Issue number: 2
Amendment: 1
19th November 2009
1: NAME
The Club will be called "WORCESTER TRIATHLON CLUB" and affiliated to the
British Triathlon Federation (BTF).
2: AIMS and OBJECTIVES
The
aims and objectives of the Club will be:
a) To develop the sport of Triathlon in the Worcester area, including the
associated multi-disciplinary offshoots Aquathlon and Duathlon.
b) To encourage members and non-members alike to participate in the sport
locally through regular training sessions and club events, paying particular
attention to the development of interest amongst local school children and
youth.
c) To invest surplus club funds to
achieve the goals set out in items a and b above.
d) To provide a duty of care to all members of the Club by promoting a safe
environment for training, racing and participation in other club related
activities in line with recognised good practice, with a special emphasis on
child protection.
e) To provide services
in a way that is fair to everyone, in line with Club and BTF equity
policies.
3: ELIGIBILITY AND TERMS OF MEMBERSHIP
Application for
membership is open to all. The committee may refuse or remove membership
with reasonable cause. Appeals may be made under clause 9.
Membership
shall consist of officers and members of the Club.
All members will be
subject to the regulations of the constitution and by joining the Club will
be deemed to accept these regulations and codes of practice that the Club
has adopted.
Members will be enrolled in one of the following
categories:
Senior member
Junior member (under 18 on date of
application/renewal)
Veteran member (over 65 on date of application)
Student member (registered in full time education)
Associate member
Honorary member
Senior members are required to make themselves
available to officiate in at least two of the Club’s organised events
annually in line with the Club policy on event support.
4:
MEMBERSHIP FEES
Membership fees will be set annually and agreed by the
Management Committee. Fees will be paid by annual subscription due on 1st
January. New members or lapsed members renewing after 1st March will be
subject to a registration fee.
5: OFFICERS OF THE CLUB.
Officers
of the Club will be:
Chairman
Vice Chairman
Secretary
Treasurer
Welfare Officer
Officers shall be elected at each Annual General Meeting.
All officers will retire each year but will be eligible for re-appointment.
6: COMMITTEE
The Club will be managed through the Management
Committee consisting of the Club Officers plus other committee members as
necessary, for example:
Membership Secretary
Publicity Manager
Events Manager
Race Directors (1 per agreed event for the current year)
Club Kit Manager
Social Secretary
Webmaster
Committee meetings will
be convened by the Secretary of the Club and held no less than four times
per year.
The quorum required for business to be agreed at Management
Committee meetings will be five.
The Committee will be responsible for
adopting new policy, codes of practice and rules that affect the
organisation of the Club consistent with this constitution.
The Committee
will have powers to appoint subcommittees as necessary and appoint advisers
to the Management Committee as necessary to fulfil its business.
The
Committee will be responsible for disciplinary hearings of members who
infringe the Club rules or constitution. The Management Committee will be
responsible for taking any action of suspension or discipline following such
hearings.
7: FINANCE
All club monies will be banked in accounts
held in the name of the Club. The Treasurer will be responsible for the
finances of the Club.
An audited statement of annual accounts will be
presented by the Treasurer at the Annual General Meeting.
Any cheques
drawn against club funds should hold the signatures of the Treasurer plus
one other committee member.
8: AGM
Notice of Annual General
Meetings (AGM) will be given by the Secretary. Not less than 30 clear days
notice to be given to all members.
The AGM will receive a report from
officers of the Management Committee and a statement of the audited
accounts.
Elections of officers and committee members are to take place
at the AGM. Prospective candidates must be proposed and seconded by two
members of the Club. All members have the right to vote at the AGM. The
quorum for AGMs will be twenty percent of members.
The Management
Committee has the right to call Special General Meetings (SGMs) outside the
AGM. An SGM may also be called if at least ten member proposers, of which a
minimum of four are committee members, make written application with an
agenda to the Secretary. Procedures for SGMs will be the same as for the
AGM.
9. DISCIPLINE AND APPEALS
All complaints regarding the
behaviour of members should be submitted in writing to the Secretary.
The
Management Committee will meet to hear complaints within 30 days of a
complaint being lodged. The committee has the power to take appropriate
disciplinary action including the termination of membership.
