Constitution and Rules
(as amended at 7th June 2007)

1.NAME AND OBJECTS
(a)The Club shall be called Dunfermline Rugby Football Club
(b)The objects of the Club shall be to encourage and develop interest in Rugby Football as administered by the Scottish Rugby Union of which body it shall be a member.

2.MEMBERSHIP
(a)The membership of the Club shall consist of Junior (under 18 years of age), Playing, Patrons, Country and Honorary Members, all as hereinafter provided.
(b)Membership, other then Country Membership, shall be open only to members of Dunfermline Sports Club of which Dunfermline Rugby Football Club shall be the Rugby Section.
(c)Subject to clause (b) hereof no application for membership will be refused on other than reasonable grounds. There will be no discrimination on grounds of race, occupation, sex or religious, political or other opinion.
(d)A member, or prospective candidate for membership, of the Dunfermline Sports Club, wishing to become a member of Dunfermline Rugby Football Club or an individual wishing to become a Country Member of Dunfermline Rugby Football Club shall submit an application in writing to the Secretary and such candidates shall be proposed and seconded by two members of the Dunfermline Rugby Football Club who must have been members of the Club for at least one year.
The names and addresses of persons proposed for membership shall be displayed in a conspicuous place in the Club premises for at least a week prior to their election, and an interval of at least two weeks shall elapse between the nomination and election of members.
Every member shall have the right to intimate an objection to any application for membership.

All members of the Club shall be elected by simple majority of the Management Committee, who shall have the power to reject an application for membership.
(e)Patrons – Non-playing members who contribute such annual subscription as may be fixed at the Annual General Meeting, in addition to their subscription to Dunfermline Sports Club, shall be considered Patrons of the Club and their names shall be included in the Fixture Card for the following season.
(f)Country Membership – At the sole discretion of the Management Committee a non-playing member or a non-playing prospective member residing at a considerable distance from Dunfermline who could not normally avail himself of the facilities of the Sports Club shall be considered a Country Member. Such a member shall contribute as a Patron excluding, however, the subscription due to the Dunfermline Sports Club and his name shall be included in the Fixture Card for the following season.
(g)Honorary Membership – The Management Committee may appoint as an Honorary Member any person who, in the opinion of that Committee, is deemed worthy of the appointment. Such members shall have all the privileges of membership.
(h)The Constitution and Rules – will be displayed at all times on the Club’s Notice Board and copies will be available on request from the Secretary.
(i)Resignation – Any member wishing to resign his membership of the Club must give notice in writing to the Secretary prior to the date of the Annual General Meeting, failing which the subscription for the financial year which has then commenced, will be due by the member.

(j)Suspension – The Management Committee will have the power to suspend or expel any member who shall offend against the Rules or Bye-Laws of the Club or whose conduct in the opinion of the Management Committee renders him unfit for membership of the Club. No member shall be expelled without first having the opportunity of appearing before the Management Committee and answering the complaint made against him, nor unless at least two thirds of the Committee then present vote in favour of his expulsion.

3.MANAGEMENT
(a)The Office Bearers of the Club shall consist of an Honorary President, four or more Honorary Vice-Presidents, a President, a Vice-President, an Honorary Secretary, an Honorary Treasurer, an Honorary Match Secretary, Team Secretaries, and the Captain and Vice-Captain of the Club, who shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Club; All Office Bearers shall be eligible for re-election.
(b)The business and affairs of the Club shall be entrusted to a Management Committee consisting of the President, Vice-President, Immediate Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, Match Secretary, Captain and Vice-Captain of the Club, the Chairman of the Selection Committee, the Convener of the Social Committee and ten members. The aforesaid ten members shall be elected at the Club’s Annual General Meeting and shall be eligible for re-election. Preference for four of the member’s positions will be given to players. The Management Committee shall have full powers to deal with anything connected with the Club, including the co-option of a member of the Club to fill a casual vacancy on the Committee, but nothing herein contained shall in any way interfere with the jurisdiction and powers of the Scottish Rugby Union over the Club and its members. Five members of the Management Committee shall form a quorum.
(c)The Management Committee will nominate members of the Club, not necessarily members of the Management Committee to serve on the Management Committee of Dunfermline Sports Club.
(d)The Secretary shall present his report of the past season’s activities to the Annual General Meeting.
(e)The Secretary and Treasurer may be empowered by the Management Committee to sanction all expenditure of money necessarily incurred by the Selection Committee in the carrying out of all matches and practices.
(f)The financial year of the Club shall end on 30th April. Correct Accounts and Books shall be kept showing the financial affairs and intromissions of the Club and an Account with a Bank approved by the Management Committee shall be opened in the name of the Club into which all monies received by the Treasurer shall forthwith be passed. The Annual Accounts of the Club independently examined by a Chartered or Certified Accountant or other suitable person in practice in Dunfermline appointed at the Annual General Meeting, shall be exhibited on the Club premises at least seven days prior to the date of the Annual General Meeting to which they will be submitted.
(g)All property of the Club, whether heritable or moveable, and including land, leases and investments, shall be held by the President, Vice-President and Secretary for the use and benefit of the Club as Trustees. ex officiis (hereinafter referred to as “the Trustees”)
(h)With the consent of the majority of the Committee the Trustees shall have power (One) to enter into contracts and sign any documents in connection with the purchase, sale, lease, mortgage or pledge of property, whether heritable or moveable, on behalf the Club and, (Two) to borrow money on behalf of the Club.
(i)If so authorised by the Minutes of the Management Committee the Secretary or the Treasurer and one member of the Committee shall have power in all questions between the Club and any of the members or third parties to institute/defend and follow out legal proceedings in the name of the Club.
(j)For the better management of the Club, the Management Committee shall have power to frame Bye-Laws not inconsistent with these Rules, which shall be deemed to have equal force and authority as if incorporated in the Constitution and Rules.

