Grove Rugby Football
Club Constitution

Name

  1. The Club shall be called Grove Rugby Football Club (hereinafter referred to as “the Club”)

Objects

  1. The objects of the club shall be:
    1. To foster the interest in and development of the game of rugby union football.
    2. To provide facilities for the playing of the game of rugby union football.
    3. The provision of facilities for the aforesaid purpose and matters ancillary thereto; and
    4. The provision of social activities for members of the club.

Affiliation

  1. The club shall be affiliated to:
    1. The Oxfordshire Rugby Football Union
    2. The Oxfordshire Rugby Football Union Referees Society, and
    3. The Rugby Football Union

Club Colours

  1. The club colours shall be a combination of red, white and blue shirts, navy blue shorts and red socks. The committee shall be empowered to organise(d) a club badge and to make such amendments to its design from time to time as are necessary.

Membership

  1. Any person shall be eligible for membership of the club with the committee having absolute power to accept or reject any person nominated for membership.
  2. Any person wishing to be a member of the club must apply with the appropriate subscription to the membership secretary having been proposed and seconded in writing by existing members.  Such notice to be published for forty-eight hours in the clubhouse before such application be admitted a member of the club.
  3. If any objection is made in writing to the membership secretary within that time, the application will be considered at the next committee meeting.
  4. Members must at all time have proof of membership when (the) on the club premises.

Types of membership

  1. There will be the following types of membership with voting (V) or non-voting (NV) rights
    1. Playing members over nineteen years of age on 1st September of each year (V)
    2. Junior members under nineteen years of age on 1st September of each year (NV)
    3. Mini members under twelve years of age on 1st September of each year (NV)
    4. Patrons (V)
    5. Honorary life members (V)
    6. Social members (NV)
    7. Visiting Sports Club membership (NV)
    8. Temporary membership (NV)
    9. Spouse/Partner membership (NV)
    10. Vice President (V)
  1. The subscription year runs from 1st September until 31st August of   the following year. Subscriptions for each year will be set at the Club’s Annual General Meeting for the following year for each class of membership. Failure to pay by 1st October of each year may mean re-application for membership for each non-payment of subscriptions.  Members joining after 1st January of each year are only liable for one-half of the annual subscription.
  1. The Committee have the power to elect as Honorary Life Members, without any further subscription being due, any member who in the opinion of the club has rendered meritorious service to the club over a period exceeding ten years; such election shall take effect after approval by the club at (the) an Annual General Meeting.
  1. Social and Visiting members are not entitled to vote at any meeting of the club. All such members must sign the Visitors’ Book retained on the club’s premises, and must be introduced by a member of the club.  Social or visitor members shall not exceed 15% of the total membership. No member shall be entitled to introduce more then three bona fide quests into the club at one time.  The names and addresses of all guests and the name of the member signing them in shall be entered into a book maintained for the purpose, such book to be kept on the premises.
  1. Member of visiting teams and their supporters shall be collectively entitled to use the club’s facilities on the day of the prescribed fixtures providing the Grove host captains enter the Visiting club’s name and team designation into the Visitors book.
  1. Visiting club membership is only open to named “User Club’s” as defined in the lease. The membership fee shall be decided on after negotiation with the interested parties.

Termination of Membership

  1. The committee shall have the power to expel any member who shall offend the Constitution of the club, or whose conduct shall in the opinion of the committee render him unfit for membership of the club.
  2. Before any member is expelled, the secretary shall give him seven days written notice to attend a meeting of the committee and shall inform him of the complaint made against him.
  1. Any member indebted to the Club in any way, other than subscriptions, shall have the privilege of Membership withdrawn by the Committee until such time as the debt is settled and should be so informed by the Club Secretary.
  1. No member shall be expelled without first having the opportunity of appearing before the committee and answering complaints made against him. A two-thirds majority of the committee present and voting is required to make such an expulsion valid. Notice of termination of membership shall be posted at the club’s premises for at least forty-eight hours.
  1. No member whose membership has been terminated under these rules, or whose subscriptions shall be in arrears or who shall otherwise be indebted to the club, shall be introduced by any other member (as a non-playing member to any part of the club’s premises.)?

