How the Boston DSA Operates
Association Guidelines
Association Operating Guidelines
Article 1. Name
Section 1. The name of the organization shall be the Boston Dream Soccer
Association, Inc. or Boston DSA for the purposes of this document.
Article 2. Mission Statement, Values, and Objectives.
Section 1. The mission of the Boston DSA is to foster leadership development
for women and girls.
Section 2. The Values of the Boston DSA are Leadership, Education,
Community, and Opportunity.
Section 3. The objectives of the Boston DSA are as follows:
Objective 1: To provide Education to propel women to coaching,
officiating, and leadership roles
Objective 2: To foster Leadership and soccer to girls through training,
clinics, partnerships, and events
Objective 3: To create a soccer Community that promotes the women
players, coaches, clubs, charities, and businesses through
membership, partnerships, and networking
Objective 4: To Promote advanced Opportunity for women in Soccer,
Education, and Leadership through a local team, connecting
them to young players throughout New England
Article 3. Purpose of the Association Operating Guidelines
Section 1. The Purpose of the Operating Guidelines are to supplement the
Association By-Laws
Section 2. The Association Operating Guidelines shall no supersede the
Association By-Laws
Article 4. Membership
Section 1. Membership Levels
- Supporter: This is the basic membership level
- Sustainer: This is a higher level of membership with more privileges
- Dreamer: This is the highest level of membership with key privileges
- Membership Costs may be found in Appendix A.
Section 2. Membership Privileges
- All Membership Levels get a vote at the Annual Meeting
- Membership Privileges shall be designed by the Executive Board, and presented to membership by the Director and decided and approved by Membership at the Annual Meeting
- Membership Privileges may be found in Appendix A.
Section 3. Membership Responsibilities
- Members shall act in their official capacity to further the mission of the Boston DSA
- Members who abuse their privilege may be removed by a 2/3rds vote of the Executive Board
- Members whose conduct is detrimental to the Boston DSA may be removed by a unanimous vote of the Executive Board
Article 5. Structure
Section 1. An Executive Board shall be chosen by the Membership
Section 2. An Executive Director shall be chosen by the Executive Board
Section 3. An Advisory Board shall be selected by the Executive Director and
approved by the Executive Board
Section 4. The size of the Executive Board shall be suggested by the Executive
Board and approved by the Full Membership at the Annual Meeting
Section 5. The size of the Advisory Board shall be determined by the Executive
Board
Article 6. Management
Section 1. The Executive Director of the Boston DSA shall be chosen by a
2/3rds vote of the Executive Board
Section 2. The Executive Director shall represent the Boston DSA in all official
capacities
Section 3. In the absence of an Executive Director, the President of the
Executive Board shall act as the Director
Section 4. The duties of the Executive Director and any other Management
Positions shall be described in Appendix B.
Section 5. The Executive Director may expand the Management Team as
approved by the Executive Board
Article 7. Advisory Board
Section 1. The role of the Advisory Board shall be to advise and support the
Boston DSA
Section 2. The members of the Advisory Board shall be appointed by a 2/3rd
vote of the Executive Board
Article 8. Executive Board
Section 1. President
- The President shall schedule and preside over monthly meetings of the Executive Board
- The President shall call an Annual Meeting of the Membership in the months of January or February
- The role of the President shall be to lead the Association towards all goals and objectives stated in the mission statement and vision of the Boston DSA
- In absence of a President, one of the Vice-President’s shall preside over the meeting as chosen by the Vice-President of Education, the Vice-President of Community, the Vice-President of Opportunity, the Treasurer and the Secretary of the Boston DSA
Section 2. Vice President of Education
- The Vice-President of Education shall serve as a member of the Executive Board, and serve as President as described Article 7, Section 1.d
- The Vice-President of Education shall work to promote and support the Educational goals of the Boston DSA
Section 3. Vice President of Community
- The Vice-President of Community shall serve as a member of the Executive Board, and serve as President as described Article 7, Section 1.d
- The Vice-President of Community shall work to promote and support the Educational goals of the Boston DSA
Section 4. Vice President of Opportunity
- The Vice-President of Opportunity shall serve as a member of the Executive Board, and serve as President as described Article 7, Section 1.d
- The Vice-President of Opportunity shall work to promote and support the Opportunity goals of the Boston DSA
Section 5. Treasurer
- The Treasurer will oversee the financials of the Boston DSA
- The Treasurer shall allow full transparency of the organization’s budget at the Annual Meeting
Section 6. Secretary
- The Secretary shall keep minutes for the Executive Board meetings and Annual Meetings
- The Secretary shall release the minutes to the Membership in a timely manner
Section 7. Members at Large
- The Members at Large shall serve on the Executive Board to help promote and support the goals and objectives of the Boston DSA
- The Members at Large shall serve as a Nominating Committee for the President and Vice-Presidents
- The Members at Large may be assigned duties for the organization by the Board President and with Executive Board approval
- The Members at Large shall be nominated and selected by the Membership on an Annual basis at the Annual Meeting
Section 8. Qualifications and Limitations for the Executive Board
- The Executive Board shall be selected from the Membership
- To be nominated to be a member of the Executive Board, one must be a Member in good standing for 2 (two) consecutive years, or a Founding Member of the Boston DSA (see Appendix C), or a current or former member of the Advisory Board
- The Executive Board may not be made up of over 30% (thirty percent) of employees from one soccer entity, such as a club or youth association
- Any Member removed from office by Article 4, Section 3, may not be part of the Executive Board
Section 9. Selecting Roles for the Executive Board
- The President shall be selected from the current members of the Executive Board on a bi-annual basis to be approved of by Membership at the Annual Meeting
- The Vice-President of Education, the Vice-President of Community, and the Vice-President of Opportunity shall be selected from the current members of the Executive Board and approved by the Membership at the Annual Meeting on an Annual basis
- The Treasurer shall be selected from the Executive Board by the President and approved by the majority of the Executive board on a bi-annual basis at the First Executive Board meeting after the Annual Meeting
- The Secretary shall be selected from the members of the Executive Board by the President and approved by the majority of the Executive Board on an Annual basis at the First Executive Board meeting after the Annual Meeting
- Members of the Executive Board shall be called “Members-At-Large” unless given another role by the above selection process
- Members at Large are nominated and chosen by the Membership at the Annual Meeting
Article 9. Special Committees
- Special Committees shall be created by the Executive Board
- The Executive Director may suggest Committees to the Executive Board for approval at an Executive Board meeting
- The size of the Committee shall be decided by the President and approved by the Executive Board
Article 10. Participants
- The mission of the Boston DSA is to foster leadership to women and girls, and the Participants should reflect that
- The Participants shall be defined in Appendix E.
