Club Rules | newportsquash

1. Name

The Club shall be called the NEWPORT SQUASH RACKETS CLUB (hereinafter called ‘’The Club’’).

2. Objectives

The Club exists to provide squash courts and clubhouse with accompanying refreshments and entertainment for members. It aims to promote the game of squash in the City of Newport and to engage in such other activities as are incidental or conducive to that provision and promotion.

3. Trustees

3.a. The property of the club shall be vested in four Trustees of the club who shall deal with the property as directed by resolution of the members and they shall be indemnified against risk and expense out of the club property. No improvement or alterations to the property of the club shall be carried out without the consent of the Trustees.

3.b. The current Trustees of the club are:

James Haley, Mark Huxtable, Kim Dowsell, Christopher Blight.

4. Membership

4.a. The membership of the club shall be limited to such number as may from time to time be fixed by the Management Committee. Persons of either sex shall be eligible for full membership provided they are over 18 years of age and children below the age of 16 years may be elected as junior members and full-time students below the age of 21 may be elected as student members without a right to hold office or to exercise the right of voting. The club may in the promotion of the game of squash or for service to the club confer upon any person honorary membership, but such membership shall not include the right to vote.

4.b. Every candidate for admission as a member shall be proposed by one member and seconded by another by means of the club’s application for membership form provided for that purpose.

4.c. On receipt of the said form duly completed and signed by the candidate proposer and seconder the Management Committee shall cause the name of the candidate to be posted on the Club Notice Board for seven days and any member who objects to the candidate shall then make his objection in writing stating the grounds thereof to the Membership Secretary.

4.d. The election of candidates shall be by the Management Committee who shall consider the application of all candidates in order of priority according to the date of the application.

4.e. The candidate who receives two thirds of the votes of the members of the Management Committee present and voting shall be declared elected and shall become a member of the club upon due payment of the Annual Subscription and Entrance Fee (should the latter be at the time a condition of membership).

4.f. Upon payment as aforesaid the elected candidate shall be deemed to have agreed to be bound by the rules and regulations of the club for the time being in force.

4.g. If an elected candidate does not pay his entrance fee (if required) and his annual subscription within one month of his election, the latter shall automatically be rescinded.

5. Subscription

The annual subscription for members is set for each financial year by the Management Committee for the following categories of membership.

FULL MEMBER

COUNTRY (ONLY FOR MEMBERS LIVING 25 MILES OR MORE AWAY FROM THE CLUB)

SENIOR (65 YEARS OF AGE AND OVER)

STUDENT MEMBER

JUNIOR MEMBER

SOCIAL MEMBER

5.a. The setting of annual subscription fees for all categories is the sole responsibility of the Management Committee.

5.b. Annual Subscriptions shall be due and payable on the 1st day of September in each year and if after a reminder has been given a subscription has not been paid on or before the 1st December following the subscription shall be in arrears.

5.c. If any member’s subscription is in arrears the Secretary shall send him a notice requesting immediate payment and if after 14 days from the receipt of such notice the subscription has still not been paid, the Management Committee may remove his name from the register of members and he shall thereupon cease to be a member.

5.d. Any member may resign his membership by giving to the Secretary notice in writing to that effect provided that if notice be given after 1st September in any year he shall be liable to pay his subscription for that year.

5.e. Should the conduct of any member of the Club be in the opinion of the Management Committee detrimental to the good order and welfare of the Club, the Management Committee shall at a meeting at which at least six of their members are present have absolute power to suspend or expel such member provided that such a decision is made by three quarters of those present. The member whose conduct is being considered shall have notice of the meeting and shall have an opportunity of being heard at the meeting.

5.f. Any person on ceasing to be a member of the Club shall forfeit all right to and claim upon the Club its property and funds.

6. General Meetings

Once in every year at such times as the Management Committee may from time to time appoint but always provided that not more than 15 months shall elapse between the dates of any two such meetings, the Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held for the following purposes: –

6.a. To receive from the Management Committee a report, balance sheet and statement of accounts for the preceding financial year.

6.b. To elect the Management Committee, Officers and Auditors of the Club.

6.c. To decide on any resolution which may be duly submitted to the meeting as hereinafter provided.

7. Any member desirous of moving any resolution at the Annual General Meeting shall give notice thereof in writing to the Secretary not less than three weeks before the date of such meeting.

8. Six weeks before the date of the Annual General Meeting in every year a notice thereof shall be sent to all members calling for notices of motion as aforesaid and nominations for Officers and Management Committee members which should be properly proposed and seconded.

9. 14 Days before the Annual General Meeting details of any notices of motion, nominations received, together with a report and any other documents which the Management Committee shall consider necessary, will be set out on the Club notice board and no business other than that of which notice has been so given shall be brought forward at the meeting.

10. The financial Year for the Club Accounts shall end on the 31st day of August in each year.

11. The Management Committee may at any time for any special purpose or forthwith upon the requisition in writing of not less than 10% of members for the time being, and upon giving 14 days notice thereof specifying the purpose for which the meeting is required, call a Special General Meeting.

12. The Quorum at all General Meetings for all purposes shall be 10% of the eligible voting members.

13. At all General Meetings the President or in his absence the Chairman of the Management Committee shall preside but otherwise the Meeting shall choose its own chairman.

14. At all General Meetings every member of the Club but excluding Honorary, Country, Student, Junior, and Social members, shall be entitled to give one vote upon every motion and in the case of equality of votes the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote. Voting shall be by show of hands or otherwise as the Chairman may direct and the Management Committee shall, if they think fit, make regulations for enabling members unable to be present to vote by proxy or in writing.

