Sotonia Cycling Club constitution
1 Name
The club will be called Sotonia Cycling Club. The club colours shall include Orange and White. The design shall be registered with British Cycling.
2 The Purposes of the Club
The purposes of the Club are to:
i. Promote the amateur sport of cycling primarily in Southampton and its surrounding area, and community participation in the same area.
ii. Provide cyclists with the opportunity to meet other cyclists and enjoy the positive social and fitness benefits of riding together.
iii. Offer a positive and supportive cycling community in which members may develop their riding.
iv. To develop and organise a range of recreational and sporting cycling activities for the enjoyment of members and prospective members.
3 Permitted means of advancing the purposes
The Committee has the power to:
i. Acquire and provide grounds, equipment, coaching, training and playing facilities, club house, transport, medical and related facilities.
ii. Provide coaching, training, medical treatment, and related social and other facilities.
iii. Take out any insurance for club, employees, contractors, riders, guests and third parties.
iv. Raise funds by appeals, subscriptions and charges.
v. Open bank accounts.
vi. Buy, lease or license property and sell, let or otherwise dispose of the same.
vii. Make grants and loans and give guarantees and provide other benefits.
viii. Set aside or apply funds for special purposes or as reserves.
ix. Deposit or invest funds in any lawful manner.
x. Employ and engage staff and others and provide services.
xi. Co-operate with or affiliate to firstly any bodies regulating or organising the Sport and secondly any club or body involved with it and thirdly with government and related agencies.
Do all other things reasonably necessary to advance the purposes.
NONE of the above powers may be used other than to advance the purposes consistently with this Constitution and the general law.
4. Membership
i. Membership of the Club shall be open to anyone interested in the sport 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.
ii. Anyone under the age of 18 may join as a junior member of the Club but will be required to submit parental/guardian consent before their membership is confirmed.
iii. Membership is obtained by completing the application form and agreeing to follow the Constitution of the Club, agreeing to the Member’s Undertaking and paying the appropriate fee.
iv. Those applying for membership (or renewing their membership in the case of current members) will be asked to make the following undertaking:
By applying for membership, I confirm that I am prepared, to the best of my ability, to assist the Club in the running of its activities, particularly those listed in the Annual Events Calendar, to ensure the successful promotion of these activities.
v. Categories of membership are:
• Honorary Life Members
• First Claim Members*
• Second Claim Members*
* Junior members are accepted in this category
First Claim Members shall not be First Claim Members of any other cycling club.
Second Claim Members are those who are First Claim Members of other cycling clubs.
vi. The Club will keep subscriptions at levels that will not pose a significant obstacle to people participating. The annual subscription will be decided at the Annual General Meeting. Subscriptions shall be paid by a Member at the time of joining and shall be due for renewal on 1 January each year.
vii. The Club Committee may refuse membership, or remove it, only for good cause such as conduct or character likely to bring the Club or sport into disrepute. Appeal against refusal or removal may be made to an appointed panel consisting of club members.
viii. A member whose subscription remains unpaid by 31 January will not be eligible to participate in any competition using the name of the club. Members whose subscription remains unpaid by 28th March will be considered to have resigned.
ix. Second claim members may take part in club events but are only eligible to win handicap awards. They are not eligible to vote at any Club meeting or compete in any of the Club Championships.
x. Any members wishing to resign from the club shall give notice in writing to the Secretary.
xi. The Membership Secretary shall keep a roll of all members and shall send out the requisite notice of all meetings.
xii. Life Membership, which is honorary, may be awarded or removed at the unanimous discretion of the full Club Committee and ratified at the AGM by a two-thirds majority of those voting. Life Members have the same status as first claim members.
xiii. Members are liable to disciplinary action for conduct prejudicial to the interests of the club, its sponsors (if appropriate) and/or the sport. In serious cases the Committee may suspend or expel members from the club. The member has the right to appeal any decision made by the Committee and ask the membership to vote on it. An appeal to the Committee must be made in writing within 14 days.
xiv. Any member who is banned by any sporting organisation for the use of illegal or banned substances in any competitive event will automatically be barred from membership of the Club. They may only re-apply for membership after the ban has finished.
