Silverbacks Reserves Fan Ownership
Donation protected
All donors of $10 or more will receive a 1 year membership in the ASFC Trust, complete with voting rights. (After this campaign, memberships will be $50 a year.)
Seeing as how we need to raise $6,000 by Sept 11th, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO DONATE AS MUCH AS YOU ARE INSPIRED TO GIVE.
How This Fan Ownership Opportunity Came About...
We recently had a lengthy discussion with Atlanta Silverbacks GM Phoday Dolleh about partial ownership of the Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves squad - which may play in the Atlanta District Amateur Soccer League this Fall - Spring. We’ve been offered a 49% ownership stake, but it's going to require immediate fundraising on our part. We’ve been told that this could lead to an ownership stake in the NPSL club. (More on that later.)
For the Silverbacks to compete in the ADASL, they will have an expectation on them to be dominant. It is critical for the Silverbacks as a club to live up to and exceed that expectation. Phoday sees it as both an opportunity to scout additional local talent for the 2017 NPSL team, and to give promising locally based players competitive match action.
What he is not willing to do, however, is to source standard local players through standard local channels and throw a Silverbacks jersey on their backs and have them represent the club as just another ADASL team.
Currently there are 5 players the club is supporting, living in apartments near the stadium through the end of September, who are traveling around getting tryouts with full time pro teams trying to catch on. Currently 4 players are training with NASL teams, and another 1 with a USL team. Ideally he wants these guys getting pro contracts, but if they don't latch on, he wants them in the ADASL squad. He wants to hold training with the ADASL squad every day, to reap the benefits of a viable year round organization both from the grassroots exposure our dominance of the ADASL will give the club, as well as a development for NPSL 2017. As supporters we want year round competitive matches for our total club. This is the way to achieve that affordably.
The standard costs to run an ADASL team with local players is $6000 for the season, all in. This is pretty much straight off the league documentation and includes League fees, player registration fees, referee fees, field rental fees, etc. With Phodays model including additional player costs, housing, stipends, etc. as part of the larger pro window shopping experience, he sees this running $10,000-$12,000 to do this right. He sees it as investments to protect and build the brand through these 18 year round in-town games the Silverbacks Reserves will get in the league. He wants us to raise the $6000 for the official team expenses, and he will match what we raise.
He wants us to control 49% of the Reserves with our 49% money. It will basically be an even partnership where he controls the players / on field and we control marketing, collaborate on revenue, perhaps we charge $2-$3 to attend matches at the Park, which we think is a better idea than offering free, therefore people respect it as a legitimate thing, as opposed to an adult league.
Part of experimenting at this level is seeing what we can do, and Phoday is interested in and willing to run these different experiments with the reserves and implement successful initiatives with the NPSL team in 2017. After we get up and running for the 2016 season, we will develop a separate fund, for which we will raise money, for national cup entrance and travel of Reserve team participation in 2017/2018 Amateur Cup and US Open Cup USASA qualifying track.
The money we invest in the Reserves although going to the ADASL for fees and gameday use, will be credited as overall investment in the Silverbacks club and count as the first money toward fan ownership in the larger Atlanta Silverbacks FC (NPSL) club, with additional discussions with the Trust about %'s this offseason to begin some % of fan ownership THIS COMING NPSL 2017 season, and working on a longer term plan and goals to get to a sizable investment portion.
ADASL games will take place in the main stadium at Silverbacks Park. All home games will be Sunday morning at 11:00 AM. We are working with partnerships with local soccer pubs to provide shuttles for fans watching early morning English and European matches at 7:00 and 9:00 to shittle them staright to the stadium for the 11:00 kick.
So bottom line, we need to raise $6000 by September 11th. That is the challenge.
After Sept 11th, All Trust Members Will Vote on These Proposed Bylaws
Proposed Bylaws of ASFC Trust
ARTICLE I – Name & Purpose
Section 1 — The name of the organization shall be ASFC Trust. It shall be a nonprofit organization incorporated under the laws of the State of Georgia.
