CLUB CONSTITUTION
1. TITLE This Club shall be called the “CLAYTON LE MOORS HARRIERS”, hereafter referred to as the Club.
2. CLUB MOTTO The motto for the Club and its members shall be “MENS SANA IN CORPORE SANA”.
3. OBJECTS The objectives of the Club shall be to encourage amateur athletics in general and to further the aims and development in particular of the following sections of athletics activity, as defined by UK Athletics:
1. CROSS COUNTRY RUNNING 2. ROAD RUNNING 3. HILL and FELL RUNNING.
4. CLUB COSTUME
(a) The official costume of the Club shall consist of a white singlet, with a tangerine band between two narrow black bands around the chest, and black shorts.
(b) All members whenever competing in the name of the Club, including races confined to members, should wear the official club costume. (UK Athletics rules state: “When competing in open team and relay competitions competitors shall wear the colours of the club or team in whose name they are entered.”) The Northern Cross Country Association and Mid-Lancashire Cross Country League rules state: “All members must wear club colours.” Failure to comply with these rules can lead to individual and team disqualification.
5 MANAGEMENT
(a) The Club shall elect annually a President, who shall preside over Club affairs. The President will be an ex-officio member of all Club Committees, but will have full voting rights at any meetings. At any Annual General Meeting the President may “chair” that meeting or may delegate this function to the elected Chairman of the Club. The Club shall elect annually the following “officers of the Club”: Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer: these shall be the nominated signatories for Club Accounts. The Club shall also elect annually a Committee comprising of: The Officers of the Club, the following appointed post holders: Membership Secretary, Newsletter Editor, Social Secretary, Cross Country Captain, Fell Captain, Junior Organiser, Ladies’ Fell Captain, Ladies’ Cross Country and Road Captain, Road Captain, Veteran’s Captain, Clothing Custodian, Fixtures’ Secretary, and not more than FOUR other persons. Any member may hold more than one position if the Annual General Meeting so decides. The Committee may appoint persons to assist in the day-to-day running of the Club, with responsibility for a specific aspect of Club affairs: e.g. Equipment Officers, Trophy Custodian etc. Captains will have full responsibility for entry of Club Teams. Selection to be carried out by the Captain and at least two other members, approved by the Committee.
(b) A quorum of the Committee shall be four elected members.
(c) The Committee shall meet as often as is necessary in the view of the President, Chairman or Secretary and in any case not less than four times a year. The Secretary shall maintain a minute book and record in it the business of all meetings and the names of those present.
(d) Any paid up member may invite suitable persons to become Vice-Presidents, subject to election at the next ensuing Committee Meeting.
(e) The Committee has power to fill any vacancy which may arise through resignation or unexplained and persistent absence, and to make or revise any rules as may be deemed expedient. The Committee shall have the power to form a sub-committee for special purposes which must conform to any regulations imposed upon it by the Committee.
(f) The Committee shall have power to co-opt for specific purposes up to three or four members of the Club to serve on the Committee or sub-committee.
(g) The Committee shall deal with as deemed advisable any member found guilty of ungentlemanly conduct, or of violating the rules in any way or whose conduct is antagonistic to the best interests of the Club.
(h) The property of the Club shall be considered vested in the Committee for the time being.
(i) Any matters arising not covered by the Constitution or rules shall be dealt with by the Committee who will submit recommendations to the next Annual General Meeting to prevent the reoccurrence of similar circumstances.
(j) All Committee Meetings shall be open meetings, i.e. any member shall be able to attend and speak on a motion, but without voting rights and subject to fourteen days’ notice being given in writing to the Secretary.
(k) Any complaints, requests or advice appertaining to the Club and all associated activities should be made to any Committee member or to the Club Captains for consideration by the Committee at their earliest opportunity.
6. MEMBERSHIP
(a) Membership of the Club shall be open to anyone wishing to meet the objectives of the Club and agreeing to abide by the Constitution and Rules and pay the necessary rate of subscription, subject to the following:
(i) All active and competing athletes must at all times conform to the status of amateurs, as defined under the UK Athletics laws.
(ii) Non-competing athletes may become “Associate Members” of the Club, at a reduced rate of subscription, and shall enjoy full rights as members, including social, voting and Club circulations. It is the responsibility of individual members to understand and implement the Club Constitution and to otherwise keep themselves informed through the Newsletter and other official sources of information.
(b) All applications for membership shall be made only on the printed form provided for this purpose and be proposed by one member. The Secretary shall have authority to accept membership applications from any person who has not been previously a member of any other athletic club. In cases of applications from persons who have a previous athletic club, these should be voted upon at the next Committee Meeting. The annual subscription shall accompany any application. All applications made after 1st June will not be liable for further subscription until the AGM in the year following.
