The club’s activities are governed by its Constitution which was revised and adopted at the Annual General Meeting of its membership on 22 April 2010. Amendments were agreed and passed at the Annual General Meeting on 18th May 2017. Further amendments were agreed and passed at the Annual General Meeting on 15th June, 2023 to reflect the adoption of the Club’s Development Plan. Unique Reference No: 99008643

1. Name
1.1. The name of the Club shall be Bury St Edmunds Hockey Club.

2. Objectives
2.1. The purpose of the Club shall be to provide its members with facilities for participating in the game of hockey in all its aspects, including umpiring and coaching and to promote participation in the game of hockey in Bury St Edmunds and surrounding areas, embracing the principles of Equality and Diversity as suggested by Sport England.

2.2 Our long-term objectives are to be a happy, balanced, constantly evolving and well-resourced Club that continues to successfully provide its members and its local community with performance, competitive, social and educational hockey opportunities.

3. Membership
3.1. Membership of the Club shall be open to all persons irrespective of ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or beliefs, or of age, sex or disability except as a necessary consequence of the requirements of hockey as a particular sport. The Club shall consist of Presidents and Vice Presidents who shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting and the following categories of members.

3.1.1. Senior Members: persons over 18 years of age and no longer undergoing a course of full time education.
3.1.2. Student Members: persons under 19 or undergoing a course of full time education, playing for any of the senior sides.
3.1.3. Youth Members: persons under 18 playing for one of the youth sides or minis.
3.1.4. Associate Members: persons who at the discretion of the Committee may enjoy the privileges of membership at a special rate of subscription.
3.1.5. Honorary Life Members

3.2 Additional classes of memberships can be agreed at General Meetings and may be added to or modified during the year by the Treasurer with the prior approval of the Executive
Committee.

3.3 Any person aged 16 years or over who has paid a subscription appropriate to their circumstances and whose membership has been approved by the Executive Committee is deemed to be a voting member of the Club.

Rules

4. Management
4.1. Management of the club shall be vested in the Executive Committee which shall have full power within the scope of these rules and shall be answerable to the membership of the club in any General Meeting.

4.2. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Chair, the Deputy Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Men’s Club Captain and Ladies Club Captain. All the above and any co-opted member shall have equal voting rights with the power of casting vote held by the Chair.

4.3. At least two members of the Executive Committee shall be men and two of its members shall be women. Members of the Executive Committee shall be at least 18 years of age at the time of their appointment.

4.4. If this balance is not reached, either as a result of voting at the Annual General Meeting, or as a result of a vacancy arising on the Executive Committee, the Executive Committee is required to co-opt appropriate people forthwith until the above is achieved. Members of the Executive Committee co-opted under this rule shall have the same voting rights and powers in the Executive Committee as those of its Members elected at an Annual General Meeting.

4.5. The quorum of the Executive Committee shall be at least four including at least one man and at least one woman.

4.6. If the Executive Committee considers the formation of sub committees to be appropriate for the efficient running of the Club and to be in the Club’s best interest the Executive Committee shall have a general discretion within the Club to do so.

4.7. The Executive Committee also has the discretion to delegate to any such sub-committee those powers of the Executive Committee as it deems appropriate.

4.8. The quorum of any sub-committee which has a delegated power to commit the Club in any way financially shall be the greater of four or seventy five percent of the members forming that sub-committee.

4.9. Minutes shall be taken of all meetings of the Executive Committee and all sub committees formed under these rules and shall be available to members of the Club.

5. Annual General Meeting
5.1. The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held each year provided that no more than fifteen months shall elapse between Annual General Meetings. The date and time shall be fixed by the Executive Committee and the following minimum business shall be conducted: -

5.1.1. To approve the minutes of the preceding Annual General Meeting and those of any Extraordinary General Meeting held during the year.
5.1.2. To receive from the Executive Committee a Report, Balance Sheet and Statement of Accounts, for the preceding financial year, an estimate of income and expenditure for the current financial year and a budget for the following financial year.
5.1.3. To elect the President and any Vice Presidents.
5.1.4. To vote on proposals for Honorary Life Memberships (if any).
5.1.5. To elect members of the Executive Committee.
5.1.6. To elect members to fill other posts as deemed necessary by the Executive Committee.
5.1.7. To set the level of subscriptions and match fees for the following year.
5.1.8. To agree any audit requirements
5.1.9. To decide on any resolution submitted to the meeting in accordance with the procedure set out under “Resolutions” below.

5.2. Notice of Annual General Meeting
5.2.1. Notice of the Annual General Meeting shall be posted on the Club website and/or in the clubhouse at least four weeks before the date of the meeting and notice incorporating the agenda shall be notified to club members at least fourteen days before the date of the meeting.

