BROXBOURNE BRIDGE CLUB CONSTITUTION
1 PRELIMINARY
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- The club shall be called the ‘Broxbourne Bridge Club’, hereinafter called ‘The Club’.
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- The Club room is at the Broxbourne Sports Club, Mill Lane, Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, EN10 7BA.
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- The Club is a members’ club affiliated to the English Bridge Union (EBU) and to the Hertfordshire Bridge Association (HBA). The Club is subject to the rules and procedures of Contract Bridge as published by the EBU from time to time.
- OBJECTIVES
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- The objectives of The Club shall be to provide facilities for, and to organise the playing of, Duplicate Contract Bridge (Bridge).
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- Promoting the game of Bridge for the benefit of all.
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- The provision of facilities for the learning, teaching and playing of Bridge for the benefit of all.
- POWERS
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- The Club shall have power to do anything that an individual or corporate person can lawfully do which is necessary or expedient to achieve its objectives
- MEMBERSHIP
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- Membership shall be open to all Bridge players and those wishing to learn to play Bridge.
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- Membership shall be available to anyone without regard to gender, sexual orientation, race, nationality, disability, marital status, religion or belief. The Club will take reasonable endeavours to ensure that those with a disability are able to use the facilities and enjoy the benefits of the Club.
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- Any person wishing to become a member of The Club shall apply by completing and forwarding to The Club Secretary such application form for membership as may be prescribed from time to time by The Committee of The Club.
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- The Committee shall as soon as convenient consider the application for membership and if refused, give reasons for that refusal. Any applicant so refused will have the right to appeal such decision either in person at a Committee meeting or in writing.
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- A former member of The Club who wishes to re-join as a member may do so without the necessity for a further formal application for membership, except that a member who has been expelled from The Club, or has resigned from The Club or allowed his or her membership to lapse whilst suspended from the privileges of membership, must make a further formal application.
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- A member whose subscription has not been paid shall cease to be a member of The Club from the expiration of the period of three months from the date on which the subscription was due for payment.
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- A member shall cease to be a member of The Club immediately if expelled from The Club under the provisions of the disciplinary policy of The Club, or if their resignation in writing is delivered to The Club Secretary.
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- The Club will keep a register of members which will include their names, addresses and other contact details. Each member shall keep The Club Secretary informed of their current contact details.
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- All members are deemed to have accepted the regulations of this Constitution and the Policies and Codes of Conduct adopted by The Club.
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- All members of The Club are automatically enrolled as members of the EBU and shall abide by its By-Laws.
- VISITORS
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- Visitors may play at The Club. Visitors must comply with this Constitution and other rules and regulations of The Club in the same way as members.
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- In the event that facilities are inadequate to accommodate those who wish to play, priority shall be given to members.
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- No person whose membership of The Club has been previously terminated, or whose application for membership has been rejected, shall be entitled to play at The Club or use The Club’s facilities as a visitor.
- ADMINISTRATION
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- The general management of The Club shall be vested in The Committee, elected annually and shall consist of:
- Chairman
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Conduct Committee Chairman
- Such ordinary members as provided for under clause 6.6
Any two offices may be combined and held by one person. If two offices are held by one person then that person shall have one vote at Committee meetings and that person’s signature on cheques shall count as only one of the two signatures required under clause 7.3 of this constitution.
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- Any person who is a member of The Club is eligible for election to The Committee
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- Should a vacancy occur on The Committee then the remaining members of The Committee shall have the power to fill such a vacancy by appointing any other member of The Club.
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- The Committee shall hold meetings once a quarter. At such meetings three members of The Committee shall form a Quorum. In the absence of the Club Chairman the members present shall elect a temporary Club Chairman from amongst their number. At all Committee meetings the Club Chairman (or temporary Club Chairman) shall have an additional or casting vote in the event of a tied vote.
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- The Committee shall have the power to make by-laws and to enter into any activity for the promoting or encouragement of Bridge within the structure of the EBU; to make arrangements for conducting matches, tournaments and competitions; sending representatives to tournaments; and spending money for the purpose of providing prizes for competitions or for meeting expenses.
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- The Committee may appoint sub-committees and co-opt any willing member on to The Committee or sub-committees for the purpose of conducting the business of The Club.
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- The Committee shall recommend table money for members and non-members and annual subscription at such rates as it deems appropriate to be approved by the members at a General Meeting.
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- Each member of The Club shall be required in connection with the game of Bridge to conform to the standards of fair play, courtesy and personal deportment prescribed by the by-Laws and regulations for the time being of the EBU.
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- The Club shall have the powers and procedures for the enforcement of the requirement in clause 4.7. They are set out in the EBU Schedule of Disciplinary Procedures version 5.5 dated 21st February 2012, which shall be a schedule of this Constitution.
