Official Liverpool Supporters Club of New York
By-Laws
In accordance with Official LFC Supporters Club (OLSC) requirements, the Official LFC Supporters Club of New York (LFCNY) establishes the following By-Laws:
SECTION I - MISSION
LFCNY will represent Liverpool Football Club (LFC) in the New York Metro Area
LFCNY will bring local supporters together through their love of LFC for social purposes only
LFCNY will protect and enhance the good name of LFC
LFCNY will organize high-quality services and events for LFCNY members
LFCNY will promote, maintain and value the history of LFC
LFCNY will communicate the views of LFCNY members to LFC
LFCNY will support LFC-related charitable causes and local charitable causes
SECTION II - GENERAL PROVISIONS
While this document are the ByLaws of LFCNY, they are superseded by the “Official Liverpool Supporter’s Club Policy”, which can be made available to LFCNY members upon request
All LFCNY members must follow Code of Conduct under Section III of these By-Laws
LFCNY will not be run for personal financial gain
LFCNY will maintain a membership of, at least, 50 registered OLSC members and at least 30 MyLFC users
LFCNY will charge annual dues to be determined via vote at that years Annual General Meeting (AGM) which covers an annually designed members t-shirt and gift, discounts on drinks at member bars, early entrance to key matches, invitations to club-sponsored events, the opportunity to request and obtain tickets to matches at Anfield.
Should any changes be made to this, LFCNY will:
Notify LFC and provide all details on membership fees, including documentation of membership fees and explanation on the purpose and use of the membership fees
Provide a receipt to each LFCNY member paying a membership fee
Revise By-Laws as needed
LFCNY has established a club bank account, LFCNY will:
Notify LFC and provide all details on the club bank account, including documentation of club bank account and explanation on the purpose and use of the club bank account
LFCNY will use LFC trademarks, logos or club crests in accordance with the full branding guidelines in the OLSC Policy that LFCNY signs up to and agrees to bide by each season
LFCNY will establish a committee to ensure the fair running of LFCNY, represent LFC in an appropriate manner at all times, and be accountable to its membership
LFCNY will not share any personal (e-mail address, mailing address, phone number) or financial information with any outside third parties
SECTION III - LFCNY GENERAL MEETINGS
LFCNY will have an Annual General Meeting (AGM) on or before June 30 or another date duly determined by a unanimous vote of the committee—date, time and location to be determined
The attendance of the AGM shall constitute the quorum necessary to conduct the business of LFCNY; all decisions made by the AGM are binding upon LFCNY and the Committee of same until the next AGM
AGM minutes will be recorded and be made available upon request to all OLSC members and LFC. Meeting agendas will be drafted and distributed prior to the meeting start, AGMs will be “open floor” with any member having the right to raise any issue under LFCNY and any other business
Emergency General Meetings (EGM) of LFCNY may be called in two (2) ways:
a) When two-thirds (2/3) of the Committee determine it is in the best interest of LFCNY. Notices of such meeting shall be e-mailed to all members at their email address as it appears on the membership form at least ten (10) days before the scheduled date set for such special meeting. Such notice shall state the reasons that such meeting has been called, the business to be transacted at such meeting and by whom it was called.
b) A request for an EGM not recommended by the Committee must come via a petition signed by 50%+1 of the LFCNY’s membership.
i) The Committee is required to verify said petition within one (1) week of presentation
ii) Once presented, the petition cannot be amended
iii) Notices of such meeting shall be e-mailed to all members at their e-mail address as it appears on the membership form, at least, seven (7) days before the scheduled date set for such special meeting
iv) Such notice shall state the reasons that such meeting has been called, the business to be transacted at such meeting and by whom it was called.