4.SUBSCRIPTIONS

(a)Subscriptions, as fixed at the Annual General Meeting, shall be due on 1st November of each year and shall be paid to the Treasurer of the Dunfermline Sports Club together with the said Sports Club’s Annual Subscription.
(b)Each new member will pay to the Treasurer of the Dunfermline Sports Club the subscription together with the said Sports Club’s Entrance Fee and Annual Subscription prior to being admitted to the Club.
(c)The Management Committee shall withdraw facilities from defaulting members and in due course shall take such further action as they consider advisable.

5.TEAM SELECTION
(a)A Selection Committee consisting of twelve non-playing members elected at the Annual General Meeting to be held in May each year, along with the Captain and Vice-Captain of the Club and the 1st XV Team Secretary shall select all match teams and make all necessary arrangements for the carrying out of matches and practices. The Selection Committee shall have power to add to its numbers and shall appoint its own Chairman.
(b)The Selection Committee shall have power to choose Captains and Vice-Captains of XVs other than the 1st XV, who together with Team Secretaries of the Junior XVs, shall be entitled to attend at the selection of their respective XVs and shall have a vote.

6.MEETINGS
(a)The Annual General Meeting of the Club will be held in May each year and shall be called by a Notice served on each member at least seven days prior to the date of the Meeting and stating the business of the Meeting.
(b)A Special General Meeting may be convened at any time by the Management Committee or on receipt by the Secretary of a requisition signed by five members of the Club stating the objects for which the Special General Meeting is required. The Notice calling a Special General Meeting must be served on each member at least fourteen days prior to the Meeting and must give full particulars of the purpose for which the Meeting is called.
(c)No special business dealt with under the two preceding sections shall be subject to reconsideration unless with the approval of the Management Committee, until a period of two years has elapsed. In the event of such approval being granted a vote shall be taken by circular sent to all members and a two-thirds majority of those voting shall be necessary to carry any resolution. In the event of any dispute arising as to the admissibility of special business on the ground that the matter involved has been considered within the previous two years, the Management Committee will be sole judge.
(d)At any Meeting of the Club, Ten members present and entitled to vote shall form a quorum. In the event of a quorum not being present, the meeting shall be adjourned for one week, when those members present and entitled to vote shall form a quorum.

7.VOTING
(a)All members are entitled to attend, take part in discussions and vote at the Annual General Meetings and Special General Meetings.
(b)At any Meetings the Chairman, or acting Chairman, shall have a casting as well as a deliberative vote.

8.LIABILITY OF MEMBERS
The Club, by a majority of votes, shall have power at a Special General Meeting called for that purpose, to assess the whole membership for payment of such sum equally as may be considered necessary for liquidating the obligations of the Club, or any part thereof. Any member failing to make payment of his share of the sum resolved to be assessed upon the members within the time stipulated in the written Notice from the Club shall, in addition to his liability to have the sum so assessed recovered from him, at the discretion of the Management Committee, whose judgement shall be final, be also liable to have his name struck off the membership.

9.CLUB COLOURS
Every playing member shall wear the Club Colours in all matches in which he is taking part. The Club Colours shall be as follows: Blue and White Jersey, Blue Shorts and Blue and White Stockings.

10.ALTERATIONS TO CONSTITUTION
No alterations or additions to these Rules shall be made except by a Resolution carried by a majority of at least two thirds of the members present at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting of the Club, Notice of which shall have contained particulars of the proposed alterations or additions.

11.WINDING UP OR DISSOLUTION
The property, effects and funds of the Club, whencesoever derived, shall be applied solely towards the promotion and objects of the Club and no portion thereof shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend, bonus, or otherwise howsoever by way of profit to the members of the Club.
If, upon the winding up or dissolution of the Club, there remains after the satisfaction of all its debts and liabilities, any property whatsoever, the same shall be given or transferred to some other organisation or organisations having objects (that is, aims and activities) similar to the objects of the Club, such organisation or organisations to be determined by the members of the Club by Resolution passed at a General Meeting at or before the time of the dissolution, and in so far as effect cannot be given to such provision, then to some charitable object.

Vacancies