ALTRINCHAM KERSAL RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB Rules 1. Name & Objects The Club shall be called the ALTRINCHAM KERSAL RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB and the objects of the Club shall be furtherance and the playing of the game of Rugby Football, provision of opportunities for recreation, social intercourse and refreshment for the benefit of its members and the provision and maintenance of a club-house and grounds. 2. Affiliation The Club shall be affiliated to the English Rugby Football Union and the Cheshire County Rugby Football Union. 3. Colours The colours of the Club shall be Red, Black and White Hooped Jerseys and Stockings, with Black Shorts and shall be worn at all matches, except where colours clash. 4. Constitution The club shall consist of President, Past-Presidents, Vice Presidents, Honorary Life Members, Patrons, Senior Section Member's Partners, Family Members and Ordinary Members (Playing and Non Playing). The number of members shall be within the discretion of the committee. Members eligible to vote at a General Committee shall be: 1
(a) Past and present senior playing members of the Club, Honorary Life Members and Vice Presidents. (b) Non Playing members elected at least five years before the start of the current season, where the season is deemed to begin on 1 st September. 5. Committee The affairs of the Club shall be controlled by a committee consisting of the following officers: The President, The Honorary Secretary, The Honorary Assistant Secretary, The Honorary Treasurer, The Honorary Assistant Treasurer, and Honorary Membership Secretary, The Captain and Vice Captain of the Club, The Manager of Rugby, The Honorary Fixtures Secretary, The Chairman of the Junior Section and Captains of all other XV s together with not more than 11 senior members. The Committee shall appoint one of their number as Chairman and one of their number as Vice-Chairman. 6. Powers of the Committee The Committee, seven of whom shall for a quorum, shall have power to manage the business of the Club, except making and altering of the rules, and shall be empowered from time to time as the necessity arises, to raise funds for the maintenance of the Club. They shall also have power to appoint Sub Committees and Delegates (including delegates to represent the Club on the Cheshire County Committee and the Manchester and District Referees Society) from their own body. They shall meet together, adjourn and regulate their meetings as they think fit. The Committee and all Sub Committees shall have power to co-opt. Coopted members shall have no voting rights. In the event of death or resignation of an officer of the Club, the Committee shall have the power to fill the vacancy. 7. Financial Reports The Honorary Treasurer shall report to the Committee at each Committee Meeting, the state of the Club s finances, also after 1st January, the names of those members whose subscriptions are in arrears. 8. Election of Members A person wishing to become a member shall complete an application form approved by the committee. Membership is open to all without discrimination and may only be refused where admission to membership would be contrary to the best interests of 2
the sport or the good conduct and interests of the Club and no person shall be denied membership of the Club on the grounds of race, ethnic origin, creed, colour, age, disability, gender, occupation, sexual orientation, religion, political or other beliefs. A person may appeal against such decision by notifying the Committee who shall put the matter to a general meeting for it to be decided by a majority vote of the members present and voting at such meeting. A person shall not be entitled to any privileges of the Club until two days have passed since the application for membership was submitted, whether or not the applicant is admitted as a member before those two days have elapsed. 9. Subscriptions etc The annual Subscription for Membership of the Club shall be decided at a General Meeting of Members. Senior playing members, whose subscriptions are not paid by 30th September in each year, or in the case of new senior playing members, within one month of election, will be surcharged by an amount to be decided at a General meeting of Members. Any playing Member whose subscription is due and unpaid on 31st October in each year shall not, whilst such subscription remains unpaid, be considered for selection to Club teams. Any Member whose subscription in any year is unpaid at 31st December shall cease to be a member with effect from that date subject to; (a) that Member having received a written request for the subscription and (b) the confirmation of the Committee. Playing Members joining after 25th December shall pay half subscription for the current season. Fees per game shall be at the discretion of the Committee. 10.Date Subscriptions become due Subscriptions shall become due on 1st September in each year. A complete list of Members shall be displayed by the Honorary Membership Secretary on the Notice Board showing the state of subscriptions. 11.Cancellation of Membership Any member wishing to resign shall send in his resignation in writing to the Honorary Membership Secretary before 1st September, otherwise he will be held liable for this subscription for the ensuing year, special cases may be dealt with at the Committee s discretion. 3
