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Club Constitution

Club Constitution
Ratified at AGM Nov 2016

1. Name

  1. The club will be called Chester Triathlon Club and will be affiliated to Triathlon England.

2. Objectives

The objectives of the club shall be:

  1. To encourage the practice and development of triathlon across all levels of ability in Chester and the surrounding area.
  2. To provide coaching for the members and organise and promote competitions and racing within the club and externally.
  3. To promote opportunities for participation in related endurance sports; e.g. duathlon, aquathlon, running.
  4. To provide opportunity for social interaction and foster a community of those who share an interest in Triathlon and related endurance sports in Chester and the surrounding area.
  5. To promote the club and the sport of Triathlon within the local community & with other local sporting bodies.
  6. To ensure all present and future members receive fair and equal treatment and all services are provided in a way that is fair to everyone.
  7. To ensure a duty of care to all members of the club whilst participating in club activities.

3. Powers

In pursuance of the objectives set out in Section 2, the Club shall have the power (actioned through its Management Committee) to:

  1. buy, lease or otherwise acquire and deal (including the power to improve, manage, develop) with any property or rights which are suitable for the Club’s activities and to sell, let, hire out, license, or otherwise dispose of, all or any part of the property and rights of the Club;
  2. borrow and raise money in such manner as the Committee shall think fit and secure the repayment of any money borrowed, raised or owing by mortgage, charge, lien or other security on the Club’s property and assets;
  3. invest and deal with the funds of the Club not immediately required for its operations in or upon such investments, securities or property as may be thought fit;
  4. engage such staff, consultants and advisers as are from time to time considered appropriate for the proper conduct of the Club’s activities;
  5. effect insurance of all kinds (which may include officers’ liability insurance).
  6. liaise with other voluntary sector bodies, local authorities, UK government departments and agencies, and other bodies, all with a view to furthering the Club’s objectives;
  7. do all such other lawful things as are incidental or conducive to the pursuit or to the attainment of any of the objectives set out in Section 2 above.

4. Membership

  1. Prospective members shall apply to the Club using the application process approved by the Management Committee, details of which will be published on the club’s website.
  2. Members will pay an annual membership fee. The membership fee will be determined by the Annual General Meeting, following a proposal by the Management Committee. The membership fee will become applicable on the day immediately following the conclusion of the AGM.
  3. Membership will be valid for 12 months, starting from the day on which the membership fee is paid. Membership will cease after this period unless membership is renewed and the new annual membership fee is paid.
  4. Members will be subject to the regulations of the constitution and to the code of conduct of the club and will be deemed to accept these rules by joining the club.
  5. There will be two categories of membership:
    1. Adult member: Any member aged 18 or over
    2. Junior Member: Any member aged under 18
  6. The club reserves the right to place applicants on a waiting list if the club has reached capacity.
  7. Membership is not transferable.
  8. Membership of the Club is terminated if:
    1. the Member dies or, if it is an organisation, ceases to exist;
    2. the Member resigns by written notice to the Committee;
    3. the member fails to renew their membership and pay the new annual membership fee after their 12-month membership period expires.

5. Officers

  1. The Officers of the Club will be:
    1. Captain
    2. Vice-Captain
    3. Secretary
    4. Treasurer
    5. Coaching Co-ordinator
  2. Officers will be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting for a term of one year
  3. Officers will be eligible for re-election to the same position for a maximum of three consecutive years. After this they must step down from that position, but will remain eligible for election to a different position.
  4. An Officer of the Club may resign from their office by giving 14 days’ notice in writing to the Captain. The Officer must, on relinquishing their office, promptly hand to their successor in office or to the Captain, all official documents and records belonging to the Club together with any other property of the Club which may be in their possession, and must complete any requirements to transfer authority relating to control of the Club’s bank accounts or other financial affairs as soon as is reasonably responsible and in any event not later than 1 month after the date of resignation.
  5. An Officer shall automatically vacate office if:
    1. they become incapable for medical reasons of fulfilling the duties of their office and such incapacity is expected to continue for a period of more than six months;
    2. they cease to be a member of the Club;
    3. they resign from office by notice to the Committee
    4. they are absent  (without permission of the Committee) from more than three consecutive meetings of the Committee, and two thirds of the Committee resolve to remove him or her from office;
  6. If a motion of no confidence against an Officer is tabled at a Management Committee meeting, and is supported by two thirds of the remaining Officers, an EGM must be called for the purpose of asking the membership to vote on whether to support the motion of no confidence. If the motion is supported that Officer will be required to stand down, and an EGM will be called to replace them. The membership may also table a motion of no confidence in an Officer, by following the process in Section 10 and calling for an EGM where that motion can be voted on.
  7. The Management Committee may co-opt a volunteer to fill any Officer position which becomes vacant during the year. The Co-opted Officer’s term will last until the next AGM, at which point they will be eligible to stand for re-election for a further two one year terms in that position, in line with Section 5(c).
  8. The Committee shall maintain a register of Officers, setting out the full name and address of each Officer, the date on which each such person became an Officer, and the date on which any person ceased to hold office as an Officer.
  9. The club will appoint a voluntary Welfare Officer, responsible for handling welfare and safeguarding issues in the Club.
  10. The Welfare Officer must not hold any other Officer Positions in the Club, and also cannot hold any Coaching role or equivalent within the Club. The Welfare Officer will not be a member of the Management Committee.