Section 2 — ASFC Trust is organized exclusively for supporting and developing the Atlanta Silverbacks Football Club.
The purpose of this corporation is:
To provide financial and personnel resources to the Atlanta Silverbacks Football Club.
ARTICLE II — MEMBERSHIP
Section 1 — Eligibility for membership: Application for voting membership shall be open to any Atlanta Silverbacks fan that supports the purpose statement in Article I, Section 2. Membership is granted after completion and receipt of a membership application and annual dues. All memberships shall be granted upon a majority vote of the board.
Section 2 — Annual dues: The amount required for annual dues shall be $50 each year, unless changed by a majority vote of the members at an annual meeting of the full membership. Continued membership is contingent upon being up-to-date on membership dues. Memberships are good from September 1 through August 31.
Section 3 — Rights of members: Should a member be unable to attend a general meeting, each member shall be eligible to appoint one voting representative to cast the member’s vote in association elections.
If a Trust member is found to belong to an organization supporting a different Atlanta area soccer club, their membership can be revoked and their dues refunded, as this could present a conflict of interest.
Section 4 — Resignation and termination: Any member may resign by filing a written resignation with the secretary. Resignation shall not relieve a member of unpaid dues, or other charges previously accrued. A member can have their membership terminated by a majority vote of the membership.
Section 5 — Non-voting membership: The board shall have the authority to establish and define non-voting categories of membership.
ARTICLE III — MEETINGS OF MEMBERS
Section 1 —Annual meetings: An annual meeting of the members shall take place in the month of September, the specific date, time and location of which will be designated by the President. At the annual meeting the members shall elect directors and officers, receive reports on the activities of the association, and determine the direction of the association for the coming year. This meeting can happen in person or online.
Section 2 — Special meetings: Special meetings may be called by the President or a simple majority of the board of directors. A petition signed by five percent of voting members may also call a special meeting.
Section 3 — Notice of meetings: Printed notice of each meeting shall be given to each voting member, by email, not less than two weeks prior to the meeting.
Section 4 — Quorum: The members present at any properly announced meeting shall constitute a quorum.
Section 5 — Voting: All issues to be voted on shall be decided by a simple majority of those present at the meeting in which the vote takes place.
ARTICLE IV — BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1 — Board role, size, and compensation: The board is responsible for overall policy and direction of the association, and delegates responsibility of day-to-day operations to the staff and committees. The board shall have up to 10, but not fewer than 6 members. The board receives no compensation other than reasonable expenses. Westside 109 and the Atlanta Ultras shall each have one voting member of the board as determined by their membership. That member must be a member in good standing of the ASFC Trust.
Section 2 — Terms: All board members shall serve two-year terms, but are eligible for re-election for up to five consecutive terms. Only half of the board will be up for election in a given year. At the constitution of the board, one half of the board shall be designated to serve only one year. Those seats on the board will then begin serving two-year terms.
Section 3 — Meetings and notice: The board shall meet at least quarterly, at an agreed upon time and place, which can be in person or online. An official board meeting requires that each board member have written notice at least two weeks in advance. Written notice can be by mail or email.
Section 4 — Board elections: New directors and current directors shall be elected or re-elected by the voting representatives of members at the annual meeting. Directors will be elected by a simple majority of members present at the annual meeting.
Section 5 — Election procedures: A Board Development Committee shall be responsible for nominating a slate of prospective board members representing the associations diverse constituency. In addition, any member can nominate a candidate to the slate of nominees. All members will be eligible to send one representative to vote for each candidate, for up to 10 available positions each year.
Section 6 — Quorum: A quorum must be attended by at least fifty-one percent of board members for business transactions to take place and motions to pass.
Section 7 — Officers and Duties: There shall be three officers of the board, consisting of a President, Secretary and Treasurer. Their duties are as follows:
The President shall convene regularly scheduled board meetings, shall preside or arrange for other members of the Board of Directors to preside at each meeting in the following order: secretary, treasurer.
