2020 Guidelines
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION
COMBINED SERVICES COMMITTEE
OPERATING GUIDELINES FOR THE COMBINED SERVICES COMMITTEE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION
25 October 2000 Revision
I. PURPOSE. The purpose of the committee shall be:
A. The promotion, encouragement and extension of Rugby Union Football within the military services of the United States of America, i.e., the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Marine Corps, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
B. To ensure the playing of Rugby Union Football in the U.S. military services is conducted in accordance with the laws of the game with due regard for safety and decorum.
C. To establish and maintain a training program in the U.S. military services for the playing of Rugby Union Football that will assure the safety and the maximum development of military athletes with national and/or international competitive talent.
D. To promote understanding, goodwill, and cooperation among the U.S. military services through Armed Forces Rugby championship competition.
E. To promote the positive image of the military services of the United States of America through Rugby Union Football competition.
F. To encourage and sustain the physical fitness of members of the military services of the United States of America by promoting a prestigious, competitive Rugby Union Football among the military services of the United States of America.
G. To coordinate and provide activities for U.S. military rugby clubs and players worldwide.
H. To maintain a line of communication for the U.S. military rugby community to the DoD Armed Forces Sports Council (AFSC), the USA Rugby Football Union (USA Rugby), and the representative bodies for military rugby union football organizations worldwide.
I. To provide instruction and learning opportunities for U.S. military rugby participants at all levels of the rank structure.
J. To create an atmosphere of discipline and excellence and to develop representatives of rugby and the military services who will reflect credit on both.
II. ORGANIZATION.
A. The Combined Services Committee (CSC) will consist of the following members, all of whom must both be a current CIPP member of USA Rugby and of the Combined Services (CS), i.e., a CIPP member also having paid his or her current dues as a military member of USA Rugby:
1. Directors. a. There shall be seven directors, each a voting member of the committee. One director shall be from each of the five services and shall be known commonly as the service directors. Each of two remaining directors shall be an international athlete as defined by the current Bylaws of USA Rugby and shall be known commonly as the athlete directors. Each of the five services will nominate its own service director, subject to the approval of the Chairman. Each director will represent his or her respective constituency so that all rugby players with military affiliations and their respective services will have a forum to air their views.
b. A service director may be removed by the Chairman for good cause. Such removal shall be subject to the review and approval of the remaining voting membership of the CSC should the service director who has been removed appeal his or her removal to the remaining voting membership.
c. Subject to the availability of suitable individual international athletes who agree to serve as athlete directors and who otherwise meet or have in the past met the eligibility requirements outlined in Section IV, subsection A, infra, the Chairman shall attempt to appoint each of the athlete directors from such pool of military international athletes deemed suitable by the Chairman for appointment to such position. If sufficient numbers of international athletes with the desired military background do not make themselves available to serve as athlete director, the Chairman shall than appoint the necessary number of athlete directors from those international athletes willing to so serve and otherwise eligible as defined by the current Bylaws of USA Rugby.
d. Any director not in attendance at an announced CSC meeting may give his or her proxy to a designated representative, such proxy to be submitted by the director either to the Chairman or Secretary at or before the subject meeting. Such designated proxy representative may be any member of the CS in good standing.
2. Chairman. a. The Chairman will be elected by vote of the seven directors for a term of three years. The Chairman will chair the meetings of the CSC. He or she shall be the overseer of military rugby, unbiased, with his or her actions pointed toward overall betterment of military rugby. The Chairman shall refrain from actions that may favor or give the appearance of favoring one service over another. At CSC meetings, the Chairman will only vote to resolve a tie.
b. Nominations for election of the Chairman may be made by any member of the CS in good standing, such election to be held every even numbered year at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the CSC. The chairman of the ad hoc Nominations Subcommittee must receive nominations 45 days prior to the AGM and notice of all nominees given to the Directors at least 30 days prior to the AGM. Upon election, the name of the newly elected Chairman will be submitted to the President of USA Rugby for his or her formal recognition as Chairman of the CSC. The term of the Chairman shall commence immediately upon election. In the absence of a duly noticed election at the AGM at which such an election is required to be conducted, the term of Chairman shall expire and the post then filled by appointment by the President of USA Rugby until such time as the election can be scheduled and held.
c. The Chairman may serve consecutive terms if reelected by the Directors. The Chairman may be removed from office for cause by two-thirds affirmative vote of the Directors. In the event of such removal, a special election to elect a replacement shall be scheduled to be held no later than 90 nor earlier than 45 days following the vote of removal. The Vice Chairman shall under these circumstances serve as the acting Chairman. In the absence of an election within 90 days of the Chairman’s removal, the post may be filled by appointment by the President of USA Rugby until such time as an election can be scheduled and held.
