Elton (All Saints) Cricket Club

Rules and Constitution

Contents

Rule Number ReferencePage Number

1 Name of the Club and Registration 2

2 Objects of the Club 2

3 Membership 2/3

4 Subscriptions 4

5 Admission of Children 4

6 Election of Officials 4/5

7 Management Committee 5/6

8 Committee Decisions 6

9 Sub-committee 6/7

10 Team Selection Committee 7

11 General Meetings 7/8

12 Finance 8

13 Display / Availability of Rules 8

14 Rules relating to Licensing Laws 8/9

15 One Day Membership 9

16 Conduct/Complaints Procedure 9

17 Trust Deed 10

18 Declaration 10

Rule 1 – The Name of the Club and Registration

1a.The Club shall be called “Elton (All Saints) Cricket Club” and be registered with Bury Metropolitan Borough Council as a Club Premises under the Licensing Act 2003.

1b.Any change to the Club licence will be notified to the members at the Annual General Meeting by the chair.

Rule 2 – Objects of the Club

2a.To promote the sport of cricket at all levels within the community and within the sport, providing opportunities for recreation, coaching and competition. In addition the Club shall promote the playing of any other games and/or sports for which the Club provides facilities.

2b.To ensure all members, playing and non-playing abide by the ECB code of Conduct which incorporates the Spirit of Cricket and by the Laws of Cricket.

2c.To ensure a duty of care to all members of the Club by adopting and implementing the ECB ‘Safe Hands – Cricket’s policy for Safeguarding Children’ and any future versions of this policy.

2d. To encourage all members to participate fully in the activities of the club.

2e. To ensure a duty of care to all members of the club by adopting and implementing the ECB Cricket Equity Policy and any future versions of this policy.

Rule 3 – Membership

3a.Membership of the club shall be open to anyone interested in the sport of cricket or any of the other games and/or sports for which the Club provides facilities on Application regardless of sex, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or beliefs. However, limitation of membership according to available facilities is allowable on a non-discriminatory basis.

3b.The Club may have different classes of membership on a non-discriminatory and fair basis.

3c.No person shall be eligible to take part in the business of the Club or eligible for selection for any team unless the appropriate subscription has been paid by the specified date or membership has been agreed by the Management Committee.

3d. There shall be the following classes of membership available. These are:

  • Full Member
  • Junior Member (Under 17 years of age at the beginning of the current year)
  • Social Member
  • Associate Member
  • Honorary Life Member

A list of all members shall be maintained by the Club Secretary or other person nominated by the Management Committee.

3e.Full membership shall be open to all persons either wishing to play or who have played for the Club or at the discretion of the Management Committee and the appropriate subscription has been paid. Full members are eligible to vote at any General Meeting.

3f.Social membership shall be open to all persons at the discretion of the Management Committee and the appropriate subscription has been paid. Social members are eligible to vote at any General Meeting.

3g.Persons under 17 years of age may become junior members only. Junior membership does not carry any voting power at General Meetings except at the annual Players Meeting when any junior who has played 14 games for the 1st or 2nd XI during the season is entitled to vote.

3h. The parent/carer/guardian of all junior members will automatically become associate members of the Club upon the registration of the junior member. Associate membership does not carry any voting power at General Meetings. An Associate Members membership will cease upon the termination of the membership of the Junior member.

3i.Any persons seeking membership must have his or her name prominently displayed in the clubhouse for the period of at least 48 hours before membership may be granted.

3j. Membership cards shall not be transferable and must be produced when required to any official of the Club on entry to the ground and pavilion.

3k.Honorary Life membership may be conferred on any member at the discretion of the Management Committee. Honorary Life members whilst not required to pay a fee, will be entitled to continue in an active role where club affairs are concerned if they so wish. Honorary Life members are eligible to vote at any General Meetings.

3l.The Management Committee may refuse membership or remove it only for good cause such as conduct or character likely to bring the Club or cricket or any other game and/or sport for which the Club provides facilities into disrepute. Appeal against refusal or removal may be made to the Management Committee who shall appoint an Appeals Committee to hear the appeal.

3m.All members will be subject to the regulations of the Constitution and by joining the Club will be deemed to accept these regulations and any Codes of Conduct that the Club has adopted. The Constitution shall identify those members eligible to vote at any General Meetings.

3n.Any member whose conduct the Management Committee shall deem contrary to the welfare of the Club shall be given adequate opportunity to explain their actions up until prior to the following months Management Meeting, or a specified time agreed by the Management Committee, whereupon the said Management Committee will take whatever appropriate action it deems necessary.

