DRAFT - June 2008
Club
Constitution
The Name of the Club is Romsey Road Runners and it was
established in 1985. The Club Colours shall be royal blue with a gold lower
band.
The Objects of the Club are:
·
to
facilitate participation in and promotion of recreational and competitive
running in the area of Romsey and Hampshire and amongst the community and
related sporting & social activities;
·
to
do all such things as the Committee thinks fit to further the interests of the
club or to be incidental or conducive to the attainment of all or any of the
objects above.
Membership of the Club shall be open, on application, to
anyone interested in recreational or competitive running.
Individuals who wish to become members of the Club must
apply using the Membership Application Form approved by the Committee from time
to time. Applications must be proposed and seconded in writing by two existing
members of the Club and accompanied by the subscription fee.
Every
candidate for membership shall be considered by the Committee, which shall
admit that person to membership unless to do so would be contrary to the best
interests of the sport or the good conduct and interests of the Club.
By becoming a
member of the Club, every member agrees to abide by the Club’s Constitution and
Rules; the Rules of Competition and other rules and regulations of UK Athletics
Limited; and the rules and regulations of England Athletics Limited (or
relevant successor bodies).
Anyone
satisfying the general admission criteria (as determined from time to time by
the Committee) can become an Ordinary Member – either as a Senior, Student or
Junior, provided that: they are an amateur as defined from time to time by UK
Athletics and that they are aged over 15 at the date of their application.
Ordinary
Members (other than Junior Members) shall be entitled to receive notice of,
attend and vote at general meetings of the Club.
Anyone under
the age of 16 years at the date of their application shall join as a Junior Member and such person must have
a responsible adult to accompany them, who is a member of the Club.
Members in
full time education shall join as Student
Member, this will revert to ordinary membership on termination of full time
education.
Junior and Student
Members shall pay half of the annual subscription rate.
Social
membership may be conferred by the Committee upon individuals who are ex-Romsey
Road Runners who are unable to run. Social Members shall pay half of the annual
subscription rate and receive a copy of the club newsletter and be able to
attend social events. Social Members do have voting rights. Social membership shall end when so determined
by the Committee.
Honorary
membership may be conferred by the Committee upon individuals who are active in
club affairs. Honorary Members shall
have voting rights and shall not pay subscriptions. Honorary membership shall end when so
determined by the Committee.
The Club may,
as a condition of membership, require annual or other periodic subscription
fees to be paid by Members of the Club, as determined from time to time by the
Committee provided that the Committee shall ensure that the subscription fees
are set on a non-discriminatory basis and do not preclude open membership of
the club.
Ordinary
Members shall pay their subscription fees by 1st January, and
members who are rejoining should pay an extra £5 if their subscriptions are not
paid by 12th February.
Members
having arrears of subscriptions of more than eight weeks will have their
membership automatically terminated and will not be eligible to participate in
the affairs or activities of the Club, including voting in any General Meeting.
Payment of a full subscription (plus the
additional £5) at a later date will enable the former member to be re-admitted
by the Committee.
Members who
live outside of the area and so do not attend regular club nights may be
entitled to pay half of the annual subscription rate as agreed by the
committee.
Reduced
subscription fees will be payable by Junior and Student Members.
Members may
resign from membership at any time by notice to that effect given to the
Secretary. A member who resigns shall not be entitled to any refund of
subscriptions in respect of the remaining period.
Membership
shall not be transferable and shall cease immediately on death or on the
failure of the member to comply with any condition of membership set out in
this Constitution.
The Committee
shall have the power to expel a Member when in its opinion it would not be in
the interests of the sport or the Club for that person to remain a member. Such
expulsion shall be carried out in accordance with the Disciplinary Procedures
set out in this document.
Any person
shall, upon ceasing to be a Member of the Club, forfeit all rights to and
claims upon the Club and its property and funds.
The
day-to-day management of the Club shall be deputed to a Committee consisting of
ten Committee Members.
The committee
members shall be the Chair, the Treasurer, the Secretary, the Session Leader or
Coach, the Membership Secretary, the Fixtures Secretary, the Social Secretary, Newsletter
Editor, Press Secretary and Kit rep.
They shall be
nominated in accordance with the procedure entitled “Election of Committee” set
out below and elected by the Members at the Annual General Meeting. The committee members shall remain in office
for a one-year term until the end of the Annual General Meeting in the year
after their election and shall be eligible for re-election.
Any Member
may be nominated by any other two Members, with his/her approval, as a
candidate for any of the posts of Committee Member by notice in writing
(including email) to the Secretary at least two weeks before the date of the
Annual General Meeting.
