Constitution

NAME

1. The name of the Club is the “Forestville Hockey Club Incorporated” referred to herein as the Club.

OBJECTS AND PURPOSES

2. The Objects and Purposes of the Club are to:

a.   Provide an organization to promote and allow the participation of members in the game of Hockey or other sports and activities as may from time to time be determined.

b.   Promote the sporting welfare of the members.

c.   Promote and encourage the development of Junior Hockey in accordance with the Club’s Junior Player Development Policy

d.   Encourage others in the activities of the Club.

e.   Purchase, take on lease, exchange or otherwise acquire any real or personal property and any rights or privileges necessary or convenient for the Club.

f.   Carry out such lawful activities as may be conducive or incidental to the welfare of the members.

g.   To grant sums of money out of funds of the Club for any matter affecting hockey and in such manner as may be from time to time determined

MEMBERSHIP

3. The Club shall consist of Senior playing members, Junior playing members, Non Playing Members, Life members, Honorary members and Associate members admitted as such according to the Constitution. Only Senior Playing Members, Life members and Associate members shall have the right to hold office, to vote at any meeting or to have any interest in the property of the Club.

CLASSES OF MEMBERSHIP

4. The classes of membership are:

a.   Senior Playing Members - Any person who is eighteen years or over at the beginning of the calendar year may be admitted, subject to Clause 5, and continue as a senior playing member of the Club upon payment of such subscription as may be fixed from time to time.

b.   Junior Playing Members - Any person who is a Junior as defined by the South Australian Hockey Association may be admitted and continue as a junior playing member of the Club upon the payment of such subscription as may be fixed from time to time.

c.   Non Playing Members - Any person who is eighteen years or over at the beginning of the calendar year may be admitted and continue as a senior playing member of the Club upon payment of such subscription as may be fixed from time to time. Non-playing members may play for the club on paying a fee per match as determined by the Committee.

d.   Life Members - On the recommendation of the Management Committee, any person being a member may, at any general meeting of the Club, in consideration of valuable services rendered to the Club, be elected as a Life Member. A two-thirds majority of those present and voting shall be necessary to such an election. Every Life Member shall be entitled to all privileges of a member of the Club during his or her life without any further payment of playing subscriptions. A maximum of two members may be elected as a Life Member in any two subsequent financial years.

e.   Club Legend - On the recommendation of the Management Committee, any person Life Member Status may, at any general meeting of the Club, in consideration of extraordinary and exemplary services over an extended period of time rendered to the Club, be granted Club Legend status. A two-thirds majority of those present and voting shall be necessary to such an election. Every Club Legend shall be entitled to all privileges of a member of the Club during his or her life without any further of payment of playing subscriptions. A maximum of one Life Member may be granted Club Legend status within any five subsequent financial years.

f   Honorary Members

1. The players of any other club affiliated with the South Australian Hockey Association who visit the club on any day for the purpose of playing Hockey shall be Honorary Members of the club for that day.

2. The Committee and President shall have the power to elect as Honorary members for any period not exceeding one month the following:

i) Any person who is a member of an interstate, international or other touring Hockey Team or Club which is visiting Adelaide.

3. Honorary members shall enjoy all the privileges of full members save and except as follows:

i)   Honorary members shall not be eligible to be elected as members of the Executive Committee.

ii)   Honorary members shall not be entitled to vote on any issue.

iii)   Honorary members shall not be entitled to receive any notice required to be given to full members.

iv)   Honorary members shall not be entitled to introduce visitors.

v)   Honorary Members shall not be liable to pay any subscription.

g. Associate Members - Any person not precluded by this Constitution may become an Associate member in accordance with Clause 5. An Associate member will be an ordinary, non-playing member of the Club.

ELECTION OF MEMBERS

5. Any person may apply for membership by completing a Club membership form. The Management Committee may refuse membership to any person if the Committee considers that that person’s admittance will not be in the interests of the Club.

MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTIONS

a.    The Club Membership subscriptions for the following year shall be proposed by the Management Committee once a year as required to enable to the club to conduct its business.

b.    All annual subscriptions shall be paid by every member not later than the thirty first day of May in the year for which the subscription is due.

c.    The Management Committee may from time to time grant reductions in subscription payable. Any member who is granted a reduction in subscriptions shall still be entitled to exercise all privileges of a member. Where that member does not complete all their commitments to the club in the period to which the fee reduction relates they may be required to reimburse the club for the amount of that fee reduction.

d.    Any member who has not paid the subscription by the first day of August in the year for which the subscription is due shall cease to be a member of the Club and shall not be eligible for Club Office, provided always that the Management Committee may reinstate such a person’s membership on such terms as it considers appropriate.

e.    Any Senior Playing Member or Junior Playing Member shall not be eligible for selection, nor clearance to play for any other hockey club, if such a member has not paid their subscription by the thirty first day of May in the year for which the subscription is due.

PLAYING SUBSCRIPTIONS

7. Any member of the Club who participates in a sporting team of the Club shall be liable for the payment of such playing subscriptions at such times as shall be determined from time to time by the Management Committee.

OFFICE BEARERS

8. The Office Bearers of the Club shall be
Patron,
Vice-Patrons (not exceeding fifty in number),
Immediate Past President,
President,
Vice-President
Secretary,
Treasurer,
Social Coordinator,
Junior Coordinator and
Public Officer (who may be one of the other Office Bearers).

The Patron, Vice-Patrons and Immediate Past President shall not have the power to move, second or vote on any motion at any meeting of the Club. They may attend meetings, advise the committee and carry out duties at the request of the Committee.

MANAGEMENT OF THE CLUB

9.    The affairs of the Club shall be managed and controlled exclusively by the Management Committee, which, in addition to any powers and authorities conferred by this Constitution, may exercise all such powers and do all such things as are within the objects and purposes of the Club, and are not required to be done by the Club in general meeting. The Management Committee shall be responsible for all financial dealings relating to the Club’s activities.

10.    The Management Committee may appoint such officers and employees as are required to carry out the objects and purposes of the Club, including a Public Officer and may delegate any of its powers to such officers or employees as it may think fit.

11.   The Management Committee shall consist of at least the President, Secretary, Treasurer, Social Coordinator, Vice-President, Junior Coordinator and other members as prescribed in Clause 8.

ELECTION OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE AND OTHER OFFICERS

12.    The Management Committee and other Officers of the Club, as required by the Club’s Administrative Structure document, shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting of the Club.

13.   The Secretary shall call for nominations with the notice of the Annual General Meeting. In the event that no nominations are received for any particular position, nominations can be called for at the Annual General Meeting.

14.    A candidate for election to the Management Committee shall be nominated in writing by one member and seconded by another member and the nomination shall be signed by the candidate, excepting as provided in Clause 13 when nominations from the meeting are obtained.

15.    Nominations for each position shall be voted upon. If the number of candidates exceeds the number of vacancies to be filled, an election by ballot shall be conducted.

16.    The Management Committee shall fill any position vacant at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting.

17.    The Management Committee shall have the right to create additional offices and appoint office bearers to any such additional offices as the Management Committee may deem expedient and in the best interests for the conduct of the Club and any such office bearer so appointed shall remain in office until the next Annual General Meeting, when their position will become vacant and nominations will be sought and voted on at the Annual General Meeting.

18. Such office bearers will act as full members of the Management Committee and carry out their duties as directed by the Committee and report back to the Management Committee as to their activity.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

19. The President shall Chair the Management Committee. In the absence of the President from any meeting, the Vice-President shall be Chair and if the Vice-President is not present then the remaining members may appoint any other member present to act as Chair and any person shall, while so acting, exercise all the powers of the Chair.