The secretary shall be responsible for keeping records of board actions, including overseeing the taking of minutes at all board meetings, sending out meeting announcements, distributing copies of minutes and the agenda to each board member, and assuring that corporate records are maintained.
The treasurer shall make a report at each board meeting. The treasurer shall chair the finance committee, assist in the preparation of the budget, help develop fundraising plans, and make financial information available to board members and the public.
Section 8 — Vacancies: When a vacancy on the board exists mid-term, the secretary must receive nominations for new members from present board members two weeks in advance of a board meeting. These nominations shall be sent out to board members with the regular board meeting announcement, to be voted upon at the next board meeting. These vacancies will be filled only to the end of the particular board member's term.
Section 9 — Resignation, termination, and absences: Resignation from the board must be in writing and received by the Secretary. A board member shall be terminated from the board due to excess absences, more than two unexcused absences from board meetings in a year. A board member may be removed for other reasons by a three-fourths vote of the remaining directors.
Section 11 — Special meetings: Special meetings of the board shall be called upon the request of the President, or one-third of the board. Notices of special meetings shall be sent out by the secretary to each board member at least two weeks in advance.
ARTICLE V — COMMITTEES
Section 1 — Committee formation: The board may create committees as needed, such as fundraising, housing, public relations, data collection, etc. The President appoints all committee chairs.
Section 2 — Finance Committee: The treasurer is the chair of the Finance Committee, which includes three other board members. The Finance Committee is responsible for developing and reviewing fiscal procedures, fundraising plans, and the annual budget with staff and other board members. The board must approve the budget and all expenditures must be within budget. Any major change in the budget must be approved by the board. The fiscal year shall be September 1st through August 31st. Annual reports are required to be submitted to the board showing income, expenditures, and pending income. The financial records of the organization are public information and shall be made available to the membership, board members, and the public.
ARTICLE VI — AMENDMENTS
Section 1 — Amendments: These bylaws may be amended when necessary by two-thirds majority of the board of directors. Proposed amendments must be submitted to the Secretary to be sent out with regular board announcements.
Seeing as how we need to raise $6,000 by Sept 11th, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO DONATE AS MUCH AS YOU ARE INSPIRED TO GIVE.
How This Fan Ownership Opportunity Came About...
We recently had a lengthy discussion with Atlanta Silverbacks GM Phoday Dolleh about partial ownership of the Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves squad - which may play in the Atlanta District Amateur Soccer League this Fall - Spring. We’ve been offered a 49% ownership stake, but it's going to require immediate fundraising on our part. We’ve been told that this could lead to an ownership stake in the NPSL club. (More on that later.)
For the Silverbacks to compete in the ADASL, they will have an expectation on them to be dominant. It is critical for the Silverbacks as a club to live up to and exceed that expectation. Phoday sees it as both an opportunity to scout additional local talent for the 2017 NPSL team, and to give promising locally based players competitive match action.
What he is not willing to do, however, is to source standard local players through standard local channels and throw a Silverbacks jersey on their backs and have them represent the club as just another ADASL team.
Currently there are 5 players the club is supporting, living in apartments near the stadium through the end of September, who are traveling around getting tryouts with full time pro teams trying to catch on. Currently 4 players are training with NASL teams, and another 1 with a USL team. Ideally he wants these guys getting pro contracts, but if they don't latch on, he wants them in the ADASL squad. He wants to hold training with the ADASL squad every day, to reap the benefits of a viable year round organization both from the grassroots exposure our dominance of the ADASL will give the club, as well as a development for NPSL 2017. As supporters we want year round competitive matches for our total club. This is the way to achieve that affordably.
The standard costs to run an ADASL team with local players is $6000 for the season, all in. This is pretty much straight off the league documentation and includes League fees, player registration fees, referee fees, field rental fees, etc. With Phodays model including additional player costs, housing, stipends, etc. as part of the larger pro window shopping experience, he sees this running $10,000-$12,000 to do this right. He sees it as investments to protect and build the brand through these 18 year round in-town games the Silverbacks Reserves will get in the league. He wants us to raise the $6000 for the official team expenses, and he will match what we raise.
