CONSTITUTION (3)
27 NOVEMBER 2007

1.      Title

1.1.  The Club shall be called Lytham St Annes Road Runners Club, hereafter to referred to as “the Club” and shall be affiliated to UK Athletics (UKA) and the North of England Athletics Association.

2.      Objects

2.1.  To foster and promote the sport of athletics, to include Road Running, Cross Country, Fell Running, and Track and Field at all levels, providing opportunities for recreation and competition, in accordance with the laws of UK Athletics and Amateur Athletics Association governing bodies.

3.      Membership

3.1.  Membership of the Club shall be open to any person, regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, or ability, who completes a membership application form, and pays the relevant subscription/joining fee as determined by the Annual General Meeting.

3.1.1.     Each applicant must be proposed, seconded, and elected or otherwise at a properly convened meeting of the General Committee.

3.2.  There shall be 4 classes of membership available. These are:

3.2.1.     Full Member

3.2.2.    A Full Member is an athlete eligible to compete for the club as a First claim club member as defined in the UKA Rulebook

3.2.3.     Social Member

3.2.4.     A Social Member is someone who has joined the club for social, coaching, or other reasons.

3.2.5.     Honorary life members

3.2.6.    The Annual General Meeting may award honorary life membership to a person who has contributed in a substantial measure to the purpose and prestige of the Club.

3.2.7.    Honorary Life Members have the right to participate in all club activities and attend and speak at meetings.

3.2.8.      Second Claim Member

3.2.9.    A Second Claim Member is an athlete eligible to compete for the club in competitions open to Second claim athletes as defined in the UKA rules book.

3.3    Members aged 17 years and over sahll be entitled to: attend and participate in General Meetings; hold office and be elected to the General Committee; nominate and second candidates for election; and propose and second alterations to the Constitution.

4.      Subscriptions

4.1.  Members shall pay their annual subscription fee at the commencement of each year.

5.      Non-payment of subscriptions

5.1.  A member shall be deemed to be in arrears after 1^st August if payment of subscriptions has not been received.

5.2.  While in arrears a member may not represent the Club in either open or closed events. On payment of arrears in full, membership rights shall be restored.

5.3.  The committee shall have the power to expel any member whose subscriptions is twelve months in arrears, a month’s notice in writing shall be sent to the member’s last known address by recorded delivery service giving information of the proposed action. The North of England Athletics Association shall be notified of the fact.

6.      Resignation

6.1.  Any member wishing to resign is required to do so in writing addressed to the Chairperson or Secretary. The request shall be considered by the Club within one calender month of receipt.Membership shall be deemed to have ceased on the actual date of posting of the notice of resignation. Note: Resignations will not be accepted if the member is in any way financially indebted to the club, e.g. subscriptions for the current year have not been paid. Acceptance will be withheld until the debt is discharged. The date of resignation shall then be the date the debt was discharged.

7.      Officers

7.1.  The officers of the Club shall be as follows:

Honorary President                        -            non-executive

Chairperson                                    -           executive

Honorary Secretary                       -            executive

Honorary Treasurer                       -            executive

8.      Election of officers

8.1.  All officers shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Club, from, and by, the members of the Club.

8.2.  All officers are elected for a period of one year, but may be re-elected to the same office or another office in the following year.

9.      General committee

9.1.  The affairs of the Club shall be controlled by a General Committee comprising the Executive officers of the Club and 7 other members, which shall include a captain of both male and female sections, elected, from, and by, the members of the Club. The General Committee shall meet at agreed intervals of not less than 6 times per year.

9.2.  The duties of the General Committee shall be:

9.2.1.     To control the affairs of the club on behalf of the Members

9.2.2.     To keep accurate accounts of the Club through the treasurer. These should be available for reasonable inspection by members and should be audited before every Annual General Meeting. The Club shall maintain a current bank account and the following officers shall be authorised to sign the Club cheques: two from the executive officers of the club.

9.2.3.     To co-opt additional members of the committee as the Committee feels this is necessary. Co-opted members shall not be entitled to an additional casting vote.

9.2.4.     To make decisions on the basis of a simple majority vote. In the case of equal votes, the Chairperson shall be entitled to an additional casting vote.

9.2.5.     The Committee shall have the power to fill vacancies as and when they arise.

10. General Meetings

10.1.    The Annual General Meeting shall be held not later than the end of June each year.  21 clear days’ notice shall be given to Members of the Annual General Meeting by posting the notice on the Club’s notice board or by any other means at the Secretary’s discretion.  Members must advise the Secretary in writing of any business to be moved at the Annual General Meeting at least 14 days before a meeting. The secretary shall circulate or give notice of the agenda for the meeting to Members not less than 12 days before the meeting.

10.2.    The business of the Annual General Meeting shall be to:

10.2.1.    Confirm the minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting and any General Meetings held since the last Annual General Meeting.

