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Newry Tennis Club

 

Rules & Constitution

 

  1. Name

The name of the Club will be Newry Tennis Club

  1. Definitions

    1. “the Chairman” means the person elected from time to time to be the chairman of the Club in accordance with Rule 9.

    2. “the Vice-Chairman” means the person elected from time to time to be the vice-chairman of the Club in accordance with Rule 9.

    3. “the honorary Secretary” means the person elected from time to time to be the honorary secretary of the Club in accordance with Rule 9.

    4. “the honorary Treasurer” means the person elected from time to time to be the honorary treasurer of the Club in accordance with Rule 9.

    5. “the Officers” means in total, the four persons defined in 2.1 to 2.4 above

    6. “the Management Committee” means the committee appointed under Rule 9 to manage the club

    7. “the Members” means the members of the Club admitted from time to time to membership of the Club in accordance with Rule 5.

    8. “Full Members” means the Members who are aged 18 or over.

    9. “Junior Members” means Members who have not reached the age of 18

    10. “ the President” means the person elected from time to time to be the president of the Club in accordance with Rule 9.

    11. “the Trustees” means the persons appointed from time to time to be the trustees of the Club in accordance with Rule 10

    12. Words denoting the singular number include the plural number and vice versa; words denoting the masculine gender include the feminine gender.

  2. Objects

The objects of the club are;

  1. to provide tennis, social and other activities and generally to encourage and facilitate the playing of tennis;

  2. to promote, improve, develop and support the interests of tennis in the Newry & Mourne area.

  3. to provide such other benefits to its members as it shall think fit

  4. to acquire, establish own or operate (for the members benefit) the tennis court facilities of the Club together with buildings and easements, fixtures and fittings and accessories as shall be thought advisable;

  5. to make Rules, regulations and standing orders concerning the operation of the Club including without limitation regulations concerning disciplinary procedures that may be taken against the Members in their position as Members or  in their position as part of the Management Committee;

  6. to discipline the Members where permitted by its Rules/Regulations.

  7. To do all such other things as the Management Committee thinks fit to further the interests of the Club or to be incidental or conducive to the attainment of all or any of the objects stated in this Rule 3.

  1. Application of surplus funds

    1.  The Club is a non-profit making organization. All surpluses will be used rto maintain or improve the Club’s facilities and in furtherance of the Club’s objects. No surplus will be distributed other than in accordance with Rule 18 on winding up or dissolution of the Club

    2.  Nothing in Clause 4.1 shall prevent the club from entering into arms length agreements with Members to supply goods or services.

  2. Membership

    1. Eligibility for membership

      1. Persons of either sex are eligible for full membership of the Club provided they are at least 18 years old. No person shall be denied membership of the Club on the grounds of race, ethnic origin, creed, colour, age, disability, sex, occupation, sexual orientation, religion, political or other beliefs

      2. Persons below the age of 18 may be elected as Junior Members without the right to hold office or vote at general meetings.

      3. Persons aged 18 or over but in full time education may join as Student Members. Student members will have the same rights as full Members but may pay a reduced membership fee.

      4. Family membership:  When a family rather than an individual apply for membership members of the family will have rights as full Members if they are at least 18 years of age or will have rights as Junior Members if they are below the age of 18.

    2. Admission of members

      1. Any person or family who wishes to become a Member/Members must submit an application in such form as the Management Committee shall decide

      2. The management committee has the right in its absolute discretion to  refuse an application for admission

    3.  Subscriptions

      1. The annual fee for the different categories of membership will be decided by the Management Committee from time to time.

      2. The Members shall pay annual subscription fees set by the Management Committee from time to time

      3. The Members shall include such information as is agreed by the Management Committee from time to time when paying annual subscription fees

      4. The Member whose subscription is not paid by such date as the Management Committee shall decide each year shall be deemed to have resigned his membership of the Club

    4. Membership list

      1. The Honorary Treasurer shall maintain a list of subscribing Members reconciled to the subscriptions received

      2. The Honorary Secretary shall maintain a list of members created from the list in Clause 5.4.1 showing all Members, addresses, email addresses where provided and birth dates for Junior Members

 

  1. Resignation

A Member may withdraw from membership of the Club.  Membership shall not be transferable in any event and shall cease immediately on death or dissolution or on the failure of the Member to comply or to continue to comply with any condition of membership set out in these Rules.

