Adoption of the Constitution
1.1 The Club and its property will be administered and managed in accordance with the provisions in of this constitution.
1.2. The Club committee will issue and maintain Club rules which will also be binding upon Club Members, Committee and Officers and which may be amended at a committee or general meeting subject to the appropriate procedures.
Name
2.1 The name of the Club shall be the Oxford Ice Figure Skating Club, short name and abbreviation OFISC.
Affiliation
3.1 The Club shall be affiliated to the National Ice Skating Association of the United Kingdom Ltd (NISA).
Objects
4.1 The promotion and Cultivation of Ice Skating in all of its branches.
4.2. To promote iceskating in an inclusive and supportive environment and to promote a sport for all approach.
Application of Club Income and Property
5.1. The income and property of the Club shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the Objects.
5.2. A Committee member may pay out of, or be reimbursed from, the property of the Club reasonable expenses properly incurred by him or her when acting on behalf of the Club.
5.3. None of the income or property of the Club may be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend bonus or otherwise by way of profit to any member of the Club. This does not prevent:
(a) a member who is not also a Committee member from receiving reasonable and proper remuneration for any goods or services supplied to the Club;
(b) a Committee member from:
(i) buying goods or services from the Club upon the same terms as other members or members of the public;
(ii) receiving a benefit from the Club in the capacity of a beneficiary of the Club, provided that the Committee members comply with the provisions of sub clause 5.6, or as a member of the Club and upon the same terms as other members;
(c) the purchase of indemnity insurance for the Committee members against any liability that by virtue of any rule of law would otherwise attach to a Committee member or other officer in respect of any negligence, default breach of duty or breach of trust of which he or she may be guilty in relation to the Club but excluding:
(i) fines;
(ii) costs of unsuccessfully defending criminal prosecutions for offences arising out of the fraud, dishonesty or willful or reckless misconduct of the Committee member or other officer;
(iii) Liabilities to the Club that result from conduct that the Committee member or other officer knew or ought to have known was not in the best interests of the Club or in respect of which the person concerned did not care whether that conduct was in the best interests of the Club or not.
5.4 No Committee member may be paid or receive any other benefit for being a Committee member.
5.5 A Committee member may:
(a) sell goods, services or any interest in land to the Club;
(b) be employed by or receive any remuneration from the Club;
(c) receive any other financial benefit from the Club,
if:
(d) he or she is not prevented from so doing by subclause 5.4; and
(e) the benefit is permitted by subclause 5.3(3); or
(f) the benefit is authorised by the Committee members in accordance with the conditions in subclause 5.6.
5.6
(a) If it is proposed that a Committee member should receive a benefit from the Club that is not already permitted under subclause 5.3, he or she must:
(i) declare his or her interest in the proposal;
(ii) be absent from that part of any meeting at which the proposal is discussed and take no part in any discussion of it;
(iii) not be counted in determining whether the meeting is quorate; (iv) not vote on the proposal.
(b) In cases covered by subclause 5.5, those Committee members who do not stand to receive the proposed benefit must be satisfied that it is in the interests of the Club to contract with or employ that Committee member rather than with someone who is not a Committee member and they must record the reason for their decision in the minutes. In reaching that decision the Committee members must balance the advantage of contracting with or employing a Committee member against the disadvantage of doing so (especially the loss of the Committee member’s services as a result of dealing with the Committee member’s conflict of interest).
(c) The Committee members may only authorize a transaction falling within paragraphs 5(a)–(c) of this clause if the Committee member body comprises a majority of Committee members who have not received any such benefit.
(d) If the Committee members fail to follow this procedure, the resolution to confer a benefit upon the Committee member will be void and the Committee member must repay to the Club the value of any benefit received by the Committee member from the Club.
5.7 A Committee member must absent himself or herself from any discussions of the Committee members in which it is possible that a conflict will arise between his or her duty to act solely in the interests of the Club and any personal interest (including but not limited to any personal financial interest) and take no part in the voting upon the matter.
5.8 In this Clause 4, “Committee member” shall include any person firm or company connected with the Committee member.
Membership
6.1. Membership of the club shall be confined to eligible persons as defined by NISA.
6.2. Other than 6.1 the rules relating to membership shall be stated in the rules of the club.
6.3. Requirements and conditions for the termination of membership will be stated in the rules of the Club.
Officers
7.1. The officers of the club shall be
7.1.1. Chairman
7.1.2. Secretary
7.1.3. Treasurer
7.1.4. Assistant Secretary
7.1.5. Vice Chair
7.1.6. Competition Secretary
7.1.7. Child Protection Officer
7.2. Officers need not be members of the club. 7.3. Officers shall be aged 21 or more at the date of election.
7.4. Not more than one family member shall act serve as an Officer at any one time.
Responsibilities of Officers
8.1. The chairman shall be ultimately responsible for the overall running of the club including: ensuring that the objective of the club is met; conducting Committee Meetings, the Annual General Meeting and Special General Meetings; ensuring that the other Officers and Committee members carry out the duties delegated to them.