d) No other business but that specified in the notice(s) may be transacted at such EGM
SECTION IV - GOVERNANCE OF BYLAWS
LFCNY’s by-laws, while maintained by the LFCNY Committee, exist to govern and protect LFCNY’s membership
Any member of LFCNY may propose changes to the by-laws at an AGM
For changes outside the AGM, a member must propose changes and call for an EGM, must be done in compliance with the guidance noted in section II of this document
Proposed changes to the by-laws must be provided to the LFCNY Secretary in writing
For proposed changes to the by-laws, the LFCNY Committee will have the authority to review and recommend proposed changes to the by-laws
This exempts administrative changes, which are changes to wording that do not constitute a change of requirements
Approval to proposed changes to the by-laws may only occur at an AGM or EGM
The calling of an AGM or EGM must be done in compliance with the guidance noted in section II
Approval of proposed changes must have a 50%+1 approval at an AGM or EGM to carry
Amendments to each section shall constitute an individual change, this is to ensure that necessary changes are not held up by an “all or none approach” change to the by-laws
Changes are effective once the Chair/Co-Chairs of LFCNY formally sign the by-laws
The LFCNY Chair/Co-Chair is expected to act in good faith and must approve by-laws within 7 days of membership vote on changes
SECTION V - CODE OF CONDUCT
While LFCNY members bring diverse opinions on all aspects related to the business of LFCNY, we are committed to respecting each other and reaching a consensus on all matters. We are determined to act justly, and are bound by these By-Laws, to deliver outcomes that are in the best interest of everyone associated with LFCNY. All LFCNY members are part of the OLSC Network and, therefore, must uphold the values and good name of LFC. LFCNY members are expected to be exemplary representatives of LFC and as such are asked to follow this Code of Conduct. All members shall treat fellow LFC supporters, as well as supporters of other football clubs, with courtesy and respect. No supporter shall threaten another football fan or sing offending chants toward other supporters. No member shall degrade or commit an act of violence on any other person while attending matches at Anfield, Away Matches or any other LFCNY event. Any violation of the Code of Conduct by a LFCNY member may result in sanctions up to and including expulsion from LFCNY.
SECTION VI - TICKETING
One of the benefits of an Official Liverpool Supporter’s Club is the ability to request tickets to Premier League home games at Anfield. For each half of the season, LFCNY is allotted up to 12 tickets per match to up to 3 matches.
LFCNY members in good standing shall all be granted equal access to the ticket allocation.
The following guidelines are in place to ensure that LFCNY members all have equal access to ticket requests.
Must hold an active LFCNY membership. If an LFCNY member is allocated tickets, they are responsible for the cost of tickets alongside their membership dues.
LFCNY members may request up to four tickets per season. These tickets may be divided between a maximum of two games, (e.g. two Bournemouth tickets and two Chelsea tickets OR four tickets to Chelsea).
If you are allocated tickets, you will not be allowed to request tickets for the next half season.
You may only be allocated tickets to one game per season.
All requests must be filled by supporters in the LFCNY home area (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut).
For example, one may not request tickets via LFCNY for use by a party who lives outside the LFCNY home area
An LFCNY member may only request tickets through LFCNY (e.g., an LFCNY member may not request tickets via OLSC Brooklyn or OLSC Jersey Shore)
Must have signed up, and be associated with LFCNY on MyLFC
If you request tickets, you are under obligation to buy those tickets if your name is chosen. In the rare circumstance that your ability to purchase tickets has changed - LFCNY may go to the pool of members that originally requested that game to fill the allocation. This will be considered a forfeiture of tickets.
If an LFCNY member forfeits allocated tickets, they will be barred from participating in ticketing requests for the next ticket request window.
Violation of LFCNY ticket policies may lead to sanction up to and including loss of ticket request access in perpetuity and/ or expulsion from the club.
This is in compliance with guidance offered by the “Official Liverpool Supporter’s Club Policy’s ticketing guidelines”
SECTION VII - LFCNY COMMITTEE
The business of LFCNY shall be managed by a Committee. All Committee members must be member in good standing at the time of election. The number of Committee shall not be less than five (5) or more than 12, unless voted upon by the AGM. The Committee member shall be chosen at the AGM of LFCNY and shall serve for a term of one (1) year.