The outcome
of a disciplinary hearing should be notified in writing to the person who
lodged the complaint and the member against whom the complaint was made
within 7 days of the hearing.
There will be the right of appeal to the
full Management Committee. An appellant should lodge the appeal in writing
to the Secretary within 7 days of receiving the outcome. The full committee
should consider the appeal within 14 days of the Secretary receiving the
appeal, voting by proxy if necessary.
All concerns, allegations or
reports of poor practice/abuse relating to the welfare of children and young
people will be responded to in accordance with the Club’s child protection
policy. The Club Welfare Officer is the lead contact for any child
protection concerns.
10. DISSOLUTION
A resolution to dissolve the
Club can only be passed through a two-thirds majority vote of the membership
at an AGM or SGM.
In the event of dissolution, any assets of the Club
that remain will distributed to the BTF or other clubs with similar
objectives.
11. AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION
The constitution
will only be changed through agreement by two-thirds majority vote at an AGM
or SGM.
Declaration
Worcester Triathlon Club
hereby adopts and accepts this constitution as a current operating guide
regulating the actions of members.
Signed copy on Starmark File held
by Committee.
RULES FOR EVENT OFFICIATING / MARSHALLING
All subscribing senior
members of the Club, (i.e. those 18 years or above in the membership year),
are required to make themselves available, on request, to officiate in at
least two of the Club's organised events annually.
Members wishing
to race in Club events or who, for other reasons, are unable to make
themselves available for marshalling duties as defined above, are required
to provide a suitable proxy to cover their absence from the activity in
which they would otherwise have expected to assist. If the said member
intends participating in more than two club events during the subject year
then a proxy will be required for a maximum of two races only.
The
dates and nature of all forthcoming Club events are notified to each member
as soon as possible and each member who knows, in advance, of other
commitments which might preclude them from participating as an official in
any such event should inform the Marshall Co-ordinator at the earliest
opportunity. Members who might be living or working out of the area for the
time being, or have other reasonable, long term excuse for not meeting these
requirements may apply to the committee to be temporarily excused from these
obligations.
Subscribing members fulfilling the conditions laid down
in the preceding paragraphs who wish to race in a Club event will benefit
from a 50% reduction of the published entry fee. Members entering online
currently only have the option to pay the full entry fee. A 50% refund will
be provided once it is confirmed they have fulfilled their officiating
obligation.
RULES ON FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR OVERSEAS COMPETITION
LENGTH OF MEMBERSHIP
Members applying for club financial support when
racing overseas will be entitled to 100% of the declared applicant funding
in that year subject to their having been active club members for a
continuous period of at least two years at the time of racing. Applying
members who have been active club members for less than two years but more
than one year at the time of racing will be entitled to 50% of the declared
funding. Applying members who have been active club members for less than
one year at the time of racing will not be eligible for financial support.
CLUB AFFILIATION STATUS
Applying members must race as members of
Worcester Triathlon Club as their first level club in all races entered
throughout the season.
QUALIFYING RACES
Financial support will
only be offered to members who have qualified for World or Age Group
Championships in the disciplines of Triathlon, Duathlon or Aquathlon. The
applicant must race as part of the GB team.
FUNDING LEVELS
Funding levels will be fixed by the committee each year following the
publication of the prior year's accounts. A portion of any surplus from that
year's activities will be allocated for race support and levels set
accordingly. Support will be set at two levels, the primary level will be
for all qualifying events held outside of Europe. The secondary level (which
will attract 50% of level one funding) will apply to all qualifying races
held in Europe but outside mainland UK.
FUNDING LIMITS
There is
no upper limit to the amount of times an individual member can apply for
funding in any given year.
APPLICATION FOR FUNDING
Members
wishing to apply for funding should approach a Committee member with details
of the event for which they are applying together with evidence, if
available, of their inclusion in a GB squad. Applications should preferably
be made in writing. Retrospective application is acceptable provided that
such application is made in the same calendar year as the event claimed for.
CONDITIONS FOR ACCEPTANCE
Successful application will only occur if
ALL conditions listed above are met. Furthermore, in the event that any
funding received might give rise to a tax liability under prevailing Inland
Revenue rules, the member agrees that any such liability to tax will be
their exclusive responsibility.