Amendments to Constitution

  1. Any proposed amendment to the Constitution must be made in writing to the secretary and signed by a least ten members.  The secretary must write to all the members giving twenty-one days notice of any Extraordinary General Meeting together with the proposed amendments.  Such notice must also be served on the Chief Officer of Police for the area, and to the Clerk of the Local Authority.

    2. Committee

  1. The affairs of the club shall be managed by a Committee which shall consist of:
    1. Chairman
    2. Secretary
    3. Treasurer
    4. Club Captain
    5. Coach
    6. Social Secretary
    7. Clubhouse Management Chairman
    8. Clubhouse Manager
    9. Chairman of the Bar Committee
    10. Junior Chairman
    11. Junior Secretary
    12. Fixture Secretary
    13. Membership Secretary
    14. County Representative
    15. One Ordinary Member
    16. Sponsorship Secretary (co-opted)
    17. Marketing Manager (co-opted)
  1. All committee members must be a member of the club, and shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting to serve on the Committee for one year.
  1. The committee shall meet at least ten times a year, and minutes of every meeting shall be kept, and signed by the Chairman at the following meeting as being a true record of the contents of each meeting.
  1. Every Committee member shall have one vote, but the Chairman of the meeting shall have a casting vote.
  1. Each Committee position shall be decided at the Annual General Meeting. Nominations for the Committee shall be made in advance of the Annual General Meeting must be signed by the nominee and proposed and seconded by members or taken from the floor at the Meeting.
  1. The Committee shall have the power to co-opt any member to fill a  vacancy on the Committee.
  1. The Committee shall have the power to form Sub-Committees who shall report back to the main Committee. The Chairman of each Sub-Committee shall cause a minute book of proceedings of Sub-Committee meetings to be maintained. The purchase of intoxicating liquor for the supply by the club shall be at the absolute discretion of a Sub-Committee of not less than three members.

Quorum

  1. The quorum for a Committee shall be not less than five Committee members present.

Sub-Committees

  1. The Committee shall appoint two members to the Clubhouse Management Committee.
  1. There shall be, inter alia, the following Sub-Committee

Sub-Committee                     Chairman
Disciplinary                            Ordinary Committee Member
Social                                     Social Secretary
Selection                                Club Captain
Bar                                        Bar Chairman
Management                         Clubhouse Chairman

Other Officials

  1. The members at the Committee shall ratify if possible the appointment of the Captains of each playing team.  These playing Captains will be elected at a meeting of the playing members of the Club to be held at least seven days before the Annual General Meeting.  The Club Captain shall be responsible for the arranging of this meeting.

Role Descriptions

  1. Role Descriptions for each officer and Committee Member of the Club shall be kept by the Secretary and shall be available for members on request. These shall be amended from time to time by the Committee as they see fit.

President

  1. The members of the club shall elect a President of the club who shall hold office for three years.  A retiring President shall be eligible for re-election.

Trustees

  1. Trustees of the Club shall be appointed from time to time as deemed necessary by the committee.

Financial Year

  1. The Club’s financial year shall end on 31st March each year.

Annual General Meeting

  1. The Committee will cause an Annual General Meeting of the club to be  held between 1st April and 31st May each year to deal with the following
    1. To confirm the minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting and any Extraordinary General Meeting held since the previous Annual General Meeting:
    2. To receive the Chairman’s report;
    3. To receive the treasurer’s report;
    4. To approve the Auditor’s accounts of the club for the year.
    5. To appoint the Auditors for the year;
    6. To approve subscriptions and match fees for the ensuring year;
    7. To receive the Club Captain’s report;
    8. To approve the appointment of any Honorary Life Member;
    9. To consider any proposed amendment to the Constitution;
    10. Any other business, notice of which has been given to the Secretary in writing or which may be taken from the floor and
    11. To elect the Committee and Officials of the Club for the ensuing year.
  1. The secretary shall send notice of the Annual General Meeting to all members of the club by post or by e-mail, not less than twenty-one days prior to the date of such meeting, specifying the matters to be dealt with at such meeting. It will also be advertised on the Club’s web site www.groverfc.co.uk.
  1. Voting by proxy in the prescribed form laid down by the secretary will be allowed providing that such proxies are in writing and received by the secretary not less than forty-eight hours prior to the meeting.

