1 The League shall be known as the Bracknell Bridge League.

 2.1 To organise and promote inter-club duplicate bridge in both the 'live' and 'on-line' environment for clubs located in or near Bracknell.

 2.2 To support and nurture new clubs formed within the area, and encourage them to join the League.

 3.1 The Committee, which shall be responsible for the day-to-day management of the League, shall consist of a Chairperson, League Secretary, Treasurer, Fixtures/Results Secretary,Pivot Secretary (the Officers), and either one or two club Members. The Officers and member(s) shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting.

 3.2 The Committee shall have the power to co-opt other members to the Committee as they deem desirable.

 3.3 The Committee shall have the power to deal with matters not covered by this Constitution and other exceptional circumstances.

 4.1 Committee Meetings

       A properly constituted meeting of the Committee shall consist of at least four members of the appointed Committee, one of whom shall be the Chairperson, League Secretary or Treasurer. The Committee shall meet at least three times each year.

 4.2 Annual General Meeting

  4.2.1 An Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall be held after the completion of the League match programme at a date deemd practicable by the Committee. Notice of the AGM shall be sent to the Club Secretary or contact of each Club in the League to arrive at least seven days before the date of the meeting, see also paragraph 9.1.

  4.2.2 Each Club shall be entitled to send one voting representative to the AGM. Members of the Committee are only entitled to vote if they are representing a Club. The Chairperson has only a casting vote.

  4.2.3 A Club representative attending an AGM may also be empowered, subject to giving prior notification in writing to the League Secretary, to represent one other league club, in which case the said representative shall have a minimum of two (2) votes (for details of possible additional voting entitlement see paragraph 4.2.4).

  4.2.4 A club which entered four (4) or more teams in the league during a season shall be entitled to two (2) votes at the AGM at the end of that season, provided that such teams (or a minimum of four (4) teams from a club entering more than four teams) shall have completed their league fixtures during that season to the satisfaction of the Committee.

  4.2.5 A quorum for a General Meeting shall consist of a minimum of two (2) Officers, one of whom shall be the Chairperson, Secretary or Treasurer, and four (4) club representatives. In the absence of the Chairperson, the chair shall be taken by the Secretary or Treasurer.

 4.3 Special General Meetings

  4.3.1 If considered desirable, a Special General Meeting (SGM) may be called by the Committee.

  4.3.2 The Committee shall call a SGM at the request of a member Club provided the request has the written support of at least three other member Clubs. Unless otherwise agreed with the Member Club requesting the meeting, the SGM shall be held within 28 days of the written request being received by the League Secretary.

  4.3.3 The same conditions for notice and attendance shall apply as are required for an AGM.

  4.3.4 The voting entitlement held under Rule 4.2.4 above shall apply to any Special General Meeting held between the AGM at the end of a season and the AGM held before the end of the following season.

 5.1 The Treasurer shall keep a Receipts and Payments Account for the League.

 5.2 Each year the Committee shall recommend to the AGM:

  (i) the Annual Subscription payable per team,

  (ii) the Entry Fee for new teams and

  (iii) the Entry Fee for the Knock-Out Cup payable per team.

 6.1 The League shall be affiliated to the Berks and Bucks Contract Bridge Association.

 6.2 The League shall operate each season as a District League under the auspices of the English Bridge Union (EBU)

 6.3 The League shall make an annual payment to the EBU to cover the Universal Membership Scheme for league teams. This will ensure both full access to the EBU League Managment System (LMS) and the issue of Master Points at the end of each season to all players who have been members of a winning team.

 6.4 The League shall be organised into divisions known as Division 1, Division 2, etc.

 6.4 The divisions, except for the lowest, shall each consist of not more than eight teams.

  6.4.1 The size of the lowest division shall be decided by the Committee at the start of each season by consideration of the number of teams wishing to play. Should the number of teams exceed nine, the Committee shall consider dividing them, temporarily, into two Conferences (eg Sections 6A and 6B) with at least five teams in each.

 7.1 The separate document entitled "The League Rules"" defines how the League will operate on a day-to-day basis including, for each new season, determining the structure of the competition. the rules for promotion and relegation.and the guidelines for arangements  of both 'live' and 'on-line' matches.

 7.2 This document can be revised as required by the Committee subject only to the caveat that all changes will be circulated to the Clubs in advance of the implementation date.

 7.3 By written application to the League Secretary, Clubs can request the Committee to consider a Rule change at any time.

 7.4 The League Rules will be an Agenda item at the League Annual General Meeting (AGM) for consultation purposes only: changes can only be made by the Committee.

 7.5 The League Rules currently in force, and including an issue date, will be posted on the League's website - see also paragraph 8.1.

8.1 The League shall set up and manintain a website using the web administration service, 'Bridgewebs'.

8.2 The website shall contain information of interest to players and clubs in the Bracknell area, including league fixtures and results, details of governance and links to member clubs and related organisations.

 9.1 Amendments to the Constitution shall be made only at a General Meeting of the League. All proposals, duly seconded, for a change or changes in to the Rules and Constitution must be received by the Secretary in writing not less than 21 days prior to the date of a General Meeting: these proposals will be circulated to clubs with the Notice convening the General Meeting and included on the meeting agenda.

 9.2 In order to be carried, a proposal for a change in the Rules and/or Constitution requires (i) a Seconder and (ii) a minimum of two thirds of the total available votes (including proxy representation where notified to the Committee under paragraph 4.2.3) to be cast in favour of the motion.

 9.3 The Chairperson shall clarify voting eligibility, and the numerical requirements for a proposed change in the Rules and/or Constitution to be carried under paragraph 4.2., at the start of each General Meeting.

Issue 4 dated 1st July 2021