  1. Expulsion

    1. The Management Committee shall have power to expel or suspend a Member when, in its opinion, it would not be in the interests of the sport or of the Club for him to remain a Member

    2. A Member shall not be expelled unless he is given 14 days' written notice of the meeting of the Management Committee at which his expulsion shall be considered and written details of the complaint made against him.

    3. A Member shall be given an opportunity to make written representations and/or to appear before the Management Committee and at any such meeting to be accompanied by a representative or friend, but not a member of the legal profession, who may answer complaints made against the member.  The member must not be expelled unless a majority of the Management Committee then present vote in favour of his expulsion

    4. The Management Committee may exclude the Member from the Club's premises until the meeting considering his expulsion has been held.  For the avoidance of doubt, the member shall be entitled to attend that meeting for the purpose of making his representations

  2. Effect of Resignation or Expulsion

Any person ceasing to be a Member forfeits all right to and claim upon the Club, its property and its funds and he has no right to the return of any part of his subscription

  1. The Management Committee

    1. The club shall be managed by a Management Committee consisting of:

    2. the President

    3. the Chairman

    4. the Vice-Chairman

    5. the Honorary Secretary

    6. the Honorary Treasurer

    7. further members up to a maximum membership of the committee of ten members

    8.  Only a Full Member of the Club may be a member of the Management Committee

    9. Nominations for election to the committee as officers or members must be made in writing to the Secretary at least 48 hours prior to the AGM.

      1. No one shall be nominated for election as an officer unless he has been a member of the Management Committee within the previous three years

      2. No one shall be nominated for election as an officer unless he has been a full member of the club for the past year

      3. The committee shall have the right to approve in advance of nomination, a nomination for election as officer or member that does not fulfill the requirements of (a) & (b) above.

    10. The Officers and other members of the Management Committee (excluding the President) shall be elected at the annual general meeting, and subject to termination of office by resignation, removal or otherwise, the members remain in office until they or their successors are re-elected or elected (as the case may be) at the annual general meeting following their re-election or election (as the case may be).

    11. The President will not be subject to Annual re-election.

    12. In addition to the members elected or appointed in accordance with this Rule 9, the Management Committee may co-opt up to 2 further Members who shall serve until the next annual general meeting.  Co-opted members shall be entitled to vote at the meetings of the Management Committee

    13. The Management Committee may appoint any Member  to fill any casual vacancy on the Management Committee until the next annual general meeting

    14. The Management Committee may appoint any member of the Management Committee to replace any Officer who has resigned or otherwise ceased in their position as Officer.

    15. The President of the club is appointed by invitation of the management committee.

  1. The President is automatically a member of the management committee.

  2. The President may remain as President and resign his position on the management committee

  3. Should the President resign his position on the Management Committee he is still entitled to  attend Management Committee meetings in a non-voting capacity

  4. The President will be deemed to have vacated office if he fulfils any of the criteria of paragraph 9.12 except for that in 9.12 (d) regarding attendance at meetings.

    1. Retiring members of the Management Committee may be re-elected

    2. All members of the Management Committee who are not Officers or the President will be allotted specific responsibilities to carry out on behalf of the Management Committee which may be from the following list  as agreed or amended by the Management Committee:

  1. Senior& junior coaching

  2. Club open & closed tournaments

  3. Social tennis & social tournaments

  4. Tournaments, competitions and leagues with other clubs including those with the Belfast& District league

  5.  Fund raising and sponsorship

  6. Communication with the Members & local media

  7. Social non-tennis events

    1. A member of the Management Committee will be deemed to have vacated office if:

  1. he becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors generally;

  2. he is, or may be, suffering from mental disorder;

  3. he resigns his office by notice to the Club;

  4. he shall without sufficient reason for more than [three] consecutive meetings of the Management Committee have been absent without permission of the Management Committee and the Management Committee resolves that his office be vacated;

  5. he is requested to resign by not less than two thirds of the other Management Committee members acting together.

