Constitution
CONSTITUTION OF RATHGAEL GYMNASTICS & TRAMPOLINING CLUB 1984
1. TITLE
The club shall be named “Rathgael Gymnastics & Trampolining Club”, hereafter referred to as ‘the Club’ or R.G.T.C.
2. OBJECTIVES
The principal object of the club is to provide facilities for and promote participation of the whole community in the sport of Gymnastics (which includes Artistic Gymnastics, Tumbling, Sports Acrobatics and Modern Rhythmic Gymnastics) and Trampolining.
3. MEMBERSHIP
Membership shall be open to all persons irrespective of ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or beliefs; or of age, sex or disability except as a necessary consequence of the requirements of Gymnastics and Trampolining as particular sports. This is subject to the approval of the Committee registered on the basis of simple majority vote and payment of the appropriate subscription and/or fees or levies.
The Club may refuse membership or expel from membership only for good and sufficient cause, such as conduct or character likely to bring the Club or sport into disrepute. Appeal against such a decision may be made to the Club’s members and decided by a majority vote.
There shall be three categories of membership:
a) Full membership: for all those members actively participating in sports of Gymnastics or Trampolining.
b) Associate membership: for all others than Full Members who pay the prescribed annual subscription. The parent, guardian or other authorised person in charge of the full member.
c) Honorary membership to be granted at the discretion of the Committee.
All members competing in events under the rules of National Gymnastics Association shall be amateurs as defined in the British Amateur Gymnastics Associations, Rule 2.
4. SUBSCRIPTION
Subscriptions and/or fees or levies shall be as determined from the time to time by the Committee. All subscriptions are due on 1st September in each year and are payable in advance.
No member whose subscription is not paid shall not be eligible to compete in club competitions, or vote at any Meeting of the Club.
Any member whose subscription is not paid by 1st October in any year shall cease to be a Member or Associate Member of the Club.
The club year shall begin on 1st September. Members elected after that date in any year shall pay for the year of admission such proportion of the Annual Subscription as the Committee shall from time ti time decide.
5. MANAGEMENT
a) The Club shall be managed by a Management Committee (hereafter called ‘the Committee’) which shall consist of the following voting members:
I. The Club Officers who shall comprise the following: - Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Hon. Treasurer, Hon. Secretary and Director of Coaching.
II. A representative of Boys Gymnastics, Girls Gymnastics and Trampolining.
III. Six other Committee members as nominated in accordance with Rule 12 (b) and elected at the A.G.M.
IV. The immediate past Chairman who shall be an ex officio member of the Committee for the current year.
V. Non-voting members: ex-officio members of outside organisations invited by the committee.
b) The Committee shall meet al least quarterly or as required by the Chairperson. The ongoing Club business shall be vested in the Club Officers as specified in 5 (a) (I) together with the immediate past Chairperson, who shall meet at least monthly or as required by the Chairman.
c) All the Officers shall be over 21 years of age. The Honorary Secretary or Honorary Treasurer shall not be a Trustee of the Club.
d) All club Officers shall continue in office until the next Annual General Meeting, and every such meeting the said other officers shall be elected by a majority of the members present and entitled to vote. Te Honorary Treasurer and the Honorary Secretary shall be elected by the majority of the members present and entitled to vote at an annual or Special General meeting.
e) Any officer may be removed by resolution of a Special General Meeting which may proceed to fill the vacancy.
f) In case any other Officer (other than a Trustee) shall die, be removed or become unfit or incapable to act, or remain abroad for more than 6 months, the Committee may at any time appoint a person to fill the vacancy until the next Annual General Meeting, unless the vacancy is previously filled at a Special General Meeting.
g) Such Sub-Committees as are necessary to carry out the work of the club shall be appointed in such manner as the Committee shall from time to time determine. The Committee shall delegate to sub-committees any powers except the election or rejection of members.
h) The Committee may until the next A.G.M. enlist by co-option for any special purpose the services of any person or persons not members of the Committee who shall be entitled to vote.
i) The Committee shall appoint, from amongst its members delegates as and when required to any other organisation to which the Club is affiliated or co-operating with from time to time.
6. SUSPENSION
The Club shall have power to suspend or reinstate any member of the Club. In the event of suspension, the member in question will be informed by the Committee. In the event of suspension, the Club is in no way liable to reimburse any suspended member’s fees, annual subscription or otherwise.
7. TRUSTEES
The Property and effects of the Club shall be vested in at least four trustees in trust for the Members for the time being.
The first Trustees of the Club shall be nominated by the Committee and approved at the S.G.M. or A.G.M.