- The Boston DSA benefits should be available to all Participants in the order of preference according to Appendix E.
Article 11. Sponsorships
Section 1. Sponsorship
- The Boston DSA shall seek in-kind and financial sponsorship that helps drive the mission and objective of the Boston DSA
Section 2. In-Kind Sponsorships
- In-Kind sponsorships shall be negotiated by the Executive Director with Executive Board approval
Section 3. Financial Sponsorships
- Financial sponsorships shall be negotiated by the Executive Director with Executive Board approval
Article 12. Partnerships
Section 1. Educational Partnerships
- The Boston DSA shall strive to make Educational Partnerships that support fostering leadership for women and girls
- Educational Partnerships may reflect but are not limited to leadership, athletics, society, empowerment, and other programs the Executive Board deems appropriate
Section 2. Charitable Partnerships
- The Boston DSA shall strive to make partnerships with charities that support a like mission or provide an opportunity for participants to grow their leadership skills
Section 3. Opportunity Partnerships
- The Boston DSA shall endeavor to find opportunity partnerships where women will directly benefit from participation
Section 4. League Partnerships
- The Boston DSA will actively seek League Partnerships to allow more women and girls to be Participants in Boston Dream partnership and programs (see Appendix E)
Section 5. Youth Organization Partnerships
- The Boston DSA will actively seek beneficial relationship with Youth Organizations to foster leadership development for women and girls
- Youth Organizations will provide a direct connection with young players to the Association.
- By no means shall the Boston Dream Soccer Association take over a youth club program, or vice versa. All must exist as their own entities, fostering the growth of the game for women soccer players in Eastern New England.
Article 13. Amendments
Section 1. The By-Laws of Boston DSA may be amended at the Annual
Meeting by a 2/3rds vote of the Full Membership
Section 2. The Appendices of the Boston DSA may be amended by a
2/3rds vote of the Executive Board.
Appendix
Appendix A. Membership
A.1 Membership Costs
- Supporters shall pay an Annual $50 (fifty dollar) Membership Fee for a Supporter level membership
- There shall be no limit placed on the number of Supporter level memberships
- Dreamers shall be a Member who pays for one of a limited number selected budget items to receive the highest level of Membership
- The limit placed on the number Dreamers level Membership shall be selected by the Executive Director and approved by the Executive Board
A.2 Membership Privileges
- All Sustainers and Dreamers are invited to an Exclusive Member Event
- All Membership Levels get to vote at the Annual General Meeting
A.3 Initial Membership for 2022
- Executive Board Members from 2021 will be granted Membership for 2022
- Advisory Board Members will be granted Membership for 2022
- Boston Dream’s Mentors will be granted Membership for 2022
- Boston Dream’s Sponsors will receive one Membership for 2022
- Boston Dream’s Official Education, Community, and Opportunity partners will receive one Membership for 2022
- The Boston Dream’s League Affiliates will be granted one Membership for 2022
- In-Kind Partners from 2021 may be granted Membership for 2022
- Any question of Membership for people who qualify for more than one Membership by the above rules may seek a Executive Board decision for clarification on a case by case basis
Appendix B. Management Positions and Responsibilities
B.1 The Executive Director
- The Executive Director shall handle the day to day business of the Boston Dream Soccer Association
- Duties may include but are not limited to:
- Reporting to the Executive Board on a regular basis
- Documenting and Processing Membership
- Keeping Financial Records with the Treasurer
- Joining, creating, and supporting leadership opportunities for the Participants
- Providing education for coaching, officiating, and leadership for the Participants
- Fostering community relationship for the Boston DSA and the Participants by building partnerships
- Providing opportunities for women by direct or indirect ways
- Plan and organize the Core Activities (Appendix C)
Appendix C. Activities
C1. The Core Activities are as follows:
- Coaching Education Course
- Leadership Training
- Coaching with Heart
Appendix D. Founding Members of the Boston Dream Soccer Association
D1. The founding members of the Boston Dream Soccer Association are:
- Gregory Rowe
- Greta Teller Bruce
- Alison Foley
- John Power
- Carl Tarabelli
- Evren Gunduz
- Jason Rojee
- Richard Emanuel
- David DeConto
Appendix E. Participants
E1. The Participants, who should reflect the mission of Boston DSA, are as follows:
- Core Activity Graduates
- Core Activity Participants
- Dream Training Participants
- Youth organization and League Partner(s) rostered U23 players
- Youth Organization and Youth League Partner(s) eligible U23 players
- League Partner Coaches
E2. Only Core Activity Graduates, Core Activity Partners, and Dream Training Participants may benefit from Community and Opportunity Partnerships in the name of the Boston DSA
E3. The Boston DSA reserves the right to limit participation based on Core Activity Graduation and Participation
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