3. Vice-Chairman. The Vice-Chairman will be appointed by the Chairman. He or she will not be a member of the same service as the Chairman. The Vice-Chairman will perform the duties and exercise the responsibilities of the Chairman in the absence or disability of the Chairman and perform any such other duties as the Chairman may direct. The Vice-Chairman is a non-voting member and only may vote to resolve a tie when acting Chairman.
4. Secretary. The Secretary will be appointed by the Chairman and will promulgate timely notice of all CSC meetings to all members, record and distribute minutes of such meetings and conduct and maintain the correspondence of the Committee. The Secretary will be a voting member of the Committee.
5. Treasurer. The Treasurer will be appointed by the Chairman and administer any funds provided to or collected by the Committee. The Treasurer will be a voting member of the Committee.
6. Director of Teams. The Director of Teams will be appointed by the Chairman and oversee the collective management and conduct of the activities of the CS All-Star Men’s and Women’s teams. With the ultimate approval of the Chairman, the Director of Teams will appoint the managers and coaches of these teams, with the position of coach of the CS Men’s team subject to the approval of USA Rugby. He or she will serve as the chairman of the standing Coaching/Selection Subcommittee. Upon appointment as Director of Teams, his or her name will be submitted to the President of USA Rugby for his or her formal recognition by that body as the Director of CSC Teams. The Director of Teams is a non-voting member of the CSC.
7. Military Representative Director of USA Rugby. The Military Representative Director is elected to the Board of Directors in accordance with the procedures established by the current Bylaws of USA Rugby. In addition to and in concurrence with the powers and duties bestowed upon the Military Representative Director by those bylaws, he or she shall represent the interests of military rugby before that body and will act as liaison between that body and the CSC. The Military Representative Director of USA Rugby is a non-voting member of the CSC.
8. Liaison to the Armed Forces Sports Council. The Liaison to the AFSC will be appointed by the Chairman and act as liaison between the CSC and the AFSC. The Liaison to the AFSC is a non-voting member of the CSC. The position of Liaison to the AFSC may be filled by the Chairman.
B. Subcommittees will be formed and dissolved as the Chairman warrants. Standing subcommittees will include the Coaching/Selection and Referees Subcommittees. The CSC Chairman will appoint the Chairman of these committees. They will report to the CSC Chairman and serve tour lengths established by the CSC Chairman.
C. The CSC Chairman may appoint other officials as necessary to support the working of the Combined Services Committee.
III. MEETINGS.
A. Frequency. A CSC meeting will be held:
1. In conjunction with the National Military Club Championships. This meeting will serve as the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the CSC. Its purpose will be to provide information, to air issues, and to submit proposals for CSC resolution. It may be attended by all members of the Combined Services and other interested guests (as space permits), subject to such restrictions or limitations as may be established by the voting members of CSC.
2. In conjunction with the Armed Forces Championships.
3. At other times, as determined necessary and requested by the Chairman or when requested of the Chairman in writing by at least one-third of the voting members of the CSC. The vote on such requests for an additional meeting may be conducted electronically or via mail ballot. Such additional meetings may be conducted by means such as telephone conference call.
B. Quorum. A majority of the voting members of the CSC must be present at a meeting, in person or by proxy, to constitute a quorum for the purpose of conducting business.
C. Action by the voting members on issues requiring their approval, except as otherwise provided herein, shall be by majority vote of the voting members present or represented by proxy at a duly constituted meeting or by unanimous consent of the voting members.
IV. AMENDMENTS TO THE OPERATING GUIDELINES.
A. Subject to the procedural requirements set forth in this section, these Operating Guidelines may be amended at any meeting of CSC. Such amendments may be proposed for adoption by the CSC by any of the members of the CSC noted above in Sections II, A and B. Amendments shall be adopted upon an affirmative vote of the CSC representing at least two-thirds of the total votes entitled to be cast by the CSC.
B. All proposed amendments must either be postmarked to the CSC membership in writing or submitted by electronic mail in writing at least 30 days prior to the CSC meeting at which the amendments will be considered and at which the vote of adoption will be taken. When such amendments are presented for consideration at a duly scheduled meeting of the CSC and the time requirements for notice noted above have not been met, discussion and consideration of the amendments nevertheless may occur. A vote on the adoption of the proposed amendments may not be accomplished, however, for at least 30 days subsequent to the meeting, that vote to be taken on a date determined by the voting membership at the meeting. The vote on such proposed amendments may be conducted electronically or via mail ballot.
C. No other amendment shall be considered and brought for a vote at such a duly scheduled meeting of the CSC except when distributed in accordance with the procedures outlined above, nor shall any proposed amendment to an amendment as proposed be considered and brought for a vote, unless the same merely goes to the form and not the substance thereof. A later vote on such additional amendments or proposed amendment to an amendment would be required as detailed in above. Nevertheless, if more than one amendment has been proposed on the same subject matter and there are substantive differences between such amendments, the meeting may, after due consideration of such proposal, adopt a compromise of substance as well as form, and if the adoption of an amendment as proposed or amended or compromised is inconsistent or in conflict with other parts of the Operating Guidelines, the meeting may adopt conforming amendments appropriate to the case.
