CONSTITUTION AND RULES OF ATHENRY ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL CLUB
1. NAME
(A) The name of the club shall be Athenry Association Football Club. The club shall be open to all interested in the sport of football subject to the provisions of article 5.
2. OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the club shall be:
(A) To promote, foster and develop the sport of football at club level.
(B) To protect the rights and interests of the members.
3. MANAGEMENT
(A) The business of the club shall be managed by a committee which shall consist of a Chairman, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, Public Relations Officer and five committee members including the President.
(B) The Officers and Committee shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting.
(C) A new Chairman to be picked every three years.
(D) The Committee shall have power to fill any vacancy that may occur during the Financial Year. The term of office of any member elected to fill a vacancy shall be for the unexpired period of the Member whose place he shall have filled.
(E) All fund raising events must be sanctioned by the Committee.
(F) The Committee may appoint a Sub-Committee to organize any event or fund raising activity approved
by the Club. This Sub-Committee will be headed by a Committee member.
(G) All moneys received by a member of the Committee or any member of the Club on behalf of the Club will be handed over immediately to the Honorary Treasurer. Failure to comply with this rule will invoke consideration of Rule 13.
4. DUTIES OF OFFICERS
(A) The Chairperson or in his absence an appointed committee substitute shall preside at all meetings, and shall have a casting vote, which he may use in the event of a tie. The Chairman will ensure that Rule 11c be strictly applied.
(B) The Honorary Secretary shall keep the Clubs records, and shall be responsible for recording the minutes of all meetings in the minute book. All payments made to him on behalf of the Club shall be handed over immediately to the Honorary Treasurer.
(C) The Honorary Treasurer shall be responsible for all moneys received by him on behalf of the Club. He shall lodge the moneys in a bank account He shall make a financial statement of the Club accounts at Committee meetings and prepare a yearly account of income and expenditure together with a balance sheet for the Annual General Meeting. He shall make available all books and vouchers to the Committee
when instructed to do so by the Committee. A list is presented to the AGM of all amounts owing to the club as per the date of the Treasurers report.
(D) The Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer shall when relinquishing office, or whenever required by the Committee render an account of all moneys and hand over to the Committee all books, documents, papers or other property, belonging to, or relating to the affairs of the club.
(E) The annual accounts should be made up to 30th April each year.
5. NEW MEMBER
(A) Membership of the club shall be ordinary or honorary. Ordinary membership shall be given to anybody who pays a subscription under the terms of section 6.
6. SUBSCRIPTIONS
(A) The Annual subscription is payable from/on the date of the AGM each year. The amount of the annual subscription to be paid by members shall be reviewed annually with recommendation at the Annual General Meeting.
(B) Juvenile members, up to the ages of 17 years, will be admitted to membership on payment of a fee to be agreed at the AGM. However, they shall not be entitled to vote at General or other meetings, nor hold office, but they may attend meetings and take part in competitions.
(C) All membership must be paid to the club committee. Closing date to be decided at the AGM
(D) No member shall be eligible to take part in any Club Competition until his subscription is fully paid.
7. HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS
(A) On the recommendation of the Committee, a member may be elected Honorary President of the Club by a vote of two-thirds majority at an Annual General Meeting. Such Life Members shall thereafter be entitled to all the privileges of Membership without payment of a subscription.
8. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
(A) The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held in May of each year, except in special circumstances it may be held earlier.
(B) To receive from the Honorary Secretary a statement of the proceedings of the Club during the previous year.
(C) To receive from the Honorary Treasurer a statement of receipts and expenditure together with a Balance Sheet for the year.
(D) To elect officers and Club Committee for the ensuing year. All officers shall be elected on an individual basis in accordance with the following procedure:
· The outgoing Chairman shall appoint 2 returning officers to supervise the election.
· Nominations shall taken at the AGM
· The election shall be by secret ballot, if more than one candidate is nominated.
· In the event of a tie in the ballot, the candidate(s) with the lowest vote will be eliminated and a new ballot taken. In case the tie still remains, the candidates will have to draw lots.
(E) To deal with notices of motion submitted in accordance with Article 10.
(F) To consider any other matters pertaining to the welfare of the Club, or any of the Club Members.
(G) To review the amount of the Subscription for the current Financial year.
(H) Twenty five members of the club shall form a quorum at the Annual General Meeting.
(I) Voting majority shall be determined via a show of hands unless majority decides on secret ballot.
(J) Fourteen clear days notices should be given to each member of the date of the Annual General Meeting.
(K) A member(s) should be appointed by the meeting to report to the AGM that the Accounts submitted under rule 8(c) above are in accordance with the books and records of the club and that the procedures set out in rule 14(c) were followed. The accounts, books and records should be available to the appointed
person(s) from one week prior to the AGM.
9. EXTRA-ORDINARY GENERAL MEETING
(A) The Committee may call an Extra-Ordinary or Special General Meeting on any question of urgent importance that may arise, and shall be bound to do so on receiving a requisition signed by twenty five members of the club. Such requisition shall clearly specify the purpose' or purposes for which the meeting is convened on at least seven days clear notice which must be given on such meetings in writing to the Secretary. No other business shall be conducted at such meetings.
10. NOTICES OF MOTION
(A) Notices of motion must be handed to the Honorary Secretary seven clear days before the date of the Annual General Meeting. No other proposals for Notices of Motion shall be taken from the floor at an AGM.
