6. - The Royal Football League shall have 2 directors who report to the President as requested:
*Head of Officials
*Lead Commissioner.
7. - The Director positions are appointed by Board members and Directors will maintain the status until resigning or removal by the RFL President.
8. —The Activities Specialist position are appointed by Board members and Directors will maintain the status until resigning or removal by the RFL President.
V – DUTIES OF RFL PERSONNEL
President Duties:
-Preside over all RFL meetings
-Presides over the Leadership and Admissions
-Responsible for RFL Scheduling
-Have general supervision over the affairs of the RFL
Secretary duties:
-Assume the duties of the President in his/her absence, incapacity or resignation
-Assist the President in whatever capacity the President deems necessary
-Report all League aspect to the President, before made public
-Keep accurate records of all RFL meetings
-Notify all RFL members of meetings
-Circulate copies of the minutes of each meeting
Treasurer Duties:
-Maintain complete and accurate records of the RFL's income and expenditures
-Have charge of all RFL finances; will have three-person integrity with the league President, and the Secretary
- Present a current report on the RFL's finances at each league meeting
-Responsible for game day execution
-Cannot be a member of an active RFL Team
-Responsible for league and player discipline in their conference/division
-Handle all necessary RFL correspondence
-Handle disciplinary issues that occur on game day
Head of Officials Duties:
-Responsible for ensuring all RFL games have assigned referees weekly
-Responsible for ensuring the quality of officiating is consistent with RFL standards
-Understand current NFL rules and making modifications to RFL rules to ensure safety and great entertainment
-Obtaining and distributing weekly reports on game day happenings
-Ensuring accurate weekly scores reporting
-Report to the League President to confirm fields location by Thursday at 7pm
Activities Specialist
-Plan and help organize events for the community.
-Come up with events to host to the community.
-Participate in events as a instructor.
VI - JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
1. - The Judiciary Committee shall consist of Secretary and all RFL Commissioners. If the Judiciary Committee falls below the membership minimum of three (3), then the committee's power shall revert to the RFL President.
2. - It shall be the duty of the Judiciary Committee to settle grievances between teams and to rule on any disciplinary action to be administered as per the current By-Laws.
-All judgments shall go before the RFL President and to be made official prior to team notifications.
-The RFL President will cast a vote in the event of a tie.
3. - In the event of an emergency situation, the Judiciary Committee may act upon the grievance prior to the receipt of written copy of said grievance.
4. - The Judiciary Committee may elect to conduct hearings in person, through zoom, or by conference call. All notes will be made public by request.
5. - Any Judiciary Committee decision will be immediately released to the RFL membership by the RFL President.
6. - Any grievance decision by the Judiciary Committee may be appealed to the Secretary.
7. – The Judiciary Committee has the authority to recommend the removal of teams who are in violation of RFL By-Laws or if they are operating in a manner that may be determined to be detrimental to league business.
8. – A recommendation of removal will go to the Secretary for action, implementation and/or approval.
VII - AMENDMENT PROCEDURE
These By-Laws may be amended at a RFL Meeting by a majority vote of the membership present in good standing, provided that written or verbal notice of the proposed change or amendment has been given to the RFL President no later than one (2) weeks prior to the upcoming season.
VIII - ADMISSION OF NEW TEAMS: ADMISSIONS COMMITEE
The Admission Committee shall consist of the President, Treasurer, Secretary, and a minimum of four (3) Board members.
It shall be the duty of the Admissions Committee to:
-Receive applications from new teams via E-mail online applications
- Investigate new team applications and present at the next RFL meeting.
- All teams meeting minimal requirements shall be invited to the next League Meeting for presentation to the entire RFL.
In order for a new team to be admitted into the RFL, majority vote is required. A team returning to the RFL in good standing is eligible for automatic re-entry.
IX - SCHEDULE:
The preparation of the schedule shall be the responsibility of the RFL President, Treasurer, and Secretary.
All special requests for home game dates must be submitted to the RFL scheduling team prior to the date given by the League. Once the regular season schedule is released to the league members there can no more changes of opponents and/or game dates. If a team drops after the schedules are released then it will be the League’s scheduling team duty to fill in any open dates if possible.
