Tredegar Mini's Constitution

Club Constitution

1. NAME:

The Club shall be called “Tredegar Rugby Football Club Mini, Junior & Youth Section” or “Tredegar RFC MJY” (hereafter referred to as the Club)

2. AFFILIATION

2.1. The Club and all members thereof shall affiliate to and be members of the Tredegar Rugby Football Club and shall obtain and maintain such membership through the payment of such fees and subscriptions to such representatives of the Tredegar RFC as may be determined from time to time under the Constitution and Rules of Tredegar RFC, and by adherence to the said Constitution and Rules

2.2 The Club and all members thereof shall affiliate to and be members of the Welsh Rugby Union (hereafter referred to as the WRU) and the Gwent District Union (hereafter referred to as the GDU) and shall obtain and maintain such membership through the payment of such fees and subscriptions to such representatives of the WRU and GDU as may be determined from time to time under the Constitution and Rules of the WRU and GDU, and by adherence to the said Constitutions and Rules.

3. OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the Club are to promote the game of Rugby by all means at its disposal as set out in the Constitutions of the WRU and GDU, to participate in playing the game at local, Regional and National levels, and to encourage associated social activities.

These shall include but not limited to:-;

3.1 fostering strong, coordinated and harmonious links between the club and schools within the locality.

3.2 To recruit and develop players and coaches.

3.3 To administer the game with efficiency and to the highest levels of ethical standards.

3.4 To promote skill, fitness, sportsmanship, teamwork, enjoyment, self discipline and safety as key elements of rugby for players in the age range Under 8 to 18 years. as at midnight on 31st August every year

4. MEMBERSHIP

Membership shall be open to anyone interested in playing Rugby and supporting the objectives of the Club.

Prospective non playing members shall be proposed and seconded by current members of the Club and be approved by the Executive.

Prospective playing members shall apply for registration and on complete all relevant Club and WRU forms and be approved by the Coaching staff of the relevant age group.

Members shall pay on request such membership and other fees as may from time to time be properly determined.

The ‘membership year’ for subscription purposes shall run from 1st September to 31st August

The benefits of membership of the Club shall be the right to participate in all events and competitions organised by the Club in accordance with the terms of participation of those events and competitions, together with the relevant benefits of membership of the WRU and GDU and of Tredegar RFC, together with all other rights of membership of the Club stated or implied in this Constitution.

The Club shall have three classes of membership, as follows:

a) Adult Member;

b) Honorary Life Member;

c) Junior Member.

Adult Members shall be aged 18 or over at the commencement of the membership year and shall be entitled to the full benefits of membership of the Club on payment of all requisite subscriptions.

Honorary Life Membership may be conferred on Adult Members who have performed exceptionally valuable service to the Club by a resolution of an AGM on a recommendation by the Executive and shall entitle the holder to the full benefits of membership of the Club without the payment by the holder of any subscription.

Junior Members of the Club shall be members aged under 18 at the commencement of the membership year and shall be entitled to the full benefits of membership of the Club consequent upon their category of membership of these bodies on payment of all requisite subscriptions.

The Executive may refuse to approve, or may terminate, the membership of any person who:

a) fails to pay Club fees as requested;

b) brings the game, the Club, or any organisation to which the Club is affiliated into disrepute;

c) does not comply with the Constitution or Rules of any organisation to which the Club is affiliated, or has membership thereof rejected or terminated for whatever reason.

Any person whose membership is not approved or is terminated by the Executive shall be entitled to a personal hearing by the Executive within one calendar month of notice of such rejection or termination. The Executive's decision at such a hearing shall be binding and final. Any person whose membership is so rejected or terminated shall forfeit forthwith all rights and benefits of membership of the Club and shall not be entitled to repayment of any fees or subscriptions.

5.0 ASSETS

The assets of the Club shall be owned jointly and equally by all current members of the Club. In the event of dissolution of the Club, and subject to the Constitution and Rules of any organisation to which the Club is affiliated, any assets remaining after the satisfaction of all outstanding debts shall be donated to a suitable charity selected by the current members of the Club at the time of dissolution.

6. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS

6.1. Annual General Meetings (hereafter referred to as AGM) shall be open to all Club members. Each member in attendance at a AGM shall have one vote. The quorum at an AGM shall be not less than 10% of the current members of the Club. The President of the Club, or in his absence and Executive Officer, or in their absence a member of the Sub Committees decided by a vote amongst those present who shall take the chair at AGM. Voting shall be by simple majority, with the chairperson having a casting vote in the event of a tied vote.

6.2 Junior Members shall be allowed one vote by proxy through a legal guardian or parent or by such other person appointed in writing by the member.

