Constitution


CONSTITUTION

Coney Hall Football Club, Tiepigs Lane, West Wickham, Kent BR6 8ND

NAME

The Club shall be called the ‘CONEY HALL FOOTBALL CLUB’ and shall be affiliated to Kent County Football Associations.
The affiliation numbers must be registered with the different leagues that Coney Hall teams play in as soon as they are notified.

OBJECT

The objectives of the Club shall be to provide association football for its senior members, Junior 11 aside & mini soccer for both Boys & girls and such social recreational pursuits as may be deemed desirable by the Committee within the Coney Hall and surrounding district. It will encourage good discipline and sportsmanship at all times. The club will seek to compete at the highest possible level and will endeavour to facilitate the provision of the best playing amenities and equipment available to us, in line with the growth of the club.

EQUITY

Coney Hall Football Club is committed to providing opportunities for everyone to participate in football regardless of their gender, race, nationality, colour, religion, or ability. We are working towards involving our community.

CHILD PROTECTION

Coney Hall Football Club follows the F.A. Child Protection Policy. We have a Child Protection designated person who will ensure at all times these guidelines are strictly followed.

COLOURS

The Club colours shall be red & black shirts, black shorts and black socks.

MEMBERSHIP

Membership of the Club shall be open to all persons interested in the pursuance of or furtherance of the objectives of the Club whether as a playing or non-playing members. Members under the age of 18 years shall be junior members. Every member of the Club shall be entitled to vote at any general meeting. For members aged under-16 their vote will be passed to a parent with similar voting rights. but only one parent or guardian of any one junior member of the Club shall be entitled to vote at any meeting of the Club unless such parent or guardian is a member of the Committee of the Club or except where such parent or guardian is a member of the Club in his/her own right. Junior members of the Club may not use the Club bar for the purchase or consumption of alcoholic drinks.

Candidates for election as members of the Club shall be proposed and seconded by Club members. Proposals for election of candidates to membership shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary of the Club stating the name and address of the proposed member. The secretary shall cause details of all proposed members to be displayed prominently at the Club premises for a period of not less than 2 days and proposals for Membership shall be submitted for approval to the next meeting of the committee which is held not less than 7 days after the proposal is put forward and no person may be admitted to membership earlier than 7 days from the receipt by the Secretary of a proposal duly seconded and in all other respects complying with the Club rules.

The Secretary and the register shall keep a register of the members of the Club or an up-to-date duplicate copy shall be maintained on the Club premises. A copy will also be sent to the Surrey County Football Association.

In the event of non-payment of subscription by the 1st of November in every year the termination of the membership shall be at the discretion of the Committee. A member wishing to resign shall give notice to this effect in writing to the Secretary such notice to be accompanied by a payment of all Club dues at that date.

SUBSCRIPTION

The annual subscription of the Club shall be fixed annually by the Committee.

The Club year shall run from the 1st day of March in any year until the last day of February in the next year. Subscriptions shall be payable not later than the 1st November in the Club year for which subscriptions are due. The qualification of a senior member is that he has signed to play as a senior member from the commencement of the season.

OFFICERS

The Officers shall consist of a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Treasurer, Secretary and Social Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Marketing Officer, Child Protection Officer, Development Officer and Football Development Officer Mini Soccer Sec, Senior Soccer sec all of whom shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting. All posts including the Chairperson will be elected by the General management committee. The posts may be combined as appropriate. Other posts may be created by a majority vote at an Annual General Meeting.

A discipline committee shall be formed to include a chairperson, vice-chairperson, secretary and two co-opted member to discuss disciplinary matters and enforce appropriate fines.

DUTIES

The Chairperson shall carry out the following responsibilities:-

1 Be a figure-head for the Club
2 Attend official functions as required
3 Call and chair meetings in line with the constitution

The Vice-Chairperson shall carry out the following responsibilities:-

1 Support other officers as appropriate
2 Deputise for the chair as required

The Secretary shall carry out the following responsibilities

1 All correspondence with Football Authorities and Leagues.
2 Arrangements for facility hire
3 Control and maintenance of centrally held club equipment
4 Confirmation of fixtures, results, match cards and forms
5 Arrangements for Insurance
6 Co-ordination of press reports as required by team managers
7 Maintenance of club records and statistics

The Assistant Secretary shall carry out the following responsibilities

1 All correspondence not specified in the Secretary’s responsibilities
2 Arrangements for and minutes of meetings

The Treasurer shall carry out the following responsibilities

1 Maintenance of records of all receipts and payments
2 Honouring all invoices received
3 Preparing end of year accounts for review at the Annual General Meeting.
4 Prepare quarterly budget forecasts

Team Managers (or other appointed officials) shall carry out the following responsibilities:-

1 Follow the CHILD PROTECTION POLICY (where applicable)
2 Honour fixtures as required by competition organisers
3 Select players and inform them of arrangements
4 Collect fees as appropriate, maintain records and pass moneys to the club treasurer on a regular basis
5 Complete match cards and pass to club secretary in time for deadlines to be met.
6 Ensure that the clubs events are conveyed to all members /Parents
7 Ensure that the fabric of the club and it’s equipment is respected all times
8 Attend the relevant courses available

GENERAL COMMITTEE

The Club shall be controlled by a Committee which shall consist of the Officers and Managers of the various teams in the Club (where any team has more than one Manager only one of such Managers shall be entitled to vote at committee meetings) and any other person who from time to time may be elected by the Committee. No member of the Committee has more than one vote except for the Chairperson. The General Committee shall meet from time to time as agreed and the proceedings at such meetings shall be duly recorded in a minute book. A quorum of the General Committee shall consist of 4 members one of who must be either the Chairperson, Secretary or Treasurer. The Chairperson shall have a casting vote at all meetings.

SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING

A Special general meeting may be convened at any time by the Committee and shall be convened within 21 days from the receipt by the Secretary of a requisition in writing signed by not less than 30 members entitled to vote (the expression ‘member’ shall include one parent or guardian of a junior member) or not less than one fifth of the total number of the Club including junior members specifying the object of the meeting for any of the following purposes:-
a) To consider and if approved sanction any duly made alteration of the rules
b) To deal with any special matter which the Committee may desire to place before the members including the expulsion of a member
c) To receive the resignation of the Committee or to remove any member or members thereof from office and to fill any vacancy or vacancies caused thereby
d) To deal with any special matter which the members requiring the meeting may desire to place before the Club.
Notice convening a Special General Meeting shall be sent to the members not less than 7 days before the meeting and shall specify the matters to be dealt with.

EXPULSION OF MEMBERS

The Committee shall have power to expel any member who shall offend against the rules of the Club or whose conduct shall in the opinion of the Committee render him unfit for membership of the Club. Before any such member is expelled the Secretary shall give him 7 days written notice to attend a meeting of the Committee and shall inform him of the complaints made against him. No member shall be expelled without first having an opportunity of appearing before the Committee and answering complaints made against him nor unless two thirds of the Committee then present vote in favour of his expulsion.

No member whose membership has been terminated under this rule or who owes money to the Club shall be introduced by any other member as a visitor to any part of the Club premises. For excessive disciplinary problems on the football field, a player may be asked to go before a disciplinary committee, and will be given 7 days written notice to attend. Failure to attend may result in the player’s membership being cancelled.
The Committee will also have the authority to automatically suspend a member, Manager, or player who brings the Club into disrepute.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

A General Meeting of the Club shall be held every year not later than 31st December between January and March to transact the following business.

1) To receive and if approved to adopt a statement of the club’s accounts to the end of the proceeding year.
2) To consider and if approved sanction any duly made alteration of the rules
3) To appoint the Officers and other members of the Committee.
4) To appoint an Auditor or Auditors.
5) To deal with any special matter which the Committee desire to bring before the members and to receive suggestions from members for consideration by the Committee.
6) A balance sheet of the accounts will be audited and signed by an independent Accountant and will be available to members at the AGM.

Notice convening the General Meeting shall be posted inside and outside of the club, by email where possible, and on the Coney Hall FC web site www.coneyhallfc.com not less than 10 days before the meeting and shall specify the matters to be dealt with. A copy of the AGM and treasurers report must be sent to the Surrey County Football Association.

BAR COMMITTEE

The Club bar shall be managed by the Bar Committee which shall consist of the Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer and Social Secretary of the Club and will be responsible for the control and management of the bar and to ensure compliance with Licensing Laws.

POWERS OF COMMITTEE

The property and assets of the Club shall be vested in the General Committee. The General Committee shall have the power to appoint such committees as may from time to time be deemed necessary and shall receive reports of such sub-committees at its meetings. At least one member of every sub-committee so appointed shall be a member of General Committee. The General Committee shall have power to fill such vacancies as may arise in its constitution between Annual General Meetings. The General Committee shall have power to declare a seat vacant should a member be absent himself from two consecutive meetings without an explanation deemed to be satisfactory.

The General Committee shall have power to appoint team members who shall be answerable to the Committee. The General Committee shall have power to decide in which competitions and in which league teams shall participate due regard being given whenever possible to the wishes of all team managers.

The General Committee shall have power to decide on all financial and administrative matters relating to the Club’s affairs other than as set out specifically in these rules.

The Committee shall have power to elect Members of other Clubs to use and enjoy the premises and facilities of the Club as visitors for any period. Such visitors shall not be entitled to vote at any meeting of any members.

The General committee shall appoint all Football Team Managers prior to the start of the season.

RULES

The Committee shall have the power to alter the rules but no such alteration shall take effect until the same has been confirmed at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting convened for the purpose.

BYE LAWS

The Committee shall have power to make Bye-laws for regulating the conduct and affairs of the Club provided the same are not inconsistent with these rules.

Such Bye-laws shall be posted in some conspicuous part of the Club premises and shall be binding on all members.

DISSOLUTION

(a) A resolution to dissolve the Club shall only be proposed at a General Meeting and shall be carried by a majority of at least three-quarters of the members present.
(b) The dissolution shall take effect from the date of the resolution and the members of the Club Committee shall be responsible for the winding up of the assets and liabilities of the Club.
(c) Any surplus assets remaining after the discharge of the debts and liabilities of the Club shall be transferred to another Club, a Competition, the Parent County Association or The FA for use by them for related community sports.

CHAIRPERSON

SECRETARY