The Trustees shall remain in office until death or retirement, or until a General Meeting shall think proper to remove them or any of them.
In the case of any Trustee from any cause ceasing to hold Office, a new Trustee may be nominated by the Committee for election by the Members at the next Special or Annual General Meeting.
The Trustees shall have power to invest money and mortgage or charge any of the property of the Club in favour of any person, persons, company or corporation, provided that the capital amount of any charge or mortgage and the rate of interest it shall bear, shall be subject to the approval of the Committee.
8. FINANCE TRUST FUNDS AND TRUST PROPERTY
The Committee shall employ funds of the club for the purposes and objects of the Club in such a manner as shall be deemed to be in the interests of Gymnastics and Trampolining in the Club.
9. CLUB ASSETS
The Club’s assets shall be used solely to further the objects of the Club; at no time or under no circumstances shall the assets of the Club be distributed among members either on an interim or a winding-up basis.
a) All monies received on account of entrance fees, subscriptions, levies, fines, donations, sale of rules, or otherwise, and interest on investments shall be applied in carrying out the objects of the Club in accordance of the rules.
b) So much of the funds as may not be wanted for immediate use, or to meet the usual accruing liabilities, shall, with the consent of the Committee, or of a majority of the members present and entitled to vote in general meeting, be applied or invested by the Trustees in any investment in which Trustees are for the time being by law authorised to invest trust funds. The sums to be retained for immediate use or to meet accruing liabilities shall be in the discretion of the Committee and such monies may be held in a current or deposit account as the Committee thinks fit.
c) The club may purchase or take on lease in the names of the Trustees, any land or buildings of any tenure, and may sell, exchange, mortgage, lease or build upon that land (with power to accept surrender of leases and to alter and pull down buildings and again rebuild) and a purchaser, assignee, mortgage or tenant shall not be bound to inquire as to the authority for any sale, exchange, mortgage or lease by the Trustees, and the receipt of the Trustees shall be a discharge for all monies arising from or in connection with such sale, mortgage or lease.
d) All land and buildings of whatever tenure and all property and investments acquired by the Club shall be held by the Trustees in trust for the Club.
e) The Trustees shall be the persons to be sued on behalf of the Club.
f) If any Trustee, being removed from his Office, shall refuse or neglect to assign or transfer any property of the Club as general meeting may direct, such Trustee shall be expelled and cease to have any claim on the Club.
g) The Treasurer shall take charge of the funds of the Club which are not invested and pay all demands when ordered to do so by the Committee or by the Chairperson and Secretary for the time being. Any cheques for such payments shall be signed by any two designated officers. He shall produce all books, documents, property and money of the Club in his possession and render a full clear account at each audit, and whenever required by resolution of the Club or of the Committee or by the Trustees. He shall also give up all books, documents, monies and property of the Club in his possession when required so to do by a resolution of the Club, or of the Committee or by the Trustees.
h) The Honorary Treasurer for the time being shall be authorised to sue on behalf of the Club, when directed by the Committee to do so, and the Minutes of the Meeting at which such direction was given shall be evidence of such authority.
10. ACCOUNTS
a) The Committee shall cause the books of account and statements of account to be kept regularly by the Treasurer.
b) The Committee shall cause the books of account and statements of account to be available for the inspection of any member o5r person having an interest in the funds of the Club at all reasonable hours, and it shall be the duty of the treasurer to produce them accordingly.
c) It shall be the duty of the Committee and the Treasurer to preserve the books of account and Statements of Account for a period of al least seven years.
d) The Committee shall at least once in every year submit the accounts for audit to a qualified accountant appointed by the Committee and approved at on members at Annual General Meeting.
e) The auditors shall have access to all books and accounts of the Club, shall examine the annual return and shall verify it with the accounts, voucher deeds, documents of title and securities and shall either sign it as found by them to be correct, duly vouched and in accordance with law or specially report to the Club in what respects they find it incorrect, unvouched or not in accordance with law.
f) The Committee shall lay before the Annual General Meeting a statement of Income and Expenditure account and balance sheet.
11. CHAIRMAN OF A.G.M. OR S.G.M.
The Chairperson shall preside at the A.G.M of the Club or at any S.G.M thereof. In the absence of the Chairperson, a Chairperson for the meeting shall be elected from amongst the members present by the majority vote or show of hands.
