Constitution

SLOUGH HOCKEY CLUB
CONSTITUTION AND RULES OF THE CLUB
AS RATIFIED AT JOINT MENS / LADIES EGM HELD ON 19TH JULY 2006
PLUS RULE 5.3 CHANGE AS RATIFIED AT 21st JULY 2014

1.The Name, Location, Objects and Type of Club

1.1. The name of The Club shall be Slough Hockey Club (SHC).

1.2. SHC is located at Upton Park, Upton Court, Road, Slough, SL3 7LT.

1.3.SHC is affiliated to Slough Sports Club (SSC).

1.4.All land, buildings and property shall be owned, and title deeds held, by the Trustees of SSC on behalf of SHC. SHC shall have sole rights to manage their land, buildings and property as per SSC rules.

1.5. The Objects of the Club shall be:-
1.5.1.To promote, enhance and develop hockey in Slough and the surrounding regions.
1.5.2.To recruit and develop children and young people into the sport of hockey as players, leaders/coaches, umpires, administrators and supporters.
1.5.3. To help, advise and inform all members.
1.5.4.To develop, support and enhance competences in leadership, coaching, umpiring and administrative opportunities at a participation, development and performance level.
1.5.5.To provide equality of opportunity across all areas of The Club and encourage the inclusion of minority groups.
1.5.6.To establish a permanent focal point of hockey activities in a safe, effective and child friendly environment in which to play, learn and excel at hockey.
1.5.7.To encourage members and external support, seek finance and obtain sponsorship, to further the aims and objectives of SHC.
1.5.8.To offer equal sporting opportunities to all.

1.6.SHC shall provide for its members such facilities as it shall consider suitable for the objects mentioned in rule 1.5 and for that purpose may manage any land or buildings of whatever tenure and such other property or assets as may be necessary subject to rule 1.4.

1.7.No dividend may be declared nor may any monetary grant be made to any member, out of the assets of the Club, except as defined in section 4.

1.8.The Club shall be a members club open to all subject the Rules of The Club.

2.Membership

2.1.Membership is subject to the completion of a membership application form and, for individuals aged under 18, a parental consent form. Membership applications shall be approved by the SHC committee. Approval shall not be withheld unreasonably.

2.2.Membership fees shall be charged as agreed at the SHC Annual General Meeting (AGM) and membership of the club commences upon full payment of membership fees.

2.3.Membership applications shall be signed by a proposer and a seconder who shall be current Voting Members of SHC. Associate, Honorary and Junior Playing members shall not be entitled to propose or second applicants.

2.4.Membership is renewed automatically on full and timely payment of the following season’s membership fees.

2.5.There shall be the following classes of membership: - i) Senior Playing ii) Junior Playing iii) Associate iv) Honorary v) Honorary Life vi) Life vii) Vice-President. Voting Members are as defined in sections 5.10 to 5.14.

2.6.Junior Playing membership shall be open to individuals aged 16 or under on 1st October in the season for which membership is sought. All other classes of membership shall be open to individuals aged 16 or over on 1st October in the season for which membership is sought.

2.7. An Associate member shall have social membership rights only. These allow Associate members to use the clubhouse bar facilities but do not allow use of playing facilities. An Associate member may upgrade their membership to a playing membership upon application as per rule 2.1 above.

2.8. A current playing member who has provided exceptional voluntary service to the club may be nominated for Honorary Life Membership by the SHC Committee. Members shall only be considered if they have exceeded 10 continuous years as a paid Senior Playing member at the date of nomination. Such members shall be elected at a SHC General Meeting and must be supported by a three quarters majority of Voting Members present. An Honorary Life Member shall have the rights and responsibilities of a Senior Playing member.

2.9. Life members of the previous Men’s or Ladies Hockey sections before 12th July 2006 shall retain their life membership rights under this constitution. A Life Member shall have the full right and responsibilities of a Senior Playing member of the club.

2.10.The club committee may nominate any individual as an Honorary Member of the club. Honorary Membership is intended for volunteers who provide their time and effort to the club. An example would be an individual who regularly umpires for the club. Honorary members shall be elected at a SHC General Meeting by a simple majority and their honorary membership shall last until the next club AGM.

2.11.An Honorary Member shall not be required to pay a membership subscription and shall have the same status as an Associate Member.

