1 Name
The name of the club shall be LANGTON GREEN SPORTS CLUB, also referred to in this document as “The Club”.
2 Objectives
The Club shall seek to promote sporting activities, or otherwise, for the enjoyment of its Members and Honorary Members
3 Rules and Regulations
The Club shall have the status of an Affiliated Member Club of the Football Association, and affiliations to other sporting associations in which the Club participates. The Rules and Regulations of The Football Association Limited and parent County Association and any League or Competition to which the Club is affiliated for the time being shall be deemed to be incorporated into the Club Rules.
The Club will also abide by The Football Association’s Child Protection Policies and Procedures, Codes of Conduct and the Equal Opportunities and Anti-Discrimination Policy. The Club shall appoint Child Protection Officer(s) as appropriate.
4 Membership
The Members of the Club shall be as follows:
Parents or legal guardians of registered players under the age of eighteen;
Registered players aged eighteen or over;
Representatives of the Club’s sporting activities;
Officers of the Club as defined in Rule 5.
Retiring representatives of the Club’s activities, who shall automatically become Life Members of the Club;
Other individuals, upon application to the Secretary, who shall be eligible to become Members.
Registered players shall be Honorary Members, but do not have the right to attend, speak at or vote at any Annual General Meeting or General Meeting unless they have reached the age of eighteen.
Any disputes in connection with the registration of players shall be referred to the Management Committee and their decision will be final and binding upon the respective individual(s).
5 Officers
The Officers of the Club shall be the:
Chairman
Vice-Chairman
Club Captain
Secretary
Treasurer
Mini-Soccer Secretary
Child Protection Officer
The Officers of the Club shall be elected by Members present at the Annual General Meeting and shall assume office from the conclusion of that Meeting and retire at the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting.
Any Office falling vacant between Annual General Meetings shall be filled by election by the Management Committee.
6 Management Committee
The Club’s Management Committee shall consist of the Officers as provided by Rule 5 with representatives from each of the Club’s activities and sub-committees.
In respect of the football section, two representatives should be nominated to attend from each age group.
The Management Committee, at their discretion, can invite Life Members to continue to attend Management Committee meetings.
Voting powers shall be given to the members of the Management Committee covered by Rule 5 above.
Meetings shall be quorate if eight members of the Management Committee are present.
Meetings which fail to begin under Rule 6 shall have all outstanding business held over to the next meeting, except urgent items, decided by those present, which may be delegated to the Officers of the Club.
Should a vacancy occur in the section of membership as defined in Rule 6 the Management Committee may exercise the power of co-option to fill the vacancy. Co-opted members shall serve until completion of the unexpired term.
The Secretary shall give at least 14 days notice, either in writing or verbally, of Management Committee meetings, but is not obliged to distribute the agenda prior to the meeting.
Other Members, Honorary Members and visitors may be invited to attend meetings of the Management Committee. If invited to attend, they may speak though may not vote.
7 Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting shall be held at a time to be determined by the Management Committee, but no earlier than 10 months nor later than 14 months after the previous Annual General Meeting.
At least 21 days notice of an Annual General Meeting shall be given.
Members wishing to place items on the agenda shall provide details in writing to the Secretary at least 7 days prior to the Meeting. The Chairman shall rule on the admissibility of such items at the commencement of the Meeting and that decision shall be binding.
An Annual General Meeting shall be quorate providing at least 12 Members, as defined under Rules 4, are present at the start of the Meeting.
If the Meeting becomes inquorate whilst in session, it shall be abandoned if a simple majority of the remaining Members resolve.
Should an Annual General Meeting fail to start under Rule 6 or become inquorate under Rule 6, the Secretary shall, within 5 days, issue notice of a fresh or resumed meeting to be held within 14 days of the date of the notice. All business transacted at the Meeting abandoned under Rule 6 shall be considered completed and binding at the resumed Meeting.
The Meeting shall appoint an auditor, who will not be eligible to serve on the Management Committee. The auditor will hold office for 1 year and shall be eligible for re-election at the next Annual General Meeting.
8 General Meeting
A General Meeting may be called:
At the request of the Officers of the Club.
At the resolution of the Management Committee.
At the request of 30 Members as defined in Rule 4.
On receipt of a request for a Meeting the Secretary shall give Members at least 21 days notice.
Only items notified in the request for a General Meeting shall be taken, unless the Chairman agrees to take further business. The ruling of the Chairman shall be final.