11. COMMITTEE MEETINGS
(A) The Committee shall meet once a month and will be presided over by the Chairman of the club.
(B) Five Committee members shall constitute a quorum.
(C) Any Committee member who is absent without cause from three consecutive meetings shall cease to be a Committee member and his place shall be filled by co-option at the next following Committee meeting.
(D) The Committee may from time to time appoint a sub-committee to assist them in the performance of their duty. This sub-committee will be chaired by an appointed Committee member and may comprise of committee members and other paid up members of the club.
(E) The Committee will decide on Management of all teams in the club and set out the duties and responsibilities for his/her term of office.
(F) The Juvenile management should be managed by a sub-committee with a committee member in charge.
12. CONDUCT OF MEETINGS
(A) An agenda should be set for all meetings general or committee.
(B) The Chairman's ruling as to procedure shall be final.
(C) Members must address the meeting through the Chairman and must stand when addressing the Chair.
(D) A member may speak on any motion only once, with the exception of the proposer who may reply before a vote is taken.
(E) At all meetings the usual rules of debating will apply.
(F) All meetings will start at the designated time and will be conducted in accordance with normal meeting procedures.
13. EXPULSION OF MEMBERS
(A) The Committee of Athenry AFC shall have the power to expel any Member at time if in their opinion he has been guilty of such proven misconduct as would render him unfit to remain a Member.
(B) Any such decision shall be forwarded to the Member in writing by registered post not later than the day following the day the expulsion was made.
(C) A Member has the right of appeal and may do so in writing not more than seven days after he receives notice of expulsion.
14. FUNDS
(A) The funds shall be lodged in a Bank or Credit Union, in the name of the Club, approved by the Committee, and no money shall be withdrawn there from without the sanction of the Committee. The Bank or Credit Union account shall be operated by the Honorary Treasurer, who shall be appointed annually at the Annual General Meeting. Withdrawals shall be signed by the Honorary Treasurer and the Honorary
Secretary or Honorary Chairman. In the event of a surplus fund becoming available a deposit account should be opened in a financial institute to be determined by the committee.
(B) Funds from the Juvenile Sub-Committee shall be accounted for separately from that of the Senior club and these funds be presented and properly accounted for in accordance with Rule 8C. These funds cannot be used for any purpose other than for the maintenance of the Juvenile members.
(C) Any person owing money for over a year shall not be allowed in a position of authority.
(D) The following procedures should be adopted with regard to receipt and disbursement of funds:
Receipts:
· Numbered duplicated receipt should be written for all amounts received.
· All receipts should be lodged.
· Receipts should be recorded in the Cash Receipts Analysis book in numerical order.
· The total of receipts for the year should equal lodgments.
· Collections (e.g. Church gate) - The total collected should be verified by a person other than the treasurer and a receipt written for the total amount.
Payments:
· All payments should be by cheque.
· Cheques should be signed by any two of Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer.
· A receipt should be obtained and filed in respect of all payments.
· All payments should be authorized by the committee.
· For all major items of expenditure more than one quotation should be obtained.
· All payments should be recorded in the cheque payments book.
15. FEES/PROPERTY
(A) The Property of the Club vested in the Committee in trust for the Members. An inventory of all items shall be made and recorded in the property book.
(B) A Competition fee shall be agreed for all Tournaments by the Committee.
(C) That all Club Property be returned forthwith to the Club at the end of the soccer season. Any Member failing to do this will be dealt with under Rule 13 of the constitution.
(D) That the Clubs pitch in Raheen and all Club properties and leases should not be sold now or at any time in the future.
(E) That all club teams should wear the correct strip, as outlined by the Committee in all matches, competitive or friendly. Failure to have the correct gear at a match will result in the player being prohibited from playing.
16. COMPETITIONS
(A) The Club Committee shall govern all competitions and their decision relating to all competitions shall be final.
(B) The rules governing Competitions will be the Competition Rules laid down by the Football Association of Ireland and Connacht FA.
(C) Decisions made by the Committee shall be binding on all Competitions and protests by teams or persons must be submitted in written form to the Committee and issues will be addressed at the next Committee meeting.
(D) The Secretary shall keep a record of all teams partaking in Competitions.
(E) All players at all levels must sign the Registration forms before he/she can play Competitions in the Galway Football League.
(F) The club shall enter an A and a B team at senior level.
(G) The reserve team for the A team shall be a C team in the Saturday league.
17. SAFETY
(A) Each individual is responsible for his own safety.
(B) All players are playing at their own risk.
(C) No money should be paid or fund raising events organised in the name of the Club for any players injured unless article 9 is fulfilled.
(D) Nobody can train at any time of year unless they are fully paid members because of the dangers with insurance.
(E) Friendly matches to be cut down because the players are not covered by insurance.
(F) There should be a fully equipped medical kit at all matches.
18. CESSATION OF CLUB
(A) In the event of the Club being unable to continue as a viable entity a care-taking Committee will be appointed to safeguard the property of the club.
19. OUTSIDE COMMITTEES
(A) The Committee shall nominate such Members as deemed fit to represent the Club on any outside Committee.
20. TEAM MANAGEMENT
(A) One of the first team management should attend 50% of reserve team games.
(B) Younger Senior players should take over some juvenile teams.