5 All General Meetings
i. All members may attend all general meetings of the Club in person.
ii. Such meetings need 14 clear days’ written notice to members.
iii. The quorum for all general meetings is 30 members present or 25% of the total membership whichever is lesser.
iv. The Chair or (in his or her absence) another member chosen at the meeting shall preside.
v. Except as otherwise provided in this Constitution, every resolution shall be decided by a simple majority of the votes cast on a show of hands.
vi. Formalities in connection with General Meetings (such as how to put down resolutions) shall be decided by the Committee and publicised to Club members.
vii. All changes in the Constitution require the assent of two thirds of those voting at the AGM.
6 Annual General Meetings (AGM)
The Club will hold an AGM once in every calendar year on the last Tuesday in November. At every AGM:
i. The Members will elect a Committee including a Chair, Treasurer and Secretary to serve until the next AGM; where more than one candidate is proposed for office, the result must be determined by ballot.
ii. The Treasurer will produce accounts of the Club for the latest financial year audited by a suitable person as appointed at the AGM and these will have to be approved by the meeting.
iii. The Committee will present a report on the Club’s activities since the previous AGM.
iv. The Members will discuss and vote on any resolution (whether about policy or to change the Constitution) and deal with any other business put to the meeting.
v. The chair of the meeting will have a second or casting vote in all cases when votes are equal.
vi. All proposals for Constitutional and policy changes must be submitted to the Secretary in writing at least 28 days before the AGM. Such proposals must be seconded in writing at the time of submission.
vii. A poll shall be taken for the election of the Club ‘Member of the Year’ and they will be announced at the end of the meeting and will be awarded the Peter Corbin Trophy.
7 Extraordinary General Meetings (EGM)
An EGM shall be called by the Secretary within 14 days of a request to that effect from the Committee or on the written request of not less than 10 members signed by them. Such request must specify the subject/s to be discussed at the EGM. The subsequent meeting will then be restricted to the subject/s specified. Such an EGM shall be held on not less than 14 or more than 21 days’ notice at a place decided upon by the Committee or in default by the Chair.
8 The Committee
A Role
Subject to this Constitution the Committee shall have responsibility for the management of the Club, its funds, property and affairs.
B Property etc
i. The property and funds of the Club cannot be used for the direct or indirect private benefit of members other than as reasonably allowed by the Constitution.
ii. The Club may provide sporting and related social facilities, sporting equipment, coaching, courses, insurance cover, medical treatment, event expenses, post event refreshments and other ordinary benefits of Community Amateur Sports Clubs as provided for in the Finance Act 2002.
iii. The Club may also in connection with the sports purposes of the Club:
a sell and supply food, drink and related sports clothing and equipment;
b employ members (though not for riding) and remunerate them for providing goods and services, on fair terms set by the Committee without the person concerned being present;
c pay for reasonable hospitality for visiting riders and guests;
d indemnify the Committee and members acting properly in the course of the running of the Club against any liability incurred in the proper running of the Club (but only to the extent of its assets);
iv. The Committee will have due regard to the law on disability discrimination and child protection.
C Composition etc
i. The Committee shall consist of at least three and not more than 16 members (including Officers). It will include Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Secretary, and up to 12 other members.
ii. The President, Vice Presidents and Auditors, together with other officers of the club and Committee members shall be elected at the AGM.
iii. The Committee members may co-opt club members (up to the maximum permitted number) to serve until the end of the next AGM.
iv. Any Committee member may be re-elected or re-co-opted without limit.
v. A Committee member ceases to be such if he or she ceases to be a member of the Club, resigns by written notice, or is removed by the Committee for good cause after the Member concerned has been given the chance of putting his/her case to the Committee with an appeal to the Club members, or is removed by club members at a general meeting. The Committee shall fairly decide time limits and formalities for these steps.
vi. Any members of the Committee absent from three consecutive meetings without giving a reasonable explanation is deemed to have resigned from the Committee. The Committee will then be free to fill the position as required.