12.Conduct and Expulsion of Members The conduct of any Officer or Member of the Club shall be open to free discussion at any Committee meeting The Committee shall have the power to expel or discipline for misconduct on or off the field of play any officer or Member of the Club who, on the recommendation of a Sub-Committee consisting of the President, Chairman or vice-chairman of the Committee, the Captain of the Club, the Honorary Secretary and two Committee Members who shall be appointed by the Committee, in their opinion merits such action, such Officer or Member having previously been called upon to explain any alleged misconduct. The said Officer or Member shall have the right of appeal to the next General Meeting of the Club in the event of expulsion. 13.Vice-Presidents The Committee may each year nominate for election at the Annual General Meeting as Vice Presidents of the Club such member or members as they consider should receive special recognition for services to the Club. Any Member so elected shall remain a Vice President until ceasing to be a Member. The position of Vice President shall not carry any rights or obligations and in particular a Vice President shall not be an Officer or a Member of the Committee unless separately elected as such. 14.Honorary Life Members Members who have given outstanding service to the Club may be elected as Honorary Life Members. All nominations must be submitted to the Committee for consideration, but election shall only be at a General meeting. 15.Annual General Members The Annual General Meeting shall be held before 31st May in each year on a date to be fixed by the Committee. At least 7 days notice thereof shall be given in writing to each Member eligible to vote. Fifteen Members shall form a quorum. The Honorary Treasurer shall present a Statement of Accounts as at 28th February in that year, and the Honorary Secretary and the Captain of each XV shall give a report of the past season. At the Meeting the following elections shall be made: a) President b) Vice-Presidents c) Honorary Secretary and Honorary Assistant Secretary 4
d) Honorary Treasurer and Honorary Assistant Treasurer e) Honorary Membership Secretary f) Captain and Vice-Captain of the Club g) Captains and Vice-Captains of the Senior XV s h) Manager of Rugby i) Chairman of the Junior Section j) Honorary Team Secretaries k) Honorary Fixture Secretary l) Eleven Committee Persons m) Honorary Auditors 16.Extraordinary General Meetings Extraordinary General Meetings shall be called on the requisition of six Members of Committee, or fifteen Members of the Club. Such requisition shall be addressed in writing to the Honorary Secretary who shall call a Meeting within 30 days or receipt of such requisition. At least seven days notice to state the business to be transacted. Fifteen Members shall form a quorum at such meetings. 17.Alterations to Rules The Rules of the Club shall be changed only by a majority of two to one of those present and voting at a General Meeting, and a notice of the proposed alterations must be given to each Member at least seven days before the date of the meeting. Any such alteration must be forwarded to the Court and the Police within 28 days. 18.Selection Sub-Committee The Selection Sub-Committee shall have the power to select all teams at a time and place to be appointed by the Team Secretary. At the conclusion of their business, provided they constitute a quorum (7), they shall be empowered to form themselves into a committee for the purposes only dealing with applications for membership of the club. 19.Notification of Selection for teams When a match is arranged for any team, each member of that team shall be notified by Honorary Team Secretary, and shall immediately inform the Team Secretary if he is unable to play. Any Member failing to comply with this rule shall not be considered eligible for any team the following week unless he has a reasonable explanation. 5
20.Honours Caps Caps for outstanding services on the field of play may be awarded to Members at the discretion of a sub-committee appointed for that purpose. 21.Minute Book The Honorary Secretary shall keep a book in which shall be entered Minutes of every Annual and Extraordinary General Meeting and every Committee Meeting. 22.Trustees The Committee shall appoint Trustees of not more than six in number who shall be ex officio members of the Committee. The property of the club (other than cash which shall remain under the control of the Honorary Treasurer) shall be vested in them to be dealt with by them, as the Committee shall from time to time deem by resolution of which an entry in the Minute Book shall be conclusive evidence. The Trustees shall be indemnified against risk and expense the primary fund for which indemnity shall be the Club property and the secondary fund shall be joint and several contributions by the Members of the Club. The Trustees shall hold office until their death or resignation or until removed from office by resolution of the Committee who may for any reason that may seem sufficient to a majority of them present at any meeting remove any Trustee or Trustees from the office of Trustee. If by reason of such death, resignation or removal it shall appear necessary to the Committee that a new Trustee or Trustees shall be appointed or if the Committee shall deem it expedient to appoint an additional Trustee or additional Trustees, the Committee shall by resolution nominate the person or persons to be appointed the new Trustee or Trustees. For the purpose of giving effect to such nomination, the President is hereby nominated as the person to appoint new Trustees of the Club within the meaning of Section 26 of the Trustee Act 1925, and he shall by Deed duly appoint the person or persons so nominated by the Committee as the new Trustee of the Club and the provisions of the Trustees Act 1925, shall apply to any such appointment. Any statement of fact in any such Deed of Appointment shall in favour of a person dealing bona fide and for value with the Club or the Committee be conclusive evidence of the fact so stated. 