(c) In an effort to dispel confusion over club loyalties and representation, applications for second claim membership will not be accepted from members of athletic clubs existing within a radius of twenty miles of the Club’s headquarters, where those clubs engage in similar sections of athletic activities to the Club.
(d) Competition for Club championship or other Club challenge trophies will be open to first claim members only.
7. RESIGNATION A member intending to withdraw from the Club shall give notice in writing to the Secretary and his membership terminates on the date of the notice, unless he is financially indebted to the Club, in which case the Committee may withhold final acceptance of the resignation until the member has discharged his or her liability. A member not having terminated his membership by September 1st shall be liable for the following year’s subscription.
8. FINANCE
(a) Subscriptions shall be fixed annually at the Annual General Meeting for the following classes of member: Senior, Junior (under 18 on the date of the AGM) and Vice-Presidents (minimum).
(b) All accounts of the Club shall be balanced at 30th June in each year and submitted, after independent audit, to the Annual General Meeting that follows that audit.
(c) All withdrawals written against the funds of the Club shall be signed by two of the Officers of the Club, one of whom shall normally be the Treasurer.
(d) Payment of the annual subscription and any arrears shall be made within six months of the commencement of the financial year (July 1st). However, these subscriptions and arrears shall be paid by October 15th, in order for any member to be eligible to represent the Club in any race, receive Club awards or receive information through the letterbox, including Newsletters or the Club magazine.
(e) Voting at meetings and representing the Club in open competitions is restricted to members whose subscriptions are up to date in accordance with Item 8 (d).
(f) The Committee shall have power to expel any member whose subscription is six months in arrears, providing a month’s notice in writing has been sent to members by a registered letter addressed to his last known address, informing the member of the proposed action by the Committee. The name and address of any person so expelled from the Club shall be sent to the North of England AA, who shall enter the name in a book for that purpose. Every person whose name is entered in such a book shall be suspended from competing at any event held under UK Athletics laws, until the liability causing the said expulsion shall have been discharged.
9. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
(a) A General Meeting shall be held during the month of August each year to receive the Committee’s Report and financial statement, to elect the Officers and Committee members for the following year, to arrange the rate of subscription for the following year and to deal with any other matter specified on the agenda. The Secretary must give every member twenty-one days’ notice of the meeting.
(b) A quorum for the AGM shall consist of twelve members.
(c) Motions for the AGM must be in writing and in the hands of the Secretary fourteen days before the meeting.
10 SPECIAL MEETINGS
(a) A Special General Meeting may be called at any time at the discretion of the Committee. The Secretary must call a Special General Meeting to be held within twenty-one days of receipt of the written request, signed by at least ten members, stating as a formal motion the business to be dealt with at the meeting called. All members must receive written notice at least fourteen days prior to the holding of a SGM, with details of the business to be brought before the meeting.
(b) A quorum for a Special General Meeting shall consist of twelve members.
11. VOTING
(a) In the event of more than the required number of nominations, duly proposed and seconded for Officers and Committee members, voting shall be:
(i) Where a straight choice exists for any one position between two nominees, voting shall be by a show of hands taken in the nominees’ absence.
(ii) Where a multiple choice exists for any one position, voting shall be by a show of hands taken in the nominees’ absence, and shall continue on an elimination basis until one nominee acquires a majority over all of the votes of the remaining nominees.
(iii) Where a maximum number of Committee places is exceeded by the number of nominations, voting shall be by a ballot in which the nominees may participate. Members shall record their choices of members equivalent to the number of available places. Successful nominees shall be those up to the desired number acquiring the highest number of votes.
(b) Nominations for any official position or Committee membership in a member’s absence can only be accepted when the member concerned has given his consent to the nomination going forward. Such nominations must be proposed and seconded in the normal manner.
(c) Alterations to the Constitution must be dealt with at an AGM or SGM, properly convened in accordance with Items 9 and 10. Voting on such alterations shall be by show of hands. The proposition, duly proposed and seconded, will be carried by a two thirds majority of the votes cast.
(d) Voting on all other propositions shall be by show of hands, and shall be carried by a simple majority of the votes cast. This voting procedure for such propositions, shall apply at Committee, Annual or Special General Meetings.
(e) No voting will be accepted by proxy.
12 WINDING UP
A proposal that the Club be disbanded or that the Club amalgamate with any other athletic club must be dealt with at a Special General Meeting, properly convened in accordance with Item 10, proposed and seconded, will be carried by a three quarters majority of the votes cast. Proposals to amalgamate must be approved by the executive committee of the NoEAA for affiliation as a new body, and this application would be considered on its merits. Any remaining assets of the Club, on being disbanded, shall be transferred to the accounts of the NoEAA, to be used at their discretion.
Constitution as accepted by AGM August 2009.