Club Constitution

1. Name
The Club is called The Harlow Tennis Club.

 

2. Objects
The objects of the Club are:
2.1 The provision of facilities for the playing of tennis on a competitive and non-competitive basis.
2.2 The provision and maintenance of the Club premises at Harlow Hill, Otley Road, Harrogate.

 

3. Admission of Members
3.1 Candidates for membership are elected by the Committee at it's sole discretion.
3.2 The number of playing Members shall be limited to such numbers as the Committee shall decide from time to time.
3.3 Every candidate for membership must be proposed by a Member of the Club and seconded by a Member of the Committee.
3.4 The candidate's full name and address and occupation and the names of the proposer and seconder must be communicated in writing to the Secretary (or Membership Secretary) who must prominently exhibit these particulars in the Club premises in a part frequented by the Members for a period of at least 3 days before the candidate's election as a Member.
3.5 Until the candidate is elected as a Member he is not entitled to any of the privileges of the Club.

 

4. Membership Types
4.1 Full Member: - with power to vote at General Meetings.
4.2 Junior Member: - must be in full time school attendance with no power to vote at General Meetings.
4.3 Student Member: - must be in full time attendance at a University / College and under the age of 26 years with no power to vote at General Meetings.
4.4 Life Members: - elected at an Annual General Meeting. with power to vote at General Meetings.

 

5. Management
5.1 The management of the Club must be entrusted to a Committee consisting of the Chairman, Secretary, Match Secretary and Treasurer (the Officers) and not less than 7 and not more than 10 other Members of the Club elected annually at the Annual General Meeting.
5.2 All the Members of the Committee are eligible for re-election.
5.3 The Committee will fix the date of their meetings, not less than 48 hours notice being given by the Secretary to such members thereof.
5.4 At all meetings of the Committee four shall form a quorum
5.5 The Committee shall from time to time in it's sole discretion and solely for the purposes of the Club be enabled and empowered to obtain financial loans from any source to be used specifically for the purpose of improvement or creation of Club facilities and on condition that before any such loan is obtained some or all of the Members have provided personal guarantees to at least cover the terms of the loan and the terms of it's repayment together with interest applicable.

 

6. Casual Vacancies
6.1 The Committee may at any time and from time to time fill any casual vacancy among the Officers and the Committee.
6.2 Any Officer or Member of the Committee so appointed holds office only until the next following Annual General Meeting but is then eligible for re-election

 

7. Trustees
7.1 The Trustees must be elected by the Committee to hold office until death or resignation unless removed from office by resolution of the Committee.
7.2 The number of Trustees must not be more than 4 or less than 2.
7.3 The property of the Club must be vested in the Trustees except for cash which must be under the control of the Treasurer.
7.4 The Trustees must deal with the property of the Club as directed by resolution of the Committee and an entry in the Minute Book is conclusive evidence of a resolution.
7.5 The Trustees may be indemnified against risk and expense out of the Club property.

 

8. Subscriptions
8.1 On being admitted to the Club every Member must pay an annual subscription at a rate or rates prescribed by the Committee at the Annual General Meeting of the Club. Currently these are;
8.1.1 Full Members annual subscription £70.00.
8.1.2 Junior Members annual Subscription £22.00. If more than one child from the same family joins as a Junior member, the subscription will be reduced to £16.00 for the second child and to £11 00 for subsequent children.
8.1.3 Student Member annual subscription £25.00.
8.1.4 If members subscription is paid before 1 May the following reductions will apply; Full members £5.00, Junior members (all) £1.00.
8.1.5 Life Members annual subscription zero.
8.2 The subscription is deemed to be a debt due to the Treasurer of the Club for the time being and shall be due on the 1st April in any year or in the case of a new Member the date from which the Member shall be admitted as a Member of the Club.
8.3 If any Member fails to pay his subscription by the 1st June in any one year or if a new Member within 14 days after it becomes due and the Secretary or Treasurer sends notice in writing to his address as recorded in the books of the Club calling on him to pay the subscription within 7 days then the Committee may terminate his membership without further notice if he fails to so pay.
8.4 In no case will the resignation of any Member be accepted unless made in writing to the Secretary on or before the 14th March in any year but in default the Member shall become liable for the full subscription for the ensuing year.