All games will be played as scheduled; Games with prior approved permission from the Commissioner for relocation due to fire, flood, other acts of God, or the Stadium Facility management access denial will be acted upon by the Commissioner. Once all information related to the relocation request has been submitted, the Commissioner will hand down a final determination with approval from the RFL President.
Request for relocation of game field must be submitted as soon as possible. The RFL understands that certain events may take place that are out of the control of the home team but in order for the league to assist the home team, the league must be notified as soon as possible. If a delay in notification to the Commissioner has been found, then the game MAY be awarded to the visiting team. Other disciplinary actions can be administered against the home team by the Judiciary Committee.
X – SCHEDULING
•Preseason - Each RFL team will schedule their own preseason games, not to include more than 5 games. Their opponents can be interleague, utilizing teams from other leagues. Both teams will need to govern a set of rules either NFL or NCAA collegian rules to play by. The teams win/loss record will be not utilized nor acknowledged for RFL regular season records;
Regular Season:
-All Sunday games MUST be scheduled two (2) weeks in advanced and approved by the RFL President.
- All Sunday games MUST be with local teams: A local team is defined as team within 60 minutes of the game site.
- All Sunday games not scheduled with at least two (2) weeks’ notice and are outside of the 60 minutes travel distance. MUST get approval by the President, the Head of Officials and the opposing team ownership
SPRING SEASON:
All RFL games shall be scheduled for Saturday (kickoff time is determined by the home team only, not to exceed 8pm start times)
FALL SEASON:
All RFL games shall be scheduled for Saturday (kickoff time is determined by the home team only, not to exceed 8pm start times)
SUMMER SEASON:
All RFL games shall be scheduled for Saturday (kickoff time is determined by the home team only, not to exceed 8pm start times)
**(Royal Kick-off Classic is the exception) **
XI – ACTIVE ROSTERS
Amendments to the team roster must be updated and submitted to the leagues Secretary by Friday at 10:00am. A roster may have up to sixty-five (65) players.
For new players to be added to a team's roster, the team must submit the players signed RFL player contract prior to Friday at 10:00am roster cut-off time.
Final Roster:
Must be submitted to the Treasurer via email, no later than Thursday at 11:59pm after the sixth (6th) game of the official regular season schedule.
Players contracted with an RFL organization are on a per season basis and can change teams in between seasons.
ARTICLE XII- CONDUCT AND REGULATION OF TEAM UNIT
Unsportsmanlike conduct on the part of any team, team official or any individual player, whether it be on the field or off, shall be dealt with by the Judiciary Committee. The offending person or persons may be subjected to disciplinary measures up to and including suspension and/or expulsion from the league. Each Team’s Owner shall be held responsible for the conduct of its players and its staff, whether individually or collectively. The Judiciary Committee may, if they deem it beneficial to the RFL, suspend any team personnel. A second violation in the same season results in an automatic suspension for the remainder of the year.
Any team that forfeits a game will not be eligible for the RFL post-season. All League money will be forfeited and the team will not be able to collect any RFL prize money.
The RFL reserves the right to remove any organization that is not abiding to the by-laws or any acts deemed as detrimental to the league.
XIII – UNIFORMS AND EQUIPMENT
The RFL will follow the NFL dress code with matching pants, jerseys, and helmets (including facemask). Socks must consist of team’s colors. Each item(s) not matching as listed above will be fined $50 (each time it happens).
Each team shall be equipped with two (2) sets of jerseys a home and away, to allow for the use of contrasting uniforms in each scheduled game. All players must wear the same number at home and away games. The roster will be sent to the other team on the Friday prior to the game.
Each visiting team shall contact that week’s opposing home team on Wednesday prior to the playing date, and confirm playing field location and locker rooms availability. If home team cannot provide field location prior to Wednesday by 12:00 noon, the away team can then choose to host the game. If the away team chooses not to host, the schedule home team has until Thursday at 8pm to provide details or a forfeit will be issued.