Each Committee member shall have one vote and such voting may be done by proxy when all other LFCNY members are informed of the proxy vote in advance of the Committee meeting.
Each LFCNY Committee position will be subject to a two-thirds majority vote, serving a one-year term and require re-election at the AGM
Each LFCNY Executive Committee nominee must meet the following requirements:
Must have an Official LFC membership (as required by LFC)
Must be willing and available to carry out their roles and responsibilities
Must uphold the mission and abide by the By-Laws of LFCNY
Must have been an LFCNY member for at least the previous 2 seasons
As LFCNY is a volunteer organization, the LFCNY committee is bound to treat each other with respect and respect for each other’s time and efforts.
The committee shall not set any binding deadlines without informed consultation.
The exception to this rule is engagement with the Official Liverpool Supporter’s Club Liaisons, as those are bound timelines.
No committee meetings may be called without opportunity for all committee members to attend, or designate a proxy.
Committee meeting should be held in conjunction with matches whenever possible to ensure the maximum attendance and convenience to committee members.
It should be encouraged but not mandated for all committee members to attend committee meetings.
If a committee member is engaged and performing their role but cannot attend meetings, we should make accommodation for that committee member
If a committee member can no longer perform their role in-season, the committee will meet to determine how to proceed with that role
LFCNY’s membership may petition to remove a committee member at an EGM, a removal vote at an EGM must be done in compliance with the guidance noted in section II
SECTION VII.A - EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Members of the executive committee, in addition to the requirements under from section II above, must have been a member of LFCNY for the preceding two years
The executive committee will be comprised of the following positions, with noted duties and responsibilities:
Chairperson/Co-Chairpersons (president@lfcny.org):
The Chair(s) of the club are responsible for the oversight of the club, including the executive committee and overall committee comprised of volunteers.
The Chair(s) of the club preside over all committee meetings, AGMs and EGMs
They are responsible for maintaining a relationship with the owner(s) of our home bar, 11th Street Bar; and supporting the bar liaison.
At a minimum, 1 co-chair is responsible for maintaining a relationship with the Liverpool Football Club Supporters Club and have access to the extranet
Chairs are responsible for handling member issues as they arise
Either co-chair can bring issues before the executive committee, yet neither co-chair can make decisions without the explicit knowledge and approval of the other co-chair.
Managing community engagement
Growing partnerships
Media Relations
Secretary (membership@lfcny.org):
Records minutes at AGM and ensures they are available for review prior to the next year’s AGM
Records or delegates a recording of minutes for committee meetings
Maintains the seasonal (Aug-June) membership rolls of the organization; providing monthly updates on total number of members while membership is open
Distributes virtual member cards to each member in good standing, which provides the member with all of the associated benefits of full membership
Has the authority, with the written approval of the ‘Executive Committee’ to revoke membership of any member who violates the LFCNY code of conduct
Membership list/rolls shall be provided, solely to the executive committee, as needed and must be done in compliance with GDPR standards
Treasurer/Co-Treasurer (treasurer@lfcny.org):
The treasurer is responsible for all of the day to day finances for the club, including but not limited to the oversight and maintenance of:
Checking account at Amalgamated Bank w/Zelle
Paypal Account
Squarespace Payments Account
Square
Xero Accounting Platform
The treasurer shall provide financials to the executive committee on a monthly basis – specifically a balance sheet and Profit & Loss statement and as requested.
Monthly statements for each of the accounts held in the clubs name shall be stored in the Google Drive, and anyone with an LFCNY.org email shall have view only access.
Treasurer(s) shall have both check signing authority and debit cards for the bank account. The treasurer shall be the admin for all of the financial accounts.
Preparation and/or provision of tax returns
NYS State filings
Expense Management
SECTION VII.B NON - EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ROLES
The non-exec members of the committee are the backbone of our organization, the following roles are suggested through the course of a season.
