1. Purpose and Philosophy of MCLC
2. Expansion, Contraction, Alteration of the MCLC
3. Divisional Alignment
4. Regular Season Scheduling
   1. Regular Season Dates
   2. Regular season schedule requirements [revised January, 1996]
   3. Multi-season schedule "scheme"
   4. Schedule changes, disputes
5. Game Agreements
   1. Standard procedures
   2. Implied agreement
   3. Game Agreement forms
6. Roster Requirements and Player Eligibility
   1. MCLA rules
   2. Due dates for Letters of Intent, and Rosters
   3. Player Eligibility
   4. Violation of this rule
7. Disciplinary Procedures
   1. Major action: expulsion
   2. Minor action: forfeiture
8. Championship Tournament Structure, Seeding, Schedule
   1. Dates
   2. Structure
   3. Qualification and Seeding
   4. Schedule
9. Determination of Division Standings - Tie-Breakers
   1. Two teams tied
   2. Three or more teams tied

Bylaws can be added or revised by a two-thirds vote by all members of the Board of Representatives. Changes in the Bylaws may take place at either the Annual Meeting or at a special meeting/ballot (MCLC Constitution ARTICLE IV, Section 9). Proposed changes must be meeting agenda items known by all members of the Board prior to the meeting where the proposed changes will be voted on.

ARTICLE I: PURPOSE AND PHILOSOPHY OF MCLC

The following expands upon the statement of purpose in ARTICLE I, Section 3 of the MCLC Constitution.

The purpose of the MCLC is to unify the best amateur field lacrosse teams in the Midwest into one group and annually determine a Champion of that group. Over time new Midwestern clubs may form that will be competitive with MCLC member clubs. In order to achieve the goal of including the best teams, the MCLC must be willing to expand, and replace its membership from time to time.

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ARTICLE II: EXPANSION, CONTRACTION, ALTERATION OF THE MCLC

[This entire article rendered "Not Applicable" by amendment - see MCLC Rules and Regulations #29]

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ARTICLE III: DIVISIONAL ALIGNMENT

The MCLC may be divided into two or more "divisions". Divisions are likely to be geographical in definition, but are not required to be so.

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ARTICLE IV: REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULING

Section 1: Regular Season Dates

All MCLC regular season games shall be played between the first Saturday in April and the third Sunday in May, inclusive. Except for rescheduled "make-up" games, no MCLC regular season games shall be played during Easter weekend or on Mother's day. No MCLC regular season games may be played during Memorial Day weekend.

Section 2: Regular season schedule requirements [revised January, 1996]

In each regular season all MCLC member teams shall play one game versus each team in its division. Hence, all teams within a division will play the same number of games in a season - this number may be different than the number of games played by MCLC clubs in other divisions.

Section 3: Multi-season schedule "scheme"

As soon as possible after the determination of the MCLC divisional alignment, the Board of Representatives shall approve a complete game schedule which may typically cover two or more seasons. That schedule must meet the requirements set forth in Section 2 above and best meets the following considerations:

1. All series alternate "home and home" equally.
2. Games where northern teams visit southern teams are sche-duled earlier in each season.
3. Games where southern teams visit northern teams are sche-duled later in each season.
4. In seasons where one team visits two teams that are geogra-phically close to one another those two games are played on the same weekend and therefore on the same "road trip".

Section 4: Schedule changes, disputes

Upon approval by the Board of the schedule all teams are committed to abiding by that schedule. Teams may reschedule at the mutual agreeme-nt of both clubs. Where games are signi-ficantly rescheduled, it is the responsibility of both teams to promptly inform the Secretary of the change. In cases where only one club wishes to reschedule, a "good faith" effort by the effected club must be made to accommodate the former. In such cases where two clubs cannot agree to a new game date the issue must promptly be referred to the Commissioner. The Commissioner will then investigate the matter and either schedule the game for them or declare one team at fault and grant the other a victory by forfeit.

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ARTICLE V: GAME AGREEMENTS

Section 1: Standard procedures

Game agreements must be prepared by the home team for each game and shall be signed by both parties no later than January 1st prior to that game. One copy is to be kept by each team and a third copy is to be sent to the MCLC Secretary by January 15th.

Section 2: Implied agreement

Implied in all MCLC game agreements is the following:

1. The home club shall provide a legal sized, properly marked, and safe, playing field.
2. The home club shall pay the referee costs.
3. Whenever possible the home club shall provide the visiting team and referees with adequate changing and shower faci-lities, and the home club shall advise visitors in advance.
4. The home club shall provide the visiting team and referees accurate directions to the game site well before the game date.
5. Should either team be unable to begin play one-half hour after the scheduled starting time that team shall lose the game by forfeit - except when both effected teams and the referees agree that extraordinary circumstances exist making forfeit inappropriate.
6. Both teams are required to report the game results and statistics promptly to the MCLC Secretary.
7. [June 5, 1993] Should the game not be played and result in a forfeit, the team at fault is responsible for any monetary liability incurred. (e.g. a game that is forfeited because a team showed up with too few players and a "pick-up" game is played anyway, the team at fault for the forfeit is thereby not liable for game costs incurred by the winning team; same for a game that is ruled a forfeit after the fact, perhaps due to the discovery of participation by an ineligible player.)

Section 3: Game Agreement forms

The MCLC shall use standard MCLA Game Agreement Forms.