3o. Any professional cricket player or coach employed by the Club shall be an associate member for the term of their contract and shall therefore have no voting rights at General Meetings.

Rule 4 – Subscriptions

4a. The Club may have different level of subscriptions for different classes of membership such subscriptions to be on a non-discriminatory and fair basis. The club will keep subscriptions at levels that will not pose significant obstacle to people participating.

4b.The annual and match subscriptions shall be reviewed at a special general meeting held towards the end of the club’s financial year or at the AGM if this is held before 31st December.

4c.Any proposal passed by a majority of members voting at such meetings shall be reviewed at the next meeting of the Management Committee for final decision.

4d.Subscriptions which relate to the year 1 January to 31 December are due for renewal between 1 January and 31 May each year on the occasion of the first or subsequent visit of the member to the Club during this time.

4e.Full members who have not paid their subscriptions by 31 May will not be eligible for selection until their subscription has been paid.

Rule 5 – Admission of Children

5a.There is no law against the admission of children of any age to a club. A club is not a public house and the law relating to public houses in this respect does not apply to clubs. Children may be admitted in accordance with any regulations made by the Management Committee notwithstanding that intoxicants are supplied or consumed in the room or rooms to which children are admitted. In the case of a children’s party, an adequate number of adults should be present to secure the children’s safety.

Where the club admits children the Management Committee should determine the occasions when, and the parts of the clubhouse to which they should be admitted.

Rule 6 – Election of officials

6a.Persons referred to in Rule 7 shall be elected for a period of one year, the term of office to commence at the close of business of the Annual General Meeting.

6b.All officials shall be eligible for re-election to the same office or to another office.

6c. Nominations of persons to serve shall be included on the agenda notice at least 7 days before the date of the Annual General Meeting.

6d.All nominations must be the consent of the nominee, stating the office of nomination and must be seconded.

6e.If in the event there is greater number of nominations than available offices then a vote shall be taken to establish which members shall be elected.

6f.If in the event there is a shortfall of nominations for available office then, after the election of persons who have received prior nominations, proposals for the additional vacancies can be accepted from the floor of the meeting.

For the election of members for the remaining Vacancies, rule 6e shall be applied if necessary.

6g.If after the proposals have been made and officials elected there still remain a shortfall of elected officials, then the Management Committee shall have the right to appoint officials at their discretion.

6h.All Club members are eligible to vote may elect officials covered by Rule 7 below.

6i.Playing members and junior members who meet the criteria in Rule 3g only are eligible to elect team captains and members of the Team Selection Committee covered by Rule 10 below.

Rule 7 – Management Committee

7a.The management of the Club shall be invested, with the Management Committee which shall consist of a Chairman, Club Secretary, Cricket Secretary, Treasurer, Welfare Officer and not less than three (3) nor more than seven (7) other members. Only these members of the Management Committee shall be entitled to vote at Committee Meetings.

7b.The Committee will be convened by the Club Secretary and shall meet at agreed intervals and not less than six (6) times per year.

7c.The quorum for Management Committee Meetings shall be half of the elected Management Committee.

7d.The duties of the Committee shall be:

  1. To control affairs of the Club on behalf of the members.
  2. To keep accurate accounts of finance of the Club through the Treasurer. These should be available for reasonable inspection by members and should be audited before every Annual General Meeting. The Club shall maintain a current bank account.
  3. To co-opt additional members of the Management Committee as the Management Committee feel is necessary. Co-opted members shall not be entitled to vote on the Management Committee and shall serve until the end of the next Annual General Meeting.
  4. To make decisions on the basis of a simple majority vote. In the case of equal votes, the Chairman shall be entitled to the casting vote.

7e.The Management Committee has the power to:

  1. Acquire and provide grounds, equipment, coaching, training and playing facilities, clubhouse, transport, medical and related facilities.
  2. Provide coaching, training, medical treatment and related social and other facilities.
  3. Take out any insurance for club, employees, contractors, players, guests and third parties.
  4. Raise funds by appeal, subscriptions, loans and charges.
  5. Borrow money and give security for the same and open bank accounts.
  6. Buy, lease or licence property and sell (excluding the land detailed in the Trust Deed see rule 17), let or otherwise dispose of the same.
  7. Make grants and loans and give guarantees and provide other benefits.
  8. Set aside funds for special purposes or as reserves.
  9. Invest funds in any lawful manner.
  10. Employ and engage staff and others and provide services.
  11. Co-operate with or affiliate firstly to any bodies regulating or organising the sport of cricket (and any other game and/or sport the club provides facilities for), secondly any club or body or involved with cricket (and any other game and/or sport the club provides facilities for) and thirdly with government and related agencies.
  12. Do all other things reasonably necessary to advance the aims and objectives of the Club.

