NAME & LOCATION

Article 1. Name & Location

1.1. These bylaws are set up according to and mentioned in article 16 of the Articles of Association of the European Gay & Lesbian Sport Federation.

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Language

Article 2. Language

2.1. The official language of board meetings and other meetings can be different from the English language if all present members agree to the other language.

2.2. The official language in writing can be different from English if the writer knows that the receiver has adequate knowledge of the used language.

2.3. Apart from the above, the official written language between board members and persons who represent the association is always English.

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Objectives

Article 3. Objectives

3.1. The main object of the association is:
3.1.1. To be a co-ordinator in any kind in accordance with the articles of association.
3.1.2. To co-ordinate and promote tournaments in any kind of sport.
3.1.3 To seek for political support in accordance with the articles of association.

3.2.  The promoting of sports will be given form by setting up EuroGames.

Article 4. EuroGames

4.1. The EuroGames is a multisport tournament in as many sports as possible.

4.2.  The  EuroGames is an athletic, competitive, inclusive participatory and non-discriminatory event. The participation is open in principle to everybody who abides by the mission statement of the EGLSF.

4.3. The General Assembly elects one of the proposed bids, introduced by a team based on one EGLSF member club or several member clubs, to organise the EuroGames.

4.4. Celebration of EuroGames:
4.4.1. EuroGames will roughly alternate between its full and limited formats depending upon the proposed bids. This will be decided by the General Assembly on a case-by-case basis.
4.4.2. If a global LGBT sport event takes place one year in a European city, that year EuroGames will be not held.
4.4.3. If the global LGBT sport event takes place out of Europe, EuroGames will be celebrated that year.
4.4.4. Having regard of the crucial importance of EuroGames for European LGBT sport movement, EGLSF Board and the members commit themselves, according to their own competences, to work intensely in favour of assuring EuroGames continuity.

4.5. EGLSF, in cooperation with EuroGames organisers, will grant Advocacy Awards to a female and a male individual whose action has been especially important for LGBT sport.

4.6. Guidelines for the bidding for EuroGames are set by the board.

4.7. The board will draw up and sign a contract with the organisers of EuroGames.

4.8. The board will give account to the General Assembly on the bidding and the contract.

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Members

Article 5. Rights and Obligations

5.1. In order to become and stay member, the concerned club must fill out the membership form with all information yearly by 15 January.

5.2. The board will send the membership form for the next year to all members and will put it on the website of the EGLSF (www.eglsf.info) before 1st of December of the current year to be downloaded.

5.3. Voting members (ordinary and extraordinary members) may appoint a number of voting delegates that is not greater than the number of votes they are entitled to. They may also appoint additional non-voting delegates.

5.4. An honorary member can be a delegate of a member.

5.5. Non-voting delegates may be requested a participation fee in order to attend any General Meeting.

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General Meeting

Article 6. General Meeting

6.1. The annual General Meeting shall be preferably held on the first weekend of March.

6.2. At any General Meeting, a chair person and a assistant chair person will be elected from the pool of EGLSF members delegates proposed to by the Board.

6.3. In case of no volunteers for this pool, EGLSF General Secretary will act as Chairperson and another board member as assistan.

6.4. Any member who intends to bid for the organisation of the following General Meeting will
6.4.1.  come forward to the board before this agenda point at the General Meeting.
6.4.2. be entitled to make a short presentation.

6.5.  The host of the following General Meeting will be elected by a majority of casted votes.

Article 7. Agenda

7.1.  The agenda of the General Meeting will also include:
7.1.1. Vacancies in the board

7.1.2. The election of the host for EuroGames

Article 8. Finances

8.1. The membership fee is due in EURO.
8.1.1. The membership fee is due before 1 February of the Association year.

8.2. The amount of the annual registration fee is determined yearly by the General Assembly at
the Annual General Meeting, upon suggestion of the Treasurer or the whole Board. This shall preferably be discussed during the approval of the budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

8.3.  The membership fee for ordinary members is set by the following table:
8.3.1  1 - 24 member € 3 per member, with a minimum of € 35
8.3.2 25 - 49 member € 75
8.3.3 50 - 74 member € 100
8.3.4 75 - 99 member € 130
8.3.5 100 - 149 member € 160
8.3.6 150 - 199 member € 190
8.3.7. 200 or more member € 1 per affiliated member with a maximum of € 650.

8.4. The annual registration fee for Extraordinary members is € 130

8.5. The annual registration fee for Associate members is
8.5.1. for individual associate members € 35.
8.5.2. for organisational associate members € 80.

8.6. Exceptions to these provisions will be possible taking account of specific circumstances and in a case-by-case basis.

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Voting

Article 9. Voting

9.1. An Ordinary Member is entitled to a number of votes  which depends on the number of its officially registered adherents on January 1st  of the current  year.

9.2. The number of votes is given by the following table:
9.2.1. 1-99 affiliated members 1 vote
9.2.2. 100-299 affiliated members 2 votes
9.2.3. 300 and more affiliated members 3 votes

9.3.  The delegate(s) of a member can cast all the votes this member has.

9.4.  Representation of votes.
9.4.1. A delegate, who is authorised by ordinary members in writing, can cast the votes of three other ordinary members with less than 100 affiliated members.
The maximum number of votes a delegate can cast is four.
9.4.2. A delegate, of an extraordinary member, can cast the votes of the associated ordinary members of this extraordinary member, which are not represented themselves or represented by an other delegate as above mentioned.
The maximum number of votes this delegate can cast is five.

