Constitution

A) General

1. The Club shall be called Southend Ladies Hockey Club.

2. The Club shall be affiliated to All England Woman’s Hockey Association and to Essex Woman’s Hockey Association, and shall consist of Members as specified in Rule 5.

3. The objectives in the club shall be:

a) to promote, encourage and extend amateur hockey for woman and girls;

b) to foster friendship between Members and players associated with the game of hockey.

4. The colours of the Club shall be navy shirts, navy skirt and navy socks. with white trim.

5. Membership of the Club shall be open to playing members, umpires, coaches, associate members and honorary members of the Club. Any playing member of the Club will be entitled to full voting rights upon payment of their annual subscription.

The Club may wish to offer voting rights to other categories of membership.
The Club reserves the right to refuse membership or deny participation in any club event.

a)	to promote, encourage and extend amateur hockey for woman and girls;
b)	to foster friendship between Members and players associated with the game of hockey.

B) Administration

1. The business of the Club shall be conducted by the Club Committee, except for those matters reserved under this Constitution for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) [see B-2 below].

a) The Committee shall consist of the officers listed on the website Committee page, who shall all be elected annually at the AGM, from nominations received beforehand. In the event of no nominations being received, then the existing officer shall automatically be re-elected. In the event of a contested election voting shall be by paper ballot. In the event of a tie between two or more candidates the Vice-Chairman shall have the casting vote unless the contested post is that of the Vice-Chairman, in which case, the acting chair shall have the casting vote

b) The Committee shall meet regularly and shall have the power to co-opt other Club Members as necessary.

c) Minutes of all the proceedings of the Committee are to be taken by the Secretary. Committee Members shall receive a copy of the minutes.

2. The AGM shall be held before the 30 June, and all Club Members must be notified of the date and time at least 21 days in advance. The purpose of the AGM is:

a) to receive the annual reports and statement of accounts;

b) to elect the Committee;

c) to consider the Constitution of the Club;

d) to set the level of subscriptions and match fees for the forthcoming season;

e) to transact any other business.

3. Any Member who wishes to submit a resolution to the AGM must do so in writing to the secretary not less than 14 days before the meeting. The secretary shall ensure that a copy of this resolution is sent to all Members prior to the meeting.

4. At all General Meetings of the Club, the Vice-Chairman, or in her absence, a Member selected by the meeting, shall act as chair. Every Member present shall be entitled to one vote and in the event of a tie the Vice-Chairman shall have the casting vote.

5. This Constitution may be changed by a two thirds majority of the voting Members present at the AGM. Notice of any proposed amendment must be given in writing to the Secretary not less than 14 days before the AGM.

6. The Committee may, if it thinks fit, or upon receiving a written request from 8 (eight) Club Members, call an Extraordinary General Meeting. (EGM)

a) The meeting must be called within 14 days of receipt of such a request.

b) The date and time of the EGM shall be displayed on the Club notice board and notified to Members in advance. This notice shall clearly state the reason for such a meeting, and no other business shall be transacted.

7. The Club may be dissolved upon a resolution to that effect passed by a two thirds majority of the voting members present at the AGM. Following such a resolution, the Committee shall take appropriate action to discharge all debts and liabilities of the Club. All remaining finances shall be divided equally between all fully paid-up Members of the Club.

8. The quorum at all General Meetings shall comprise 10 (ten) voting members.

9. The Committee shall be the sole authority for the interpretation of this Constitution.

a)	The Committee shall consist of the officers listed on the website Committee page, who shall all be elected annually at the AGM, from nominations received beforehand. In the event of no nominations being received, then the existing officer shall automatically be re-elected. In the event of a contested election voting shall be by paper ballot. In the event of a tie between two or more candidates the Vice-Chairman shall have the casting vote unless the contested post is that of the Vice-Chairman, in which case, the acting chair shall have the casting vote
b)	The Committee shall meet regularly and shall have the power to co-opt other Club Members as necessary.
c)	Minutes of all the proceedings of the Committee are to be taken by the Secretary. Committee Members shall receive a copy of the minutes.

a)	to receive the annual reports and statement of accounts;
b)	to elect the Committee;
c)	to consider the Constitution of the Club;
d)	to set the level of subscriptions and match fees for the forthcoming season;
e)	to transact any other business.

a)	The meeting must be called within 14 days of receipt of such a request.
b)	The date and time of the EGM shall be displayed on the Club notice board and notified to Members in advance. This notice shall clearly state the reason for such a meeting, and no other business shall be transacted.

C) Conduct of Members

1. Each Member shall receive a copy of this Constitution and shall be bound thereby.

2. Any Member may resign their membership by giving the Secretary notice in writing to that effect. Any refund of subscription or partial subscription is at the discretion of the Committee.

3. If at any time, two thirds of the Committee agree that it is in the interests of the Club, they may:-

a)	by letter, expel any Member from the Club. All Members of the Club shall be told of this and the reason for it; or
b)	suspend any Member from playing and from the Clubhouse and grounds and other privileges of Membership for such time as the Committee shall decide. All Members of the Club shall be told of the period of suspension and the reason for it; or
c)	otherwise deal with any Member as they decide.

4. Any person ceasing to be a Member of the Club forfeits all rights or claims on the Club, it’s property and funds.

5. All Members shall do their allocated Bar and Coaching duties. Failure to do so may result in suspension or expulsion, as in C-3 above. Members are responsible for finding their own reliable substitute if necessary.

6. All Members are expected to maintain the good name of the Club, by treating all officials, opposition and visitors with courtesy and hospitality. Actions, which bring the name of the Club into disrepute, will be dealt with under C-3 above

D) Finance

1. The financial year shall end on 31 May, and the accounts shall be audited annually. A brief financial report shall be presented at the AGM.

2. Annual subscriptions become due on September 1st each year in respect of the next 12 months.

If a subscription has not been fully paid by December 1st of that year, the defaulter shall cease to be a Member. Any Member consistently failing to make payment of any match fees or other debt to the Club shall also cease to be a Member. Reinstatement is at the discretion of the Committee and is dependent on payment of all arrears. The Committee has the discretion to make alternative arrangements with any Member suffering genuine financial hardship.