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- Before the end of July each year The Committee shall publish a calendar of proposed events for the following twelve months but The Committee shall have the power to vary this programme at any time it deems necessary.
7 FINANCES
7.1 All table monies received shall be regarded as monies of The Club.
7.2 The Club Treasurer shall:
- Bank all money received to the account of The Club.
- Be responsible for payment of all expenditure and prize money.
- Construct a balance sheet and profit & loss account, together with such statements as shall be required by the Auditor as appointed under clause 8.1e.
7.3 Cheques drawn on The Club bank account shall be signed by the Club Treasurer and either the Club Chairman or the Club Secretary.
7.4 The financial year shall be from 1st June to 31st May.
8 GENERAL MEETINGS
8.1 An Annual General Meeting (AGM) of The Club shall be held every year, not later than the end of September in order to transact the following business:
- To receive and if appropriate adopt a statement of the accounts for the previous financial year.
- To fix the annual subscription for members and the rate of table money for members and non-members as recommended by The Committee.
- To consider and sanction if necessary any changes in the Constitution.
- To elect members of The Committee
- To appoint an Honorary Auditor or Auditors who shall not be members of The Committee
- To deal with any matter which The Committee or membership decide to bring before the meeting
8.2 The date of the AGM is to be shown on the proposed annual calendar of events and this is to be regarded as sufficient notification.
8.3 Any resolution to be included in the Agenda of an AGM or special general meeting (SGM) together a (General Meeting) is to be notified to the Club Secretary twenty one days before any such meeting.
8.4 The agenda of a General Meeting shall be published to members not less than six days before the date of the General Meeting.
8.5 Any resolution may be discussed and voted on at any General Meeting, whether on the Agenda or not, provided the following conditions are met:
- The resolution is properly proposed and seconded.
- The majority of members present assent to the discussion of the motion.
- The Chairman at his or her discretion considers the discussion and voting of any motion which is introduced at the General Meeting is not detrimental to the members who are not present.
8.6 A SGM may be convened at any time at the discretion of The Committee and shall also be convened within twenty one days of the receipt of a requisition in writing from not less than twenty per cent of the current membership of The Club.
8.7 Any decision by the majority present at a General Meeting shall be binding on all members of The Club.
9 NOMINATIONS
9.1 Nominations for proposed members of The Committee shall be in writing, and shall be signed by a proposer and seconder, both of whom shall be members of The Club, and also by the person nominated. Nominations must reach the Club Secretary no later than one week prior to the date fixed for the AGM.
9.2 In the event that there are fewer nominations made under 9.1 than there are posts available, the Chairman or temporary Chairman of the meeting may at his or her discretion accept all additional nominations made at the meeting, provided the nominations comply with the terms of 9.1 other than the date for receipt.
10 NOTICES
10.1 Notices may be given by post or by email, at the Club Secretary’s discretion, to the last known address for such communication. No accidental error or defect in the service of a notice to an individual member or members shall invalidate the notice of a meeting or the decisions made at the meeting.
10.2 A notice convening any General Meeting shall be issued by the Club Secretary not less than fourteen days prior to the meeting. The notice must state the date, time and venue of the meeting and contain full particulars of the business to be transacted, including any motions for the meeting. The notice will also invite members to raise any business to be discussed at the meeting. Any business so notified must be received by the Club Secretary at least seven days prior to the meeting.
11 CONDUCT OF MEMBERS, COMPLAINTS AND DISCIPLINARY MATTERS
11.1 Members shall conform to the standards of fair play, courtesy and personal behaviour prescribed by the EBU from time to time.
11.2 If a member wishes to complain about the conduct of another member or members then they should do so in writing to the Chairman or Club Secretary.
11.3 In the event of a complaint being made to the Chairman or the Club Secretary about the conduct of a member or members of The Club, The Committee may (and if a written complaint is received signed by at least five members of The Club, it shall) consider the complaint.
11.4 The complaint will be considered in accordance with The Club’s disciplinary policy which is made available to all members.
11.5 The Club may at any time seek external legal advice, and may seek advice from the HBA or EBU.
12 ALTERATIONS OF RULES
12.1 No amendments to this constitution may be made except by The Club in General Meeting.
12.2 Amendments to this constitution can only be approved by at least two thirds of those members present and voting.
13 DISSOLUTION
13.1 If the number of members of The Club falls below nine, or if The Club shall pass, by a majority of at least two thirds of the votes cast in a General Meeting, a resolution of its intention to dissolve, The Committee shall be responsible for the winding up of The Club.
13.2 The Committee shall take immediate steps to convert into money all the property of The Club. Out of the proceeds of such conversion The Committee shall discharge all debts and liabilities of The Club. The Committee shall transfer any surplus assets and funds to an organisation whose objectives are in keeping with those of The Club. The Club shall, for all purposes, be dissolved.
This Constitution was approved by General Meeting on ……………………………….
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