Rugby and District Bridge League: Constitution                                  

Objectives, team membership and individual membership:

1. The prime objective of Rugby and District Bridge League (RDBL) is to organise and promote duplicate bridge competitions between teams. RDBL may also organise associated activities of interest to its membership.
2. Once a team has been accepted into RDBL under a designated Team Captain, and the required subscription has been paid, each of its registered players becomes a member of RDBL for the year from the 1^st of August to the following 31^st of July.
3. Each member is entitled to advance notice of any General Meeting and is entitled to participate in and vote at such meetings.

Governance and responsibilities:

1. RDBL shall be governed by a Management Committee, whose primary duty is the organisation and promotion of team competitions. The Committee will determine and publish such rules as are necessary to govern those competitions. It will also ensure that each Team Captain appoints one registered player to a Disciplinary Committee, which will have responsibility for RDBL’s disciplinary procedure.
2. The Management Committee shall comprise four official positions, namely a Chairman, League Secretary, Fixtures Secretary and Treasurer, to be held by a minimum of three people,  and  between one and three ordinary members as necessary to assist in its duties. All committee members will normally be elected at an Annual General Meeting (AGM), but may be co-opted to fill posts that fall vacant during the year. Should more than one of the officers’ posts be filled by co-option, an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) must be held to fill those posts by election.
3. The duties of the officers are as follows:

1. The Chairman shall preside at all Management Committee and General Meetings. If the elected Chairman is absent an acting chairman shall preside, chosen from the elected officers present.
2. The League Secretary shall maintain records of all meetings and shall manage all formal communications between the committee and Team Captains or individual members, except those specifically assigned to the Fixtures Secretary.
3. The Fixtures Secretary shall manage the registration of teams and their members, manage the match schedules for all competitions, and adjudicate any breach of competition rules.
4. The Treasurer shall manage the finances and present audited accounts of income and expenditure at the AGM. The Treasurer shall be a signatory to RDBL’s bank accounts and the Management Committee will appoint another of its members as a second signatory.

1. The Management Committee shall appoint an Appeals Committee, as occasion demands, to resolve any dispute that cannot be settled by reference to RDBL’s existing rules and procedures. An Appeals Committee has no continuing authority and shall be discharged once its task is complete.

General Meetings and Management Committee meetings:

1. An AGM shall be held during June/ July of each year. The League Secretary shall give at least 14 days’ notice of this meeting and its agenda to each Team Captain, who shall promptly inform all team members. The agenda shall include the following items:

1. Presentation of reports from officers,
2. Determination of annual subscriptions,
3. Election of officers and ordinary members to the Management Committee for the next year,
4. Appointment of an Auditor for the next year, who may not be a member of the Management Committee,
5. Determination of policy in accordance with the wishes of members,
6. Awarding of trophies to the winners of competitions.

1. Any member may raise any relevant issue at the AGM provided that notice is given to the League Secretary by the 1^st of June. If the required notice has not been given, the Chairman will decide whether to allow the matter to be raised.
2. An EGM may be called at any time. The League Secretary shall give at least 14 days’ notice of the meeting and its agenda to Team Captains, who shall promptly inform all team members. An EGM may be held at the instigation of the Management Committee or in response to a formal request from a group of players drawn from at least one fifth of the total number of teams. In the latter case, the meeting shall be held within 35 days of receipt by the League Secretary of a formal request, which must include a statement of the matter at issue.
3. Any proposal to amend the Constitution or to dissolve RDBL will be a matter for a General Meeting. Such a proposal must be notified at least 21 days before the meeting to Team Captains, who shall promptly inform all team members. In the event of dissolution, the disposal of RDBL’s assets will be determined by the meeting.
4. No General Meeting may transact any business unless at least one tenth of the total number of registered players, including at least two elected officers, are present within 20 minutes of the advertised start time. Team Captains are expected to ensure that at least one representative of their team attends.
5. No Management Committee meeting may transact any business unless at least four members, including a least two elected officers, are present within 20 minutes of the advertised starting time.
6. Any vote, at a meeting of any kind, shall be decided by simple majority, with the Chairman or acting chairman having a casting vote in the event of a tie.

July 2016