Club Constitution
1. Name

The club shall be known as Marston Saints Football Club, herein after referred to as “The Club”.

2. Composition and affiliation

The Club shall consist of a Junior Section (up to and including Under 18’s) and a Senior Section (Marston Saints and Marston Saints Reserves).

The Club shall be affiliated to the Oxfordshire Football Association or any other Football Association should it be deemed necessary.

Additional teams will be started, should the need arise.

3. Objectives

To provide Association Football for all of its members, regardless of gender, race or ability.

Other social and recreational pursuits will be provided, as deemed necessary by the General Management Committee.

The Club shall not issue any measures that would prove restrictive on grounds of gender, race, religion, ability or economical circumstances.

4. Management

The Club shall be managed by a committee, which shall be called the General Management Committee, which shall comprise of a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Senior Fixture Secretary, Junior Fixture Secretary, Bar Manager, Child Welfare Officer, Commercial/Fundraising Manager, a Junior Management Team Rep and a Senior Management Team Rep.

Each committee member, shall, by nature of The Club, stand for re-election at the end of each season in office. The above positions shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting. Nominations for such posts must be made in writing and sent by post to the Secretary, 28 days prior to the AGM. To ensure continuity, the officers should have been linked to the club either as a player, parent or committee member for two full seasons.

Nominations for Chairperson of the Social/Fundraising Committee must also be made in writing and sent by post to the Secretary, 28 days prior to the AGM. This post will also be made available for re-election at the end of each season.

Team Managers will be approved by the General Management Committee.

The General Management Committee will meet monthly or as deemed necessary.

At meetings of The General Management Committee, five shall form a quorum.

The proceedings shall be recorded in a minute book and duly signed by the Chairperson (or Vice-Chairperson in his absence) and Secretary as a true record.

The property and/or assets of the club shall be vested in the General Management Committee.

The General Management Committee shall have the power to appoint sub-committees, as may, from time to time, be deemed necessary and shall receive reports of such sub-committees at its meetings.

The General Management Committee shall have the power to suspend or expel any members deemed guilty of conduct prejudicial to the good name of The Club.

The General Management Committee shall have the power to declare a seat vacant should a committee member absent themselves from three consecutive meetings without a satisfactory explanation.

The General Management Committee may co-opt persons to the Committee, to act as advisors on, any matter as deemed necessary. The co-opted persons shall have no voting rights.

The General Management Committee shall have full authority for the enforcement of all Club rules.

5. Membership

Membership shall be open to all persons interested in promoting Association Football, upon payment of an annual subscription.

Associate Membership shall be bestowed upon Members of the General Management Committee and parents/guardians of all Junior Section members.

Associate Membership shall also be available to any person upon application/nomination to the General Management Committee, an annual subscription is payable.

Applications for Club membership and access to the privileges contained therein, from the time of application/nomination to the time of subsequent approval for membership by the General Management Committee and admission to The Club, shall be no less than 48 hours.

Life Vice-Presidents are persons appointed Club Members for their lifetime, in recognition of their long and valuable service to The Club. The General Management Committee may make a maximum of two appointments, in any one season. No subscriptions apply to this category of membership.

Membership shall run for twelve months.

The Club Membership Secretary shall keep a register of all playing and non-playing members.

At the AGM voting shall be restricted to one vote per member as in place on the 30th January of that year.

6. Annual General Meeting

The AGM meeting shall be held no later than the end of June in each year.

The Secretary shall give 21 days notice of such meetings to all members.

The Chairperson’s Report, The Club’s financial statement, delivered by the Treasurer, followed by the Secretary’s report, shall be received by the meeting,

The AGM shall elect officers and General Management Committee members, by a show of hands.

Candidates for election can be proposed by and seconded by Club Members.

A committee member wishing to resign their position must do so in writing to the Secretary, no later than 28 days before the AGM.

Team managers wishing to resign their position, must do so in writing, to the Secretary, no later than six calendar months before vacating their position, unless a suitable replacement is found. One full month before the resignation takes effect, all outstanding monies and Club equipment must be returned to the Secretary.

A proposal shall come into effect, if it receives a majority vote and will be recorded as such.