Each team is to provide the opposing team with any roster uniform changes at least 60 minutes prior to game time and/or post it on the Facebook Owner’s Forum. Failure to adhere to any of the above will result in an automatic fifty ($50) dollar fine payable to the league within five (5) days and/or forfeit of game.
XIV – GAME DAY FACLITIES
Each team must submit for league approval, the name, address of the facilities and a facility contact that the team proposes to utilize for home games. This information must be submitted for verification, prior to the release of regular season schedules at the given date.
Required Game day facilities:
1. Must play its home games at a field surrounded by secured fencing for adequate crowd control
2. The field must have proper yard marking, first down markers, official padding for goal post and properly lighting for night games.
3. Proper rest room facilities must be provided for the fans.
Each home team will be responsible for providing authorized medical personnel at RFL games which include medical doctors, physician’s assistants, EMTs, Registered Nurse and/or certified trainers.
XV – GAME PROCEDURES
1. The RFL rules shall be the NFL rules except as modified by the RFL.
2. Each game shall be worked by a crew of officials, qualified and certified by a recognized association of Certified Football Officials. The crew of officials shall be paid in accordance with the determination by the RFL Head of Officials.
3. 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 they desire. The visiting team however, must notify the home team of such decision at least fifteen (15) minutes before the scheduled game time.
4. The RFL would prefer a visible security of some kind must be present for each event, if at all possible provided by the home team. The security must be identifiable.
5. The home team shall furnish thirty-two (32) pounds of ice and water for the visiting team. Each team will furnish three (3) NFL regulation footballs. The game officials must approve the three footballs prior to game time.
6. The home team will provide access to the locker room and field facilities, for the visiting team, at least one (1) hour prior to kickoff, if available.
7. The presence of an RFL Official is preferred at all RFL regular and post season games. RFL officials should be present at all games (if possible) to ensure that the facilities and game conditions meet RFL standards. If no RFL official is available for a game, the Head Official will prepare a game report. The RFL officials will rotate each week. No team should go more than 4 weeks without coverage, if possible.
8. For every RFL sanction game or event, the visiting team is responsible for their transportation expenses.
9. All teams must accept playoff ranking and participation. Any team that qualifies for the playoffs should meet that obligation. Failure to participate in a playoff game will be condidered a forfeit and subject to RFL forfeiture rules.
10. RFL Tie Breakers:
- Head to head games (If split games, the better of the scores)
- Best win/loss record within the division
- Best win/loss record in conference
- Best team with least points scored against them
- Best win/loss record outside the division
- Best win/loss record against common opponents
- Best win/loss record against common opponents, outside the division
- Best win/loss record among tied teams
- Coin toss
Appendix I Conduct Rules
1. All persons participating in RFL events (games, fundraisers, camps, training etc.) will conduct themselves in a professional manner.
2. Poor sportsmanship will not be tolerated. Consequences that may be assessed include but are not limited to suspensions and/or fines. These consequences are at the discretion of the RFL President and Secretary.
3. Absolutely “NO FIGHTING” will be tolerated. Players and Coaches will be ejected from the game if any fighting occurs:
-(Players and Coaches Ejected by the Refs.)
-NO appeal process for ejected players or coaches by the Referees.
A. The RFL board members reserves the right to review the game film to access the severity of the player’s actions.
B. The RFL Board members reserves the right to hand out suspensions for actions not caught by the Referees but were visible on film.
C. If anyone caught spitting on another person they will be removed from the game and suspended for the remainder of the season.
4. NO SMOKING or USE OF ANY TOBACCO PRODUCTS (including MARIJUANA) as well as alcohol at any RFL function including games.
(ESPECIALLY ON SCHOOL GROUNDS)
5. Fines – RFL reserves the right to fine teams for aggressive acts. Any fines assessed must be paid in full before player/teams can resume play. No refunds will be given.
6. Any violations of RFL facility requirements will result in $50.00 fine per violation.
7. Any violations of RFL uniform policy will result in $50.00 fine per violation.
Appendix ll
-COVID 19 - Any or all rules on facilities and/ or scheduling are subject to change within any part of the season. The R.F.L is asking for teams/ players total cooperation and understand the reason behind this. Please wear a mask during R.F.L. events and please follow all protocol as given