A quorum shall be 20 Members and the Officers of the Club.
Meetings which become inquorate whilst in session shall be dealt with as in Rule 6.
Meetings which fail to start or become inquorate, shall have all outstanding business referred to the next meeting of the Management Committee.
9 Conduct Of Meetings
Records of attendance and the transaction of business shall be kept by the Secretary.
Members shall speak at the invitation of the Chairman.
Voting at meetings shall be taken by a straight majority on a show of hands.
Any member failing to comply with the ruling of the Chairman, or acting in a generally disruptive manner, shall be warned by the Chairman as to their conduct. Should such warning(s) not be heeded, the Chairman may order the offender to leave the Meeting.
10 Finance
All players shall pay an annual subscription at a rate to be determined at the previous Annual General Meeting.
All players shall pay a fee for each match or training session in which they participate, at a rate to be determined in the same manner as Rule 10.
The Club shall seek commercial or other sponsorship to assist in the expense of equipping and operating the Club, wherever practicable.
The Club shall undertake general fundraising on its own behalf, and on behalf of any other charitable or similar organisation, as may be determined by the Management Committee.
In respect of Rule 10, any member of the Management Committee shall be empowered to waive payment in the case of any player whose parents or legal guardians are subject to genuine financial difficulty.
11 Affiliations
The Club shall be affiliated to those organisations required by Rule 2, or to which an Annual General Meeting or General Meeting may consider appropriate.
12 Insurance
The Club shall be required to take out the minimum level of insurance to cover the Club for third party liability, indirectly through League affiliation, or directly as required by other activities.
The Club shall not be required to insure its Members nor Honorary Members.
Members and Honorary Members shall be advised of the provisions of Rule 12, and shall be asked to confirm their agreement, when registering each season.
Members will only be notified if any changes are made to the insurance cover.
13 Disclaimers
The Club, its Members and Honorary Members, as defined in Rule 4, shall not be held
responsible for any injury to its Members or Honorary Members, howsoever caused.
The disclaimer stated in Rule 13 shall be brought to the attention of Members and Honorary Members when registering each season and Members and Honorary Members shall be asked to confirm their acceptance of such.
14 General
All Club representatives shall be appointed by the Management Committee and shall be responsible for the operation and playing of their teams in accordance with the spirit of Rule 2.
The constitution shall be open to amendment upon submission of motion(s) to an Annual General Meeting or General Meeting.
If the Club should be dissolved, except by way of merger with another club, at an Annual General or General Meeting, all equipment and kit shall be distributed amongst local state schools or other clubs, and after settlement of all accounts the residue of funds shall be donated to a children’s charity(ies) or any other charity as the Management Committee may decide.
Equal Opportunities
Langton Green Sports Club is committed to a policy of equal treatment of all Members and Honorary Members and all Members and Honorary Members are expected to abide and adhere to this principle and the requirements of the Codes of Practice issued by the Equal Opportunities Commission and Commission for Racial Equality.
All Members and Honorary Members are expected to abide by the requirements of the Race Relations Act 1976, Sex Discrimination Act 1986 and Disability Act 1995.
Discrimination is prohibited by:
Treating any individual on grounds of gender, colour, marital status, race, nationality or ethnic or national origin, religion, sexual orientation or disability less favourably than others.
Expecting an individual solely on the grounds stated above to comply with requirements for any reason whatsoever related to their membership, which are different from the requirements for others.
Imposing on an individual requirements which are in effect more onerous on that individual than they are on others. For example, this would include applying a condition which makes it more difficult for members of a particular race or sex to comply than others not of that race or sex.
Victimisation of an individual.
Harassment of an individual, by virtue of discrimination.
Any other act or omission of an act, which has as its effect the disadvantaging of a member against another, or others, purely on the above grounds. Thus, in all the Club’s recruitment, selection and training processes, as well as disciplinary matters, it is essential that merit, experience, skills and temperament are considered as objectively as possible.
Langton Green Sports Club commits itself to the immediate investigation of any claims of discrimination on the above grounds and where such is found to be the case, a requirement that the practice cease forthwith, restitution of damage or loss (if necessary) and to the investigation of any member or Honorary member accused of discrimination.
Any member or Honorary member found guilty of discrimination will be instructed to desist forthwith. Since discrimination in its many forms is against the Football Club’s policy, any Members or Honorary Members offending will be dealt with under the disciplinary procedure.
