§ 1 Name, Registered Office and Financial Year
The association operates under the name Friends of the Soccer Boarding School Soccer City e.V. (hereinafter referred to as the association).
The association has its registered office at 37351 Struth, City of Dingelstädt, and is entered in the register of associations at the Mühlhausen Local Court.
The financial year is the calendar year.
§ 2 Purpose
The purpose of the association is the sustainable overcoming of racism, nationalism and xenophobia through intercultural and global learning at FISC.
The articles of association particularly promote
through the residence of children and young people from all over the world at the Soccer Boarding School SOCCER City (abbreviated as FISC) of SOCCER City – Educational Institution for Soccer e.V.
through the procurement of funds in the form of membership fees, donations and loans.
through events serving to promote the supported purpose.
through the promotion of the establishment of the bilingual “World International School Europe” (WISE) (with locations in Eschwege, Mühlhausen and Lengenfeld u. Stein).
through the promotion of educational institutions in the countries of the Global South, with a focus on Africa.
Support may be provided by transferring funds to FISC, but may also consist in the association directly assuming and covering the costs of sports equipment, competitions, training camps, soccer camps, maintenance of competition facilities, expense allowances for coaches and trainers, remuneration for employees or other sporting purposes.
The association pursues exclusively and directly charitable purposes within the meaning of the section “Tax-Privileged Purposes” of the Fiscal Code, as amended from time to time. It operates as a supporting association pursuant to § 58 No. 1 AO, using its funds exclusively to promote the tax-privileged purposes of the tax-privileged purpose referred to in § 2 (1).
The association operates on a non-self-serving basis; it does not primarily pursue its own economic purposes.
The association’s funds may be used only for purposes specified in the articles of association. Members of the association receive no benefits from the association’s funds in their capacity as members.
No person may be favored by expenditures unrelated to the purpose of the association or by disproportionately high remuneration.
The association is politically, economically and religiously neutral.
An honorary-office allowance may be paid for honorary positions.
§ 3 Membership
Any adult natural person or legal entity willing to sustainably promote the objectives and purposes of the association may become a member.
§ 4 Rights and Duties of Members
Members are entitled to participate in all events offered by the association. They also have the right to submit motions to the Board and the General Meeting. At the General Meeting, voting rights may be exercised only in person.
Members are obliged to support the association and its purpose – including in public – patiently.
§ 5 Commencement/Termination of Membership
The Board makes the final decision on a written application for membership by a simple majority. The Board is not obliged to inform the applicant of the reasons for rejection; there is no entitlement to admission.
Membership ends through voluntary resignation, expulsion, death of the member or loss of legal capacity in the case of legal entities.
Voluntary termination of membership must be declared to the Board by written notice of termination effective at the end of the financial year, observing a three-month notice period.
A member may be expelled with immediate effect and for good cause if the member seriously violates the articles of association, rules, the purpose of the articles of association or the interests of the association. The Board decides on expulsion by simple majority. The member must be given two weeks, subject to a deadline, to respond to the allegations before expulsion from the association.
Upon termination of membership, irrespective of the reason, all claims arising from the membership relationship expire. Refunds of membership fees, donations or other support services are generally excluded. This does not affect the association’s claim for outstanding membership fees.
§ 6 Membership Fees
Membership fees are collected from members.
The amount of the membership fees is determined by the General Meeting and specified in the membership fee regulations applicable at the time. The membership fee regulations are not part of these articles of association.
§ 7 Bodies of the Association
The bodies of the association are
the General Meeting
the Board
§ 8 General Meeting
The supreme body of the association is the General Meeting; it has, in particular, the following duties:
To receive and discuss the annual reports,
resolution on the budget,
discharge of the Board,
(in election years) to elect the Board,
to decide on the articles of association, amendments to the articles of association and the dissolution of the association,
to elect the auditors, who may belong neither to the Board nor to a committee appointed by the Board and may not be employees of the association.
An ordinary General Meeting is convened by the association’s Board as required, but at least once during each financial year, preferably during the first half of the financial year. Notice is given 14 days in advance by public posting on the association’s notice board. The Board may use additional publication methods, which are deemed merely supplementary; posting on the association’s notice board is always required.
