♠ ♥ THE ATHLONE ‘72 BRIDGE CLUB CONSTITUTION & RULES ♦ ♣
1. NAME AND HISTORY:
The Club shall be known as the Athlone 72 Bridge Club The Club was founded in or about 1972 by Bridie Corcoran, John Daly, Kitty Higgins Tadhg O’Donoghue and Paddy O’Toole.
The premise for setting up this club was two-fold.
(a) To make bridge more assessable to all by opening membership to all levels and standards and maintaining an open door for anyone wishing to join
(b) To ensure the provision of summer bridge for those wishing to have the option of playing all year round.
From its conception in 1972, apart from brief periods during hotel renovations when it transferred to the Hudson Bay Hotel, the Club has met virtually every Monday night in the Shamrock Lodge Hotel.
2. OBJECTIVES
- Playing and promoting bridge within the rules, guidance and objectives of the CBAI (Contract Bridge Association of Ireland) with which the Club will be registered and its members affiliated.
- To make summer bridge available for all those requiring the option
- To make bridge assessable to all interested in playing by maintaining an open door policy for all wishing to join.
- To facilitate members to improve and upgrade their bridge skills.
3. MEMBERSHIP
- Membership shall be open to all individuals
- Individuals are entitled to play on two occasions only, in any one year, before they are required to become a member. Membership subscription, regardless of the time of year of joining, shall be payable in full
- The membership year shall commence at the AGM. If membership subscription is not paid by the 20 th November in any year, the said membership will be deemed to have lapsed.
- New members will not attract a handicap until they have played three times within the current predefined handicap calculation period. They and their partner can only qualify for a gross score until they receive a handicap.
- Each year the AGM shall determine the annual membership subscription fees and the Committee shall determine table money from time to time.
- Affiliation fees shall be paid to CBAI by the 1 st December annually.
4. COMPETITION RULES AND GUIDELINES
- In a major multi-night competition such as the President’s Prize and Club Championship, the same pairing must play together on both occasions to be eligible for a prize, other than a session prize.
- To be eligible to play in the President’s Prize, Club Championship and any special club event, a member must have played a minimum of six times from the previous September.
- Members must have played a minimum of 10 nights from the previous September in order to be eligible to win the President Prize, Club Championship and any special event.
5. GUESTS AND VISITORS
- The club welcomes guests and visitors
- Guests and visitors are not permitted to play in the President’s Prize, Christmas Prize, Club Championship and any special Club event.
REPUTATION
In the event of any member acting in such a manner as to bring the Club into disrepute or disrupt the smooth running of the Club or the enjoyment of other members, the Committee shall have the right to reprimand such a member by a warning either verbally or written as to their future conduct. If the said member continues to act in such a manner, the Committee may cancel his or her membership with no refund.
ORGANISATION AND MANAGEMENT
The care of and responsibility for the proper administration of the Athlone 72 Bridge Club rests with the President and the Committee. They shall interpret and administer the Constitution and the playing rules of bridge as laid down by the CBAI.
THE COMMITTEE
- A Committee elected each year at the AGM shall manage the Club
- The Committee shall put into effect all Resolutions passed at the AGM and shall make amendments from time to time as they see fit, provided such regulations shall not alter, amend or repeal any regulations embodied in this Constitution
- The Committee shall consist of the President, Vice-President, Ex-Officio President, Hon. Secretary, Assistant Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer, Assistant Hon. Treasurer, Tournament Directors, Scorers and up to three other members.
- The Vice-President of the previous year shall be installed as President and shall nominate the new Vice-President at the AGM each year.
- All other Committee members must be nominated, seconded, and elected at the AGM.
- The Committee have the right to co-op a new member onto the committee should it be in the interest of the Club.
- For any valid meeting of the above Committee there should be at least five members present.
- The Committee shall have the power to appoint sub-committees where necessary
- Committee Meetings shall normally be chaired by the President.
- All decisions reached at meetings of the Club shall be by simple majority, and the President shall have a casting vote in the event of a tie.
OFFICES
- The President shall preside over all affairs of the Club
- The President-Elect may substitute for the President
- The Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer shall administer the affairs of the Club and furnish reports to the AGM
- Tournament Directors shall run competitions as laid down by the CBAI
- The President shall vary the handicaps subject to prior approval of the Committee for the President Prize only.
INCOME
The income and property of the Club shall be applied solely towards the promotion of its main objective as set forth in this Constitution. No portion of the club’s income shall be paid to any member of the Committee apart from
- Reasonable and proper out-of-pocket expenses incurred by any member in connection with their attendance to any matter affecting the Club
- Reasonable remuneration to a member for services rendered to the club
- Supporting a charity
EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING
The Committee may call an Extraordinary General Meeting at any time and must call one at the request, in writing, of one-third of the members of the Club. The Secretary must give two weeks’ notice of the EGM. The subject matter and/or proposal for the EGM must be announced in this notice.
CHANGES TO THE CONSTITUTION
- Alterations, amendments or changes to the Constitution shall be made only at a general meeting of the members and shall require a simple majority vote of the members present and voting at the meeting. There shall be at least two weeks’ notice of any proposed changes.
- No addition, alteration or amendment shall be made to the main objectives and/or the income clauses in this Constitution for the time being in force, unless the same shall have been previously approved in writing by the Revenue Commissioners.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The AGM shall be held in April or May each year, notice of the date and time fixed for the AGM shall be announced two weeks in advance. All decisions made at the AGM shall be by simple majority and the Chairman shall have a casting vote in the
event of a tie. Life member may be elected at the AGM provided that the number does not exceed 5.
WINDING UP
The Club may be dissolved only by a majority of two thirds of the members of the Club present and voting at the EGM. The nett assets shall then be divided evenly amongst the members of the preceding three years. This document was agreed at an Annual General Meeting of the Athlone 72 Bridge Club, which was held on the in the Shamrock Lodge Hotel, Athlone.
ETHICS
Bridge is a friendly social game as well as being a competitive sport, players are expected to be courteous at all times while still observing and upholding the rules of the game as outlined in the CBAI regulations July 2011
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