9.5. The quorum is, besides the quorum mentioned in the statu­tes for changing the statutes, a quarter of the number of possible votes plus one.

9.6. If the above mentioned quorum is not met on the General Meeting, than all voted matters are decided and voted on by a Extraordinary General Meeting, where the condition in paragraph 9.5 of this article is lifted.

9.7. A new General Meeting will be held after at least 3 but within 6 months; the proposal(s) concerned will be on the agenda again.

Article 10. Voting-procedure

10.1. Voting about persons takes place in writing.

10.2. Unless all delegates with voting-rights approve, voting by acclamation is not allowed.

10.3. Decisions on business matters are taken on the basis of majority of votes.

10.4. Abstinences are to be counted as voting against the proposal.

10.5. A blank vote is not a valid vote.

10.6. When voting about persons, the person is elected who obtains a majority of votes. If a majority is not attained, a second ballot is held between the two candidates with the highest number of votes.

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Board

Article 11. Election

11.1. The General Assembly determines the number of board members.

11.2. Board members are chosen in principle with the restriction of one board member per country.

11.3. If there are not enough candidates to meet the obligation in the above-mentioned article, or it is considered appropriate in certain circumstances to do so,  the General Assembly can choose more candidates out of one country.

11.4. All seats in the Board must be filled equally by men and women. Gender mainstreaming within EGLSF will safeguard that there will be enough candidates of each gender. In specific circumstances, the General Assembly would be entitled to make the relevant exception to this rule.

11.5. The election of board members by the General Assembly is co-ordinated in such a way that each year the continuity of Board work is assured.

11.6. Board members can be elected, at their own proposal and by decision at the
General Assembly, for a different period less than two years.

11.7. Conditions for candidate board members:
11.7.1. Candidates must show proof of their appropriate experience for board work via a short résumé.
11.7.2. Candidates should have been members of the club they represent for at least one year and preferably have participated in a prior General Meeting.
11.7.3. Candidates should be available to meet and travel from 3 to 5 times per year at Board meetings and to participate in equal number of teleconferences.
11.7.4. Candidates must be available to work from 1 to 5 hours a week for the
board.
11.7.5. Candidates must have access to e-mail and Internet.
11.7.6. A person from an organisational associated member or being an individual associated member cannot be elected to Board positions

Article 12. Representation of the Board

12.1. The treasurer can represent the association in financial matters to an amount of EUR 5,000.

12.2. The board can authorise in name of the General Assembly an other person than the treasurer to represent the association in financial affairs.

Article 13. Board Reports

13.1. The board will correspond the conclusions from every board meetings to the members by its normal sources of information spreading.

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Representation

Article 14. EGLSF Representation in other organisations, bodies and events

14.1 LGBT International Sport Organisations.
14.1.1. The EGLSF will be represented the such organisations by delegates elected at the General Assembly.
14.1.2.The General Assembly members will elect the delegates following the same election procedure as for board members.
14.1.3. These delegates will be elected for a period of two years and will be eligible for immediate re-election.
14.1.4. These delegates will make a proposal to the board on the issues for every meeting of these organisations.
14.1.5. These delegates will submit a report from every meeting attended.
14.1.6. These delegates will submit a budget to the treasurer before 1 November of the forthcoming year if they need financial support by the EGLSF.
14.1.7. The General Assembly or the board can give further instruction and guidelines to the work of these delegates.

14.2 Other bodies or events.
The EGLSF will be represented in other bodies or events by members of its Board according to its own decision taking account of the nature of the body or event. The Board can designate a non Board member to fulfil this representation task, taking account of the circumstances, the nature of the body or event and the qualifications of the designated person.

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By-Laws

Article 15. By-Laws

15.1. The General Assembly determines the Bylaws of the association, which may not include regulations that contradict the Law or these Statutes.

15.2. The Bylaws regulate everything these Statutes enforce to be regulated in the Bylaws, and everything of which regulation in or with the Bylaws is desired.

15.3. Proposals about changes to the Bylaws are announced one month in advance in the invitation for the General Meeting in which these proposals are to be discussed.

15.4. Decisions on changes to the Bylaws are made by majority of cast votes, at the General Meeting.

15.5. Written amendments on proposals to change the bylaws are allowed, given the rules set in the bylaws, only when the amendments are in the line of the proposed changes.

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Referendum

Article 16. Referendum

16.1.  The board is authorised to have a referendum according to the articles of association of the EGSLF.

16.2. The board will send out the questionnaire to all members, with a given description of the problem where the members have to vote on.

16.3. The voting rights are equal to the voting rights in the articles of association and these bylaws.

16.4. The members have 21 days to reply to the questionnaire after the postmark of the questionnaire

16.5. The referendum is valid with a reply of 40% (quorum) of the possible votes.

16.6. The referendum is decided by ordinary majority of the cast votes.

16.7. In case 90% of all members have stated an official email address, the voting can be done by an electronic voting.

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Dissolution

Article 17. Credit Balance

17.1 In case of dissolution, the General Assembly will decide what use has to be given to any possible credit balance. They will take due account of the vision represented by the EGLSF and allocate the potential amount in favour of promoting LGBT sport, fighting discrimination and contributing to solidarity.

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