2.12.Vice Presidents shall be elected at an AGM upon nomination by the SHC committee and shall be eligible for re-election annually thereafter. Vice-Presidents’ term of office shall last until the end of the following years AGM.

2.13.A Vice-President shall have all the rights and privileges of an Associate Member but will also have the right to vote at SHC General Meetings.

2.14.All Vice-President's elected before 19th July 2006 shall be eligible for re-election.

3.Committee and Officers

3.1.The affairs of The Club shall be managed by the SHC committee except for matters reserved for The Club in Annual General Meeting. The SHC Committee shall meet at least once a quarter and will have a quorum of 6 voting committee members.

3.2.The SHC Committee shall consist of the following Officers who are the voting committee members:- Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Youth and Development Officer, Men’s Club Captain, Ladies Club Captain, two Management Representatives, Facilities Co-ordinator, Communications Officer and Fund-raising co-ordinator. SHC Committee members shall be elected by the Club in an AGM. Please see Appendix 1 for the organisation structure.

3.3.The role of the non-executive Honorary President shall be to offer guidance and advice to the SHC Committee and the President shall have the right to ask the SHC Committee to review and reconsider any decisions or policies that may affect the smooth administration of the Club. However, after any due reconsideration, the decision of the SHC Committee will be final. The President shall not have a voting role on the SHC Committee.

3.4.The Chairman and Honorary President shall not normally serve for more than three consecutive years. The Officers and the President shall be nominated annually, shall be elected at an Annual General Meeting and shall hold office from the conclusion of that meeting until the conclusion of the next such meeting.

3.5.The SHC Committee may fill any vacancies arising in the period between AGMs. The SHC Committee may also invite additional non-voting members, as it deems appropriate, to join the SHC Committee discussions on a temporary basis to further the aims and objectives of the club.

3.6.An Officer may be removed from office by a resolution of the SHC Committee supported by no less than three-quarters of the full SHC Committee.

3.7.An SHC committee member failing to attend three consecutive meetings, without giving satisfactory reason in advance to the Club Secretary, shall be considered for removal from the SHC committee. A substitute may be co-opted by the SHC committee until the next AGM.

3.8.Three sub-committees shall manage the day to day playing operations of the Men’s Playing section, the Ladies Playing section and the Junior Section.

3.9.These sub-committees shall be chaired by the Men’s Club Captain, the Ladies Club Captain and the Youth and Development Officer and shall meet at least 3 times during the season and additionally as deemed appropriate by the sub-committee chair.

3.10.Key members of these SHC sub-committees shall be the Team Captains (one per team), a Financial Officer for each sub-committee and a Men’s and a Ladies county representative for each sub-committee.

3.11.The above SHC sub-committee members shall be elected by the Club at the AGM. Please see Appendix 1 for the organisation structure.

3.12.SHC and any sub-sections must hold any funds in a bank account entitled “Slough Sports Club - xxxxxxxxxx” where xxxxxxxxxx refers to the appropriate sub-section e.g. Men’s Hockey, Ladies Hockey, Active Hockey, etc. etc.

3.13.The elected Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary of the Club shall be the signatories for all payments made by SHC or by sub-committees. In addition sub-committee finance officers shall be the fourth signatory for any sub-committee accounts that are deemed necessary. Any two of the signatories must countersign each and every payment.

3.14.The Treasurer, in consultation with SHC Committee, shall be responsible for recording all financial income and expenditure of the Club and for presenting such accounts to the SHC committee on a quarterly basis. The Treasurer shall present the annual accounts to each Annual General Meeting of the Club.

3.15.The sub-committee Finance Officers shall provide quarterly accounts to the club Treasurer in sufficient time to allow the Treasurer to prepare and provide the accounts to the SSC. The Treasurer shall be responsible for presenting quarterly accounts to SSC in a timely manner.

4.Payments or Benefits

4.1.SHC Committee may appoint paid part-time staff for specific coach development projects. Such projects are at the complete discretion of SHC Committee. However these projects must be SHC projects. Example appointments: coaching staff for development programmes and team development, Leader qualification course tutors etc.

4.2.The appointment of any and every paid member of staff must be reviewed and confirmed at least once annually at a meeting of the SHC committee. The SHC committee may review such appointments more regularly and shall consider all appointments paying due attention to the overall financial situation of the club.