15. The Chairman’s decision as to the result of the voting on any question shall be final and an entry in the Minute Book signed by the Chairman of the meeting shall be conclusive evidence of the terms of any resolution and of its having been passed.

16. Any member joining as a Full member or Joint Family Member after 01st September 2006 must serve a qualifying period of three years continuous membership before being able to exercise any rights over the property and funds of the club.

17. All existing Full or Joint Family Members must serve a qualifying period of three yours continuous membership before being able to exercise any rights over the property and funds of the club.

18. Management Committee

The administration and financial policy of the club shall be deputed to a Committee consisting of the following posts:

PRESIDENT

CHAIRMAN

VICE CHAIRMAN

TREASURER

SECRETARY

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY

And not less than six other full members of whom at least one shall be a lady.

19. At the Annual General Meeting members of the Management Committee (not being the President or the Trustees for the time being) shall retire but shall be eligible for re-election. Any two members who have been members of the Club for the preceding 12 months may propose any other candidate or candidates by notice in writing to the Secretary at least 30 days before the meeting and the candidate’s name shall be mentioned in the notice convening the meeting. The candidates up to the number of vacancies who receive most votes shall be declared elected and the Club’s Officers, namely the Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, and Membership secretary shall be elected separately. In accordance with the motion passed at the AGM in 2016, to ensure the continuous operation and good order of the club the outgoing Vice-Chairman automatically assumes the position of Chairman, and the Chairman automatically assumes a position on the committee.

In the event of a Trustee who is also an Officer not being re elected as Officer the Trustee shall remain a member of the Management Committee unless a separate resolution removing him/her as Trustee is also passed.

20. In the event of a casual vacancy on the Management Committee, the Management Committee shall have power to elect any member of the Club to fill such vacancy, but the proceedings of the Committee shall not be invalidated in consequence of there being less than the prescribed number or by the absence of a Lady member.

21. The Management Committee shall meet at least once every two months to examine the accounts and arrange the affairs of the Club. A Quorum shall consist of four members including at least one Trustee and two Officers.

22. Minutes shall be taken of all proceedings of the Management Committee and shall be open to inspection by any member of the Club applying to the Secretary.

23. The administration and financial policy of the Club shall be controlled and dictated by the Management Committee. All expenditure incurred by the Club must first be sanctioned by this Committee, which shall have powers to delegate to the Treasurer for the time being these powers in respect of the ordinary expenditure incurred in the day-to day management and administration of the Club, always provided that the Treasurer shall have no power to purchase and sell intoxicating liquors.

24. The Management Committee may from time to time appoint from among their number such sub committees as they may deem necessary or expedient and may depute or refer to them such of the powers and duties of the Management Committee as the Management Committee shall determine. Such sub committees shall periodically report their business to the Management Committee and shall conduct their business in accordance with the direction of the Management Committee.

25. Borrowing

If at any time the Club in General Meeting shall pass a resolution authorising the Management Committee to borrow money, the Management Committee shall thereupon be empowered to borrow for the purposes of the Club such amount of money either at one time or from time to time and at such rate of interest and in such form and manner and upon such security as shall be specified in such resolution, and thereupon the Trustees shall at the direction of the Management Committee make all such dispositions of the Club property or any part thereof and enter into such agreements in relation thereto as the Management Committee may deem proper for giving security for such loans and interest. All members of the Club, whether voting on such resolution or not, and all persons becoming members of the Club after the passing of such resolution shall be deemed to have assented to the same as if they had voted in favour of such resolution.

26. Audit

The Club shall elect at its General Meeting an Auditor who shall hold office until the ensuing Annual General Meeting.

27. Alteration of Rules

These rules may be added to, repealed or amended by resolution at any General Meeting provided that no resolution shall be deemed to have been passed unless it be carried by at least two thirds of the members present voting thereon. The said rules may be added to, repealed or amended by a duly carried resolution of the Management Committee, which shall have the effect of so adding, so repealing or so amending the said rules until the next following Annual General Meeting at which the Management Committee shall cause any such additions, repeal or amendment to be proposed and voted upon.

28. Supply of Wines and Spirits

The supply to the Club of intoxicating and other liquors shall be under the control of the Management Committee who shall arrange for the purchase thereof on behalf of the Club and of the supply thereof to members of the Club at such prices as this Committee shall determine.

29. No intoxicating liquors or other articles for the sale of which a licence is required shall be supplied except to members in the Club House or sold to any person who is not a member.

30. Hours of supply of intoxicating liquor will be laid down by the Management Committee from time to time and in accordance with the Licensing Laws.

31. Bye Laws and Regulations

The Management Committee shall be empowered to make repeal and amend bye laws and regulations (not inconsistent with these rules) concerning the administration of the Club and members shall be deemed to have due notice of such bye laws and regulations upon their being duly minuted and posted on the Club Notice Board for a period of not less than 14 days and by the same until repealed by the Management Committee or set aside by a resolution of a General Meeting of the Club. Such regulations may concern the internal management, use of courts, and well being of the Club, and in particular but without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing:

(a) The court fee, the method of paying the same, and the system of booking.

(b) The opening and closing of the Club premises.

(d) Conditions of play.

(e) Etiquette and court dress.

(f) Use of the Club House.

(g) Charges for admission of non-members.

32. Servants

The Management Committee may appoint from time to time a Steward and Professional and other servants upon such terms and such conditions of service, salary, commission, and otherwise as the Management Committee shall think fit.

33. Dissolution

The Club may at any time be dissolved by the consent of three fourths of the members, testified by their signatures to an instrument of Dissolution in the form prescribed by the Treasury Regulations.