The agenda of the ordinary General Meeting must include, in particular, the following items:
Report of the Board,
report of the auditors,
discharge of the Board,
election of the auditors,
approval of the budget estimate for the current financial year to be submitted by the Board,
resolution on the membership fee regulations, insofar as amendments are made,
resolutions on motions submitted.
Members’ motions concerning the agenda must be submitted in writing to the association’s Board no later than 16 days before the General Meeting. Agenda items submitted subsequently must be communicated to the members in good time before the General Meeting begins. Later motions – including motions submitted during the General Meeting – must be placed on the agenda if the majority of the voting members present at the General Meeting agrees to consider the motions (urgent motions).
The Board must convene an extraordinary General Meeting without delay if the interests of the association so require or if at least one third of the association’s voting members request in writing that the Board convene one, stating the purpose and reasons.
The Chairperson or one of the deputy chairpersons chairs the General Meeting. At the Chairperson’s proposal, the General Meeting may appoint a special chairperson for the meeting.
Resolutions of the General Meeting are recorded in minutes within two months after the General Meeting and signed by an authorized member of the Board and the recording secretary. Any member may inspect the minutes at the association’s office.
§ 9 Voting Rights/Quorum
Members of the association have voting rights. Each member has one vote, which may be exercised only in person. Transfer of voting rights is excluded.
The General Meeting has a quorum regardless of the number of members present.
The General Meeting adopts resolutions by simple majority. Abstentions and invalid votes are disregarded. In the event of a tie, the motion submitted is deemed rejected.
Voting at the General Meeting shall be conducted in writing and secretly only if this is expressly requested by a majority of the members participating in the adoption of the resolution.
Amendments to the articles of association and resolutions on the dissolution of the association require a three-quarters majority of the voting members present.
Amendments to the articles of association shall be communicated to all members of the association in writing.
§ 10 Board
The Board is composed as follows:
one Chairperson
one Deputy Chairperson
one Secretary
one Treasurer
and up to six assessors.
One assessor serves as deputy treasurer and one assessor as deputy secretary.
Members of the Board are elected by the General Meeting for a term of three years. Unlimited re-election of Board members is permitted. After the end of their term, Board members remain in office until their successors take office.
The Board is responsible for managing the association’s activities. It may adopt rules of procedure and assign special duties among its members or appoint committees to handle them.
Within the meaning of § 26 BGB, the Board consists of the Chairperson, the Deputy Chairperson and the Treasurer. Each of these Board members may represent the association individually in and out of court.
The Board adopts resolutions by simple majority. The Board has a quorum if at least three members are present or agree to a resolution by written circulation. In the event of a tie, the motion is deemed rejected.
Resolutions of the Board are recorded in minutes of the meeting and signed by at least two authorized Board members.
If a Board member leaves office before the end of their term, the Board is entitled to appoint an interim Board member. Board members appointed in this way remain in office until the next General Meeting.
§ 11 Electoral Regulations
If there is a tie in the election of Board members or auditors, a runoff election shall be held. If this also fails to produce a majority for a candidate, the decision shall be made by drawing lots.
The election committee, consisting of the election officer and two assessors, is responsible for managing and conducting an election.
The election officer and the assessors are elected in a simple ballot.
Board elections are conducted by a show of hands when one electoral proposal is submitted. If several electoral proposals are submitted, the election shall be secret.
The Board has the right to submit its own electoral proposal.
Elections are conducted in the following order:
The 1st Chairperson, the 2nd Chairperson, the Treasurer and the Secretary are each elected individually in a separate ballot.
The assessors are elected jointly in one ballot.
The candidate with the highest number of votes is deemed elected.
§ 12 Auditors
Two auditors shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting for a term of two years.
The auditors are responsible for examining accounting documents, their proper posting and the use of funds, and for determining the cash balance of the completed calendar year at least once annually. The audit does not extend to the appropriateness of expenditures made by the Board. The auditors must inform the General Meeting of the audit results.
§ 13 Dissolution of the Association
In the event of the dissolution or abolition of the association, or if its previous purpose ceases to exist, its assets shall pass to SOCCER City – Educational Institution for Soccer e.V., which must use them directly and exclusively for charitable purposes.
§ 14 Liquidators
The authorized Board members in office shall be appointed as liquidators unless the General Meeting resolves otherwise.
The foregoing content of the articles of association was adopted by the founding meeting on 6 August 2024.
Lengenfeld u. Stein, 6 August 2024