 

  1. Proceedings of the Management Committee

    1. Management Committee meetings shall be held as often as the Management Committee thinks fit provided that there shall not be less than 6 meetings each year.  The quorum for such meetings shall be 5 with at least one officer. The Chairman and the Honorary Secretary shall have discretion to call emergency meetings of the Management Committee if they consider it to be in the interests of the Club.  The Honorary Secretary shall give all the members of the Management Committee not less than 3 days' notice of a meeting

    2. The Chairman shall be the chairman of the Management Committee. Unless he is unwilling to do so, the Chairman shall preside at every meeting of the Management Committee at which he is present.  But if there is no person holding that office or if the Chairman is unwilling to preside or is not present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for the meeting, the Vice-Chairman shall preside.  If there is no Vice-Chairman or if he is unwilling to preside, of if he is not present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for the meeting, the members of the Management Committee present may appoint one of their number to be chairman of the meeting

    3. Decisions of the Management Committee shall be made by a simple majority and in the event of an equality of votes the Chairman (or the acting chairman of that meeting) shall have a casting or additional vote

    4. The Management Committee shall be responsible for the management of the Club and shall have the sole right of appointing and determining the terms and conditions of service of employees of the Club.  The Management Committee shall have power to enter into contracts for the purposes of the Club on behalf of all the Members.

    5. The Chairman’s ruling on all matter of procedure is final. A Management Committee member can move a motion of no confidence in the Chairman but must get two-thirds of the Committee members to vote with him at the meeting. The vote of no confidence will apply only at the meeting at which it is passed.

    6. The Management Committee shall appoint 2 Trustees, to hold office until death or resignation unless removed from office by a resolution of the Management Committee or by a resolution duly passed at a general meeting.  The [Chairman] from time to time is nominated as the person to appoint new Trustees within the meaning of Section 36 of the Trustee Act 1925.  A new Trustee or new Trustees shall be nominated by resolution of the Management Committee and the Chairman shall by deed duly appoint the person or persons so nominated as the new Trustee or Trustees of the Club and the provisions of the Trustee Act 1925 shall apply to any such appointment.  Any statement of fact in any such deed of appointment shall in favour of a person dealing with the Club or the Committee in good faith be conclusive evidence of the fact so stated.. 

    7. Every member of the Management Committee, employee or agent of the Club shall be indemnified by the Club and the Management Committee shall pay all costs, losses and expenses which any such member of the Management Committee, employee or agent may incur or for which he may become liable by reason of any contract entered into or act or thing done by him in good faith as such member of the Management Committee, employee or agent in accordance with the instructions of the Management Committee or of a general meeting of the Club or otherwise in the discharge of his duties.  The Management Committee may give to any member of the Management Committee, employee or agent of the Club who has incurred or may be about to incur any liability at the request of or for the benefit of the Club such security by way of indemnity as may seem expedient.

    8. The Management Committee may elect sub-committees as deemed necessary. All decisions arrived at by sub-committees shall be submitted to the Management Committee for sanction before being put into force

    9. The Management Committee may do whatever it  thinks fit to further the interests of the Club be it  incidental or conducive to the attainment of all or any of the objects stated in Rule 3

    10. The Management Committee must investigate any complaint regarding a Member received in writing from a Member or other person. The complaint should be dealt with as the Management Committee see fit as is consistent with natural justice. The decision of the Management Committee as to the justification of the complaint and any consequential action against the accused Member will be final.

 

 

  1. Annual general meeting

    1. The annual general meeting of the Club shall be held at such time as the Management Committee shall decide to transact the following business:

  1. receive the Chairman's report of the activities of the Club during the previous year

  2. Adopt the minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting

  3. receive and consider the accounts of the Club for the previous year and the Honorary Treasurer's report as to the financial position of the Club

  4. elect the Officers and other members of the Management Committee

  5. decide on any resolution which may be duly submitted in accordance with Rule 11.2

  6. deal with any other matters which the Management Committee desires to bring before the membership

    1. Notice of any resolution proposed to be moved at the annual general meeting shall be given in writing to the Honorary Secretary not less than 14 days before the meeting.

    2. No period greater than fifteen months shall elapse between one annual general meeting and the next.

  1. Extraordinary general meetings

An extraordinary general meeting may be called at any time by the Management Committee and shall be called within 21 days of receipt by the Honorary Secretary of a requisition in writing signed by not less than 20 Members stating the purposes for which the meeting is required and the resolutions proposed

  1. Procedures at the annual and extraordinary general meetings

    1. The Honorary Secretary shall send to each paid up Full Member who has not been suspended or expelled at his last known address written notice of the date of the general meeting together with the resolutions to be proposed at least 21 days before the meeting. If an email address has been provided by the member then an email may be sent with the above information in lieu of posting.

    2. Notification to a Member that information is available on the Club’s website will be equivalent to that information having been provided to the Member

    3. No notice of a meeting will be sent to Junior Members

    4. In the case of Members subscribing as a family, notice as in Clause 13.1 will be sent to just one Member of the family.