If the number
of candidates for election as the Committee Members shall be equal to or less
than the number of vacancies, they shall be declared elected unopposed. If the
number of candidates is greater than the number of vacancies, votes will be
taken at the AGM: every eligible Member may vote for as many candidates as
there are vacancies and those candidates with the most votes will be elected
until all vacancies were filled.
The office of
an elected member of the Committee shall be vacated if he or she:
(a) resigns
at any time by notice in writing to that effect given to the Secretary and such
resignation shall take effect immediately.
(b) ceases to
be a member or shall be excluded or suspended from the Club under disciplinary
proceedings.
(c) is absent
from the Committee Meetings for more than two consecutive or one third of
Committee meetings without the explicit consent of the Committee, such consent
to be recorded in the minutes of the Committee and shall be ineligible to stand
for re-election.
(d) is asked
to resign by all the other Committee members, acting together.
The Committee
shall have the power to appoint a Member to fill any casual vacancy on the
Committee or amongst the Honorary Officers until the next Annual General
Meeting. Any Committee Member so
appointed shall retire at the next Annual General Meeting but shall be eligible
for election at such meeting in accordance with the provisions for Proceedings
at General Meetings. Any Honorary
Officer so appointed shall only remain in office until the AGM at which their predecessor
was due to retire.
The Committee
shall meet at least six times each year in person and as often as may from time
to time be necessary. Any additional meetings (above 6) may be held in a manner
agreeable to the committee (including by telephone conference call).
Six of the
voting members of the Committee shall be the quorum necessary for the
transaction of business. A meeting of
the Committee at which a quorum is present and has been properly convened shall
be competent to exercise all the powers and discretions invested in the
Committee by these Rules.
The Committee
may act notwithstanding any vacancy in its numbers, so long as the number of
members of the Committee entitled to vote is not reduced below six in which
case it shall be entitled to act only for the purpose of appointing or
arranging the election of new members of the Committee.
Questions
arising at any meeting shall be determined by a simple majority of votes illustrated by a show
of hands. In the case of an equality of votes, the Chair shall have a casting/
additional vote.
The Committee
may regulate their meetings and proceedings as they think fit. The Committee shall, within two weeks of each
meeting, record the decisions that it has taken and publicise these to Club
Members. As soon as is reasonably possible after a meeting, the Secretary shall
distribute minutes of the meeting to the other Committee members for comment.
The Committee
may invite persons who are not members of the Committee to address a meeting of
the Committee.
The Committee
shall be responsible for the management of the Club and shall have the
following specific powers to:
(a)
make
Club Rules and regulations to allow for the day to day operation of the Club and
its activities. Such Club Rules may not
supersede or contradict provisions of the Constitution and must be reasonably
available to Members.
(b)
operate
a Member’s Welfare policy in accordance with the Policy and Procedures issued
by UK Athletics Limited.
(c)
make
and give receipts, releases and other discharges for any amount payable to the
Club and for claims and demands of the Club.
(d)
invest,
place on deposit and deal with any finances of the Club not immediately
required upon any investments or securities which the Committee thinks fit.
(e)
issue,
sign, draw, endorse, negotiate, transfer and assign all cheques, bills, drafts,
promissory notes, securities and instruments, negotiable and non-negotiable, to
operate on the Club's banking accounts.
(f)
enter
into all such negotiations and contracts and rescind and vary all such
contracts and execute and do all such acts and deeds in the name of, and on
behalf of, the Club as they may consider expedient.
(g)
pay
all the costs and expenses of, and incidental to, any of the aforesaid matters
and things.
(h)
determine
how and by whom any such power shall be executed, operations effected and
documents signed or things done.
(i)
appoint
Members or sub-Committees consisting wholly or partly of the members of the
Committee to exercise such functions as the Committee may from time to time
delegate to them.
(j)
organise
Club activities.
The members
of the Committee shall be entitled to an indemnity out of the assets of the
Club for all expenses and other liabilities properly incurred by them in the management
of the affairs of the Club.
The
accidental omission to give any such notice to, or the non-receipt by, any
person entitled to receive the same shall not invalidate the proceedings at any
Annual General Meeting. Every notice
calling a meeting shall specify the general nature of the business and type of
meeting.
At all such
meetings the Chair, or in his or her absence a member of the committee selected
by those members of the Committee present, shall take the Chair. At all General
Meetings every Member shall have one vote unless disqualified from voting by
the Constitution. Votes may be given personally
or by proxy. Every resolution submitted to a meeting shall be decided by a show
of hands and in the case of an equality of votes the Chair of the meeting shall
have a casting vote.
