Constitution

 Constitution of York Croquet Club

• Name & Objectives

  

1a The name of the club shall be York Croquet Club.

1b The objectives of the Club shall be to promote, provide facilities for and encourage community participation in the amateur sport of Croquet.

• Membership

2a The membership of the Club shall be open, on a non-discriminatory basis, to anyone interested in the sport of Croquet. The Committee shall have the power to define categories of Voting and Non-voting membership as required.

2b Each Full Member shall pay a Subscription due on 1st April for the ensuing year. Any proposed changes to the subscription amounts shall be agreed by the members at a General Meeting.

2c Applicants for membership shall be accepted once they have been approved by two members of the Committee and paid their Subscription.

2d Until a member’s Subscription is paid that member shall not have any right to vote at any meeting of the Club or any of its Committees. If a member’s Subscription is not paid by 15th May the Committee may deem that person’s membership to have ceased.

2e Any person wishing to join the Club after 1st August will be required to pay the full appropriate Subscription which will cover the period to the end of the following year.

• Committee

3a The management of the Club shall be vested in a Committee consisting of 5 Officers and 2 Ordinary members.

3b The Officers of the Club shall consist of Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Social Secretary and Tournament Secretary.

3c The Committee shall be empowered to co-opt onto the Committee any additional person as required for a specific duty.

3d At a Committee meeting, in the event of an equality of votes, the person in the Chair shall have a casting vote.

3e The Quorum at any committee meeting shall be 50% of the persons entitled to attend and vote. No financial decisions shall be taken in the absence of the Treasurer or his/her representative.

3f The current C.A. rules shall be used as the basis for play but the Committee shall have power to regulate Club play and shall ensure that any such regulations be displayed in the Clubhouse.

3g The Committee may expel any member whose conduct is deemed to be detrimental to the Club or its members, provided at least two-thirds of the Committee members support such action. A right of appeal is available in accordance with Clause 5c of this Constitution. The decision of that meeting shall be final.

• Elections

4a The Committee shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).

4b Candidates for positions on the Committee shall be proposed and seconded by any two members of the Club who shall forward such nominations in writing to the Secretary before the AGM.

4c Voting for contested elections shall be by secret ballot.

• General Meetings

5a An AGM shall take place within the last three months of each calendar year, when the following business shall be conducted by the Chairman or, in his/her absence, a member appointed by the Meeting: the presentation of the accounts; the appointment of a suitable person to inspect the accounts; the election of Officers and Ordinary members of the Committee; the agreement of any proposed changes to the subscriptions for the following year; any other business which has been communicated to the Secretary and included in the agenda circulated before the meeting.

5b Items to be included in the agenda must reach the Secretary at least 28 days before the AGM.

5c An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) shall be held whenever the Committee think it expedient or within 28 days of the receipt by the Secretary of a written request. Such request must state the purpose for which the EGM is required and must be signed by at least one fifth of the Full Members.

5d A Quorum at any General Meeting shall be one quarter of the Full Members.

5e The person in the Chair at any General Meeting shall be entitled to a vote and a casting vote.

5f The Secretary shall give not less than 14 days notice, in writing, of the date and venue of a General Meeting to every member of the Club and shall include an Agenda of the Meeting.

5g At a General Meeting, voting shall be by show of hands unless a secret ballot is demanded by at least one-fifth of the members present. The result of the secret ballot shall be determined by the Chair of the meeting and one other member selected by the meeting.

5h Amendments to this constitution can only be made by a majority of at least two-thirds of the members present at any General Meeting, and provided that 14 days notice of the details of the proposed amendments has been given.

• Finance

6a The income and property of the Club shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the objectives stated in Clause 1b. All surplus income or profits are to be reinvested in the club. No surplus or assets will be distributed to members or third parties.

6b The financial year of the club shall be twelve months ending each 10th November.

6c The Treasurer shall keep all Accounts and shall, at the AGM, present the draft Accounts for the previous financial year. The accounts should be inspected either within 4 weeks of the date of the AGM, or within four weeks of the end of the financial year, whichever is later.

• Dissolution

7 Should at least two-thirds of the members at a General Meeting vote to cease activity as a Club then the Club will be dissolved after payment of any debts owed. Upon dissolution of the club, any remaining assets shall be given or transferred to another registered CASC, a registered charity or the sport’s governing body for use by them in related community sports.

• Priority

8 Where any rule in this Constitution is inconsistent with any statutory requirement, including the requirements for Community Amateur Sports Clubs as first provided for by the Finance Act 2002, then the statutory requirements shall take priority.

 

This Constitution was approved by the Members present at an EGM held on 11/01/2014. The date of any subsequent amendments is shown in brackets after the affected clause.