4. Aims and Objectives
a) To foster and promote the sport of amateur Cricket at all levels within the community and within the sport, providing opportunities for recreation, coaching and competition.
b) To manage the Club including its ground and premises located at Forest Side, Chingford, London E4 6DE
c) To ensure that all members abide by the ECB Code of Conduct which incorporates the Spirit of Cricket and by the Laws of Cricket.
d) To ensure a duty of care to all members of the Club by adopting and implementing the ECB ‘Safe Hands’ Welfare of Young People in Cricket Policy and any future versions of the Policy.
e) To ensure a duty of care to all members of the Club by adopting and implementing the ECB Cricket Equity Policy and any future versions of the Policy.
5. Trustees
a) Trustees, who shall be not more than four or less than two in number, shall be appointed from time to time, as necessary, at any General Meeting of the Club. A Trustee shall hold office until his death, resignation or until a resolution removing him from office shall have been passed by a two thirds majority of those present at the relevant General Meeting.
b) All the property of the Club shall be vested in the Trustees for the time being to be held in trust in their names for the use and benefit of the Club as a whole. On a Trustee leaving office the General Committee shall take steps to secure the appointment by the Club of a new Trustee in his place and shall, as soon as possible thereafter take all lawful and practicable steps to procure the vesting of all Club property into appointment.
c) The Trustees shall, on the direction of the General Committee, represent the Club in any litigation.
d) The Trustees shall be given an indemnity out of the property of the Club in respect of any action taken by them on the direction of the General Committee.
6. Membership
a) Membership of the Cub shall be open to any person irrespective of sex, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or other beliefs. However, limitation of membership according to available facilities is allowable on a non discriminatory basis.
b) The Club may have different classes of membership and subscription fees on a non discriminatory and fair basis. The Club will keep subscriptions at levels that will not pose a significant obstacle to people participating.
c) Application for membership of the Club shall be by completion of a membership application/renewal form and by payment of the relevant joining fee/subscription as determined by the Annual General Meeting of the Club.
d) No person shall be eligible to take part in the business of the Club or eligible for selection for any Club team unless the appropriate subscription has been paid by the specified date or membership has been agreed by the Committee.
e) The General Committee may refuse membership, or remove it, only for good cause such as conduct or character likely to bring the Club or cricket into disrepute. Appeal against refusal or removal may be made to the General Committee who shall appoint an Appeals Committee to hear the appeal.
f) All members will be subject to the regulations of the Constitution and by joining the Club will be deemed to have accepted these regulations along with any codes of conduct that the Club has adopted.
g) The classes of membership shall be as follows:
- Senior Playing Member (over 23 years old on the 1st April of the current season).
- Junior Playing Member (over 18 years old but under 23 years old on the 1st April of the current season).
- Colt Playing Member (over 16 years old but under 18 years old on the 1st April of the current season).
- Junior Colt Playing Member (under 16 years old on the 1st April of the current season).
- Patron
- Honorary/Life Member
A list of members in each category shall be maintained by the Subscriptions Secretary or other Officer of the Club.
In addition any organisation hiring the facilities of the Club shall be afforded the benefits of temporary membership.
7. Club Officers
a) The Officers of the Club shall be
- President
- Vice President
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Bar Chairman
- Subscriptions Secretary
- Buildings Chairman
- Grounds Chairman
- Social Secretary
- Fixtures Secretary
- Colts Manager
- Club Welfare Officer
- Club Development Officer
b) The Officers shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting, from, and by the voting members of the Club. All Officers are elected for a period of one year, but may be re-elected to the same office or another office the following year.
c) The Club Welfare Officer shall be responsible for ensuring a duty of care to all members of the Club by implementing the ECB ‘Safe Hands’ Welfare of Young People in Cricket Policy and any future versions of the Policy.