The following
rules shall apply to all General Meetings:
(a) the
quorum for a General Meeting shall be twenty Members personally present and
entitled to vote. No business shall be transacted at any General Meeting unless
the required quorum is present. If, within an hour following the time appointed
for the meeting a quorum is not present, the meeting shall stand adjourned to a
time and a place agreed by the majority of Members present. If, at such
adjourned meeting a quorum is not present, those Members who are present shall
be a quorum and may transact the business for which the meeting was called.
(b) all
resolutions (and amendments thereto) shall be put to the meeting.
(c)
resolutions proposed for consideration by a General Meeting shall be submitted
in writing to the Secretary at least two weeks before the date of the meeting.
(d)
amendments may be proposed at any time during debate, although the Chair shall
have the right to require these to be put in writing together with the name of
the proposer.
(e) the Chair
shall deal with amendments in the strict order in which they are proposed,
although he/she shall have the right to refuse amendments which negate the
resolution. If an amendment to a resolution is proposed, no further amendments
shall be proposed until the first is disposed of. If an amendment is lost, a
further amendment may be moved to the original resolution but only one
amendment shall be submitted to the meeting at one time; if an amendment to a
resolution is carried, then the resolution as amended shall become the
resolution to which further amendments may be proposed.
During the
course of debate the proposer of a resolution may accept an amendment to the
resolution, in which case the amended resolution shall become the resolution
under debate. The proposer can withdraw a resolution or amendment. The resolution shall be debated and decided
by the meeting.
The Chair of
the General Meeting may, with the consent of the meeting, adjourn the same from
time to time and from place to place but no business shall be transacted at any
adjourned meeting other than the business left unfinished at the meeting from
the point at which the adjournment took place.
The Annual
General Meeting of the Club shall be held within the month of November each
year (not later than 15th), on a date and at a reasonable time and
place to be fixed by the Committee for the following purposes and order of
business:
·
to
receive from the committee an Annual Report, balance sheet and statement of
accounts for the preceding financial year;
·
to
elect the Committee members;
·
to
decide on any resolution which may be duly submitted to the meeting as provided
by these Rules.
Not less than
three weeks notice of an Annual General Meeting specifying the place, day and
time of the meeting shall be given to the Members.
The Secretary
shall, on the requisition in writing (including email) of not less than twenty
Members entitled to vote at such meetings, convene a Special General Meeting
within four weeks of the receipt of the requisition stating the business to be
raised. No other business is to be
discussed at a Special General Meeting.
Not less than
three weeks notice of a Special General Meeting specifying the place, day and
time of the meeting shall be given to the Members.
The Treasurer
will ensure proper accounts are kept and provide Committee Members with
accurate financial reports on at least a quarterly basis. The Club’s financial
records shall always be open to inspection by the Committee.
The Club’s
Financial Year shall run from January 1st to December 31st
inclusive. The Treasurer shall present accounts for the current Financial Year
to the Annual General meeting for consideration and copies of these will be
available to Members at the meeting. If the Accounts are not accepted at the
Annual General Meeting, a qualified Accountant may be appointed to investigate
members’ concerns.
The property
of the Club, other than cash at bank, shall be vested in the Trustees who shall
deal with the property as directed by resolution of the Committee.
Application of Surplus Funds
The Club is a
non-profit-distributing organisation. All surplus income or profits are to be
reinvested in the club and will be used to maintain or improve the Club’s
facilities or otherwise in furtherance of the Club’s objects.
The Club may
also in furtherance with the objects of the Club:
·
sell
and supply food, drink and related sports clothing and equipment.
·
remunerate
members for providing goods and services, provided that such arrangements are
approved by the Committee (without the Member being present) and are agreed on
an arm’s length basis.
·
Reimburse
any Committee Member his/ her reasonable and proper out of pocket expenses
incurred on Club business; any premium in respect of the purchase and
maintenance of indemnity insurance in respect of liability for any act or
default of the Committee members in relation to the Club.
·
pay
for reasonable hospitality for visiting teams and guests.
No Member
shall be paid a salary, bonus fee or other remuneration for competing for the
Club.
The
Constitution may be added to, repealed, or amended by resolution at any Annual
or Special General Meeting carried by a majority of at least two-thirds of the
Members voting thereon.