None of the above powers may be used other than to advance the aims and objectives in a manner consistent with Constitution and the general law.

7f.All members elected to the Management Committee must be willing to serve on at least one Sub-Committee (see Rule 9).

7g.Membership of the Management Committee shall be open to all Club members except Junior members and Associate members.

7h.An elected member of the Management Committee cease to be such if he or she ceases to be a member of the Club, resigns by written notice or is removed by the Management Committee for good cause after the member concerned has been given the chance of putting their case to the Management Committee. Appeal against removal may be made to an Appeals Committee appointed to hear the appeal.

Rule 8 – Committee Decisions

8a.No motion to alter, vary or amend any decision of the Management Committee shall be put forward to any Management Committee meeting unless due notice has been given at the previous Management Committee meeting of the purport of the motion.

Rule 9 – Sub-Committees

9a.The Management Committee may appoint any number of Sub-Committees to deal with special items of arrears of management or control affecting the daily operation of the Club. The Sub-Committee shall report to the Management Committee on a regular basis and any decisions affecting expenditure outside agreed budgets and/or changes to Club policy or procedures cannot be implemented without prior ratification by the Management Committee.

9b.Membership of Sub-Committees shall be open to any Club member except Associate and Junior members. The make up of any Sub-Committee must contain at least one member of the Management Committee.

Rule 10 – Team Selection Committee

10a.The Team Selection Committee shall comprise of the first, second and third team captains plus two other full members.

10b.In the absence of team captains vice captains may deputise.

10c.Membership of the Team Selection Committee shall be restricted to full members only.

10d. The Team Selection Committee and the team captains shall be elected at a special players’ meeting to be held prior to the start of each season.

Rule 11 – General Meetings

11a.The Annual General Meeting shall be held between the 1 November and 31 January, a minimum of 21 days’ notice being given.

11b.Election of all officers, Management Committee, Auditors, League Representatives etc. shall be made at the Annual General Meeting.

11c.Nominations of candidates for election to the Management Committee shall be made in writing to the Club Secretary at least 14 days in advance of the Annual General Meeting date. Nominations can only be made by members entitled to vote at General Meeting and must be seconded by another member who is also entitled to vote at a General Meeting.

The Quorum for General Meetings shall be twelve members who are entitled to vote at a General Meeting.

Any other business to be discussed at the Annual General Meeting shall be arranged by the Management Committee. Any other member wishing to raise a matter under any other business at the Annual General Meeting must advise the Club Secretary in writing of the nature of the matter at least 14 days before the meeting. The Club Secretary shall circulate or give notice of the agenda for the meeting to members not less than 7 days before the meeting. No matters other than those on the convening notice shall be discussed at the Annual General Meeting.

11d.The Club Secretary shall call a Special General Meeting when authorised to do so by the Management Committee or on receiving a written request for one signed by at least eleven (11) members (each of which is entitled to vote at General Meetings) and containing the nature of the matter to be discussed. Al least 14 day’s notice of such Special General Meeting shall be given and no business will be discussed or motion proposed accept that disclosed in the convening notice.

11e.At all General Meetings, the Chair will be taken by the Chairman or, in their absence, by a deputy appointed by members (entitled to vote at a General Meeting) attending the meeting. Decisions made at a General Meeting shall be a simple majority vote from those members entitled to vote attending the meeting. In the event of equal votes, the Chairman of the meeting shall be entitled to an additional casting vote.

11f.None of these Rules shall be altered nor new Rule made except at the Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting called for this purpose by the vote of two thirds of members voting. Any member wishing to propose a new rule or an alteration to an existing rule shall give notice thereof to the Club Secretary in writing stating its terms and title for its inclusion in the convening notice.

11g.All business to be discussed at any General Meeting shall be included in the convening notice for such meetings.

Rule 12 – Finance

12a.No member of the Club shall incur any expenditure on behalf of the Club without prior sanction of a member of the Management Committee.

12b.The Club’s financial Year shall commence on 1 October and end on 30th September.

12c.The Treasurer shall be responsible for the finances of the Club and for providing a report on financial position as required by the Committee.

12d.The Treasurer will present an audited statement of annual accounts at the Annual General Meeting.

Rule 13 – Display / Availability of Rules

13a.A copy shall be posted in the Clubhouse and the Club Secretary will furnish the presiding officer at all General Meeting and Management Committee Meetings with a copy of these rules. A copy of the rules shall be available upon request to any member of the Club.