8. General Committee
a) The Club shall be managed by a General Committee comprising the Officers of the Club.
b) The principal duties of the General Committee are to control the affairs of the Club on behalf of the members and to be responsible for adopting new policy, codes of conduct and rules that affect the organisation of the Club.
c) The General Committee shall meet at least once every calendar month and the quorum for such meetings shall be five. The President shall chair all meetings or in his absence the Vice-President. The Secretary shall take minutes of all meetings. The General Committee shall have power to co-opt.
d) Only Officers of the Club shall be entitled to vote at General Committee meetings. Decisions will be taken on the basis of a simple majority vote. In the case of equal votes, the Chairperson shall be entitled to an additional casting vote.
e) Any member of the General Committee shall have the power to instruct the Secretary to call a meeting of the Committee upon giving written notice to the Secretary of the purposes for which he desires the meeting to be called.
f) All other Committees such as the Selection Committee shall be elected by the General Committee.
g) The General Committee will be responsible for disciplinary hearings of members who infringe the regulations of the Club as laid down in the Constitution or any codes of conduct that the Club has adopted. The General Committee will be responsible for taking any action of discipline including suspension or termination of membership following such hearings.
9. General Meetings
a) A quorum for a General Meeting shall be twelve including three Officers of the Club.
b) Members eligible to attend and vote at any General Meeting of the Club are as follows:
-
Senior Playing Members
-
Junior Playing Members
-
Patrons
-
Honorary/Life Members
c) The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held following the annual accounts of the Club being made up to the 30th September but must be held not later than the end of December. Fourteen days written notice shall be given to members of the Annual General Meeting by circulating a copy of the notice to every member at their home address, in so far as this is practicable, and posting the notice on the Club Notice Board.
d) The standard business of the Annual General Meeting shall be to:
- Confirm the minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting and any General Meetings held since the last Annual General Meeting.
- Receive the accounts for the year from the Treasurer.
- Receive the annual report of the Committee from the Secretary.
- Elect the Officers of the Club.
- Review Club subscription rates and agree them for the forthcoming year.
- Confirm the election of Captains and Vice-Captains as voted for at the Players’ Meeting.
e) Extraordinary General Meetings of the Club may be summoned i) by the General Committee or ii) by any twelve members giving the Secretary written request to do so stating the purpose of the meeting and having been signed by all twelve members. Fourteen days written notice of the meeting must be given by the Secretary by posting such notice on the Club Notice Board. No business other than that stated on the notice is to be entertained at such meetings.
f) Decisions made at a General Meeting shall be by a simple majority vote of those members eligible to vote attending the meeting. In the event of equal votes, the Chairperson shall be entitled to an additional casting vote. Voting at all General Meetings shall be by a show of hands, unless a ballot is demanded. All members eligible to vote shall be entitled to be present and to cast one vote per question put to the vote
g) Nominations for candidates for election of Officers can only be made and seconded by members eligible to vote.
h) At all General Meetings, the Chair will be taken by the President or in his absence the Vice-President or in their absence by a deputy appointed by the General Committee.
10. Players’ Meeting
a) Each year a Players’ Meeting shall be held as soon as possible after the end of the season. Fourteen days notice must be given by posting such notice on the Club Notice Board. Only Officers of the Club, Senior Playing Members and Junior Playing Members shall be entitled to attend and vote.
b) The Captains and Vice-Captains of the Saturday and Sunday teams shall be elected at the meeting.
c) All nominations for Captains and Vice-Captains must be proposed and seconded by a member entitled to attend the meeting. If no nominations are forthcoming the matter will automatically be referred to the Annual General Meeting.
11. Discipline and Appeals
a) All complaints regarding the behaviour of members should be lodged in writing with the Secretary.
b) Within fourteen days of a complaint being lodged the General Committee shall appoint a Disciplinary sub-committee comprising at least three members of the Club and that sub-committee will meet to hear the complaint. The General Committee (or its sub-committee) has the power to take appropriate disciplinary action, including the termination of membership. The outcome of the disciplinary hearing shall be put in writing to the person who lodged the complaint and the member against whom the complaint was made within fourteen days following the hearing.
c) There shall be right of appeal to the General Committee following notice of disciplinary action being given by lodging such appeal in writing with the Secretary. In such circumstances the General Committee shall appoint an Appeals sub-committee comprising at least three members of the Club not involved with the initial disciplinary hearing. The sub-committee shall consider the appeal within fourteen days of the Secretary receiving notice of the appeal. The outcome of the appeal hearing shall be put in writing to the person who lodged the complaint and the member against whom the complaint was made within seven days following the hearing.