If not occupied, these roles will be fulfilled by members of the executive committee:
Bar Liaison (partners@lfcny.org):
Serves as the point of contact for the owners of LFCNY partner bars – and manages those relationships with the support of the Executive Committee
Provides LFCNY with the opening times of the bars each week/match
Coordinates LFCNY visits to the bar and engages new and existing members at those bars.
Works with the events team to develop events such as “Family Days” and Charitable Drives with partner bars [Charitable Drives should coincide with the drives held at the main club bar, 11th Street – but should support local charities for that partner bar]
Oversees bar captains for partner bars if/as they are identified
Develop new partner bars
Social Media (social@lfcny.org):
Responsible for posting content on LFCNY’s social channels:
Facebook
IG
Threads
X
LinkedIn
TikTok
Discord – Moderation
Each week posting the about the opening times for our partner bars as they relate to LFC games (in the case that LFC has more than 1 game that week, it may require additional posts)
Posting content as it relates to non-match related events and volunteer opportunities
Monitoring content to ensure it is in line with LFC’s OLSC Social Media Policy and LFCNY’s Policy (may need to be written)
Deleting content that does not align
Blocking posters who repeatedly post content that is not aligned.
Executive committee members also have moderation rights.
Has access to Canva account
Website website@lfcny.org: (This function reports to the executive committee)
Oversees the development and maintenance of the website for LFCNY
Updates and manages the LFCNY online store
Communications (news@lfcny.org):
Crafts weekly (sometimes more frequently) emails that go out to members for the upcoming matches that in addition to copy include the bar opening times.
Ensures that important announcements are disseminated to the LFCNY Membership
Merchandising (merch@lfcny.org):
Coordinate the ordering of seasonal merch for members – tshirts and annual gift
Coordinate the ordering/inventory of LFCNY merch available for members and guests, such as scarves
Work with get LFC branded merch for giveaways for bar visits
Coordination of membership merchandise fulfillment
Events (events@lfcny.org):
Coordinate Member & Friends events throughout the year (E.G. Gotham Game outings)
LFC Foundation Events
LFC Legend Events
Food Drives (both local with Father’s Heart Ministries and with Fans Supporting Foodbanks in the UK) & other Charity Events
Work with the Bar Liaison to Setup events (E.g. Family Day’s) at Partner Bars
Ticketing (ticketing@lfcny.org):
Coordinates LFCNYs ticketing request process twice per season
Operates ticketing lottery to allocate LFCNY’s allocation to the members who have requested tickets
Ticketing coordinator ensures that ticketing lottery is performed in a fair and transparent manner
Ticketing Coordinator must provide a transparency report to membership with regards to entries and success rates of ticket requests by LFCNY members
Ticketing coordinator operates process based upon guidelines agreed at most recent AGM
Guidelines will be agreed at AGM but will sit outside the by-laws to ensure that the process can be amended with necessary flexibility
Ticketing guidelines can be amended as required by the LFCNY committee
Any changes to the ticketing guidelines must be immediately communicated to membership
Volunteer Coordinator (volunteer@lfcny.org):
Member engagement to support the club, during matches at our partner bars and through events throughout the year
This role has ad-hoc responsibilities
SECTION VIII - COMMITTEE CONDUCT
The LFCNY Committee administers the club via various technical tools. Access to these tools must be provided to committee members on a “need to know” basis.
LFCNY will use a password manager with multiple different access levels to ensure that confidential or sensitive account access can only be provided to those who need to use them
Access to LFCNY financials are to be restricted to the LFCNY Treasurer and/or named delegate
The LFCNY webmaster may have access to the LFCNY e-commerce front end but may not use any of the money transfer functionality in the LFCNY e-commerce platform
Misuse of LFCNY accounts by any LFCNY member, inclusive of the committee, may result in sanction up to and including expulsion from the club
Committee members with access to LFCNY email addresses are to use those email accounts to conduct LFCNY business only.