THE RULES OF THE

OLD CRANLEIGHAN RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB (founded 1919)

(Rules revised 2003 and 2012)

GENERAL

  1. The Club shall be called the "Old Cranleighan Rugby Football Club".
  2. In these rules:

(a)the following words and expressions will have the following meanings unless the context otherwise require:

"Club" means the Old Cranleighan Rugby Football Club;

"Club House" means the Club's clubhouse, presently situated at the Old Cranleighan Sports Club, Portsmouth Road, Thames Ditton, Surrey KT7 0HB, all the land and property used by the Club for its purposes thereat being the freehold property of the Old Cranleighan Society;

"Committee" means the committee of the Club elected in accordance with these rules;

"Members" means the members of the Club as described in clause 4 below;

"OC Society" means the Old Cranleighan Society.

(b)references to the masculine shall include the feminine and vice versa, unless the context otherwise requires.

OBJECTS

  1. The objects of the Club are to carry out such of the following as are for the benefit of the Members:

(a)to establish, maintain and conduct a club for the encouragement of participation in development of and the provision of facilities for the playing of Rugby Union Football by members of the public including particularly of the local community and former pupils at Cranleigh School, Surrey and their friends and guests;

(b)generally to afford to the Members and their friends and guests all the usual advantages and conveniences of a sporting club;

(c)in respect of the activities set out above, to operate on a non-profit making basis such that any surplus income or gains are reinvested in the Club; and

(d)to do all such acts and deeds as are otherwise reasonable or necessary in order to carry out the activities set out in clause 3(a) and (b) above.

MEMBERS

  1. The Club shall consist of (a) playing members; (b) patrons; (c) the President; (e) past Presidents; (f) Vice-Presidents; (g) guest members (h) members of the OC Society who apply for membership in accordance with clause 5 below and (i) such other classes of members as the Committee may from time to time decide.
  2. Membership of the Club shall be open to all adult members of the general public without discrimination of any sort including as to age, sex, race, religion, nationality, disability or place of schooling. Members of the OC Society shall automatically be entitled to become Members of the Club and shall become so immediately upon application to any member of the Committee.
  3. Entrance fees and subscription shall be as from time to time fixed by the Committee. Subscriptions shall be paid by remittance for the amount payable or by standing order or by variable direct debit or by such other method or arrangement as the Committee may approve from time to time.
  4. Applications for membership shall be accompanied by a remittance for the amount of the subscription payable and the entrance fee (if any) if requested or by documents relating to such other method of payment as is provided for hereunder or approved by the Committee. Subject as is provided in these rules and unless the Committee otherwise orders, the duration of membership of each Member shall be from the date of his election until 31 December next following and thereafter from year to year.
  5. No Member shall introduce as a guest at the Club House any person who has been suspended, required to resign or expelled, or whose name has been struck from the register of Members either for non-payment of subscription or for any other reason or has not been re-elected as being provided by the rules. Members shall be responsible for the conduct and behaviour of their guests whilst at the Club House.
  6. The name of any Member who has omitted to pay his subscription within one month of being asked to do so, may be posted on the notice boards at the Club House. If such Member's subscription remains unpaid after a further month he shall cease to be a Member. The Committee shall have power to restore his membership on receiving a satisfactory explanation of the delay.
  7. Every Member binds himself to abide by the rules and regulations of the Club from time to time being in force. Members shall not be entitled to any surplus income or capital gains generated by the Club. The Club is required by the Rugby Football Union to put in place a certain level of insurance cover for players and officials. It is the responsibility of each Member to ensure that he has sufficient additional insurance cover for his needs. Each Member agrees that he will not take proceedings against the Club or against any other Member in respect of death or any personal injury incurred by such Member in the course of playing rugby football for the Club or refereeing a game of rugby football at the Club (or while training for such purpose). Each Member further agrees that if any such proceedings are commenced and allowed by any court, that the liability of the Club and every Member shall be limited to the sum of the last subscription paid by such Member.
  8. Any Member wishing to resign his membership may do so at any time by giving notice in writing but shall not be entitled to any refund of his subscription or entrance fee. If any Member shall be convicted of any arrestable offence, or shall be adjudicated bankrupt, or shall make a composition or scheme of arrangement under the Insolvency Acts, or if his cheque negotiated through the Club shall be dishonoured, he shall thereupon cease to be a or Member but the Committee shall have power upon enquiring into the circumstances to reinstate him should it see fit.
  9. In the event of a breach by a Member of the rules and/or regulations of the Club, or if the conduct on the part of the Member, either before or after his election, render it in the opinion of the Committee desirable that he should cease to be a Member, the Committee shall cause the alleged transgression to be set out in writing to the Member and he may be called before the Committee for an explanation of his conduct or breach. The Committee shall hear from him what he may wish to urge in his defence, accompanied by a representative if he so wishes. Failing a satisfactory explanation of his conduct or breach, he may be cautioned, suspended, required to resign or be expelled by the Committee in its discretion and, if required to resign or expelled he shall irrevocably waive and forfeit all rights in and claims upon the Club and its property.

THE OFFICERS OF THE CLUB

  1. The officers of the Club shall consist of:

(i)the President;

(ii)the Chairman;

(iii)the Hon. General Secretary;

(iv)the Hon. Fixtures Secretary;

(v)the Hon. Treasurer;

(vi)a Captain of each senior XV;

(vii)the Chairman of the youth and mini section of the Club; and

(viii)the Hon. Secretary of the youth and mini section of the Club.