12. Payment of Subscriptions
a) All subscriptions shall be due on the 1st April of the current season.
b) Any playing member whose subscription remains unpaid by the end of the 31st May shall not be considered for selection until the subscription is paid in full.
c) Any member whose subscription remains unpaid by the end of the 31st May shall at the discretion of the General Committee cease to enjoy the privileges of the Club.
d) Applicants for membership are required to pay the annual subscription in full on application.
e) The cost of annual subscriptions shall be determined by the Annual General Meeting.
13. Alterations to the Constitution
a) Any proposed alterations to this Constitution may only be considered at a General Meeting of the Club, convened with the required written notice of the proposal.
b) Any alteration or amendment must be proposed and seconded by members eligible to attend and vote at such a meeting. Such alterations shall be passed if so resolved by not less than two-thirds of those present and voting at the meeting, assuming that a quorum has been achieved.
14. Finance
a) The financial year will end on the 30th September and accounts shall be drawn up for each financial period and presented to members at the Annual General Meeting.
b) All club monies shall be banked in an account(s) in the name of the Club.
c) The Treasurer will be responsible for the finances of the Club.
d) Any payments drawn against club funds should hold the signatures of any 2 of 3 named Officers.
e) The General Committee is authorised and empowered to negotiate loans on behalf of the Club up to and including a total of £25,000.
15. Property and Funds
a) The property and funds of the Club cannot be used for the direct or indirect private benefit of members other than as reasonably allowed by the Constitution and all surplus income or profits are to be reinvested in the Club. No surplus or assets will be distributed to members or third parties.
b) The Club may also in connection with the sports purposes of the Club:
- Sell and supply food, drink and related sports clothing and equipment.
- Employ members and remunerate them for providing goods and services, on fair terms set by the General Committee without the person being present.
- Pay for reasonable hospitality for visiting teams and guests.
- Indemnify the Officers and members of the Club acting properly in the course of the running of the Club against any liability incurred in the proper running of the Club (but only to the extent of its assets).
16. Bar
a) Intoxicating liquor shall be supplied on the Club premises to members and guests during those hours set by the Bar Committee in accordance with the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003 or any re-enactment or modification thereof.
b) No persons shall be entitled directly to derive any pecuniary benefit from the supply of intoxicating liquor by or on behalf of the Club to members or guests apart from any benefit accruing to the Club as a whole.
c) Members of visiting sports teams competing in events against the Club teams and their supporters, shall, on the day of such event be permitted entry to the Club premises. Whilst on the Club premises they may purchase intoxicating liquor.
d) The General Committee shall have the power to allow the Club premises to be used at such times and at such charges as they shall determine for private functions. At such a function liquor may be supplied upon the premises during the Club’s permitted hours to all persons attending such a function whether or not they are members. The General Committee will abide by and comply with all the requirements of the Police, Local Authority and Magistrates with regard to this rule.
17. Dissolution
a) If at any General Meeting of the Club, a resolution be passed calling for the dissolution of the Club, the Secretary shall immediately convene an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Club to be held not less than one month thereafter to discuss and vote on the resolution.
b) If at that Extraordinary General Meeting, the resolution is carried by at least three-quarters of the members eligible to attend and vote who are present at the meeting, the General Committee shall thereupon, or at such date as shall have been specified in the resolution, proceed to realise the assets of the Club and discharge all debts and liabilities of the Club.
c) The General Committee will then be responsible for the orderly winding up of the Club’s affairs.
d) After discharging all debts and liabilities of the Club, the remaining assets of the Club shall be given to another Club with similar sports purposes which is a registered charity and/or another Club with similar sporting purposes which is a registered Community Amateur Sports Club and/or the Club’s governing body for use by them for related community sports as determined by the General Committee.
18. Dispute Resolution
Any dispute arising out of, or not covered by these regulations shall be referred to the General Committee whose decision shall be final.