Constitution of Wye Tennis Club (as adopted on 22/11/19)
1. NAME & OBJECTIVES
The Club founded in 1971, shall be named “The Wye Tennis Club”. The main purposes of the club are to provide facilities for and to promote participation in amateur tennis in Wye and the surrounding area.
2. CONSTITUTION
The Club is constituted by these Rules as a non-profit making Members Club. All surplus income or profits are to be reinvested in the Club. No surpluses or assets will be distributed to members or third parties.
3. AFFILIATION
i) Wye Tennis Club and its members accept and are bound by the Rules and the Disciplinary Code (the Code) of the Lawn Tennis Association Ltd (the LTA). And by the General Rules and Constitution (the Rules) of the Kent County Lawn Tennis Association (the County) in force from time to time including amendments made hereafter, insofar as the same are relevant to the activities of the Club.
ii) All unlicensed or unregistered coaches and all visitors to the Club who play tennis shall also accept and be bound similarly, and the Club shall take steps to ensure this is carried through so far as is reasonably practicable.
iii) All individuals covered by the above shall acknowledge that the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 applies and their agreement is intended to be enforceable by the LTA and by the County but only insofar as it relates to a breach of the LTA Code or County Rules.
4. CLASSES OF MEMBER AND SUBSCRIPTION RATES
A). There shall be the following classes of Member:
i) Senior (over 18 years) and under 60
i) Juniors (under 18) and full-time students Over 18 years
iii) Family Membership (restricted to 2 adults plus all children who are under 18 years or are full time students
iv) Honorary Membership
v) Over 60 years of age.
All age groups refer to age on 1st April prior to membership renewal on 1st April each year.
B). Members subscriptions shall be decided each year at the Annual General Meeting of the Club and shall apply from the following 1st April. .
NOTES TO SUBSCRIPTIONS
a) Subscriptions shall be inclusive of the “player’s contribution” which the Club passes onto the LTA
b) In the event of the Club being liable for Value Added (or any other) Tax on Members subscriptions, the figures shown above shall be inclusive thereof.
c) The subscription year runs from lst April to 31st March
d) A Member whose subscription is not paid by 30th April will not be entitled to the privileges of membership, and will cease to be a Member (any re-election will be subject to the normal procedure).
e) The subscription, and entrance fee if applicable, of a new Member shall be due on notification of election of within 14 days. Alternatively it may be paid with the membership application, in which case (i) it will be repaid if election to membership does not take place
(ii) at the discretion of the Secretary and one other Committee Member, the candidate may be allowed to use the Club pending the Committee’s consideration of their application.
f) For a new Member after the end of August the Committee may at their discretion accept a: proportionately reduced subscription for the part year. Likewise they may make a refund to a Member who becomes unable to use the Club for a substantial part of the year on account of injury or illness.
WYE TENNIS CLUB IS OPEN TO THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY WITHOUT DISCRIMINATION
Membership to Wye Tennis Club is open to all without discrimination. The Club’s facilities are available to members without discrimination and our fees are set at a level that does not pose a significant obstacle to membership or use of facilities. Membership of the Club shall be open to anyone interested in tennis on application regardless of sex, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or other beliefs. However, limitation of membership according to available facilities is allowable on a non-discriminatory basis.
The Club may refuse membership or expel from membership only for good and sufficient cause, such as conduct or character likely to bring the Club or sport into disrepute. Appeal against such a decision may be made to the Club’s members and decided by a majority vote.
5. ACCOUNTANCY YEAR
Except for the purposes of subscriptions (see rule 4, note c) the Club’s financial year shall run form I” October to 30th September and the accounts submitted to the AGM shall be prepared accordingly.
6. ELECTION OF MEMBERS
Honorary Membership (other than temporary in accordance with rule 9) including Honorary Life Membership shall be strictly limited and at the discretion of the Committee by way of reward for special services to the Club.
For the other classes of membership provided in rule 4, applications shall be considered by the Committee whose decision shall be by a simple majority and shall be final. The Committee shall have the power to limit the number of Members if they consider this necessary.
7. SUSPENSION OR EXPULSION
The committee shall have power to terminate or suspend the membership of any Member or to exclude any Member subscription or visitor whom it considers guilty of a breach of these rules or breach of the LTA Code or the County Rules or of misconduct or offensive behaviour to any other Member, Visitor or Employee, whether on the Club’s premises or elsewhere.
8. INJURY, LOSS OF PROPERTY ETC.
Members or Visitors leaving unattended vehicles, rackets, clothing or other property at the Club do so at their own risk and the Club shall not be responsible for any loss, damage or injury resulting from this or any other cause.
9. VISITORS AND TEMPORARY MEMBERS
Visitors may be introduced by any Member. Before a Visitor plays, the Member introducing them must make an appropriate entry in the Visitors’ Book and pay the fee which is: £3 or if under 18 years of age, £2.