6.3. The AGM shall normally take place in each year before the 31st August. It shall be the business of the AGM to:-

confirm and adopt the Minutes of the previous year's AGM and any intervening Extraordinary General Meeting (hereafter referred to as EGM)
to receive reports from Club Officers,
to receive and adopt audited accounts for the previous year,
to set fees and subscriptions for the forthcoming year,
to elect Officers for the forthcoming year,
determine any propositions properly placed before the Meeting. A proposition for the dissolution of the Club may only be determined at an AGM. Propositions for an AGM shall be presented in writing to the Club Secretary 10 days before the AGM in which they are to be considered.

6.3. An EGM may be called by the Club Committee or may be requisitioned in writing to the Club Secretary by not less than 10% of the current membership of the Club, and shall take place within one calendar month of the receipt by the Club Secretary of such instruction or requisition. The business of an EGM shall be only the business referred by the Club Committee or contained in the notice of requisition by Club members.

6.4. The Club Secretary shall notify in every current member of the Club at least 14 days in advance of the date, place and time of any AGM or EGM and of the business to be transacted at the Meeting by:-

placement of a notice on the Club’s Notice Board
placement of notice on the Club’s web site

7.0 OFFICERS

The Executive shall be made up of the following elected Officers of the Club (Appendix A – Organigram)

President
Secretary
Treasurer

All Officers shall be named in Appendix B.

No person shall hold more than one Office in the Executive unless another Officer can not complete his duties due to ill health, etc. Whereby another Officer may take on those duties temporally for a period not exceed three calendar months by prior notification to the membership in writing. At that end of the three months if the Officer is unable to re-take up his duties an EGM shall be conveyed to seek a replacement..

8. EXECUTIVE

8.1. The Executive shall consist of the Officers of the Club. It shall be the business of the Executive to ensure:-

that the Club is properly run;
To guide the Sub Committees so that the Executives duties in relation to the day to day running of the Club are discharged through the Sub Committees;
that records and accounts are properly maintained,
that affiliation to other organisations is maintained as appropriate,
that all matters relating to membership of the Club are properly discharged,
and that Sub Co members are kept fully informed of all relevant matters relating to the game, the Club, the WRU, GDU, and Tredegar RFC.

8.2. The Executive appoint additional persons to discharge such parts of its business as it may decide.

8.3. The Executive shall meet as and when it decides to transact its business, and not less than three times per year. At least seven days notice shall be given of the date, time and place of all Executive meetings. All current members of the Club shall be entitled to attend Executive meetings and, with the permission of the chairperson of the meeting, to speak on matters under discussion, but not to vote.

8.4. Executive meetings shall be chaired by the President of the Club, or in his absence, an Officer, or in their absence by a member of the Executive decided by a vote amongst those present. The quorum for Executive meetings shall be not less than one-half of the members of the Executive. Each Executive member shall have one vote irrespective of the office in the Club they may hold. Voting shall be by simple majority, with the chairperson having a casting vote in the event of a tied vote.

8.5. Minutes of Executive meetings shall be taken, shall be agreed as a true record at the next following Executive meeting, and shall be maintained by the Club Secretary for inspection on demand by any Club member.

9. SUB COMMITTEE

9.1. Three Sub Committee (hereafter referred to as the Sub Co) shall be formed to control the day to day running of the Youth, Junior and Mini sides.

9.2 Each of the Sub Co shall consist of two elected posts, consisting of:-

Chairman
Secretary

All elected members shall be named in Appendix B

9.3 The elected members of the Sub Co shall be answerable to the Officers of the Executive and shall take guidance from the Club officers in the running of the Club.

9.4 It shall be the business of the Sub Co to ensure that:-

Their section is properly run,
that records are properly maintained,
that all matters relating to membership of the Club are properly discharged,
that teams and events are organised,
that Club members are kept fully informed of all relevant matters
to liase with the other Sub Co for the beneficial running of the club and development of players

9.5. The Sub Co may co-opt additional members and grant them voting rights to discharge such parts of its business as it may decide. Any decisions of sub-committees shall be subject to ratification by the next full Committee meeting.

9.6 The Sub Co shall meet as and when it decides to transact its business, and not less than three times per year.

9.7 At least seven days notice shall be given of the date, time and place of all Sub Co meetings.

9.8 All current members of the Club shall be entitled to attend Sub Co meetings and, with the permission of the chairperson of the meeting, to speak on matters under discussion, but not to vote.

9.10 Sub Co meetings shall be chaired by the Chairman of the Sub Committee, or in his or her absence, the Secretary, or in the absence of both of them by a member of the Sub Co decided by a vote amongst those present. The quorum for Sub Co meetings shall be not less than one-half of the members of the Committee. Each Committee member shall have one vote irrespective of the office in the Club they may hold. Voting shall be by simple majority, with the chairperson having a casting vote in the event of a tied vote.

9.11 Minutes of meetings shall be taken and forwarded to the Executive for ratification.

9.12 Minutes shall be agreed as a true record at the next following meeting, and shall be maintained by the Sub Co Secretary for inspection on demand by any Club member.

