CONNACHT CLAN
CONSTITUTION – Adopted by The Connact Clan 31.8.2013
Amended by The Connacht Clan 13.6.2015
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1. DEFINITIONS
The following words have the meanings set out below for the purposes of this constitution:
1. AGM means the annual general meeting of members of the Club;
2. Clan means the Connacht Clan
3. Committee means the general committee of the Club in which the general management of the Club is vested;
4. Election Rules means the rules governing elections to the Committee which are set out in Appendix I to the constitution;
5. EGM means an extraordinary general meeting of the members of the Club;
6. Connacht Rugby means the Connacht Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union;
7. Season Ticket Holder means a holder of a season ticket issued by the Connacht Rugby.
2. OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the Club are:
(i) to encourage and facilitate improved support of the Connacht rugby team both on and off the field throughout the province of Connacht and elsewhere;
(ii) to provide information about both home and away fixtures involving the Connacht rugby team;
(iii) to provide information in relation to and, where possible, arrange transport to games played by the Connacht rugby team to its members and other interested parties;
(iv) to provide materials such as banners, flags and musical instruments as and when available at home and/or away fixtures;
(v) to organise social events for its members and other interested parties;
(vi) to communicate the views of its members to the Connacht Branch;
(vii) to raise funds, through sponsorship and such other means as the Committee see fit, to finance the activities of the Club; and
(viii) to organise charitable fund raising.
3. MEMBERSHIP OF THE CLUB
3.1 The membership year will run from 1 July in a year to 30 June in the following year.
3.2 Full membership is available to those aged 18 and over at the beginning of the membership year and junior membership is available to those aged under 18 at the beginning of the membership year. Junior members will not be entitled to vote at any general meeting of the Club or to call any EGM of the Club in accordance with paragraph 5.5 below. All Junior Members attending any Clan organised event shall be accompanied by their legal guardian, or someone appointed by their legal guardian, and the Clan shall accept no liability in any way whatsoever for such Junior Members at any Clan event.
3.3 All Season Ticket Holders will automatically be entitled to become full or junior members of the Club, depending on their age, for the membership year to which their season ticket relates.
3.4 Other Members will pay such initial and ongoing annual subscriptions (if any) as may be determined by the Committee from time to time.
3.5 The Committee may grant honorary membership of the Club to any individual. An honorary member will be entitled to all the benefits of full membership for life.
3.6 The Committee may expel from the Club any member who by their conduct has damaged the character or reputation of the Club or the Connacht Branch. Before any member is expelled the Committee will enquire into their conduct and give the member full opportunity to explain their conduct. If the majority of the Committee are of the opinion that the member has damaged the character or reputation of the Club or the Connacht Branch and that it has not been explained satisfactorily the Committee will call on the member to resign and, in the event that they do not resign, the Committee may expel the member. An expelled member will forfeit all rights and benefits associated with being a member and will not be entitled to any refund of their membership subscription (if any). Expulsion from the Club will not otherwise affect the rights (if any) of the relevant person as a Season Ticket Holder.
3.7 A member may resign their membership in writing at any time by notice in writing to the Committee. A member who resigns forfeits all rights and benefits associated with being a member and will not be entitled to any refund of their membership fee. Resignation will not otherwise affect the rights (if any) of the relevant person as a Season Ticket Holder.
3.8 All Club members agree to be bound by the terms of this constitution as may be amended from time to time.
4. COMMITTEE
4.1 The general management of the Club is vested in the Committee, consisting of the President, Vice-President, the Secretary, the Treasurer and at up to six additional elected ordinary members.
4.2 In the event that the membership of the Committee is less than ten, the remaining Committee members may elect another Club member to serve as a
Committee member until the next AGM. The membership of the Club shall be notified in the event of such an election.