6. Committee

  1. The Club will be managed by the Management Committee, consisting of the five elected Officers of the club as set out in Section 5 (a).
  2. Officers must act in the best interests of the club, with reasonable care, skill and diligence, and in accordance with the objectives of the club detailed above.
  3. Meetings of the Committee shall be convened by the secretary, and the Committee should meet no less than four times per year. Any member of the Committee may request that the secretary convenes a meeting at any time by proposing a time and agenda for the meeting.
  4. The Committee may meet in person or by any means of communication which allows all participants to hear each other. An Officer participating remotely in this way will be treated as present, shall be entitled to vote and will be counted in the quorum.
  5. Committee meetings will be chaired by the Club Captain. At a meeting where the Club Captain is unable to chair the meeting, the other Committee members present will elect a chair from amongst their own number for the duration of that meeting.
  6. Each member of the Management Committee shall have one vote. In the event of a tied decision, the Captain shall have the casting vote. Only the elected club Officers will be permitted to vote at a Committee meeting
  7. The quorum for Management Committee meetings shall be five. If a Committee meeting is not quorate then no decisions can be made except in a situation where the meeting is not quorate because three or more Officer positions are vacant, making a quorum impossible. In this instance, the only decision a non-quorate Committee is permitted to make is a decision to call an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) for the purpose of electing new Officers to fill the vacant positions.
  8. The Management Committee has the power to appoint sub-Committees as necessary to fulfil specific aspects of its business.
  9. The Management Committee may delegate any of their powers to any sub-committee consisting of one or more Management Committee members and such other persons (if any) as the Committee may determine. Any delegation of powers under this clause may be made subject to such conditions as the Committee may impose and may be revoked or altered by the Committee at any time.
  10. The Committee can co-opt advisers to the Committee as necessary to fulfil its business. Co-opted advisers are not permitted to vote on Committee decisions.
  11. The Committee will be responsible for managing the club’s external relationships in a way that is conducive to achieving the objectives outlined above.
  12. The Management Committee may establish a Code of Conduct and rules governing matters relating to Club administration that are required from time to time for the effective operation of the Club. If there is a conflict between the terms of the Constitution and any Code of Conduct or rules established under this clause, the terms of the Constitution shall prevail.
  13. The Management Committee will be responsible for implementing the club’s Code of Conduct, Disciplinary process and Complaints procedure.

7. Finance

  1. All club monies will be banked in an account held in the name of the club, with the Treasurer and at least two other elected Officer as signatories on the account.
  2. The signature of the Treasurer and one other signatory shall be required in relation to all operations (other than lodgement of funds) on the bank and building society accounts held by the Club.
  3. The title to all property (including any land or buildings, the tenant’s interest under any lease and (so far as appropriate) any investments) shall be held either in the names of the Captain, Treasurer and Secretary of the Club (and their successors in office) or in name of a nominee company holding such property in trust for the Club. Any person or body in whose name the Club’s property is held shall act in accordance with the directions issued from time to time by the Committee.
  4. The Club Treasurer will be responsible for the finances of the club.
  5. The financial year of the club will end on 31st October
  6. A statement of annual accounts will be presented by the Treasurer at the Annual General Meeting, which shall have been Independently Examined by an appropriately qualified individual or company.

8. Conflicts of Interest

  1. An Officer who has an interest in any transaction or other arrangement which the Club is proposing to enter into must declare that interest to the Committee and may not vote on that matter. A person shall be deemed to have an interest in an arrangement if any partner or other close relative or any firm of which that person is a partner or any limited company of which they are a substantial shareholder, director or employee, has an interest in that arrangement.
  2. Provided that the Officer has declared their interest, that the Officer has refrained from voting on the matter, and that the requirements of Section 8(c) are complied with, an Officer will not be prohibited from entering into an arrangement with the Club in which they have an interest (or are deemed to have an interest under Section 8 (a)) and may retain any personal benefit gained from their participation in that arrangement.
  3. Where an Officer provides services to the Club or might benefit from any remuneration paid to a connected party for such services, then:
    1. the maximum amount of the remuneration must be specified in a written agreement and must be reasonable; and
    2. the Committee members must be satisfied that it would be in the interests of the Club to enter into the arrangement (taking account of that maximum amount).
  4. Officers shall not be paid any remuneration for carrying out their duties as members of the Committee but may be reimbursed for expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with the carrying-out of those duties.