Extraordinary General Meeting

  1. A special meeting of the club may be convened (by the Club), due notice having been served upon the Secretary specifying the proposal to be laid before the members.  Such notice must be signed by ten members of the club.  The secretary shall send to all members, by post or e-mail, details of the proposal giving twenty-one days notice of the meeting.  The Committee may also call an Extraordinary General Meeting. An EGM will also be advertised on the web site.

Quorum

  1. The quorum for any General Meeting of the club shall be fifteen members present.

Bar

  1. The permitted hours for supply of intoxicating liquor will at all times comply with the Licensing (Amended) Act 1989, and will not therefore commence before 10.30am or end later than 11.00pm except for Sunday and Good Friday when the hours are limited to those between 12.00 noon until 10.30pm.  Christmas Day opening hours are limited to those from 12.00 noon until 3.00pm and from 7.00pm until 10.300pm.  Actual opening hours, conforming to the limits stated above, will be the discretion of the Committee.
  1. All profit from the sale of intoxicating liquor, tobacco and other refreshments shall be paid into club funds, to be applied for the benefit of the club as a whole.
  1. No person shall be paid, at the expense of the club, any commission, percentage or similar payment on or reference to purchase of intoxicating liquor, tobacco or refreshments by the club.
  1. Under the provision of the Licensing Act 1961 it is an offence for any person under 18 years to buy, attempt to buy, or consume alcoholic liquor at the bar.  It is also an offence for anyone to buy, attempt to buy, alcoholic liquor for consumption by a person under 8 years. In particular:
    1. No intoxicating liquor shall be supplied to members or any person  on the club premises other than by or on behalf of the club.
    2. No intoxicating liquor shall be sold or supplied other than  to members as defined in Rule 9 (excluding members under the age of 18 years) to members and officials of teams visiting the club premises for the purpose of playing a match and to social visitors as defined in Rule 12.
    3. There shall be no supply of intoxicating liquor for consumption off the premises except to a member in person.
    4. Intoxicating liquor may be sold to persons attending the club premises for social or other functions organised by the club, provided always that the number of such functions shall not exceed twelve in any one year, but no function shall be permitted to which admission may be obtained by payment of money at the door, whether for a ticket or otherwise.
    5. Intoxicating liquor may be sold to any person in pursuance of section 49 (4) Licensing Act 1964.

Borrowing powers

  1. The Committee has the power to borrow for the purposes of the club any sum of money up to one hundred and fifty thousand pounds at such rates of interest and in such manner as the members shall deem fit from time to time.
  1. The members in General Meeting may authorise the Committee to borrow any sum in excess of one hundred and fifty thousand pounds at such rate of interest and in such manner as the members shall deem fit from time to time.
  1. No mortgages or charges on the club’s property may be made without prior approval by the members in General Meeting.
  1. All members of the club, whether voting on such resolutions or not, and all persons becoming members of the club after the passing of such resolution shall be deemed to have assented to the same as if they voted in favour of such resolution.

Indemnity

  1. The members of the club shall indemnify all Committees from all liability incurred in the running of the club.

Surplus & Dissolution

  1. On dissolution of the club, any surplus assets shall become the property of The Rugby Football Union.

Simon Humberstone
Chairman, Grove RUFC
Date 26th July 2007

Adopted on 22nd May 1990
Amended on:

20th November 1990
21st May 1991
27th May 1992
26th May 1993
29th May 1996
4th June 1997
16th June 2004
26th July 2007