12. BUSINESS OF A.G.M.
The following business shall be transacted at the Annual General Meeting: -
a) Approval of the Minutes of the last A.G.M.
b) To consider and if thought proper approve the Committee’s report and duly audited Statement of Account for the previous year.
c) To elect the Club Officers and other members of the Committee.
d) To elect Club representatives in accordance with Rule 5 (I).
e) To appoint the Auditors.
f) To transact any other relevant business of which due notice has been given in accordance with Rule 12 (b).
13. NOTICE OF A.G.M. and SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING.
a) The written notice convening the A.G.M. shall be circulated to all adult members at least 21 days before the meeting.
b) Nominations for Officers and other members of Committee and notice of other relevant business for inclusion on the Agenda must be received in writing by the Hon. Secretary at least 14 days before the date of the A.G.M.
c) A Special or Extraordinary General Meeting may be summoned at any time by the Chairperson or on a requisition signed by 20 adult members who shall submit therewith the reason for such a reason for such a meeting. Not less than 14 days notice of such meeting shall be given and no business specified in the notice of meeting shall be dealt with the meeting.
14. VOTING
a) All full or Associate Members of full age are entitled to vote. Where two or more nominations are received for one office the voting shall be by ballot unless the meeting and nominees agree to a show of hands. The voting at all meetings shall otherwise, in the first instance, be by a show of hands. The person presiding may, at his discretion, direct a ballot to be taken and shall so direct if required to do so by a simple majority.
b) At meetings of the Committee each voting member shall have one vote only.
c) At A.G.M.’s and S.G.M.’s adult members are entitled to one vote each. Proxy voting is not allowed.
d) At all meetings, the person presiding shall have a casting as well as a deliberate vote.
15. QUORUM
a) No business shall be transacted at A.G.M. unless 10 adult members and present.
b) No business shall be transacted at a meeting of the Committee unless a majority of the voting members are present.
c) No business shall be transacted at a meeting of any sub-committee unless at least one half of the whole number of the sub-committee is present provided that in no case shall the quorum be less than three adults of which at least one must be a voting member of the committee.
16. ALTERATIONS TO CONSTITUTION
No alterations or additions to the Constitution shall be made except at an A.G.M. or S.G.M. with a quorum of at least 10 adult members present and then only by a majority of these adults entitled to vote supporting the proposed alteration or addition. Notice of any such proposal must be sent to the Hon. Secretary at least 21 days prior to any General Meeting.
17. COMPLAINTS
Complaints should be made, in writing, to the Honorary Secretary who, if unable to remove the cause, shall submit them to the main Committee whose decision shall be final.
18. MEMBERS BOUND BY RULES
Each member shall be bound by and submit to the Constitution and the Rules of the Club.
19. GENERAL
The Committee’s interpretation of any doubtful part of the Constitution, Rules for the management of the Club and its property and affairs, or for the general comfort and accommodation of the Members of the Club shall be binding on every Member until set aside by a General Meeting.
20. REMOVAL OF MEMBERS
In the event of any Member wilfully acting contrary to the Constitution and Rules of the Club, and after remonstrance by the Office-bearers, continuing so to act, or in the event of any Member conducting himself, either in or out of the Club premises, so as, in the opinion of the Committee to injure or discredit the character of the Club, the Honorary Secretary shall communicate with such Member and inform him that a Special Meeting of the Committee will be held to consider the complaint made against him, and notifying him that he may attend there to explain his conduct. If two-thirds majority of the Meeting, at which not less than eight members of the Committee shall be present, consider it expedient that he should resign, he shall have the option of doing so within seven days, and should he fail to do so within that time, he shall be expelled by the Committee from the Club, and on such expulsion, shall forfeit all rights to or claim upon the club or its property or funds.
21. CLUB PROPERTY
No member without permission of the Committee shall take away from the Club premises any books, papers or other articles the property of the Club, and any member injuring, destroying or removing same from the Club premises shall make such restoration or pay such compensation as the Committee may determine.
22. INDEMNITY
Every officer of the Club shall be entitled to be indemnified out of the assets of the Club against all losses and liabilities incurred by him as a result of acting on behalf of the Club in accordance with the Constitution and the Rules and with the law relating to Charities.
23. DISSOLUTION
In the event of the dissolution of the Club, any assets remaining after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities shall not be paid to or distributed among the members of the Club, but shall be given or transferred to one or more of the following approved sporting or charitable bodies:
- A registered charitable organisation(s)
- Another Club which is a registered CASC
- The sports national governing body for the use by them for related community sports.
This document represents a true and most up-to-date version of the Constitution of Rathgael Gymnastics and Trampolining Club.
Constitution adopted 7th March 2007
