Epsom Fencing Club Constitution

1. Title

The Club shall be known as 'Epsom Fencing Club'

2. Objectives

The objectives of the Club are:

• To promote interest in fencing among members.
• To provide facilities to meet members' interests in fencing in a way that is fair to everyone.
• To further the interests of fencing locally.
• To support British Fencing (BF).
• To ensure a duty of care to all members of the club.
For this purpose the Club shall be affiliated to BF and shall encourage its members to become individual members of BF.

3. Membership

Membership of the Club is open to everyone who is an amateur as defined by BF. Membership fees will be set annually and determined at the AGM. All club monies will be banked in an account held in the name of the club. The following categories shall apply:

• Full member
• Junior member
• Family member
• Life member
• Other (tbc)

4. Constitution

The affairs of the Club shall be administered by a Committee consisting of:

• President
• Vice-Presidents
• Chairman
• Hon. Treasurer
• Hon. Secretary
• Publicity Officer
• Club Coaching Co-ordinator
• Club Captain
• Any other relevant position

A total of at least 3 elected members. (Only the last three officers are essential, and officers can be combined for instance, the President can act as Chairman, or a single individual can act as Hon. Secretary/Hon. Treasurer. Alternatively the President and Vice-Presidents

Chairman can be 'prestige figures' who are not expected to attend Committee meetings. To avoid too large a Committee there should not be more than about eight elected members, but the number could be reduced to four. A great deal will depend on the size of the Club).

5 Committee

The Committee shall have power to co-opt anyone to its meetings, but he or she shall not have power to vote. (Cooption is a useful way of getting onto the Committee someone, who for instance, has expert knowledge but for good reason has not stood for election. It must not be used to get onto the committee individuals who have been unsuccessful in an election, since this makes a nonsense of the election process).

The Committee shall have the power to fill causal vacancies. (A causal vacancy is an unforeseen vacancy usually arising from an officer or elected Committee member resigning before he or she has served a full year).

The Chairman shall have a casting vote at a Committee meeting. (If a number of votes for and against a proposal are equal, the Chairman has deciding or casting vote even if he has voted already). The Hon. Secretary shall give not less than ten days notice of a Committee meeting.

The officers and Committee members shall serve for one year, and may stand for reelection. The Committee shall meet at regular intervals.

6. Elections

The officers and Committee members shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting by a simple majority of those present and voting. Nominations must be accompanied by a written consent of the person nominated to serve if elected.

(The Club rules can require nominations to be made in writing sufficiently far ahead to be circulated with the notice of the AGM: alternatively the rules can enable nominations to be made from the floor at the AGM).

7. Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting shall be called by the Hon. Secretary giving not less than 13 days notice. The notice must include details of any proposed changes in the Club rules.

Accounts will be presented at the AGM. (It is often stipulated that the accounts must be audited before presentation. The AGM should be held a few weeks after the end of the financial year (usually October 1 to September 30 to correspond with BF financial year) to give time for accounts to be prepared.

It is normal for the Hon. Secretary for the Hon. Secretary to present a report on the Club year at the AGM. The Chairman shall have a casting vote at an AGM. 5 members shall form a quorum at an AGM. (As AGM's are notoriously badly attended, a reasonable figure for a quorum is 10 or one third of the Club membership, whichever is the greater). (It is often convenient for the rules to enable a General Meeting to be called at any time, either by the Club Committee or at the request of a stated number of members (say five or ten). This allows the Committee to conduct business which must be done at a General Meeting (such as a change in the rules) without waiting for the AGM, and provides members with a 'safety valve' if they are seriously dissatisfied with the running of the Club).

8. Subscriptions

The Club may have different subscription rates for different classes of member, as decided at the AGM. (Possible different classes are Full, Life, Junior (for instance for school children) and Non-Fencing Members (for wellwishers who wish to support the Club, either financially or by helping in its running). The amount(s) of the subscriptions(s) must be written into the Club rules so that they cannot be altered except at an AGM after proper notice has been given).

Members whose subscription remains unpaid more than 3 months after the due date will be considered as having ceased to be members (three months grace is reasonable, six months should be the maximum).

9. Rules

The Committee has the right to interpret these rules, and to settle any question not provided for the rules, but no addition nor alteration to the rules may be made except at an AGM. (The rules should lay down whether a change in the rules at the AGM can be made by a simple or a twothirds majority of those present and voting. A twothirds majority is more difficult to obtain but ensures that any changes are well supported).

Changes and alterations in the rules shall be reported to the Secretary of the BF. The constitution will only be changed through agreement by majority vote at an AGM or EGM.

10. Officers' Duties

• President and Chairman. Whoever acts as chairman of the Club (the President or the Chairman see rule 4) is responsible to the members for the members for the overall running of the Club: this includes ensuring that the Club meets its objectives, financial affairs, the conduct of meetings, and ensuring that the other Officers and Committee members carry out the duties delegated to them.
• Hon. Treasurer. The Hon. Treasurer is responsible for: collecting subscriptions, paying and receiving money, running the Club account, keeping proper records of payments and receipts, and for presenting accounts at the AGM (see rule 7). The Hon. Treasurer should be consulted about major items of expenditure. If appropriate an Assistant Hon. Treasurer can be added as a Club office (see rule 4), to assist the Hon. Treasurer.
• Hon. Secretary. The Hon. Secretary is responsible for day to day administration, drafting and circulating agendas and minutes (both should be subject to the Chairman's approval), dealing with correspondence, and the arrangements for matches and team selection. If appropriate an Assistant Hon. Secretary can be added as a Club Office (see rule 4), to assist the Hon. Secretary.
• A Team Captain can also be added as a Club officer, and be directly responsible to the Club Chairman or President for match arrangements and team selection, rather than the Hon. Secretary.

11. Dissolution

A resolution to dissolve the club can only be passed at an AGM or EGM through a majority vote of the membership.

In the event of dissolution, any assets of the club that remain will become the property of Sword Fighting International Ltd, Surrey County Fencing Union and any other stakeholders as agreed by the Officers.

12. Declaration

Epsom Fencing Club hereby adopts and accepts this constitution as a current operating guide regulating the actions of members.

SIGNED:
POSITION: Chairman - Mr Nick Payne
DATE: 28 June 08

SIGNED:
POSITION: Club Secretary - Dr Chris Howarth
DATE: 28 June 08