An Extraordinary General Meeting may be convened by the General Management Committee when deemed necessary or upon written request by three General Management Committee members or at the discretion of the Chairperson. The Secretary shall give 14 days notice of such a meeting and 50% of the General Management Committee shall form a quorum.

7. Subscriptions

The General Management Committee, at the first committee meeting following the AGM, shall set the annual subscriptions.

Subscriptions shall be payable no later than one month after the start of the season, unless otherwise agreed with the General Management Committee.

Upon a full paid subscription being received and accepted, a copy of the Club Constitution and Club Handbook will be made available upon request.

8. Finance

The Club shall be run as a non-profit, voluntary organisation and as far as possible, be self-supporting, with all excess monies being re-invested into The Club and its activities, for the benefit of its members.

Each team shall be responsible for the collection and forwarding of all monies due to the Club.

The General Management Committee shall cause to be kept, proper accounts, in the keeping of the Treasurer.

The financial year of The Club shall run from June 1st until the 31st May the following year.

No Officer or member of the General Management Committee shall act as auditor.

The Treasurer shall sign official receipts for all monies received. All monies received by the Treasurer will be paid into the appropriate account.

Only approved accounts and invoices, received on behalf of The Club, will be passed to the Treasurer for payment.

The General Management Committee shall authorise cheques to be signed by at least two of its Officers, one of which must be the Treasurer.

Team Managers must supply a balance sheet to the Treasurer for all sundry income and expenditure applicable to their team, before the AGM.

9. Equipment

All purchases of equipment will be at the discretion of the General Management Committee.

In the case of negotiated sponsorship, the Team Manager, with the agreement of the sponsor and General Management Committee, may purchase the kit. The sponsor paying such monies to the Treasurer for settlement of account.

The Secretary will keep a list of all Club equipment.

10. Alterations of rules

No alterations to these, or Club and Team rules shall be made, except at the AGM or at an Extraordinary General Meeting convened for that purpose, and only if supported by a majority of those present and voting at such a meeting.

Notice of proposed alterations to any rules must be received in writing by the Secretary, no later than the 1st May each year, and notified to members on notification of meeting.

The Club will observe the rules and regulations of the Oxfordshire Football Association and English Football Association and any league The Club wishes to enter.

If it is found that any team or individual within The Club has breached any of the said rules and regulations, and providing a satisfactory explanation is forthcoming, The Club will support, the team or individual, in any forthcoming action. If it is found that a team or individual has failed to abide by, or implement Team and Club rules, and as a consequence abused league, or Oxfordshire FA rules, The Club will abide by any disciplinary measure forthcoming and add internal disciplinary measures.

11. Clubhouse bar

The Club is established and conducted in good faith as a Club and membership shall be no less than 25 members.

Intoxicating Liquor shall only be supplied, on The Club’s premises, by and on behalf The Club, to its members and guests.

Intoxicating Liquor purchase and supply shall be managed by the Bar Manager and by a Committee nominated by the General Management Committee.

No person shall receive any commission-based payments with regard to the purchase of Intoxicating Liquor by The Club.

No person shall derive financial benefit with regard to the supply of Intoxicating Liquor by The Club to members or guests. All profits from the sale of Intoxicating Liquor shall be re-invested into The Club’s aims and objectives

The Clubhouse Bar Licensed hours will be as follows:

Monday to Saturday: 12.00pm – 11.00pm
Sundays & Bank Holidays: 12.00pm – 10.30pm

12. Disbandment of the club

In the event of The Club being disbanded, the Secretary will call a Special General Meeting in order to discuss the disbandment of Club funds and property.

14 days notice to be given of any such meeting.

The Club funds and assets to be left in the care of the Marston Parish Council as Trustees.

In the event of The Club wishing to restart, the Trustees shall only release the funds and assets after consultation with members and Officers of the previous Clubs General Management Committee.

13. Other business

The General Management Committee shall have the power to interpret this Constitution if any ambiguity or difference of interpretation of the subject matter shall arise.

The General Management Committee shall have the power to deal with any matter not provided for in this Constitution, with its decision being final and binding.

Marston Saints FC