RULES
1 Name The Club shall be called The Bishops Castle Lawn Tennis Club and its aim is to promote tennis in Bishops Castle and district.
2 Constitution The club is constituted by these rules as a non-profit-making members' club. In no circumstances during the continuance of the Club, nor at nor after its dissolution, shall any assets or surplus funds be distributed to any member or other person nor to any organisation which is not itself constituted as non-profit-making or a charity.
3 Affiliation The Club shall be affiliated to the Lawn Tennis Association.
4 Membership Membership shall be defined as follows:
Adult - members over the age of 18 on 1st April of the current year
Junior - members under the age of 16 on 1st April of the current year,
(without voting rights)
Student - members receiving full-time education between the ages of 18 and 23, and
members aged 16 or 17 on 1st April of the current year
Social - non-playing members (without voting rights)
Limited play - as decided by the committee from time to time (without voting rights)
Honorary - to be appointed by the committee, but their number shall not exceed six at
any one time (without voting rights)
Family - members joining as a family will have the membership rights of Adult or Junior as
appropriate.
5 Application for membership Membership is open to all. Applicants should complete a form for the purpose and pay the appropriate subscription, decided at the previous AGM, by 1st April of the current year. All members shall be given pavilion keys. The Club may refuse a person membership provided a reason is publicly stated and there is a two thirds majority for refusal at a General Meeting with at least 12 voting members present.
No-one who is not a club member shall be eligible for club tournaments or to represent the club in matches.
6 Officers The Officers of the Club shall be adult members and shall consist of the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer. The President and Officers shall to be elected annually at the AGM by the voting members present.
7 Committee The elected Committee members shall consist of a minimum of 7 members, and shall include the President, the Officers, and two other two club members, all to be elected at the AGM by secret ballot by the voting members present. The Junior Co-ordinator shall be appointed by the incoming Committee and will sit on the Committee. The Men's and Ladies' Team Captains shall or shall not sit on the Committee by agreement. All Committee members shall have full voting rights at Committee meetings. If there is a requirement for additional Committee members at any stage, the Committee is empowered to co-opt such members as necessary.
8 Trustees Deeds of the property owned by the Club shall be held on behalf of the club by four Trustees, according to the terms laid out in the Deed of Declaration of Trust (June 1985). In the event of a resignation or demise of a Trustee nominations for a replacement may be proposed by the remaining trustees or by the Committee, to be elected at an AGM by the voting members present.
9 Team Captains The Men’s and Ladies’ Team Captains shall be elected by the AGM. If the appointment of a Captain is not made at the AGM the Committee may make an appointment, and the Team Captain may or may not serve on the Committee by agreement.
10 Subscriptions Subscriptions shall be determined at the AGM by the voting members present. Renewed subscriptions shall be due to be paid to the Treasurer by 1st April to cover the period from 1st April to 31st March, and payment by this date will allow the member to clain the prompt payment discount.
Anyone leaving the club who has arranged to pay by standing order shall be required to complete the year’s standing order payments. Payment by standing order will not allow the member to claim the prompt payment discount.
11 Auditor An auditor shall be appointed at each AGM by the voting members present.
12 General Meetings At least one General Meeting shall be held annually between 1st November and 31st January to receive the Chairman's and Treasurer's reports, to conduct elections and to carry out relevant business. Items of business for the Meeting must be conveyed in writing or email to the Secretary at least seven days before the Meeting. Proposals which have not been sent to the Secretary seven days before a General Meeting may still be allowed at the meeting at the discretion of the Chairman, given that Club Rules themselves may not be altered without members having had proper notice of the proposal beforehand.
Members wishing to alter the rules of the Club must notify the Secretary at least twenty one days before the Meeting. Proposals by the Committee to alter the rules must be notified to the members at least fourteen days before the Meeting. The presence of at least twelve voting members and a majority of at least two thirds of the number of voting members voting must be required to effect an alteration. If a request is made at the Meeting for a secret written vote on a proposal, it shall be accepted if one quarter of the voting members voting are in favour of having such a written vote.
Attendance at General Meetings shall be open to everyone, given that certain business may be deemed by the Chairman to be reserved for trustees and voting members, with others asked to leave the Meeting during their discussion.
If a vote is overwhelmingly in favour or against a proposal then an exact count need not be taken, given that any member may ask for the vote to be retaken for an exact count if they so wish.
The names of those wishing to stand in the election shall be sent to the Secretary by letter or email at least 7 days before the meeting. The list of candidates for elections shall be available from the Secretary on request 7 days before the General Meeting, and the list will be distributed by email (but not letter) during those 7 days. Proxy voting will be permitted for elections, and blank proxy forms will be sent out with the notice of the AGM. Proxy voting will not be permitted on proposals.
If there are positions for which there are no more than one person contesting the election, those who are standing for such positions shall be deemed elected and a ballot shall not be required.
13 Extraordinary General Meeting Such a meeting may be called by the Officers or the Committee or the Trustees or by written application to the Secretary or Chairman signed by at least six voting members. A meeting is to be held within twenty-one days of such an application.
14 Voting Rights All fully paid up adult members and student members shall be eligible to vote.
15 Visitors Non members may play as visitors upon payment of a fee to be agreed at the AGM. They may obtain a key to the clubhouse from the Tourist Information Shop in Bishops Castle or any other such place proposed by the Committee and publicised. Bishops Castle and district residents are allowed to play as visitors only three times a year.
16 Clothing Tennis shoes and suitable clothing must be worn by all players
17 Injury, Loss of property etc. Members or visitors leaving unattended vehicles rackets clothing or other property at the Club do so at their own risk, and the Club shall not be responsible for any loss damage or injury resulting from this or any other cause.
18 Dissolution The Club shall be dissolved on the passing of a resolution to that effect at a General Meeting after due notice by at least two thirds of those present and voting (with at least twelve members present). Such a meeting shall appoint a committee to wind up the affairs of the Club and shall give general directions as to the disposal of any assets within the scope of Rule 2.
Wherever these rules stipulate that a communication shall be in writing this shall include email. (This does not apply to rules requiring such communication to be signed.)