He wants us to control 49% of the Reserves with our 49% money. It will basically be an even partnership where he controls the players / on field and we control marketing, collaborate on revenue, perhaps we charge $2-$3 to attend matches at the Park, which we think is a better idea than offering free, therefore people respect it as a legitimate thing, as opposed to an adult league.
Part of experimenting at this level is seeing what we can do, and Phoday is interested in and willing to run these different experiments with the reserves and implement successful initiatives with the NPSL team in 2017. After we get up and running for the 2016 season, we will develop a separate fund, for which we will raise money, for national cup entrance and travel of Reserve team participation in 2017/2018 Amateur Cup and US Open Cup USASA qualifying track.
The money we invest in the Reserves although going to the ADASL for fees and gameday use, will be credited as overall investment in the Silverbacks club and count as the first money toward fan ownership in the larger Atlanta Silverbacks FC (NPSL) club, with additional discussions with the Trust about %'s this offseason to begin some % of fan ownership THIS COMING NPSL 2017 season, and working on a longer term plan and goals to get to a sizable investment portion.
ADASL games will take place in the main stadium at Silverbacks Park. All home games will be Sunday morning at 11:00 AM. We are working with partnerships with local soccer pubs to provide shuttles for fans watching early morning English and European matches at 7:00 and 9:00 to shittle them staright to the stadium for the 11:00 kick.
So bottom line, we need to raise $6000 by September 11th. That is the challenge.
After Sept 11th, All Trust Members Will Vote on These Proposed Bylaws
Proposed Bylaws of ASFC Trust
ARTICLE I – Name & Purpose
Section 1 — The name of the organization shall be ASFC Trust. It shall be a nonprofit organization incorporated under the laws of the State of Georgia.
Section 2 — ASFC Trust is organized exclusively for supporting and developing the Atlanta Silverbacks Football Club.
The purpose of this corporation is:
To provide financial and personnel resources to the Atlanta Silverbacks Football Club.
ARTICLE II — MEMBERSHIP
Section 1 — Eligibility for membership: Application for voting membership shall be open to any Atlanta Silverbacks fan that supports the purpose statement in Article I, Section 2. Membership is granted after completion and receipt of a membership application and annual dues. All memberships shall be granted upon a majority vote of the board.
Section 2 — Annual dues: The amount required for annual dues shall be $50 each year, unless changed by a majority vote of the members at an annual meeting of the full membership. Continued membership is contingent upon being up-to-date on membership dues. Memberships are good from September 1 through August 31.
Section 3 — Rights of members: Should a member be unable to attend a general meeting, each member shall be eligible to appoint one voting representative to cast the member’s vote in association elections.
If a Trust member is found to belong to an organization supporting a different Atlanta area soccer club, their membership can be revoked and their dues refunded, as this could present a conflict of interest.
Section 4 — Resignation and termination: Any member may resign by filing a written resignation with the secretary. Resignation shall not relieve a member of unpaid dues, or other charges previously accrued. A member can have their membership terminated by a majority vote of the membership.
Section 5 — Non-voting membership: The board shall have the authority to establish and define non-voting categories of membership.
ARTICLE III — MEETINGS OF MEMBERS
Section 1 —Annual meetings: An annual meeting of the members shall take place in the month of September, the specific date, time and location of which will be designated by the President. At the annual meeting the members shall elect directors and officers, receive reports on the activities of the association, and determine the direction of the association for the coming year. This meeting can happen in person or online.
Section 2 — Special meetings: Special meetings may be called by the President or a simple majority of the board of directors. A petition signed by five percent of voting members may also call a special meeting.
Section 3 — Notice of meetings: Printed notice of each meeting shall be given to each voting member, by email, not less than two weeks prior to the meeting.
Section 4 — Quorum: The members present at any properly announced meeting shall constitute a quorum.