4.3 The President will be responsible for chairing all meetings of the Committee at which the President is in attendance. The Vice-President will chair any meetings of the Committee at which the President is not in attendance and will also serve as the Clubs public relations officer. The Secretary will be responsible for maintaining a copy of this constitution, any rules drawn up in accordance with paragraph 4.2 and 4.9 and records of any decisions taken or resolutions passed by the Committee or the Club members. The Treasurer will be responsible for maintaining the other books and records of the Club and for preparing the annual accounts.
4.4 In the event of the death, incapacity or resignation of a Committee member, the remaining Committee members may elect another Club member to serve as a Committee member until the next AGM.
4.5 In the event of the death, incapacity or resignation of any particular officer of the Committee, the remaining Committee members may elect another committee member to fill the relevant office until the next AGM.
4.6 The Committee will meet as often as it sees fit to conduct the business of the Club. The quorum for any such meeting will be three Committee members present in person at the meeting, provided that all Committee members are given at least five days’ notice of any such meeting. Any decisions of the Committee will be made by a simple majority of those Committee members present at the relevant meeting. In the event of an equality of votes in respect of any decision, the President (or in his or her absence, the Vice-President) will be entitled to a second or casting vote. In the event of a quorum not being reached, any attending Committee Members so attending may proceed to discuss issues arising, and may make recommendations for decisions to the Committee as a whole, which said recommendations shall be voted on at the next Committee meeting, provided that the quorum has been met.
4.7 The Committee will publish a written report of its discussions in such format as the Committee deems appropriate within ten working days of each Committee meeting.
4.8 The Connacht Branch will be invited to send a representative to each meeting of the Committee. The Connacht Branches representative will be entitled to be heard at the meeting, but will not be entitled to vote in respect of any decision of the Committee.
4.9 The Committee may draw up rules in relation to the conduct of its business which it may amend from time to time. In the event of any conflict between such rules and the provisions of this constitution, this constitution will prevail.
4.10 The Committee may delegate such responsibility as it deems suitable to a sub-Committee which consists of one or more persons. Such sub-Committee has authority to make such decisions as are absolutely appropriate for the responsibility delegated to it by the Committee. Any such sub-Committee may be disbanded by the Committee at any time.
5. MEETINGS OF CLUB MEMBERS
5.1 The Club will hold at least one AGM in each calendar year.
5.2 The business to be transacted at the AGM will include the approval of any previous minutes of meetings of the members, the consideration of the accounts of the Club, the receipt of the President’s annual report and the election of Committee members.
5.3 Notice of the AGM will be published no later than three weeks prior to the date of the AGM. This notice will include the date and time of the AGM, the venue at which it will be held and the relevant Record Date. The Committee will make every effort to publish an Agenda in good time.
5.4 Members may propose additional agenda items for consideration at the AGM no later than seven days before the date of the AGM.
5.5 The Committee may call an EGM at any time, provided that a notice of any such EGM is published at least two weeks prior to the date of the EGM. An EGM may also be called by 50 full members by notice in writing to the Committee stating the desire for such an EGM to be held and specifying the issue(s) they wish to discuss. Any such EGM convened on the request of the members will be held within two weeks of the request being received by the Committee and notice of the EGM will be published to the other members as soon as practicable after the request is received. The notice of any EGM will include the date and time of the EGM, the venue at which it will be held and the proposed agenda.
5.6 The quorum for any general meeting will be five members present in person at the meeting.
5.7 Other than a decision to dissolve the Club referred to in paragraph 8.1, any decisions of the members will be made by a simple majority of those members present at the relevant meeting.
5.8 The Secretary will publish draft minutes of each AGM and EGM within ten working days of the relevant meeting. Any such minutes will be proposed to the members for approval at the next AGM.
6. BANK ACCOUNTS
6.1 The Committee may open account(s) on behalf of the Club with such banks as the Committee may from time to time decide.
6.2 Authorised signatories for cheques drawn on the Club’s bank account(s) will be decided by the Committee from time to time.
7. ACCOUNTS
7.1 The financial year of the Club will be determined by the Committee. Accounts of the Club will be prepared by the Treasurer to the end of each financial year and will be produced for approval by the Committee and presented to the members at the AGM.