The Club commits itself to the disabled person wherever possible and will treat such Members or Honorary Members, in aspects of their recruitment and membership, in exactly the same manner as other Members. The difficulties of their disablement permitting, assistance will be given wherever possible, to ensure that disabled Members are helped in gaining access. Appropriate training will be made to such Members or Honorary Members who request it.
15 Code of Conduct: Parents, Guardians and Spectators
1.
It is the aim of this Club to promote the highest standards of sportsmanship and fair play and to ensure the “spirit” of the Club’s activities are not abused.
2.
Any adult taking part in any activity organised by this Club, or attending such an activity with the Club as a guest of another, shall conduct themselves in an exemplary manner.
3.
Adult behaviour must be of the highest standard to set the correct example to players.
4.
Players should expect advice, encouragement and support and not be embarrassed or humiliated by the adults watching them.
5.
Adults should not shout, swear, argue, become violent or use sarcasm. wherever possible players who require help should be assisted and encouraged to overcome difficulties.
6.
Adults should:
Always look for aspects to praise rather than rebuke.
Praise good behaviour to show that adults value it.
Praise effort and performance rather than simply achievement most often in the case of a victory.
Emphasise the importance of involvement first, winning second.
Display patience.
Ensure players have a clear understanding of the standard of behaviour expected.
Help players understand the rules, talk to them, not at them.
7.
Matters of team selection, including the playing of substitutes, remains the sole responsibility of the team manager/team leader and their decisions will remain final. Any parent/guardian or person associated with a playing Member or Honorary Member who attempts to unduly influence the team manager/game leader with regard to team selection shall be in contravention of (2) above and may be dealt with as (9) below.
8.
At all times during the course of an activity, the decisions made by the referee, qualified or unqualified, appointed to officiate will remain final. In many cases newly qualified referees/umpires are appointed to games in order to gain experience and these officials, male or female, should be given encouragement and support.
9.
Any parent / guardian or spectator associated with a playing Member or Honorary Member whose behaviour is considered to fall below the required standard may result in the membership of that player being suspended or cancelled.
10.
Any complaint regarding the opposition, referee, spectators, or any other aspect of the game must be dealt with by the team manager/game leader. If the matter is considered serious enough the Club Secretary will inform the appropriate authority. It is not acceptable for individuals to take the law into their own hands.
11.
All parents / guardians and spectators shall abide by the rules of the respective game Associations.
16 Standard Code Of Conduct: Members
1.
The definition of a Club Member is:
The parent or guardian of a registered player of the Club.
A registered player of the Club who is 18 years or older.
A member of the management committees.
2.
It is expected of Club Members to promote the highest standard of sportsmanship, see that “fair play” be paramount at all times and ensure that the “spirit” of the games are not abused.
3.
Registered players of the Club should seek to shake hands with their opponents and also the referee/umpire/gameleader at the end of each game.
4.
All registered players and Club Members must observe the highest standard of behaviour when representing the Club or attending an event / activity organised by this or any other club.
5.
A Club Member or registered player, who allows the expected level of behaviour to fall, may be subject to disciplinary action. Examples of the most common types of unacceptable behaviour are:
Abusive behaviour or language.
Threatening behaviour.
Violent conduct.
Provocative, rude or obscene language.
6.
Any Club Member or registered player found to be in breach of any example in (5) above may have their Membership suspended or, in certain cases, may be expelled from the Club.
7.
Registered players should treat victory with humility and defeat with dignity.
8.
At all times during the course of a game, the decisions made by the referee/umpire, qualified or unqualified, will remain final. Players failing to accept the referee’s/ umpire’s decisions may be considered to be in breach of (2) above, and in addition to any punishment imposed by the official at the time, may be liable to have their membership suspended or cancelled.
9.
It is expected that all registered players and Club Members will conduct themselves in a manner that is both honourable and in keeping with the spirit of fair play and sportsmanship. They will not indulge themselves in tactics, either by word or action that are likely to bring the game that the Club or the league in which it plays into disrepute.
10. All registered players will abide by the rules of the relevant Association.
17 Conclusion
Members and Honorary Members should be aware that the Club, the Officers of the Club and its representatives will not be held responsible from any omission in connection with the Club’s Constitution. In the event of any dispute arising from an omission in the Constitution, interpretation shall rest with the Club’s Management Committee.