Section 5 — Voting: All issues to be voted on shall be decided by a simple majority of those present at the meeting in which the vote takes place.
ARTICLE IV — BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1 — Board role, size, and compensation: The board is responsible for overall policy and direction of the association, and delegates responsibility of day-to-day operations to the staff and committees. The board shall have up to 10, but not fewer than 6 members. The board receives no compensation other than reasonable expenses. Westside 109 and the Atlanta Ultras shall each have one voting member of the board as determined by their membership. That member must be a member in good standing of the ASFC Trust.
Section 2 — Terms: All board members shall serve two-year terms, but are eligible for re-election for up to five consecutive terms. Only half of the board will be up for election in a given year. At the constitution of the board, one half of the board shall be designated to serve only one year. Those seats on the board will then begin serving two-year terms.
Section 3 — Meetings and notice: The board shall meet at least quarterly, at an agreed upon time and place, which can be in person or online. An official board meeting requires that each board member have written notice at least two weeks in advance. Written notice can be by mail or email.
Section 4 — Board elections: New directors and current directors shall be elected or re-elected by the voting representatives of members at the annual meeting. Directors will be elected by a simple majority of members present at the annual meeting.
Section 5 — Election procedures: A Board Development Committee shall be responsible for nominating a slate of prospective board members representing the associations diverse constituency. In addition, any member can nominate a candidate to the slate of nominees. All members will be eligible to send one representative to vote for each candidate, for up to 10 available positions each year.
Section 6 — Quorum: A quorum must be attended by at least fifty-one percent of board members for business transactions to take place and motions to pass.
Section 7 — Officers and Duties: There shall be three officers of the board, consisting of a President, Secretary and Treasurer. Their duties are as follows:
The President shall convene regularly scheduled board meetings, shall preside or arrange for other members of the Board of Directors to preside at each meeting in the following order: secretary, treasurer.
The secretary shall be responsible for keeping records of board actions, including overseeing the taking of minutes at all board meetings, sending out meeting announcements, distributing copies of minutes and the agenda to each board member, and assuring that corporate records are maintained.
The treasurer shall make a report at each board meeting. The treasurer shall chair the finance committee, assist in the preparation of the budget, help develop fundraising plans, and make financial information available to board members and the public.
Section 8 — Vacancies: When a vacancy on the board exists mid-term, the secretary must receive nominations for new members from present board members two weeks in advance of a board meeting. These nominations shall be sent out to board members with the regular board meeting announcement, to be voted upon at the next board meeting. These vacancies will be filled only to the end of the particular board member's term.
Section 9 — Resignation, termination, and absences: Resignation from the board must be in writing and received by the Secretary. A board member shall be terminated from the board due to excess absences, more than two unexcused absences from board meetings in a year. A board member may be removed for other reasons by a three-fourths vote of the remaining directors.
Section 11 — Special meetings: Special meetings of the board shall be called upon the request of the President, or one-third of the board. Notices of special meetings shall be sent out by the secretary to each board member at least two weeks in advance.
ARTICLE V — COMMITTEES
Section 1 — Committee formation: The board may create committees as needed, such as fundraising, housing, public relations, data collection, etc. The President appoints all committee chairs.
Section 2 — Finance Committee: The treasurer is the chair of the Finance Committee, which includes three other board members. The Finance Committee is responsible for developing and reviewing fiscal procedures, fundraising plans, and the annual budget with staff and other board members. The board must approve the budget and all expenditures must be within budget. Any major change in the budget must be approved by the board. The fiscal year shall be September 1st through August 31st. Annual reports are required to be submitted to the board showing income, expenditures, and pending income. The financial records of the organization are public information and shall be made available to the membership, board members, and the public.
ARTICLE VI — AMENDMENTS
Section 1 — Amendments: These bylaws may be amended when necessary by two-thirds majority of the board of directors. Proposed amendments must be submitted to the Secretary to be sent out with regular board announcements.
Organizer
Steven Bayley
Organizer
Anreep, GA