  1. Any Member is eligible to stand to be an elected officer of the Club following nomination by a proposer Member and seconder Member at the Annual General Meeting. Any Member may vote in the election of the officers.
  2. All of the officers shall be elected at an Annual General Meeting of the Club and shall remain in office until the next following Annual General Meeting when they shall retire but shall individually remain eligible for re-election.

THE COMMITTEE

  1. The management of the Club shall be in the hands of the Committee which comprises the following officers of the Club:

(i)the Chairman;

(ii)the Hon. General Secretary;

(iii)the Hon. Fixtures Secretary;

(iv)the Hon. Treasurer;

(v)the Captain of each senior XV;

(vi)the Chairman of the youth and mini section of the Club; and

(vii)the Hon. Secretary of the youth and mini section of the Club.

The Committee shall meet as required but at least 4 times a year. The quorum for meetings of the Committee shall be 3 members. The Chairman shall have the casting vote in the event of a tied vote.

  1. The Committee may co-opt out or appoint other members for such ex-officio positions as it deems necessary from time to time. The Committee may also from time to time invite other Members to attend Committee meetings but such Members shall have no vote in relation to Committee decisions.
  2. The Committee shall have the power to make such regulations with regard to the activities of the Club as it may think fit (including as to the selection and composition of teams and the availability of playing members for selection) and to vary such regulations from time to time. Any such regulations (or variations therein) shall be posted on notice boards at the Club House.
  3. The Committee's decision is final on all matters requiring adjudication, including discipline on the pitch.

AFFILIATIONS

  1. The Club shall be affiliated to the OC Society, to the Rugby Football Union and shall be a member club of the Surrey County Rugby Football Union and an associate member club of the Middlesex County Rugby Football Union.
  2. The Committee may associate or affiliate the Club with or to such other clubs or bodies on such terms and subject to such agreements as the Committee may from time to time in its discretion approve.

PLAYING MATTERS

  1. The Club shall play under the Rules of the Rugby Football Union from time to time.
  2. A selection committee of the Captain, Vice Captain and one other member of each team (to be co-opted by the two former) shall be formed from each team at the beginning of the season and the same shall do duty throughout the season.
  3. The composition of any team shall be confined to the Members save that in the event that any selection committee wishes to play a member of the public who is not yet a member of the Club but is contemplating becoming a Member, such member of the public shall be deemed to be a guest Member and shall be allowed to play upon payment of the match fees approved for such purpose from time to time by the Committee.
  4. Any Member chosen to play in a match and who has received notice to this effect shall at once inform a member of the selection committee for the team for which he has been chosen at once if he is unavailable to play.
  5. The Club colours shall be blue, orange and white shirts worn with navy blue shorts.
  6. The Club will participate in such friendly matches, league and cup competitions as are arranged by the Hon. Fixtures Secretary and approved by the Committee.

GENERAL MEETINGS

  1. An Annual General Meeting shall be held in every calendar year following the end of each season and before the beginning of the next following season.
  2. The Committee shall submit to the Annual General Meeting a report of the activities carried out by the Club over the proceeding season together with a statement of accounts prepared by the Hon. Treasurer for the period since the preceding set of accounts.
  3. An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called upon a written application to the Hon. General Secretary signed by not less than 10 Members.
  4. At least fourteen (14) days notice shall be given to Members of all Annual and Extraordinary General Meetings of the Club specifying the business to be transacted at the meetings.
  5. The quorum for any General Meeting shall be 15 Members of the Club. Each Member shall have one vote at any General Meeting which he may exercise in person or by proxy. No rule shall be altered without the consent of at least 75% of Members present in person or by proxy and entitled to attend and vote.
  6. At the Annual General Meeting, an honours tankard will be awarded by the Chairman to the member who in his opinion has made the greatest contribution to the Club during the past season. Each team Captain will also award an honours tankard to the player of his team who in his opinion has made the greatest contribution to the team during the past season. The Chairman of the youth and mini section shall also award such tankards as the Committee shall decide.
  7. If following an Annual General Meeting any of the offices of the Club shall remain vacant or if such offices become vacant following the Annual General Meeting, the Committee can co-opt a Member of the Club to fill the vacancy in question at any time.
  8. The Annual General Meeting may elect as Vice President (whether for life or such other period as the Annual General Meeting may decide) any person (whether or not an existing Member) distinguished in promoting the cause of the Club or who has otherwise rendered conspicuous service to the Club. Such Vice President shall not be required to pay a subscription or an entrance fee (if any).

NOTICES

  1. Every notice sent to a Member shall be deemed to be duly sent if sent by email or posted to his address in each case as appearing in the register of Members.

DISSOLUTION

  1. The Club may be dissolved by resolution of a General Meeting but no resolution of a dissolution shall be carried except by a 85% majority of votes cast by those Members present in person or by proxy and entitled to attend and vote.
  2. If the resolution for dissolution be duly passed, the assets and affairs of the Club shall be applied for by the Committee for the following purposes (at the Committee's absolute discretion):

(a)the purposes of the RFU for use in the community for the encouragement of participation in and the playing of rugby football; or

(b)the purposes of any charity or any community amateur sports club.

1
LONDON\MAL\39881728.01