D Committee meetings
i. The committee shall meet at least every three months.
ii. The Committee shall have the power to form sub-committees for any purpose.
iii. Whenever a Committee member has a personal interest in a matter to be discussed, he/she must declare it, withdraw from that part of the meeting (unless asked to stay), not be counted in the quorum for that agenda item and withdraw during the vote and have no vote on the matter concerned.
iv. The Committee may decide its own way of operating. Unless it otherwise resolves the following rules apply:
a. A Committee meeting shall consist of a quorum of at least five members of the Committee of which two shall be Officers of the Club.
b. Committee meetings shall be held face to face.
c. The Chair, or whoever else those present choose, shall chair meetings.
d. Decisions shall be by simple majority of those voting.
e. Email circulation of a proposal may be made. A quorum of responses must result before any decision is made on a simple majority of those voting.
f. The chair of the meeting will have a second or casting vote in all cases when votes are equal.
g. Minutes will be kept and circulated to the other Committee members within a reasonable time afterwards but no more than 28 days.
E Delegation etc
i. The Committee may delegate any of their functions to sub-committees but must specify the scope of its activity and powers; the extent to which it can commit the funds of the Club; its membership; its duty to report back to the Committee.
ii. The Committee may wind up any sub-committee at any time or change its mandate and operating terms.
F Disclosure
Annual club reports and statements of account must be made available for inspection by any member and all club records may be inspected by any Committee member.
9. Finance
i. The Treasurer of the Club must ensure that proper books of account are kept in respect of:
a. all sums of money received and expended in respect of which the receipts and expenditure take place; and
b. the assets and liabilities of the Club.
ii. All cheques over £100 must be signed by two authorised Officers of the Club. Cheques under the value of £100 can be signed by any one of the authorised signatories.
iii. Authorised signatories are to be appointed by the Committee and shall be at least two Officers of the Club one of whom shall be the Treasurer.
iv. The Club’s financial year shall end on the 31 October.
vi. All Trophies and Equipment at present owned by the Club and any that may be acquired in the future shall be the property of the Club and the responsibility for the maintenance and safe-keeping shall rest with the Committee.All monies received by Club Officials and/or event organisers must be promptly transferred to the Treasurer, after deduction of expenses if agreed, together with an itemised balance sheet.
vii. Reasonable expenses are allowed as agreed by the Committee to cover activities undertaken by Club members on behalf of the club.
10. Amendments
i. This Constitution may be amended at a general meeting by two-thirds of the votes cast but not (if relevant) so as to jeopardise the Club’s status as a Community Amateur Sports Club as first provided for by the Finance Act 2002 and not in any event to alter its purposes (unless the procedure set out in 10ii has been followed) or winding up provisions.
ii. The Club Purposes may be changed to include another eligible sport if the Committee unanimously agree and the members also agreed the change by a 75% majority of votes cast at an AGM or EGM.
11. Club Principles
i Club members should at all times uphold the spirit of cycling fellowship that was integral to the establishment of Sotonia Cycling Club in 1967.
ii Club members taking part in club or other events and/or wearing club kit in public are expected to be considerate ambassadors for the Club and the sport.
iii When riding on the road Club Members are expected to comply with the Highway Code and to comply with the Sotonia Cycling Club’s “Riding With Us” guidelines.
12 Winding up the Club
i The members may vote to wind up the Club if not less than three quarters of those present and voting support that proposal at a properly convened general meeting.
ii The Committee will then be responsible for the orderly winding up of the Club’s affairs.
iii After settling all liabilities of the Club, the Committee shall dispose of the net assets remaining to one or more of the following:
a) to another Club with similar sports purposes, or
b) to a national organisation which promotes the sport of cycling for use by them for related community sports.