8.2. The Secretary shall be ultimately responsible for the daytoday administration of the Club including the drafting and circulating of agendas and minutes; dealing with general correspondence. The Secretary will assign responsibilities to the assistant secretary as required.
8.3. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the finances of the Club including: collecting subscriptions paying and receiving monies; running the Club’s bank account(s); maintaining written records of payments and receipts; arranging for the finances of the Club to be audited prior to the Annual General Meeting; providing a report for the Annual General Meeting including the report of the auditors.
8.4. The Assistant Secretary will undertake duties as directed by the Secretary and will have full authority to act in the place of the Secretary when so required by the Secretary. In the event of the Secretary being unable to carry out duties in person or in absentia the Assistant Secretary will adopt the role of Secretary until such point that the Secretary is able to resume duties or the Club officers step down prior to annual reelection.
8.5. The Vice Chairman will undertake duties as directed by the Chairman and will have full authority to act in the place of the Chair when so required by the Chairman. In the event of the Chair being unable to carry out duties in person or in absentia the Vice Chair will adopt the role of Chair until such point that the Chair is able to resume duties or the Club officers step down prior to annual reelection.
8.6. The Competition Secretary will be responsible for the organization and execution of open and closed skating competitions.
8.7. The Child Protection officer will ensure that the Club adheres to all legal responsibilities as regards child protection issues. These include drafting and/or maintaining a child protection policy and good practice document and liaising with the ISS and Rink Management to ensure a coherent approach to child protection matters. The CPP has responsibility for establishing a concerns and complaints procedure for the reporting of any Child protection incidents or concerns. The CPP has responsibility for drafting and maintaining a formal document outlining this process which will be signed by the Club Chair and authorized representatives of the International School of Skating and Rink Management. The CPP will submit a written report to the Chairman on a monthly basis.
Management Committee, (including Powers, delegation and Disqualification)
9.1. The Club shall be managed by a Committee consisting of:
9.1.1. The Officers of the Club; and
9.1.2. Committee members not exceeding fifteen in total.
9.2. Committee members need not be members of the Club.
9.3. Committee members shall be aged 16 or more at the date of election.
9.4. The committee shall have authority to act on behalf of the Club on all matters except where otherwise stated in this constitution.
9.5. Decisions made by the committee shall be binding on the Club.
9.6. The Committee shall approve the rules of the club and all amendments thereto.
9.7. The committee shall at its discretion coopt persons, who need not be club members, to assist the Committee in the running of the club. The Committee shall at its discretion invite such coopted persons to attend Committee meetings at which they shall not have a vote.
9.8. The Committee has the power to manage the business of the Club and the following powers in order to further the objects of the club (but not for any other purpose)
9.8.1. To raise funds in doing so the Committee must not undertake any substantial permanents trading activity and must comply with any relevant statutory regulations.
9.8.2. To buy lease or in exchange, hire or otherwise acquire any property and to maintain and equip it for use.
9.8.3. To sell lease or otherwise dispose of any property.
9.8.4. To borrow money and to charge the whole or any part of the property
belonging to the Club as security for repayment of monies borrowed.
9.8.5. To obtain and pay for such goods and services as are necessary for carrying out the objects and activities of the Club.
9.8.6. To do all such other lawful things as are necessary for the achievement of the Objects.
9.9. No alteration of this constitution or any special resolution shall have retrospective effect to invalidate any prior act of the Committee.
9.10. A decision will be valid within the powers of the Committee as long as a quorum is present at the point that decision is agreed.
9.11. A committee member will be relieved of their position if they:
9.11.1. Resign
9.11.2. Become incapable by reason of mental disorder, illness or injury of managing and administering his or her own affairs or
9.11.3. Is absent without the understanding or permission of the Committee from all meetings held within a period of six consecutive months AND the committee resolved that his or her position be vacated.
9.12. The Committee may delegate any of their powers or functions to a committee of two or more members as recorded in the minutes.
9.13. When such an authorization occurs the committee may impose conditions when delegating including conditions that:
9.13.1. The relevant powers are to be exercised exclusively by the committee to whom they delegate
9.13.2. No expenditure may be incurred on behalf of the Club except in accordance with a budget previously agreed with the Club.
9.13.3. The Committee may revoke or alter a delegation
9.13.4. All acts and proceedings of such a a committee must be fully and promptly reported to the committee.
Committee Meetings
10.1. The committee shall meet as necessary but not less than once every three months and not less than six times a year.
10.2. The secretary shall notify the Officers and Committee members by either email or post of the date, time and location of meetings giving not less than seven days’ notice thereof.