5.3. Resolutions
5.3.1. Any motion or proposal for decision at the Annual General Meeting must be submitted to the Secretary in writing not less than three weeks before the date of the meeting.

5.4. Extraordinary General Meetings
5.4.1. The Executive Committee may at any time call an Extraordinary General Meeting.
5.4.2. The Executive Committee shall promptly call an Extraordinary General Meeting on receipt of a written request signed by ten members, stating the purpose for which the meeting is required.
5.4.3. At least fourteen days written notice incorporating the Agenda shall be notified to each member.
5.4.4. No other business shall be discussed except that which is on the Agenda.

5.5. Conduct of General Meetings
5.5.1. The quorum for General Meetings shall be twenty-five members present.
5.5.2. Resolutions other than those concerning modifications to the Constitution and Rules shall be decided by a simple majority vote.

5.6. Modification to the Constitution and Rules
5.6.1. This Constitution and these Rules may only be altered by a resolution passed at a General Meeting.
5.6.2. Resolutions proposing changes to the Constitution and Rules must be properly notified in the General Meeting Agenda
5.6.3. A Resolution to change the Constitution and Rules shall be decided if two thirds of the members present and voting are in favour.

6. Accounts
6.1. The accounts of the club shall be presented to each Annual General Meeting and at any time stipulated by the Executive Committee. The Financial Year of the Club shall be from the first day of August to the last day of July.

7. Subscriptions
7.1. Subscriptions for the ensuing year shall be fixed by General Meetings and shall be due on such dates as are determined by the Executive Committee.

7.2. Members of the Club shall be reimbursed for all vouched costs for approved expenditure on and on behalf of the Club.

8. Collective Liability
8.1. If at any General Meeting the funds in hand are insufficient to meet the liabilities of the Club, the Executive Committee shall have the power to call upon members to make up the deficiency pro rata according to prevailing subscription rates.

9. Conduct of Members
9.1. If, in the opinion of the Executive Committee, the conduct of a member is injurious to the interests of the Club, the member may be summoned to appear before the Executive Committee which shall then consider any explanation or statement made by the member.

9.2. After due consideration, the Executive Committee shall have the power to expel the member or to impose any lesser penalty that it may think appropriate.

9.3. Any member expelled pursuant to this rule shall have the right to appeal to an Extraordinary General Meeting on request in writing to the Executive Committee within fourteen days of notification to the member of the decision of the Executive Committee.

9.4. An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be convened within twenty-one days of receipt of the written request. Expulsion shall be confirmed only if two thirds of the members present and voting at the Extraordinary General Meeting are in favour.

10. Complaints
10.1. All complaints shall be made in writing to the Secretary and the Executive Committee shall be bound to consider them at its next meeting.

11. Resignation
11.1. A member may, at any time, resign from membership of the Club by giving notice in writing to the Executive Committee but shall continue to be liable for monies due and unpaid at the date of resignation.

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

12. Rules Binding
12.1. Every member shall be bound by the rules of the Club and shall waive all interest in the Club’s property on ceasing to be a member except in so far as it relates to his or her holding, if any, in any special fund organised for a specific project.

13. Restrictions to Membership
13.1. The Executive Committee may refuse membership only for good and sufficient cause, such as conduct or character likely to bring the Club or sport into disrepute.

13.2. Appeal against such a decision may be made to the Club’s members and decided by a majority vote.

14. Borrowing
14.1. If at any time the Club has the need to borrow money, authority may only be granted at a General Meeting by special resolution.

15. Dissolution
15.1. If at any General Meeting a resolution for the dissolution of the Club be passed by a majority of the members present and voting, then the Executive Committee shall call an Extraordinary General Meeting not less than one month thereafter for the purpose of confirming the decision to dissolve the Club. The quorum for such a meeting shall be one half of the membership of the Club.

15.2. The resolution confirming the decision to dissolve the Club shall be passed if two-thirds of the members present and voting are in favour.

15.3. If the resolution is passed, the Executive Committee shall thereupon or at some future date if specified in the resolution, proceed to realise the property of the Club. Any assets remaining after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities shall not be paid to or distributed among the members of the Club, but shall be given or transferred to one or more of the following approved sporting or charitable bodies:

15.3.1. A registered charitable organisation(s)
15.3.2. Another Club which is registered CASC
15.3.3. The sport’s national governing body for use by them for related community sports

16. Governing law
16.1 The Club works within English law, observes, actively supports, and automatically adopts all EH’s codes of ethics and behaviour, discipline, and dispute together with governmental safeguarding, taxation, employment and data protection.

Bury St Edmunds Hockey Club

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