23.Members and Guests Any Member shall be entitled to introduce guests to the Club if no person whose application for membership has been declined or 6
who has been expelled from the Club shall be introduced as a guest. The member introducing a guest shall enter the name and address of the guest together with his own name in a book, which shall be kept for that purpose in the Clubhouse. No member shall be entitled to introduce more than four guests on any one occasion. No guest may be introduced to the Club on more than six occasions in any year. 24.Clubhouse The Clubhouse shall be open from 11am to 11pm daily or during such hours from time to time as determined by the committee. The permitted hours for the supply of intoxicating liquor shall be as from time to time determined by the Committee in accordance with the permitted hours for the district. 25.By-Laws The Committee shall be empowered to make, repeal or amend bylaws and regulations to meet the requirements of the Club, so far as such requirements are not provided for by these rules; all bylaws and regulations so made shall be binding on every member and others using the Club until set aside or altered by the Committee. No by-law or regulation shall be valid which in any way is contrary to or inconsistent with provision of any of these rules. A copy of the by-laws or regulations so made shall forthwith be posted on the notice board in the Clubhouse. The Committee may by law or regulation alter the hours of the opening or closing of the Clubhouse and also the permitted hours in which intoxicating liquor may be supplied. 26.Raising of Loans If at any time the Club in General Meeting shall pass a resolution authorising the Committee to borrow money, the Committee shall thereupon be empowered to borrow for the purposes of the Club, such amount of money at such rate of interest and in such manner as shall be specified in such Resolution, and the Committee may issue Mortgages and Charges, and may thereby charge all or any of the property and funds of the Club with payment of the amount so borrowed, and interest thereupon. All members of the Club, whether voting on such resolution or not, and all persons becoming members of the Club after the passing of such resolution, shall be deemed to have assented to the same as if they had voted in favour of such Resolution. 7
27.Clubhouse Intoxicating liquor may be supplied during such hours as the Committee may from time to time determine (subject to paragraph 24) to members and also to non members of the club attending at the club premises being aged 18 years and over or such other age shall be permitted by law, when functions have been authorised by the Committee provided that: a) Such function is a function of a sporting nature involving attendance at the Club premises of members and supporters of visiting teams provided they are members and supporters of such teams and officials. b) Special functions organised by individuals or sections of the Club whose officials or individual members of the Club must be present and are to be responsible for such function is approved by Committee and minuted in advance. c) Such other functions as not provided for in sub paragraphs (a) and (b) above, provided that such function is approved by Committee and minuted in advance. d) Such function as in sub-paragraph (c) above not to exceed 12 functions in any one year. e) All profits received from any such functions as mentioned above shall be paid to the Club or organising section. f) Members of any Club Sub Committee formed for any purpose of organising any function as mentioned in sub paragraphs (a), (b), (c) above or any individual club member organising any such function as mentioned in sub paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) above shall be responsible to the Committee for the conduct of all persons attending such functions. The Committee shall at all times have overall responsibility. g) On the occasions of any of the functions mentioned in sub paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) hereof, no persons should under any circumstance take intoxicating liquors beyond the boundaries defined in the licence. 28.In the event that the club ceases to play or is wound up then after settling all liabilities of the club the committee shall dispose of the net assets remaining to one or more of the following: A) To another club with similar sports purposes which is a registered charity and/or B) To another club with similar sports purposes which is a registered community amateur sports club and/or C) To the sport's governing body for use by them for related community sports. 8