IFF Congress 16-17.05 1992

Place: Hotel Pöstli, Baltenswil, Switzerland

Participants:
Denmark (DFU): Torben Frydkjaer (TF, voting), John (J)
Finland (SSBL): Klaus Krokfors - (KK, voting), Jouni Kontio (JK)
Norway (NBF): Lars Senstad (LS, voting), Tore Krarup (TK)
Sweden (SIBF): Tomas Mariedahl* (TM, voting)
Switzerland(SUHV): Leo Buser (LB, voting), Daniel Moser (DM)

IFF Central Board:
András Czitrom (AC)
Andrea Darms (AD)
Lilly Keiser (LK)
Stefan Kratz (SK)
Gottlieb Kündig (GK)
Thomas Mariedahl* (TM)
Pekka Mukkala (PM)
Kurt Westerlund (KW)

* Double function

Guest: Giuseppe Genetelli (GG), Switzerland

§ 1 Welcome of the delegates
The President of the IFF welcomes the delegates and guests. He asks the delegates, if G.Kündig is accepted to be assistant during the meeting. He expresses his wish that the meeting will go on for the favor of our sport.

Decision: G.Kündig shall be assistant during the meeting. He writes also the minutes.

P.Mukkala: wants a decision about the persons who are allowed to speak during the meeting. Discussion.

Decision: - The right to speak during the meeting is given to the delegates of the nations, the members of the CB and G.Kündig as assistant.
- The right to vote is given by the nations to K.Krokfors for Finland, Th.Mariedahl for Sweden, L.Buser for Switzerland and L.Senstad for Norway and T.Frydkjaer for Denmark.

Treatylist: - The treatylist is accepted as proposed.
- The protocol has to be signed by L.Senstad, K.Krokfors and T.Mariedahl.

§ 2 New official member Federations
2.1 Norway
Tore declares, why Norway wants to get the membership in the I.F.F.
Questions to Norway:
G.Kündig: Is the Norway Bandy Federation conscient about the fact, that the membership in the I.F.F. will be given to the Floorball Section of the NBF and that the I.F.F. gives the garanty to the Norway Floorball Section to accept it as Norwegian member in the case of a separation from the NBF ?
TK: Yes. Our Floorbal Section can develop free and is souveraign in Floorball questions.
No more questions.

2.2 Denmark
TF: Proposes in short words the organization of the Danish Association. Up to now it is very small and there is much progress to do. Through the membership we hope to accelerate the development.
Questions:
GK: Your Association is very little. Are you able to organize Danish Championships ?
TF: In the moment we organize tournaments in Danmark. It is more a kind of cup-system than a championship.
No more questions.

2.3 Admission vote
The Norwegian and Danish delegates are ordered to leave the conference room.
After a short discussion the Congress decides:
- NBF with its Floorball Section is admitted as ordinary member of the IFF.
- The Floorball Association of Danmark is admitted as ordinary member of the IFF.
- Both organizations are entitled from now on with all members rights and duties. In the following proceeding of the Congress their delegates have the right to vote.

§ 3 Approval of the President's Report 1986-1991
AC: Presumes the activities of the IFF in the last five years like laid down in the Presidents Report. He shows the development of Floorball and is convinced that Floorball will get a big sport that's spread out all over the world.

Decision: The Presidents Report is accepted one vote.

§ 4 Approval of the Financial Report 1986-1991
SK: explanates the Financial Report.
LK: proposes to accept it like it is. There should be found an international accepted way to do the accounts for the future.
No questions.

Decision: The Financial Report 1986-1991 is accepted one vote.
The CB gets freedom from responsibility.

§ 5 Statutes
AC: gives a summary over the planning stage of the new IFF Statutes and declares, why the proposal worked out by GK became to be the proposal of the CB in our meeting in Budapest.
He thanks GK for his work: "Better late than never !"

GK: The proposal we discuss now is a working version, it is worked out for the next period of two years. We have to make experiences and work out the final version to submit it to the next Congress if it seems to be needed. I propose to accept the articles about the arbitration committee (art. 40ff.) like they are as a working base. After the Congresss there will be looked for a correct English language version. In any case the Statutes will be on the agenda of the next Congress again.

To the Statutes: There is given an order to them with general titles and subtitles.

LS: Proposes to go through the proposed Statutes article by article, even when this needs time and to decide at the end about the whole Statutes.

Decision: accepted with one voice.
(In the minutes will be mentioned the articles where there were questions or decisive changes.)

article 1: The law under which these Statutes will be in force is not decided. It may be that it will be combined with the location of the headquarters.

article 3: The location of the headquarters will be determined after the elections.

article X: will stay article X up to the next Congress as a little joke to show that Statutes are never final.

article 13.1: Question of Norway: The expression "self ruled" understands even a section of another Sports Federation, there has only to be shown, that the section has own competences to rule the Floorball Sport in accordance with the IFF Regulations.

article 14.1.c): explanation: Any international tournament shall be notified to the IFF. The Competition Regulation of the IFF will determine the conditions.

article 28 and 34: article 34 will be the new article 28. The articles in between will be renumbered. (In the following the numbers of the proposal stay valid).

article 29: As usual in northern countries and international Associations there should be the election of special chairman for the Congress. New wording: "The Congress elects the chairman for the Congress".

article 30: No changes. The number of CB members has been discussed later in the Congress. There have been proposals of 5, 6, 7 or 9 CB members (President included). The discussion was about lower costs and efficiency of work. In according to the circumstances the final decision has been eight members plus president in the CB (four to one vote).