9. Annual General Meetings

  1. The Management Committee shall convene an annual general meeting in each financial year and not more than 15 months shall elapse between one annual general meeting and the next.
  2. Notice of the date, venue and general business for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be given by the Secretary no less than 21 clear days’ in advance of the proposed meeting date.
  3. The Annual General Meeting shall be held for the purpose of:
    1. Receiving reports from each Officer of the Club, and a statement of the latest independently examined accounts.
    2. Setting the annual membership fee for the coming year
    3. Electing Officers of the Club
    4. Considering any proposed amendments to the Constitution and Rules of the Club.
  4. Any proposed change to the Constitution must be received by the captain or secretary at least 14 days in advance of the Annual General Meeting.
  5. Proposed and seconded nominations for elected Officer positions must be received by the captain or secretary at least 14 days in advance of the Annual General Meeting, in a format specified by the Committee and communicated in the notice of the meeting.
  6. All members have the right to vote at the Annual General Meeting. Each member shall have one vote.
  7. Voting will take place by show of hands, unless the Committee makes a decision to implement an alternative voting method for a meeting, and notifies the membership of that change at least 21 days in advance of the meeting.
  8. No business shall be dealt with at any general meeting unless a quorum is present. The quorum for a general meeting shall be one tenth of the Members of the Club as at the date of the meeting, present in person.
  9. Where there is only one candidate for a Committee role, that person shall be ratified by a show of hands of members present at the AGM.
  10. Resolutions put to the vote at a general meeting shall require the approval of a simple majority of Members present.

10. Extraordinary General Meetings

  1. The Secretary will convene an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) within 30 days of:
    1. A resolution by the Management Committee, calling for an EGM to be held, or;
    2. The receipt of a request signed by one tenth of the total number of members of the club as at the date of the request, or 20 members, whichever is the lesser.
  2. The resolution of the Committee or a request by the members must specify the business for which the EGM is being called, and no other business is to be discussed.
  3. Notice of the date, venue and business for the EGM will be given by the Secretary no less than 21 clear days’ in advance of the proposed meeting date.
  4. Where the EGM is called for the purpose of electing new Officers, proposed and seconded nominations for elected Officer positions must be received by the captain or secretary at least 14 days in advance of the EGM, in a format specified
  5. Where the EGM is called for the purpose of voting on changes to the constitution, any proposed change to the Constitution must be included in the Committee resolution or member request that calls for the EGM, and should be communicated with notice of the meeting in accordance with Section 10(b). Members may suggest amendments to the proposed changes, which must be received by the Secretary or Club Captain at least 14 days in advance of the EGM.
  6. All members have the right to vote at an Extraordinary General Meeting. Each member shall have one vote.
  7. Voting will take place by show of hands, unless the Committee makes a decision to implement an alternative voting method for a meeting, and notifies the membership of that change at least 21 days in advance of the meeting.
  8. No business shall be dealt with at any general meeting unless a quorum is present. The quorum for a general meeting shall be one tenth of the Members of the Club as at the date of the meeting, present in person.
  9. Where there is only one candidate for a Committee role, that person shall be ratified by a show of hands of members present at the EGM.
  10. Resolutions put to the vote at a general meeting shall require the approval of a simple majority of Members present.

11. Amendments to the Constitution

  1. No amendments may be made to this constitution except by a majority decision at an Annual General Meeting or at an Extraordinary General Meeting called for that purpose, by a show of hands of members present in person.

12. Dissolution

  1. The club may only be dissolved by a majority decision at an Annual General Meeting or at an Extraordinary General Meeting called for that purpose.
  2. In the event of dissolution all the assets will be valued and if necessary sold in order to make full settlement of all liabilities. The acting Treasurer will ensure that there are no further liabilities or warranties or undertakings or claims against the club and the balance of assets then remaining and at the discretion of the members, will be placed with an active triathlon Club who are able to demonstrate a genuine interest in the welfare and development of junior athletes.

Declaration

Chester Triathlon Club hereby adopts and accepts this constitution as a current operating guide regulating the actions of members, following a resolution of the Annual General Meeting to this effect on 2nd November 2016

SIGNED: Mark Jones,  Club Captain
DATE:  2.11.2016

SIGNED: Sue Ellis, Club Secretary  
DATE:  2.11.2016