5.SHC General Meetings

5.1.An Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Club shall be held before the end of August every year. An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) may be called according to rule 5.5.

5.2.A SHC General Meeting referred to in these rules can be an AGM or an EGM.

5.3.Notice of the time and date of a SHC General Meeting and the associated Agenda shall be sent to members via email from the Slough HC website portal, posted on the Slough HC website and posted on SHC notice board for a period of at least 21 days before the date of such a meeting. The agenda shall contain as a minimum the following: approval of the previous AGM minutes, annual accounts and election of officers. Members are required to register on the Slough HC website and keep their email contact details up to date.

5.4.In the event of there being no nomination for a committee post within the stipulated time then nominations may be accepted at the AGM.

5.5.Propositions shall be considered at a SHC General Meeting providing they are submitted in writing to reach the Club Secretary at least 14 days before that SHC General Meeting.

5.6.All propositions received by the Secretary under rule 5.4 shall be displayed on the SHC notice board for at least the 10 days before the SHC General Meeting and until the date of the meeting.

5.7.The quorum for the transaction of business shall be 20 Voting Members. If no quorum is present within 30 minutes of the scheduled start of an AGM, the AGM shall be automatically postponed until 14 days later at the same place and time. At any postponed AGM, the Voting Members present shall constitute a quorum and only the original agenda provided under 5.3 shall be considered. The lack of a quorum at an EGM will result in the EGM being cancelled.

5.8.An EGM may be called at any time by the SHC Committee or by ten Voting Members making a written request to SHC Committee for such a meeting identifying the business to be transacted and putting forward a deposit of £100. This deposit shall be forfeited if there is no quorum.

5.9.An EGM shall have power to transact only such business as is specified in the written request calling the meeting. An EGM may not be convened under this rule to discuss any matter which has been before a SHC General Meeting during the preceding 12 months.

5.10.The date for an EGM shall be set by the SHC committee and such meeting shall be held within 45 days of receipt of the EGM motion.

5.11.The following members shall be defined as Voting Members subject to exclusions in items 5.12, 5.13, 5.14 and 5.15: Senior Playing, Junior Playing if over 16 yrs old, Honorary Life, Life and Vice-Presidents. Every Voting Member of the Club shall be entitled to be present and to vote at any SHC General Meeting and should there be equality on any voting issue the Chairman of the meeting shall have the casting vote.

5.12.A simple majority of Voting Members present shall be required to carry the vote except as otherwise defined in these rules when a higher majority of two thirds or three quarters is required. In all cases a show of hands shall be the method of voting except where the Chairman deems it appropriate to hold a secret paper ballot.

5.13.The following types of membership shall not be entitled to vote at any SHC General Meeting.
-Any person under the age of 16.
-Any Associate or Honorary members.
-Any person(s) who is an employee of SHC, SSC or any SSC affiliated clubs or sections either full or part time.
-Any person(s) who is an employee of any business associated with SHC, SSC or any SSC affiliated clubs or sections either full or part time.
-Any person(s) who has a financial or business interest in any activity related to the club.
-Any person receiving a financial reward for playing or coaching within a section.

5.14Members who would otherwise have voting rights and who have a personal or family financial interest in the club are not entitled to vote at any club AGM nor be a representative at any committees. This is to avoid any perception of a conflict of interest and to promote good ethics and business integrity. A personal or family financial interest in SHC, SSC or any SSC affiliated clubs or sections has the potential to cause the appearance of divided loyalty, or to result in personal benefit because of an individual’s role in SHC.

5.15Club coaches as defined in rule 4 are considered to have a personal financial interest in SHC. However an individual in receipt of a Gift from playing members of SHC can hold office and can vote at any SHC General Meeting. A Gift will normally be a token of appreciation and should be of nominal value; as a guide a maximum of £1000 per annum indexed to RPI. Any agreed and justifiable coaching expenses paid do not contribute towards the above maximum.

6.Subscriptions

6.1. Subscription charges for the Club shall be proposed by the relevant sub-committees, approved by the SHC committee and agreed at the Annual General Meeting. The membership year runs from 1st October to 30th September the following year.

7.Conduct of Members

7.1.All members are required to behave in a reasonable manner at all times.

7.2.A member must produce their current membership card if requested to do so by a member of the SHC committee or by any person in charge of the bar / clubhouse.