D. Such amendments shall be effective as of the closing date for the casting of votes or at such later dates as may be specified in the proposal.
V. COMPETITION.
A. Eligibility.
1. Armed Forces Championship. The terms of eligibility for player participation in the Armed Forces Championship are as stated in the current AFSC Policy Book. These terms are quoted in pertinent part:
“a. Determinations as to the eligibility of contestants for Armed Forces ... competition will be in accordance with the requirements of each service. Reservists and Guard personnel must be on active duty orders to participate. Retirees are not eligible to participate.
b. Coast Guard personnel are authorized to participate with Navy teams in Armed Forces competitions. Navy and Marine Corps personnel may participate on the team of the service where the athlete is assigned. This should be coordinated through Service Sports Offices.”
2. National Military Club Championships and Combined Services Team competition. A participant in National Military Club Championship competition or Combined Services representative team competition must be:
a. An active duty member of the U.S. Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, or Navy, including an Academy cadet or midshipman;
b. An reserve member of the U.S. Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, or Navy, including ROTC cadet or midshipman;
c. A retired member of the US Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marine Corps or Navy, or their reserve and National Guard components;
d. A member of the National Guard;
e. A member of the armed forces of another nation permanently assigned for duty in the United States or at a U.S. military installation; or,
f. A civilian member of the Department of Transportation (DOT) with a valid DOT identification card; and,
g. A member in good standing with his Local Area Union and Territorial Union, unless stationed overseas or on a ship;
h. Enrolled in the current year's Club and Individual Participation Program and as a Military member of the CS, as well; and,
i. If not a green I.D. card holder or reservist or guardsman on active duty orders, an otherwise eligible individual who possesses medical insurance coverage of $100,000 or more.
2. The intent for a club participant is that the player be an active member of the military club and that is the club for which the player plays. A club participant in the National Military Club Championships must:
a. Be a member in good standing with its Local Area Union and Territorial Union having jurisdiction over the club’s location. Those overseas clubs and open division clubs participating in competitions in the Continental United states must be a club in good standing with Combined Services and have paid their USA Rugby CIPP club dues;
b. Be composed of at least 15 members of the same club playing together in that Local Area Union. This encompasses an area within a 100-mile radius for players who commute to play with the club for at least a two-month duration;
c. Not field a player who is a member of another military club;
d. Not field a player who has not played for that club since 1 January of the year of the competition (unless he or she had an injury that precluded him or her from playing or he or she signed into the installation on permanent change of station orders);
e. Not field a player who already has played in that competition for another club in the same competition;
f. Not field more than two players at any one time who are not considered active duty as defined in Player Eligibility paragraph a. All other players must meet one of the criteria listed in Player Eligibility, Section V, subsection A2, paragraph b f;
g. Each participating club must be enrolled in the current year's Club and Individual Participation Program. This includes overseas clubs and open division clubs participating in competition in the Continental United States. The CIPP club enrollment fees are $10.00. Overseas clubs and open division clubs are considered part of Combined Services and must be in good standing.
h. Each participating club must be enrolled in the current year's USA Rugby Club General Liability Insurance Program or have obtained written exemption from enrollment from the USA Rugby insurance coordinator, having proven adequate general liability coverage is provided by another source.
B. National Military Club Championship. National Military Club Championships will be held in May of each year. It will provide an opportunity for military rugby clubs and military rugby players of all military persuasion to gather en masse, and for the services to compete at the club level. Efforts will be made to avoid conflict with other national level events. All eligible Military Clubs shall be invited to compete. The Tournament shall be head to-head competition, with winners advancing in each bracket until there is one winner.
1. Bids to host the National Tournament shall be sent to the Secretary, 13 months prior to the date of the Tournament being bid upon. The Combined Services Committee will decide at the AGM who shall host the next year's tournament based upon the feasibility of the proposal.
2. Ten percent of all entry fees for the National Military Club Championship Tournament will go to the Combined Services Committee for support.
C. Armed Forces Championship. An interservice competition, known as the Armed Forces Championship, will be held annually in October. This will be of a round robin nature with a championship game determining the ultimate winner. The purpose of the championship is to provide an opportunity for individuals to represent their service and to receive the recognition thus deserved.
D. Combined Services. Developmental, Under-25 and senior select sides of the best military players available will be formed periodically to showcase the quality of military rugby and to provide opportunity to military players to compete against a higher level of competition. The schedule of competitions will be determined by the CSC Director of Teams and published in the CSC Newsletter, time permitting. Foreign tours may be undertaken every two years and will be approved by the CSC.
E. Administration of individual tournaments or events shall be determined by those authorized tournament or event officials, including the AFSC. All tournaments will designate an official to conduct an identification card check prior to the start of play to verify eligibility. Efforts will be made to adhere to all USARFU sponsorship agreements providing they do not violate any Department of Defense Directives.