 

9. Annual General Meetings
9.1 An Annual General Meeting of the Club must be held in each year commencing on the 1st January not later than the 28th February.
9.2 At each Annual General Meeting the accounts for the previous financial year ended prior to the Meeting must be presented and if accepted passed.
9.3 The Officers and the Committee must be elected.
9.4 Any other business that has been communicated to the Secretary and included in the Notice of the Meeting sent by him to the Members may be conducted. Proposed changes to rules must be received by the Secretary by the date of the Committee Meeting prior to the AGM.

 

10. Extraordinary General Meetings
10.1 An Extraordinary General Meeting may be convened at any time and must be convened within 21 days on the requisition of one-fifth of the Members of the Club for the time being or 15 Members whichever is the less.
10.2 A requisition must state the purpose for which a Meeting is required and must be remitted to the Secretary.

 

11. Notice of Meetings
At least 14 days before any General Meeting the Secretary must send to every Member at his address as recorded in the Club's books and post in a conspicuous place in the Club premises a Notice of the Meeting stating the time when and the place where it will be held and the business to be conducted.

 

12. Business at a General Meeting
12.1 The business at any General Meeting must be limited to that provided for by these Rules and any further matters set out in the Notice convening the Meeting.
12.2 The quorum at any General Meeting is 14.

 

13. Chairman
The Chairman of the Club presides at all meetings of the Club but if he is not present within 15 minutes after the time appointed for the meeting or has signified his inability to be present at the meeting the Members present and entitled to vote may choose one of their number to be the Chairman of the meeting.

 

14. Resolutions
No resolution at a General Meeting shall be carried except by a simple majority of those present and entitled to vote.

 

15. Expulsion of Members
15.1 The Committee may expel any Member who offends against the Rules of the Club or whose conduct in the opinion of the Committee renders him unfit for membership of the Club.
15.2 Before any Member is expelled the Secretary must give him 7 days written notice to attend a meeting of the Committee and must inform him of the complaints made against him.
15.3 No Member may be expelled unless:
15 3.1 he is first given an opportunity of appearing before the Committee and answering the complaints made against him; and
15 3.2 at least two-thirds of the Committee then present vote in favour of his expulsion.
15.4 In the event of expulsion the Member will forfeit all subscription paid with the current term of membership and all claims upon or rights to the Club and its property

 

16. Guests
16.1 Any Member may introduce guests to the Club provided that no-one whose application for membership has been declined or that has been expelled from the Club may be introduced as a guest.
16.2 The Member introducing a guest must enter the name and address of the guest together with his own name in a book which is kept on the Club premises and pay a fee at a rate to be fixed from time to time by the Committee; currently £2.00 per visitor per day.
16.3 No one person may be admitted as a guest on more than 6 occasions in any calendar year or on more than 2 occasions to use the Club's facilities under floodlights
16.4 Additionally no Member shall introduce more than 3 non members as guests who reside within a 5 miles radius of the Club's premises during any one calendar year.

 

17. Sub-Committees
17.1 There shall be a Selection Committee, and this will consist of three members elected at the Annual General Meeting plus the current Captains of the Mixed Doubles Teams. The Committee shall have the power to elect Captains as require
17.2 The Committee may from time to time as it considers necessary or expedient appoint Sub-Committees from among it's members and may depute or refer to them any of it's powers and duties.
17.3 The Sub-Committees must periodically report their proceedings to the Committee and must conduct their business in accordance with the directions of the Committee.
17.4 If any Member of a Sub-Committee ceases to be a Member of the Committee he automatically ceases to be a Member of the Sub-Committee and another elected Member of the Committee must be appointed in his place.

 

18. Modification of Rules
No alteration or addition to these Rules may be made except by a resolution carried by a majority of at least two-thirds of the Members present and entitled to vote at a General Meeting Notice of which contained particulars of the proposed alteration or addition.

 

19. Dissolution of Club
If at any General Meeting a resolution for the dissolution of the Club is passed by a majority of the Members present and entitled to vote and if that resolution is confirmed by a resolution passed by a majority of two-thirds of the Members present and entitled to vote at a Special General Meeting held not less than one month after that Meeting for which not less than one half of the Members entitled to vote are present the Committee must immediately or at such future date as is specified in the resolution proceed to realise the property of the Club and after the discharge of all liabilities must divide the remainder equally among all the full Members and upon the completion of the division the Club will be dissolved.