7.3.A list of members of the Section Committees shall at all times be displayed on the SHC notice board.

7.4.SHC Committee may suspend the membership of any member whose conduct has been, in the opinion of SHC Committee, contrary to the interests of the Club. Any suspension of membership must be approved by at least two thirds of the voting members present at a SHC committee meeting.

The chairman will convene an internal disciplinary hearing (IDH) with a panel of at least 3 SHC Committee members prior to a decision to suspend any member. The IDH will have the ability to temporarily suspend a member until its recommendation can be considered at a SHC committee meeting for extended temporary or permanent suspension.

Any member considered for suspension shall have the right to representation at the disciplinary hearing held within 28 days of any mis-conduct. They may be accompanied by one person if they so choose. A written appeal against any suspension is allowed and must be made within 28 days of suspension. Any appeal must be considered by the SHC committee within 14 days of appeal. There will be no refund of subscription fees.

7.5.Any member who has not paid their subscriptions by 31st December in the membership year will be deemed to have their membership terminated automatically. There will be a charge owing for the period of unpaid membership which will be calculated on a pro-rata basis. Any monies outstanding must be paid before any re-application for membership as defined in section 2 of these rules is considered.

7.6.On membership being suspended or terminating under the provisions of these rules, the former member shall forfeit all right to the privileges of membership of the club and all claims to the property of the club. Suspended or terminated members may not act in any way on behalf of SHC.

8.Guests

8.1.A member may introduce up to two guests into the SHC bar / clubhouse at any one time. Responsibility for the conduct of guests remains with the member by whom they were introduced.

8.2.Guests may be introduced on up to four occasions in any period of twelve months.

8.3.Bar staff shall ensure that every person introduced as a guest is signed in to the Guest book which shall be held at the club bar at all times. The Guest book shall be available for inspection by any SHC committee member and is part of the club’s and bar management’s health and safety obligations.

8.4.The guest limits shall not apply in the case of a member signing in their spouse or children as guests.

8.5.The following may not be introduced as guests:-
-A former member who has been permanently suspended from membership
-A former member whose membership terminated though non-payment of subscriptions.
-A person, who having applied for membership, has had their application refused.
-Any person designated by the SHC Committee as not being acceptable as a guest
-A member under suspension.

9.Licensing Considerations

9.1.Members shall be admitted to the clubhouse and served at the club bar at all opening times as defined by the SHC Committee and in accordance with licensing regulations.

9.2.Members of visiting teams and guests may be admitted to the club premises and supplied with intoxicating liquor by or on behalf of the Club for the reasons shown below.
-Fulfilling a sporting fixture
-To attend a club social event
-To attend a meeting
-To accompany a club member for social purposes

9.3.Intoxicating liquor shall be supplied only in accordance with the then current licensing regulations and the club bar may be open only at such times as permitted by the licensing authorities.

9.4.Intoxicating liquor may be supplied to persons attending the club premises for private events which have prior authorisation of the SHC chairman on behalf of the SHC Committee. Private events shall only be allowed at the same time as a private event being held at the Slough Cricket Clubhouse with the prior permission of the SHC chairman. The number of such events shall not normally exceed 12 in any one year.

9.5.Only intoxicating liquor supplied from licensed club bars may be consumed on the club premises and grounds.

9.6.Admission to the clubhouse may be refused by a member of the SHC Committee or by the Bar Staff where the conduct of an individual is contrary to the interests of the club. Any such refusal must be reported to the SHC Committee Chairman in writing by the SHC Committee member or the Bar Staff involved within 7 calendar days of any such incident. The SHC committee will review such incidents under the rules defined in section 7.

9.7.All clubhouse areas (first floor and ground floor) are designated no smoking areas.

10.Changes to the Constitution and Rules of the Club

10.1.This constitution and these rules may be altered, added to or revoked, in accordance with clubs and association law, by a majority comprising two-thirds or more of the members present and entitled to vote at a Club AGM or an EGM called for this purpose.

10.2.The voting rights of the membership may only be changed at an AGM or EGM with the approval of at least three quarters of the members present and entitled to vote.

11.Interpretation of the rules

11.1.The interpretation of any rule by the SHC Committee shall be binding on all members.

11.2.The SHC Committee shall have the power to legislate upon any point not provided for in these rules.