20. The Management Committee shall meet as often as it may deem necessary but, in any event, at least once two calendar monthly to conduct business. For each meeting:

a.   Five members shall form a quorum.

b.   The Chair may have an agendum provided to the Committee members.

c.   The Minutes of the proceedings shall be taken and submitted to the following meeting.

d.    Questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. The Chair shall have a deliberative vote and, in the event of a tie, a casting vote.

e.    A member of the Management Committee having a pecuniary interest in a contract with the Club must disclose that interest to the Management Committee and shall not vote with respect to that contract.

21. An Emergency Committee may be formed from any three of the President, Vice-President, Treasurer or Secretary to deal with urgent business that may arise and shall report its actions to the next meeting of the Management Committee.

DUTIES OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

22. President. Apart from the duties specified elsewhere, the President shall:

a.    Oversee the running of the club
b.    Liaise with and attend meetings with third parties on behalf of the club
c.    Represent the club and its philosophies and direction
d.    Chair the management committee and emergency committee

23. Vice-President. The Vice President shall:

a.   Aid the President in their duties
b.   Represent the President in their absence
c.   Sit on the Management Committee and act as a full member of that committee

24. Secretary. The Secretary shall:

a.   Call all meetings and set the agenda in accordance with this Constitution and cause Minutes of each meeting to be recorded, distributed and signed at the earliest opportunity.
b.   Receive, file and deal with all Club correspondence both internal and external. All correspondence shall be tabled at the next Management Committee meeting.
c.   Maintain Member details (current and non-current)
d.   Undertake any other duties required for the running of the Management Committee.

25. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall:

a.   Receive all monies and cause these to be banked promptly.
b.   Make all disbursements by cheque signed by at least two members of the Management Committee.
c.   Prepare financial budgets and statements as required by the Management Committee.
d.   Submit an audited financial statement to the Annual General Meeting.
e.   Prepare and maintain appropriate financial records in accordance with good accounting practice and the law
f.   Invoice and collect payment of membership fees
g.   Invoice and collect monies of miscellaneous invoicing

26. Social Coordinator. The Social Coordinator shall:

a.   Sit on the management committee as a full member of the committee
b.   Organise and chair the Social sub-committee with the purpose of raising funds for the club and organizing social functions
c.   The social coordinator shall report back to the management committee as required.

27. Junior Coordinator. The Junior Coordinator shall:

a.   Sit on the management committee as a full member of that committee.
b.   Organise and chair the junior sub-committee with the purpose of recruiting and organizing events , teams and competitions for the junior club members
c.   The junior coordinator shall report the sub committees activities back to the management committee as instructed.

VACANCIES

28. Any casual vacancy occurring during the year shall be filled by the Management Committee and such a committee member shall hold office until the next Annual General Meeting.

29. If any member of the Management or any other Committee of the Club is absent from three consecutive meetings without special leave of absence from the Chair of that Committee, that member’s position may be declared vacant and dealt with according to Clause 28.

THE SEAL

30.    The Club shall have a common seal upon which the Club’s name shall appear in legible characters. There shall be three seal holders who shall be President, Secretary and Treasurer of the Club and who shall hold office at the pleasure of the Club. Seal holders may be removed from office by a vote of a majority of members at any Annual or Special General Meeting for which the necessary notice has been lodged with the Secretary.

31.    The seal may not be used without the express authority of the Management Committee or General Meeting and every use of the seal shall be recorded by the Secretary. Any two of the seal holders may use the seal which must be signed across the seal and countersigned by the Secretary or President.

32.    The seal shall be kept in the custody of the Secretary or such other member as determined by the Management Committee from time to time.

PUBLIC OFFICER

33. The Secretary shall act as and carry out the duties of Public Officer of the club. They shall administer and manage the club in accordance with the Act and this constitution.