The Committee
shall be the sole authority for the interpretation of the Constitution and of
Club Rules. The decision of the Committee upon any questions of interpretation
or upon any matter affecting the Club and not provided for by the Constitution,
shall be final and binding on the Members except if otherwise directed by the
Club in a Special or Annual General Meeting.
If at any
special General Meeting a resolution for the dissolution of the Club shall be
passed by a majority of the Members present, a further special General Meeting
shall be convened, to be held not less than four weeks thereafter (of which two
weeks written notice shall be given to each Member in addition to the other
provisions for Notices), to further consider the matter.
The members
may vote to wind up the Club if not less than three quarters of those present and
voting support that proposal at a properly convened special General Meeting. If
successful, the Committee shall proceed to realise the property of the Club and
discharge all liabilities.
Any property
remaining after the discharge of debts and liabilities of the Club shall be
paid to or distributed to another
community amateur sports club for road running or athletics as nominated at the
Special General Meeting.
The Club
shall not tolerate the physical or mental abuse, harassment, discrimination or
defamation of any of its Members during, or subsequent to, Club Events. Any Member may be disciplined or excluded
from membership of the Club if his or her conduct has been, or is likely to be,
prejudicial to the interests of the Club. Exclusion
will be agreed by resolution of a majority of at least two thirds of those
present and voting at a properly convened Committee Meeting and at which no
fewer than eight of the total voting members of the Committee shall be present.
Such Member
shall have one month's clear notice of the Committee Meeting sent to him or her
together with details of the case against him or her. The Member shall be entitled to attend the
Meeting and be heard in defence, but shall not be entitled to be present at the
voting or take part in the proceedings other than as the Committee shall
permit. If the Member is a member of the Committee, he or she shall not be
entitled to vote.
Any Member
disciplined or excluded from the Club for disciplinary reasons may lodge an
appeal with the Committee and shall thereupon have the right to demand that the
matter be referred to three arbitrators: one chosen by the Committee, one
chosen and paid for by the aggrieved party and one by the two arbitrators. In the event that the first two arbitrators
fail to agree on a third, the third arbitrator shall be appointed by a relevant
organising body as shall be nominated by the Committee. Such arbitrators shall
have the power by their award to annul the disciplinary action or exclusion, or
to annul it subject to the performance of any condition, which the arbitrators
may think fit to impose.
Any notice
required to be given under this Constitution will be deemed to have been given
and received having been sent by announcement at club sessions, publication in
the Club’s newsletter and on the Club's website.
Special Rules
Annual Awards
The following awards (plus any
additional awards agreed by the committee) will be presented at the RRR Annual Presentation
Evening.
RR10 Award
Scoring for
the individual men’s and women’s awards is based on the best 6 out of 9 race
results each season (n.b. individuals cannot score points in the race organised
by their club).
Cross Country Award
Scoring for
the individual men’s and women’s awards is based on a points system which
includes all 11 cross country races (6 CC6 and 5 Hants XC League). Members are allocated points for their
finishing position within RRR in each race (10 points for the first finisher down
to 1 point for 10th finisher).
Pentathlon
Scoring for
this is based on a points system for men’s and women’s performances in 5 races;
5km, 5 miles, 10km, 10 miles, half marathon).
Members are allocated points for their best time within RRR over each
distance (40 points for fastest, then 38, 35, 32, 30 and then reducing by 1
point for each position).
Sally Sillence Award
This award is
presented to a member as agreed by the committee based on performance, rather
than club duties.
Chairperson’s Award
This award is
made by the Chairperson to a deserving member.
This award is
voted for by club members.
The
Pentathlon Award can only be awarded to a first claim member. Members belonging to other clubs are eligible
for other club awards for events run as members of Romsey Road Runners.
Distribution of
1.
A
fully paid up member for 1 year with a rejection slip who has never run the
London Marathon before.
2.
A
fully paid up member for 1 year with a rejection slip who did not run the
London Marathon the previous year.
3.
A
fully paid up member for 1 year with a rejection slip.
4.
Winners
of a club place should not be eligible for a club place in the subsequent year
unless the criteria above fails to award club places.
5.
If
all applicants have won club places previously then priority will be given to
those who won a club place the longest time ago.
6.
If
all of the criteria above fail to award club places then the awards will be
open to all fully paid up members.
For the
purposes of distributing London Marathon club places, which is normally
undertaken in December, a fully paid up member is one who has paid his/her
subscriptions for the current year by 1st January of that year.
London
Marathon places can only be allocated to first claim member.
The above
club Constitution for Romsey Road Runners has been agreed at the Annual General Meeting on ------------- (to be
entered when agreed)