7.2 Committee members must declare any potential conflict of interest in relation to any financial matters discussed at any Committee meeting.
8. DISSOLUTION
8.1 The Club can be dissolved at an EGM called for that purpose, provided that the motion to dissolve the Club has the support of 75% of those present and voting at such an EGM.
8.2 Prior to the dissolution all funds and other property of the Club will be donated to the IRFU Charitable Trust or such other charitable body as the Committee may nominate.
9. BRANCHES
The Committee may establish branches of the Club where demand exists in order to encourage and facilitate support for the Connacht rugby team.
10. COMMUNICATION
10.1 In circumstances where this constitution requires the Committee to publish certain documents, the Committee may do so by posting a copy of the document, or a link to access such document, on the Connacht Clan Website. The Committee may also publish such documents through such other means as the Committee deems fit.
10.2 Written communications to the Committee may be sent care of the Connacht Branch at its address for correspondence from time to time, or to such postal or electronic address as may be specified for communication with the Committee on the Connacht Clan Website.
11. AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION
This constitution may be amended by a resolution passed by a simple majority of those Club members present at a general meeting of the Club members. The Election Rules set out in Appendix I do not comprise part of the constitution and may be amended by the Committee in the manner described in paragraph 4.2 above.
APPENDIX I
COMMITTEE ELECTION RULES
1. The closing date for nominations for Committee membership or office holder will be specified in the notice convening the AGM. The Committee may decide to allow nominations at a meeting of the Club.
2. Any nomination received after this date will not be considered under any circumstances.
3. Any member wishing to stand for election to the Committee must have been a full member of the Club for six months on the closing date for nominations.
4. Candidates must be nominated and seconded by full members.
5. A member may endorse a maximum of two candidates at each election, as either a nominator or seconder. Multiple endorsements will render all nominations made by that member null and void.
6. No junior member may stand, nominate, second or vote in an election.
7. Nomination forms can be obtained from the Committee, or nomination may take place at a general meeting at the discretion of the Committee.
8. Nomination forms, if applicable, must be completed in full. Failure to complete the nomination form in full will render the nomination null and void.
9. Elections will take place at the AGM.
10. Elections will generally be held by acclimation or a show of hands of the members present at the AGM, save and except in circumstances that the Committee direct an election by secret ballot. In such circumstance each full member on the relevant Record Date in attendance at the AGM will be issued with one ballot paper for the purposes of a secret ballot.
11. Postal or proxy votes will not be accepted under any circumstances.
12. At the AGM full members may cast their votes, on the basis of one vote per vacancy on the Committee.
13. Ballot papers will be counted by three scrutineers who are members of the Club present at the AGM but who are not candidates in the election.
14. Any ballot papers which are agreed by the scrutineers as being spoilt will not be counted in the election.
15. All votes will be counted on the day of the AGM. If this is not possible the ballot papers will be held in a place agreed by the scrutineers and counted the following day.
16. The candidates receiving the greatest number of votes will be elected to the Committee. In the event of one or more candidates receiving an equal number of votes the returning Committee members not up for re-election will have the deciding vote(s).
17. The results of the election will be announced on the same day as the AGM. If this is not possible due to a late or postponed count, the results will be announced within seven days of the AGM.
18. All candidates agree to be bound by these Election Rules and the constitution of the Club.
19. The Committee year will run from the conclusion of one AGM until the conclusion of the following AGM. Committee members will serve for a term of one Committee years. A Committee member may stand for re-election, provided that no Committee member may serve more than two terms in succession.
20. The Committee will appoint the officers of the Club, including the President and Vice President , from among its numbers. The President will serve as president for a term of one Committee year. An outgoing President may be reappointed for a second term, provided that no president may serve more than two years in succession. The Vice-President will serve as Vice-President for a term of one Committee year. An outgoing Vice-President may be reappointed for a second term, provided that no Vice-President may serve more than two years in succession. All other officers may serve without limit.