FINANCIAL YEAR

34. The financial year of the Club shall end on 31 October each year.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

35. The Annual General Meeting shall be held in November to December of each year to:

a.   Receive and adopt the annual report and statements of accounts for the immediate past financial year.

b.   Elect the office bearers and the Management Committee of the Club.

c.   Elect the Club auditor.

36.    The Secretary shall provide at least seven days’ notice in writing to all members of the Club entitled to vote at the meeting. An agenda listing the business of the meeting shall be available to all members at the meeting.

37.    Should any member wish to bring any special business to the meeting, written notice must be provided to the Secretary at least seven days’ prior to the date of the meeting and the Secretary shall embody such business in the agenda.

38.    The quorum for the Annual General Meeting shall be twenty members personally present and entitled to vote.

SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING

39.   The Secretary shall call a Special General Meeting within fourteen days of receiving a written request to that effect signed by twelve or more members entitled to vote. The request shall set out the object of such meeting. All members entitled to vote shall be given at least seven days’ notice in writing of the business of the meeting. No other business other than that proposed shall be discussed at the meeting.

40.    The Secretary, under the instructions of the Management Committee, may call an emergency meeting at any time. At least seven days’ notice in writing to all members shall be given.

41.    The quorum for any Special General or Emergency Meeting shall be twenty members personally present and entitled to vote.

42.    If at any General Meeting there is no quorum within 30 minutes of the time appointed for the meeting, then the meeting will be adjourned for a period not exceeding 14 days. The quorum for such adjourned meeting shall be reduced to 10, failing which the meeting will lapse.

PROXIES

43. At any General or Special General Meeting of the Club, Member’s entitled to vote may do so by proxy. Such proxy votes must be forwarded in writing to the Secretary and be declared to the membership in attendance.

EXPULSION OR SUSPENSION OF MEMBER

44.    The Management Committee may by resolution suspend and/or may recommend to a General Meeting for expulsion, any Club member proven to its satisfaction to have been guilty of conduct which, in its opinion, is prejudicial to the interests of the Club. Written notice of any such resolution shall be given to the affected member within seven days of such resolution.

45.    Any period of suspension shall be not less than fourteen days and no greater than 365 days.

46.    A member suspended or expelled may appeal against the decision by lodging a written notice of appeal with the Secretary within fourteen days of receiving the notice of resolution. Any such appeal or recommendation for expulsion shall be heard and determined by a General Meeting of the Club within one month of the appeal or expulsion resolution.

COACHING STAFF

47. The Management Committee shall appoint Coaches as soon as practicable for the next hockey season and also such Assistant Coaches as it deems necessary from time to time.

SELECTION COMMITTEE

48. The Selection Committee for the Premier Men’s and Women’s grades shall comprise of Coach and/or Assistant Coach, and/or the Captain and/or a Club Member as will be decided and appointed by the Management Committee so that the Selection Committee of each team shall comprise of at least two senior playing members at all times.

ALTERATION TO CONSTITUTION

49. This Constitution shall not be amended, altered, added to, varied or rescinded in whole or in part unless or until a resolution is passed by a two-thirds majority of members present and entitled to vote at a General Meeting where notice has been given as specified in this Constitution.

ALTERATION TO THE CLUB’S ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE

50. The Club’s Administrative Structure shall not be amended, altered, added to, varied or rescinded in whole or in part unless or until a resolution is passed by a simple majority of members present and entitled to vote at a General Meeting where notice has been given as specified in this Constitution.

ALTERATION TO THE CLUB’S JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT POLICY

51. The Club’s Junior Development Policy shall not be amended, altered, added to, varied or rescinded in whole or in part unless or until a resolution is passed by a meeting of members interested in and qualified to deliberate on Junior Development Policy, and said resolution is ratified by the Management Committee.

WINDING UP

52. The Club may be wound up after a resolution to that effect is passed by a four-fifths majority of members present and entitled to vote at a General Meeting where notice has been given as specified in this Constitution. Any surplus Club assets or property will be disposed of as directed in the resolution of winding up.