10.2.2.    Receive the audited accounts for the year from the Treasurer

10.2.3.    Receive an annual report of the Committee from the Secretary

10.2.4.    Elect an auditor

10.2.5.    Elect the Officers of the Club i.e. President; Chairperson; Secretary; Treasurer and other General Committee Members

10.2.6.   Review subscription rates and agree them for the forthcoming year

10.2.7.   Transact such other business received in writing by the Secretary 14 days prior to the meeting and included on the agenda

10.2.8.    Any Other Business (NOTE: Members are encouraged to refer other items to the General Committee and give the required notice for important Annual General Meeting business).

10.3.       Special General Meetings may be convened by the General Committee or on receipt by the Secretary of a request in writing from not less than 6 members of the Club. At least 21 days’ notice of the meeting shall be given.

10.4.      Nomination of candidates for election of officers shall be made in writing to the Secretary at least 14 days in advance of the Annual General Meeting date. Nominations can only be made by Members and must be seconded by another Member.

10.5.       At all General Meetings, the chair will be taken by the Chairperson or, in their absence, by a deputy appointed by the Club or by Members attending the meeting.

10.6.      Decisions at a General Meeting shall be made by a simple majority of votes from those Members attending the meeting. In the event of equal votes, the chairperson shall be entitled to an additional casting vote.

10.7.       A quorum for a General meeting shall be ten Members and two Executive Officers.

10.8.      Each Member shall be entitled to one vote at General Meetings.

11.  Alterations to the Constitution

11.1.   Any proposed alterations to the Club’s Constitution may only be considered at an Annual or Special General Meeting convened with the required written notice of the proposal. Any alteration or amendment must be proposed by a Member of the Club and seconded by another Member. Such alterations shall be passed if supported by not less than two-thirds of those Members present at the meeting, assuming that a quorum has been achieved.

12.   Child Welfare

12.1.1.  The Club shall have a written welfare policy approved by the General Committee.

12.1.2. The General Committee shall appoint two welfare officers (one male and one female) whose role shall be defined in the welfare policy.

13.  Discipline

13.1.  If it appears to the General Committee that an irregularity or breach of the Constitution or other matter of concern may have occurred it may appoint an Individual (a Club member or not) or a Committee to investigate with such terms of reference as the General Committee wish.

13.2.   If it appears evidence of such matters exists then the Secretary shall write to the person concerned setting out the alleged details and inviting comment in writing by a specified date normally not less than 14 days after the letter is sent.

13.3. The General Committee shall consider any response at its next convenient meeting and if it believes the concern remains then shall refer the matter to a Disciplinary Committee appointed by it. It shall consist of not less than three nor more than five people none of whom shall be interested in the matter otherwise than as members of the Club. The Disciplinary Committee shall make such further enquiries as it thinks fit and shall afford the person concerned a reasonable opportunity to appear before it to state his/her case and answer the allegations brought against him/her. The committee shall hear such witnesses as are reasonably produced and shall allow him/her the right to be accompanied and/or be represented by a friend. The committee shall make such just and efficient procedural provisions as are necessary for the just and efficient disposal of the case remitted to it.

13.4.  If satisfied that the matter did occur the Disciplinary Committee may recommend to the General Committee one or more of the following: 

13.4.1. resolve to note the offence but take no further action; 

13.4.2. warn the person as to future conduct with no further action; 

13.4.3.  suspend or disqualify the person from Athletics competition, coaching and/or administration for any period whether fixed or indefinite; 

13.4.4. recommend to the Regional Association that the person concerned shall be disqualified from any involvement in athletics for any period whether fixed or indefinite; 

13.4.5. such other penalty as the Disciplinary Committee consider appropriate.

13.5.   The Disciplinary Committee shall report the recommendation to the General Committee in writing within seven working days and the General Committee shall determine its decision as soon as practicable thereafter.

13.6. A term of suspension starts from the time it is pronounced by the General Committee unless otherwise stipulated and does not expire until the close of the day named in the decision.

13.7. Every person suspended, expelled, disqualified or otherwise dealt with shall be notified in writing by hand or recorded delivery post within seven working days of the decision.

13.8.  The General Committee shall as it sees fit transfer any of its duties under the provision of its Constitution to such Disciplinary Committee as from time to time is appointed.

A13.9  Any person so dealt with may appeal against such decision as defined in by the Rules of the Governing Body for Athletics.

14. Dissolution

14.1.  If at any General Meeting of the Club, a resolution be passed calling for the dissolution of the Club, the Secretary shall immediately convene a Special General Meeting of the Club to be held not less the one month thereafter to discuss and vote on the resolution.

14.2. If, at that Special General Meeting, the resolution is carried by at least two-thirds of the Members 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.

14.3.   After discharging all debts and liabilities of the Club, the remaining assets shall not be paid or distributed amongst the Members of the Club, but shall be given or transferred to some other voluntary Club having objects similar to those of the Club.