Every member of a visiting match team shall be an Honorary Member for the day and every competitor in a tournament at the Club (and in the case of a competitor under the age of 18 years, his parent or guardian) shall be an Honorary Member for the period of the tournament.
10. MANAGEMENT
The management of the Club shall be in the entire control of a committee of ten members who shall be the Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Fixture Secretary and six others. All shall be elected for the year at the AGM except that the elected Committee shall have the power to fill any casual vacancy. In addition, anyone who has guaranteed a loan for the benefit of the Club shall be entitled to attend and vote at Committee meetings until that loan is repaid.
The Committee shall elect Members in accordance \ with Rule 6 and shall from time to time make and revise the Club’s regulations and shall have power to decide any matter not provided for by these Rule and the current Regulations. They shall meet at least four times in every year and additionally as circumstances may require. The quorum at a Committee meeting shall be five and in the event of equality of voting the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.
The Committee may delegate any part of it’s duties (except the election of members) to one or more sub-committees which may be composed of any Members of the Club, but any subcommittee to control a bar supplying intoxicating liquor shall be appointed in accordance with the licensing requirements.
11. PRESIDENTS AND VICE PRESIDENTS
At the AGM Members may elect a President and Vice Presidents to hold office until the following AGM. The positions shall be honorary and shall be in recognition of services to the Club. Holders of these positions shall be able to attend and vote at both Annual and Extraordinary General Meetings of the Club but not at Committee meetings.
12. GENERAL MEETING
An Annual General Meeting shall be held each year between 15th October and 30th November inclusive.
The Committee shall call an extraordinary general meeting at their discretion or within one month of receipt by the secretary of a requisition signed by twenty Members or, if the total membership is less than one hundred by one fifth of the Members, stating the business proposed to be transacted.
Any Member wishing to propose a resolution at the AGM must send a copy thereof to the Secretary before the15th October so that provision may be made on the Agenda. The Secretary shall send to every Member (other than temporary members) at least seven days notice of any general meeting, together with a copy of the Agenda.
The business of the AGM shall to be the confirmation of the minutes of the last AGM and of any subsequent EGMs, the consideration of the Committee’s reports and the Treasurer’s accounts for the year., the amount of Members subscriptions for the following year, the election of President, Vice Presidents, Officers and Committee for the ensuing year, the appointment of an Honorary Auditor, and any items of which notice has been given and details included in the Agenda. The business of an EGM shall be in accordance with the requisition under which it was summoned and the Agenda issued.
At any general meeting further business may be accepted at the discretion of the Chairman provided that it does not call for an alteration of rules, the winding up of the Club, the transfer of any of the Club’s assets, the borrowing of money, or any expenditure not within the immediate financial resources of the Club.
Every Member (other than temporary members) shall be entitled to be present and speak at any general meeting and if aged 18 years or over, to vote thereat. In the event of an equality of votes the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.
At any general meeting the quorum shall be eight Members entitled to vote.
13. RULES AND REGULATIONS
A Copy of these Rules and of the Regulations made by the Committee shall be permanently available in the Club’s Document folder inside the Clubhouse. and all Members shall be deemed conversant therewith. The Rules shall not be altered except at a general meeting after due notice and then only provided that half of those present and voting are in favour.
The Regulations shall be made and regularly revised by the Committee. Amongst the subjects covered by the regulations are:
1. Dates when summer season opens and closes
2. Opening hours of courts, pavilion and bar (if any).
3. Power of Committee to close courts to Members, for maintenance or for special reasons
such as hire to local schools or other outside bodies.
4 . Procedure for reserving courts, or alternatively the prohibition of reserving courts and rules for use by non-members. In framing this regulation, the needs of Club matches, Club tournaments and players taking part in outside competitions where one player has to provide a court, should be borne in mind.
5. Procedure for making up games, ‘Club Days ‘ , and the relinquishing of courts when others are waiting.
6. Any restrictions on particular classes of Members.
7. Procedure for drawing, safeguarding and returning balls (if these are provided by the Club)
8. Dress e.g. That it must be ‘ deemed suitable, except for track suits in bad weather’ or that ‘ recognised coloured tennis clothing may be worn’. Also, unless all the courts are all of a hard non-upkeep type, it should be required that shoes to be worn on the court must be ‘rubber soled, without raised heels, spikes, studs, cleats, bars or deep ribbing’.
9 . Any restrictions on the admission of children, dogs, bicycles or perambulators to the ground, pavilion bar, changing rooms, or to specified areas of these.
10. Any requirements of the ‘ last to leave’, e.g. lowering of nets, putting away balls, switching off lights and heating and checking water taps are turned off, locking up pavilion or ground.
14. DISSOLUTION
The Club shall be dissolved on the passing of a resolution to that effect at a general meeting after due notice, by at least two thirds of those present and voting. Upon dissolution of the club any remaining assets shall be given or transferred to another registered CASC, a registered charity or the LTA for use by them in related community sports.
NOVEMBER 2019