9.13 Should there be a dispute between the Executive and the Sub Co the Executive decision will be final.

10 CLUB RULES

All Members of the Club agree to abide by the Club Constitution and the Rules as set out in Appendix C

11. FINANCES

The Club Treasurer shall, under the direction of the Executive, establish and maintain such accounts as are necessary for the proper running of the Club. The books of account shall be presented to the AGM for adoption, and shall be made available at any other reasonable time for inspection by any Club member. Any bank, building society or similar account in which Club funds are held shall require two different signatories who are Executive members to any withdrawal, payment or transfer from Club funds.

Any Club expenditure shall be in accordance with the rules as set out in Appendix D

2. AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION

Amendments to the Constitution of the Club may only be considered at properly constituted Annual General Meetings of the Club or, exceptionally and by resolution of such an AGM, at a subsequent properly constituted Extraordinary General Meeting.

Mr G Williams - President -----------------------------------------

Mr B I Williams Secretary -----------------------------------------

Mr D Lynch Treasurer -----------------------------------------

Signed this day _9th of July__ in the year _2008__

APPENDIX B

EXECUTIVE.

PRESIDENT Mr G Williams

SECRETARY Mr B Williams

TREASURER Mr D Lynch

YOUTH SUB COMMITTEE

CHAIRMAN Mr L Evans

SECRETARY Mr A Jones

JUNIOR SUB COMMITTEE

CHAIRMAN Mr T Gill

SECRETARY Mrs C Williams

MINI SUB COMMITTEE

CHAIRMAN Mr J Lewis

SECRETARY Mrs R Smith

APPENDIX C

CLUB RULES.

APPENDIX D

ACCOUNTS RULES

To ensure the successful and continued existence of the Club it is hereby set out the Financial controls to the Club’s expenditure.

There should be one address used for all billing and correspondence
Individuals within the ‘management’ structure will be restricted in the amounts they can spend or authorise for expenditure
The tiers of management will be similarly controlled
All monies incoming and outgoing to be documented i.e. invoices, receipts, petty cash slips etc..
All incoming invoices should be directly addressed to the Club and not Tredegar RFC..
Use of quotations for large expenditure including have a minimum tender list of three where expenditure exceeds £300.00
Kit sponsorship to be formalised in writing before any commitment to purchase and preferably monies received up front
A formalised ledger system which can be easily audited.

Authorisation of expenditure.

The following are the levels of authorisation :-

Executive members £ 100.00

Sub Committee Chairman £ 100.00

Sub Committee Officers £ 50.00

Executive £ 5000.00

Sub Committee £ 100.00

These amounts are individual spends and two or more individuals or sections can not join together to increase their spend i.e. if an item costs £200 the chairman of a section could not add his £100 to the £100 of the Committee to achieve the required amount.

It is an understanding that where monies are required over and above the limits set then the expenditure is requested at Sub Co level and if that limit is exceeded then a request is made of the Executive.

The Sub Co shall make requisition through copying their meeting minutes to the executive for all funding over £100.00

Similarly if the Executive requires to make expenditure past their threshold they will require to hold an EGM to seek approval.

Documentation.

To run as business we need documents saying where money is spent and where it has come from.

Each Team Manager will responsible for taking membership and will be issued with a receipt book, preferably this will have a minimum of three copies. When annual membership is paid the booklet will be completed.

1 copy to payee,
1 copy to Treasurer
and the last kept in the book for the TM accounts record.

Referee expense forms will be issued to the older group team managers to be completed on the day and given to the Treasurer.

Bus usage for the older groups will be monitored through the Team manager e-mailing the requirement to the Treasurer . The Treasurer on receipt of invoices will seek recovery through the WRU where applicable.

Any purchases should be made in the name of the club and so invoiced. Invoices received in individuals names or other organisations and put through the books are not the first option as they are normally mistrusted by auditors, however in such instances the individual will sign and print his name on the back of the receipt/invoice which formalises the recovery of such monies and identifies who has paid for the item.

The purchase of merchandise, kit, equipment etc.. which is normally an expensive item has to be controlled more. The use of one source without competitor is frowned upon in business and therefore where we need to expend £300 or more we need to get two or more quotes albeit from the web etc. but they must be in writing to prove to the members we are getting value for money. If this leads to current suppliers still getting the work so be it but we have proven that they are the cheapest.

The purchasing of expensive items will be controlled by letters of instruction being issued to the supplier against their quotes this will allow checking of invoices.

Field costs are a large cost issue a person will be appointed to control the issue. He will be responsible for the booking of all training and playing facilities or cancellations will be via him. He will confirm to Blaenau Gwent by e-mail when we used the facilities copying the Treasurer in every time. This will allow the checking of all invoices.

LEDGER KEEPING.

Business structures require formal book keeping methods, below is the system to be used.