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ARTICLE VI: ROSTER REQUIREMENTS AND PLAYER ELIGIBILITY

Section 1: MCLA rules

Members of the MCLC shall abide by MCLA rules regarding player eligibility and the use of "Letters of Intent" except where herein modified. In the relevant MCLA rules there exists situations where the MCLA President uses discretion. In such cases involving MCLC clubs, the MCLC Executive Committee (or the Commissioner where appropriate - see MCLC Constitution, Article V, Section 2) shall exercise similar discretion and may decide to consult the MCLA President accordingly.

a.[June 1, 1996] For the purposes of these Bylaws, the definition of "Letter of Intent" shall be: "The express commitment - either verbal or written - by a player to play for a specific club for an entire season."

Section 2: Due dates for Letters of Intent, and Rosters

MCLC members shall submit to the MCLC Secretary player rosters complete with Letters of Intent from each player by April 1st of each season. Members may submit revised rosters with new Letters of Intent no later than the Monday after the last Sunday of the regular season. The MCLC Secretary shall keep member rosters and Letters of Intent and forward copies to the Secretary of the MCLA.

Section 3: Player Eligibility

Before a player is eligible to play with any MCLA member team in ANY intra-association game, he must sign a Letter of Intent. Players joining member clubs after May 1st must play in a minimum of two MCLC regular season games to be eligible for post season play. [See MCLC rules 6, 8, and 19].

Section 4: Violation of this rule

Procedures for the filing of a protest alleging a violation of player eligibility rules are outlined in Section 3 of the MCLA Bylaws and are expanded upon here.

Such protests are to be also forwarded (not necessarily in writing) to the MCLC Secretary and if either the MCLC Executive Committee, the MCLC Commissioner, or the MCLA President finds a club guilty of violating these rules the guilty club shall lose the game in question by forfeit.

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ARTICLE VII: DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES

Section 1: Major action: expulsion

Removal of a club from the MCLC (MCLC Constitution, ARTICLE II, Section 3) can be a course of disciplinary action that the Board can take against a member club. Should numerous cases of misconduct by a member club warrant a call for removal of that member club, that member club shall be notified by the Secretary fifteen days before the Board shall take such action. Several game forfeitures, an excessive number of team unsportsmanlike penalty assessments may warrant a call for removal.

Section 2: Minor action: forfeiture

A member club will suffer a loss by forfeit in the following cases:

1. Where the Commissioner finds the club is at fault in scheduling dispute where the game is not played (ARTICLE IV, Section 4).
2. Where the club is unable to begin play one-half hour after the scheduled starting time (ARTICLE V, Section 2, part e.).
3. The home club forfeits when the playing field is not properly marked by one-half hour after the scheduled starting time (ARTICLE V, Section 2, parts a. & e.).
4. The home club forfeits when the playing field is deemed unsafe by the referee and the game cannot be moved by one-half hour after the scheduled starting time (ARTICLE V, Section 2, parts a. & e.).
5. Where the MCLA President or the MCLC Commissioner finds the club violated Player Eligibility Rules (ARTICLE VI).

In a game decided by forfeit, the score of that game shall be recorded as 1 - 0. Where a forfeit is ruled after the game in question is completed, all other statistics relevant to the individual performances of players involved in the contest shall be valid.

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ARTICLE VIII: CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT STRUCTURE, SEEDING, SCHEDULE

Section 1: Dates

The Annual MCLC Championship Tournament shall be held over the weekend immediately after the last weekend of the regular season - except that the tournament shall never be held over Memorial Day Weekend.

Section 2: Structure

The tournament shall include eight MCLC clubs. Each club will play three games. The Tournament will be struc-tured in single elimination format such that only one team can win all three games and will be declared the winner of the Tournament and will become that year's MCLC Champion.

Section 3: Qualification and Seeding

From each division, the top teams with the best regular season records (tie-breakers described in ARTICLE VIII) shall qualify for participation in the Tournament. The teams shall be seeded according to the same regular season divisional standings. [see MCLC Rules, #32 for other disqualifications.]

Section 4: Schedule

The first round shall feature only interdivisional contests with top seeded teams facing lower seeded teams. The Tournament directors shall set up the remainder of the schedule with the intention of increasing the possibility that; 1) teams meet in interdivisional games through the second round and, 2) roughly equal teams meet on the final day, and 3) the two best teams meet in the Championship Game. The direc-tors shall also schedule games such that winning teams play later games and that the Championship Game is the final game of the Tournament.

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ARTICLE IX: DETERMINATION OF DIVISION STANDINGS - TIE-BREAKERS

[revised June 1, 1996]

Division standings are determined by best win-loss records in all regular season Conference games. When teams in the same division finish the regular season with identical records their position in the standings shall be determined by the following tie-breakers:

Section 1: Two teams tied

When two division teams finish the regular season with iden-tical Conference records the winner of the tie will be the team that won the head-to-head contest between those two teams.

Section 2: Three or more teams tied

When three or more division teams finish the regular season with identical Conference records the winner of the tie will be determined using the following tie-breakers in the listed order (Note, when a tie-breaker removes a team from the tie (for better or worse), the tie-breaking process for the remaining tied teams immediately begins again at step 1.):

1. Best head-to-head record versus tied teams
2. Best division record
3. Most net goals (net goals = goals for - goals against) versus tied teams
4. Most goals scored versus tied teams
5. Least goals allowed versus tied teams
6. Most net goals in all division games
7. Most goals scored versus all division teams
8. Least goals allowed versus all division teams
9. Most net goals versus all Conference teams
10. Most goals scored versus all Conference teams
11. Least goals allowed versus all Conference teams
12. Commissioner draws the winning team randomly.

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