10.3. No business shall be transacted at any committee meeting unless a quorum is present.
10.4. Three Officers plus one quarter of the Committee members shall constitute a quorum at meetings.
10.5. Officers and Committee members shall each have one vote where a vote is required.
10.6. Should a vote be required on any matter, this shall be decided by a simple majority of the persons present.
10.7. Where a vote is evenly split the chair will may have a casting vote.
10.8. The secretary shall maintain a written record of meetings.
Annual General Meeting
11.1. No business shall be transacted and an Annual or Special General Meeting unless and quorum is present.
11.2. A quorum is ten members (or their representatives) or one tenth of the membership, whichever is the greater.
11.3. The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held no later than 30thNovember each year.
11.4. The Secretary shall notify the Committee and Club members by either email or post of the date, time and location of the meeting giving not less than 21 days notice thereof.
11.5. The Officers and Committee members shall be elected at the meeting.
11.6. The Officers and Committee members shall hold office until the meeting held the following year.
11.7. The Officers and Committee members shall be eligible for reelection each year.
11.8. Officers, Committee members and club members aged 16 years or more at the date of the meeting or a parent or guardian of a Club member shall be entitled to vote at the meeting.
11.9. Procedures for regulating the voting system will be set out in the Club Rules.
11.10. The officers and Committee members shall each have one vote at the meeting.
11.11. There shall be only one vote by or on behalf of each club member at the meeting.
11.12. Only eligible persons present at the meeting shall be entitled to vote.
11.13. Should a vote be required on any matter, this shall be decided by a simple majority of the persons present entitled to vote.
11.14. If a quorum is not present within half an hour of the appointed start time of the meeting or during a meeting a quorum ceases to be present the meeting shall be adjourned to such a time and place as the committee shall determine
11.15. The Committee will give at least seven days notice of the time and place of the reconvened meeting as at point 1.14 and if a quorum is not present at this meeting within half an hour of the start time then the members present shall constitute a quorum for that meeting.
Election of Officers and Committee Members
12.1. The nomination of Officers and Committee members shall be on the forms produced for that purpose by the Secretary
12.2. The Secretary shall send nomination forms to Officers, Committee members and Club members by either email or post not less than 21 days prior to the Annual General Meeting.
12.3. Completed nomination forms shall be returned to the Secretary by either email or post to arrive not later than seven days prior to the Annual General Meeting.
12.4. Nomination forms shall contain the names of the proposer and seconder.
12.5. Nomination forms shall contain the consent of the nominee
12.6. Only club members aged 16 years or more a the date of the Annual General Meeting or a parent or guardian of a Club member shall propose or second a nomination
12.7. Should a vote be required for the election of any Officer or Committee member, this shall be decided by a simple majority of the persons present intended to vote.
12.8. Should a position of Officer become vacant after the Annual General Meeting, the Committee shall elect one of its members to serve as the Officer until the Annual General Meeting.
Special General Meeting
13.1. A request for a Special General Meeting of the Club shall be made be either email or post to the Secretary
13.2. The request shall state the reason for requesting the meeting.
13.3. The request shall be signed by not less than ten persons being either Club members aged 16 years or more at the date of the request or the parents or guardians of Club members.
13.4. The committee shall have the right to defer the holding of a Special General Meeting until after a Committee meeting which shall be held no later than 14 days after the request by the Secretary.
13.5. The Special General Meeting shall be called and held in accordance with 11(2), 11(6), 11(7), 11(8), 11(9) and 11(10).
13.6. The Secretary shall notify the Committee and Club members by of a SGM either by email or post of the date, time and location of the meeting giving not less than 21 days notice thereof.
Finance
14.1. The funds of the Club shall be held in a bank account in the name of the club.
14.2. Except where the Treasurer has authorized payment to be made other than by cheque, all payments made on behalf of the Club shall be made by cheque drawn against the bank accounts) in the names of the Club and signed by two Officers of the club.
14.3. The financial year of the Club shall be 1st September to 31st August.
Discipline
15.1. The Committee shall have the authority to take such action, which it deems appropriate against any Club member, or Committee member who acts in a manner which the Committee considers to be contrary to the interests of the Club or to its members. Such action may include expulsion from the Club and/ or the Committee.
Dissolution
16.1. A resolution to dissolve the Club shall only be voted on at an Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting called for that purpose.
16.2. If the members resolve to dissolve the Club the Committee members will remain in office as Club Committee members and be responsible for winding up the affairs of the Club in accordance with this clause.
16.3. Committee members must collect in all the assets of the Club and must pay or make provision for all the liabilities of the Club.
16.4. The Committee members must apply any remaining property or money:
16.4.1. by donating them to the Acorns Children’s Hospice Trust Charity No. 700859 or if it is no longer a registered Charity,
16.4.2. by transfer to any Club or charities for purposes the same as or similar to the Acorn’s Hospice Charity.;
Constitution
17.1. Should any matter or question arise which is not provided for in the Constitution of the Club, the Committee whose decision will be final shall deal with such matter or question.
Amendments to the Constitution
18.1. A resolution to amend the Constitution of the Club shall only be voted on at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting called for that purpose.