article 32.2: change of the word "president" to the word "chairman" in according to the new wording of article 29.
Norway proposed to cancel the special construction, that the chairman is entitled by this article to have a vote in the case of a tie.
TF: when there are very important questions it would be unlucky, if a president can decide in the case of a tie.
GK: A good chairman will let drop a vote to a later moment, when an important decision is in a tie.
AD/PM: There are many questions that need to be decided to follow on in a meeting. It is an article to keep the Congress going on, may be even to keep the IFF going on.
GK: This question is regulated in the FIFA Statutes like in our proposal. We give now to the protocol that the chairman is entitled to decide any proceeding question, but that important questions in litigation should be dropped in the case of a tie and taken up some later in the same Congress.
SK/TK: drop the second phrase.

Decision: The second phrase of article 32.2 is cancelled.

article 34.1: LS: We propose a number of 50% to claim the summoning of an Extraordinary Congress. In the state we have now, only one nation could do it.
GK: It's a legal and democratic question. We do this Statutes at least for a period of 5 up to 10 years.

Decision: New wording "1/5 but at least two".

article 36: GK: Proposal to put in a new paragraph in order to ensure continuity in the CB, like it is regulated in the FIFA Statutes. Reelection is possible but it shouldn't be possible to exchange more than half of the CB.

Decision: New article 36.3: "In order to ensure continuity within the CB, no more than four new members may be installed simultaneously." The former article 36.3. will get the number 36.4.

article 36.4: The proposal is preferred to an Election Committee.

article 40 up to 42: GK: These articles work, but we haven't got up to now a concept in the IFF how to rule the arbitration. The articles enclose the most important base rules that have to be laid down in Statutes that the IFF can work. If there are other ideas, we come back to these articles next congress.

Decision: articles 40, 41 and 42 are accepted.

article 45: LS: We would like to put in that the Arbitration Committee shall give a comment on proposals.
GK: This idea is available but should be taken up, when we have an Arbitration Committee.

Decision: New wording: "2/3 majority of votes present at the congress".

Final vote to enact the whole Statutes: Yes one vote. (!)

AC: thanks to all present persons for the concentration and the work they did. (Statutes: See Appendix No.1)

§ 6 Membershipfees
AC: There are two propositions: One of Norway and one of the CB according to the Swedish proposal.
TK: Is there a cause, why the fees fall according to the number of clubs ? It seems to me, that the proposal of the CB is a little bit unfair.
SK: Sweden has most clubs of all Associations but has not more rights in the IFF than the other Nations.
GK: We shall see it as a solution that adapts the big differences between the National Associations. It is better to know that like this Sweden can not claim to have more influence in the IFF than the other nations. This is a solution for two years. Next Congress there could be other weights of members and also another solution.
TM: Thinks, that under this point of view the proposal of the CB is a little more fair.

Decision: The proposal of the CB is accepted by 3 to 1 vote with abstention of Norway. (see Appendix No.2)

§ 7 Budget
AC: In the momentaneous state of the IF it is not possible to accomplish a concrete budget because on the income side is only clear now the membershipfees. The other incomes are not prospectable. We have to deal with a minimal budget.
LK: It would be better, if the new CB works out the budget.
TF: We have to know if the travel costs for the CB members will be paid by the IFF or not. So we have to know the budget or need a decision about this point. In the case of the fact, that the member Associations have to pay the travel costs of their CB members we resign to be member of the CB.
AD: It is not possible now to decide about the whole budget. There has to be a budget but because of the income side it has to be prospectively. Maybe we find a sponsor, the new treasurer shall look how many money is available. We should give him a date for the accomplishment of the budget.

Decision: The budget proposal of the CB is rejected. The Congress delegates the budget to the CB to be done by its treasurer in a term of four months.

Travelcosts: The proposition of Stefan Kratz is accepted.

Decision: Any National Association has to pay the costs for travels and lodgings of their CB members. The costs of the president will be paid by the IFF. (see Appendix No.3)

§ 8 Elections
After a longtime discussion the delegates of the Congress decided the remaining Statute question with four to one votes, that the CB of IFF consists of a president and eight members.

Result of the elections for the new Central Board of IFF:

President:
Pekka Mukkala

Vice President:
Thomas Mariedahl

Secretary:
Gottlieb Kündig

Treasurer:
Lilly Keiser

Members of the CB:
Stefan Kratz
Klaus Krokfors
Jouni Kontio
Andrea Darms
Lars Senstad

This time the Members of the CB were elected in globo. In order to diminue the nationl interests, the exchange of members will be done by the qualification of the proposed person for the available function.
Denmark resigns to be member of the CB because of the travel costs, but is ready to work in one or several committees of the IFF.

§ 9 Proposals of the member Associations
There has been no other proposals of the member Associations to be discussed or decided at the Congress.

§ 10 Decision on the meeting place for the next Congress
The next Congress will be held in Sweden, in May 1994.
The meeting place will be notified to the CB by the organizing Nation.

In the name of the International Floorball Federation, Pekka Mukkala gives expression of sincere thankssaying to the former President of the IFF, András Czitrom, for his big engagement for the Federation, the work he did and the mission he felt and feels for our sport.

For the protocol:

G.Kündig, Secretary

Protocol signed by:

Th.Mariedahl, L.Senstad, K.Krokfors