2021 FRU AGM – Updated Sep 9th

—More Summit Information is Available Here—

Dear Club Leadership,

This upcoming Sunday, September 12, was the date we had shared for our FRU AGM. The agenda for this meeting includes that indicated below. We have held the AGM in September for 3 years prior to this one without questioning of voting rights, which includes having 15 registered members and a certified and registered coach.

There have been issues with the USAR Sportlomo registration process at both the individual and club levels. In addition, many coaches are not considered registered until they pass a background check; many clubs work to get a coach certified in the fall of the season. We have proposed a by-law change to address this issue, in that how a club ends their registration year will be used for voting purposes. However, we cannot vote on this as a group without first following our current by-laws for voting.

For this reason, this upcoming Sunday we will have a special meeting of the FRU to address many issues that need to be discussed prior to the fall and start of a new season. However, we will postpone the AGM and the voting components to allow compliance of our clubs for voting. Our board did not think it prudent to move forward with only 12% of all clubs being able to vote, and only 5% of colleges meeting these criteria. It would not be fair or in the spirit of the Union to do this, so we will vote on officers, by law changes, and new clubs at the November 7 AGM (via zoom – items 4 thru 6). This SUNDAY we will address items 1, 2, 3, and 7. We can discuss the other items but cannot vote on them as a group until our official AGM. I have consulted with the National club Governance Chair on our by-laws and the registration issues and he also recommended we postpone for these reasons.

1. The “President” (as hereinafter defined) will report on the affairs of the Union during the period since the last Annual General Meeting;

2. The “Treasurer” (as hereinafter defined) will report on the financial affairs of the Union during the period since the last Annual General Meeting;

3. The Union shall address the budget related to upcoming year (see role of Officers in setting budget in Article 6)

4. The members will consider any applications for Union membership by new clubs, which consideration shall be subject to the provisions of Section 2.01(a) hereof;

5. The Union members shall elect the Union Officers for the coming year;

6. The Union shall consider any new business (including agenda items submitted bymembers).

7. The Union shall address any scheduling issues related to upcoming year, as a whole group or through subcommittee meetings organized by divisions 8. Meeting Close

I apologize that we will need to proceed this way. As I said, this has not been an issue for the previous 3 AGMs as we considered a club’s standing at the end of the last competitive season for voting rights. However, if we follow the by laws to the letter, which is why they need revision, we may have a meeting without true representation of our membership.

Evan will be sending out the information for Sunday for both in person and remote attendance. There will be a presentation on ways to effectively market and recruit for your club that will be of great value to clubs as the season begins – this will take place at the beginning of the meeting. We encourage your club’s participation and look forward to seeing you all Sunday, or Saturday if you are coming for the Continuing Education Summit.

Regards,

Kerri O’Malley

President

Florida Rugby Union

We are pleased and excited to formally announce the date of the next Florida Rugby Union Annual General Meeting.

Sunday, September 12th, 2021
You can expect to be informed about the time and location not less than 21 days before the meeting.

We will be organizing a summit on Saturday the 11th. Coach and referee education will be taking place. We hope you can attend both days and find the experience to be worthwhile and beneficial.

Before the event, please familiarize yourself with the current FRU by-laws

Proposed amendments (reference § 11.04) need to be emailed to me by August 13th in order to be considered at the AGM.

There are 5 amendments to the by-laws currently proposed:

Proposed by-law change #1:

The timelines set forth by World Rugby/USA Rugby will not be used as the timelines for disciplinary proceedings within the FRU. With respect to these timelines, the FRU as a primarily volunteer organization differs from both national and international governing bodies in their ability and capacity to replicate these timelines. As such, any timeline for document submission, sanctioning, hearings, etc may be extended by a period of two weeks by the Union to allow for a full disciplinary process. A club may similarly petition for additional time than set forth for proceedings. The DC may, with approval by the EC, extend these timelines on an as-needed basis. The FRU does not accept that foul play should go unpunished because of administrative barriers and is thus the justification for these extensions.

Proposed by-law change #2:

If the AGM falls within 45 days of the end of the registration calendar, then the previous’s years registration data will be used to determine eligibility for voting.

Proposed by-law change #4:

The outgoing/previous year’s president will serve a year on the board as a non-voting member. This applies if the president ended their term in good standing ie not impeached/removed from office/left office prematurely

Proposed by-law change #5:

The Executive board may select a representative other than the Union president to represent the FRU to national governing bodies and committees such as the Senior Club Council, USA Rugby, RAN, and World Rugby.

Up for election:

Men’s Vice President
Women’s Vice President
College Vice President
Secretary

Please refer to § 6.02 if you would like to nominate a candidate.

If you would like anything added to the AGM agenda, please refer to § 5.02.

According to § 3.02, a member may be represented by no more than two persons.

Finally, please refer to § 3.04 to ensure your club is a member in good standing and eligible to vote.

Ocala Gladiators Rugby Club will be applying for membership in the Union.

Please reply with any questions.

Thank you,
Rick