    5. The quorum for a general meeting shall be 20 Full Members

    6. Junior Members are allowed to attend meetings but may not vote

    7. Only paid up members may attend the AGM

    8. Members who have been suspended or expelled may not attend the AGM

    9. The Chairman shall preside at the start of all meetings of the Club but if he is not present within 15 minutes after the time appointed for the meeting or has signified his inability to be present at the meeting, the Members present [and entitled to vote] may choose one of the other members of the Management Committee present to preside and if no other member of the Management Committee is present or willing to preside the Members present [and entitled to vote] may choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting

    10. At an AGM the President shall preside over the election of the Management Committee. If the President is not present then a Member of the Club with at least 2 years membership who is not standing for election will be chosen by the members of the Management Committee present.

    11. Each Full Member present shall have one vote and resolutions shall be passed by a simple majority of those Members present and voting and those members who have reistered a valid proxy vote. In the event of an equality of votes the chairman of the meeting shall have a casting or additional vote.

    12. Voting will normally be by way of a show of hands of the eligible members however, in the event of there being more valid nominations for membership of the committee than the limit imposed by clause 9.1(f) or more than one valid nomination for any position of officer then voting will be by secret ballot of the eligible members present plus the addition of any eligible proxy votes , in either case of which the Chairman of the meeting at that point shall appoint two tellers from those present and eligible to vote to count the balloted votes

    13. The Honorary Secretary, or in his absence, a member of the Management Committee shall take minutes at each General Meeting.

    14. Whether a member may vote by proxy will be decided by the Management Committee. This decision will be clearly shown on the notice of the meeting sent to Full Members. In addition the procedure for registering a vote by proxy will also be shown in the above notice.

  2. Alteration of the Rules

These Rules may be altered by resolution at an annual or extraordinary general meeting provided that the resolution shall not be passed unless carried by a majority of at least [two-thirds] of the Full Members present and at the general meeting, the notice of which contains particulars of the proposed alteration or addition

  1. Regulations and standing orders

The Management Committee shall have power to make, repeal and amend such regulations and standing orders as it may from time to time consider necessary for the wellbeing of the Club.  Such regulations and standing orders and any repeals or amendments to them shall have effect until set aside by the Management Committee

  1. Finance

    1. All moneys payable to the Club shall be received by the treasurer and shall be deposited in a bank account in the name of the Club.  No sum shall be drawn from that account except by cheque signed by [two] signatories Any moneys not required for immediate use may be invested as the Management Committee in its discretion thinks fit.

    2. The bank account in Clause 16.1 will have at least 3 signatories and these will normally be chosen from the Officers or President. However a signatory may be chosen from the rest of the Management Committee.

    3. Any signatory who is no longer a member of the Management Committee will be removed as a signatory

    4. Subject to Rule 18, the income and property of the Club shall be applied only in furtherance of the objects of the Club and no part thereof shall be paid by way of bonus, dividend or profit to any Member

    5. The Management Committee shall have power to authorise the payment of remuneration and expenses to any officer, member of the Management Committee, Member or employee of the Club and to any other person or persons for services rendered to the Club

    6. The financial transactions of the Club shall be recorded in the books and records of the Club in a manner appropriate to its complexity as decided by the Honorary Treasurer.

    7. The Honorary Treasurer shall prepare accounts showing the income & expenditure and assets and liabilities of the club on an annual basis.

    8. The accounts will be made available at the Annual General Meeting.

  2. Property

    1. The property of the Club, other than cash at the bank, shall be vested in the Trustees.  They shall deal with the property as directed by resolution of the Management Committee and entry in the minute book shall be conclusive evidence of such a resolution

    2. The Trustees shall be entitled to an indemnity out of the property of the Club for all expenses and other liabilities properly incurred by them in the discharge of their duties.

  3. Dissolution

    1. A resolution to dissolve the Club can only be dealt with at an extraordinary general meeting and shall be passed only if carried by a majority of at least three-quarters of the Full Members present and voting

    2. Such a meeting as in Clause 18.1 must satisfy all the requirements of Rules 12 and 13

    3. The dissolution shall take effect from the date of the resolution and the members of the Management Committee shall be responsible for the winding-up of the assets and liabilities of the Club

    4. Any property remaining after the discharge of the debts and liabilities of the Club shall be paid to or distributed to another non-profit making tennis club having objects similar to those of the Club or failing this to a charity involved in Cancer Research.

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