Constitution.

1. Name

The club will be called Bolton Triathlon Club and will be affiliated to Triathlon England.

2. Club Purposes

The purposes of the club are to promote amateur triathlon in Bolton and surrounding areas and community participation in the same.

3. Aims and Objectives.
The aims and objectives of the club will be:

To provide an environment in which people can meet to train for, prepare for and compete in triathlons, aquathons and duathlons by organising training sessions and competitions

To provide coaching in all three triathlon disciplines.

To encourage participation in running, swimming and cycling.

To promote the club within the local community and the sport of triathlon.

To ensure a duty of care to all members of the club.

To provide all its services in a way that is fair to everyone.

To ensure that all present and future members receive fair and equal treatment.

4. Permitted means of advancing the Purposes, Aims and Objectives

The committee has the power to:

  1. acquire equipment
  2. provide coaching, training and related social and other facilities
  3. raise funds by appeals, subscriptions and social and sporting events
  4. take out any insurance for the club, coaches, members or third parties
  5. open a bank account and invest funds in any lawful manner
  6. employ and engage staff and others and provide or procure services
  7. set aside funds for special purposes or as reserves.
  8. in addition to affiliation to Triathlon England, co-operate with or affiliate to any bodies regulating or organising the sports of running, swimming and cycling.
  9. do all things reasonably necessary to advance the club purposes (see 2)

NONE of the above powers may be used other than to advance the purposes, aims and objectives consistently with the Rules below and the general law.

5. Membership

Membership of the club shall be open to anyone interested in the sport on application regardless of sex, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or other beliefs. However, limitation of membership according to available facilities is allowable on a non-discriminatory basis.

All members will be subject to the regulations of the constitution and by joining the club will be deemed to accept these regulations and the codes of conduct that the club has adopted.

Members will be enrolled in one of the following categories:

Full member

Swimming only member (by invitation)

Associate member (by invitation)

Junior member

The Club Committee may refuse membership, or remove it, only for good cause such as conduct or character likely to bring the Club or sport into disrepute or likely to cause harm to other members. Appeal against refusal of membership may be made to a panel of three club members.

6. Membership Fees

Membership fees will be set annually and agreed by the Committee or determined at the Annual General Meeting. The Club will keep subscriptions at levels that will not pose a significant obstacle to people participating.

7. Officers of the Club

The officers of the club will be:

Chair

Secretary

Treasurer

Welfare Officer

Membership Secretary

Website/Publicity Officer

Club kit and equipment officer

Social Secretary

Junior Section representative

Any other relevant positions.

Officers will be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting.
All officers will retire each year but will be eligible for re-appointment. Positions may be shared.

8. Committee

8.1 Role

Subject to these Rules the Committee shall have the responsibility for the management of the club, its funds, property and affairs.

The property and funds of the club cannot be used for the direct or indirect private benefit of members other than as reasonably allowed by the Rules and all surplus income or profits shall be reinvested in the club.

The club may also in connection with the sports purposes of the club

  • Sell and supply food, drink and related sports clothing and equipment
  • Employ members and renumerate them for providing goods and services, on fair terms set by the Committee without the person concerned being present.
  • Indemnify the Committee and members acting properly in the course of running the Club against any liability incurred in the proper running of the Club (but only to the extent of its assets)

The club will have due regard to the law on disability discrimination and child protection

8.2 Composition and committee procedure

Any member may attend committee meetings but only elected officers have the right to vote at committee meetings.

The Committee will be convened by the Chair of the club and will meet no less than three times a year.

The quorum required for business to be agreed at committee meetings will be 4 committee members.

The Committee will be responsible for adopting new policy, codes of conduct and rules that affect the organisation of the club.

The Committee will have powers to appoint sub-committees as necessary and invite guests or advisers to the Committee as necessary to fulfil its business.

When committee positions become vacant the committee may co-opt club members to fill such positions until the next AGM or the committee may call an EGM to fill that position

Whenever a committee member or member has a personal interest in a matter to be discussed he/she must declare it, withdraw from that part of the meeting (unless asked to stay), not be counted in the quorum for that agenda item and withdraw during the vote and have no vote on the matter concerned.

The Committee will be responsible for disciplinary hearings of members who infringe the club rules/regulations/constitution. The Committee will be responsible for taking any action of suspension or discipline following such hearings.

Decisions will be made by a simple majority

9. Finance

All club monies will be banked in an account held in the name of the club.

The Club Treasurer will be responsible for the finances of the club.

Club funds may only be used for the purposes of the aims and objectives of the club as listed above.

The financial year of the club will end on December 31st:

The Treasurer will produce a statement of annual accounts for the financial year at the Annual General Meeting, audited as the committee shall decide.

Any cheques drawn against club funds should hold the signatures of the Treasurer plus up to two other officers.

10. Annual General Meetings

Notice of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be given by the Club Chair. A minimum of 21 clear days’ notice is to be given to members giving the date, time and venue and inviting members to submit nominations for officers of the committee.

The AGM will receive a report from officers of the Committee and a statement of the accounts.

The members will appoint one or two suitable people as auditors, who shall not be members of the committee, to audit the annual accounts for the year.

Elections of officers are to take place at the AGM.

Decisions will be made by a simple majority of votes.

All members have the right to vote at the AGM.

The quorum for AGMs will be 12 or 10% of the adult membership whichever is the greatest.

11. Extraordinary General Meetings (EGM)

An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) may be called by the secretary or chairman within 14 days of a request by that effect from the committee or on the receipt of a letter to that effect signed by not less than 25% of the membership. Rules for EGMs will be the same as for the AGM.

12. Cessation of Membership

12.1 Membership of the Club shall terminate if:

  1. the member dies;
  2. the member, being an individual, is convicted of a criminal offence which involves dishonesty;
  • the member resigns by notice in writing to the Club by giving at least seven days’ notice in writing to the Club provided that upon such resignation the number of members is not less than one.
  1. the member is in arrears to the Club and his or her subscriptions or any other payments are at least three months overdue;
  2. the member is removed from membership by a resolution of the Committee on the grounds that it is in the best interests of the Club that his or her membership is terminated.   A resolution to remove a member from membership may only be passed if:
    1. the member has been given at least twenty one days’ notice in Writing of the Committee meeting at which the resolution will be proposed and the reasons why it is to be proposed;
    2. the member or, at the option of the member, the member’s representative (who need not be a member of the Club) has been allowed to make representations to the meeting;
    3. the Committee decides to remove him or her from membership of the Club or the member fails to attend the meeting without sufficient reason.

12.2 The Committee may exclude the member from the Club’s premises until the meeting has considered this matter (save that he or she shall be entitled to attend the meeting in question for the purpose of making representations to the meeting).  A person may appeal against a decision to remove him or her from membership in accordance with clause`13 below.

12.3 Any person ceasing to be a member forfeits all rights in relation to and claims upon the Club, its property and its funds and has no right to the return of any part of his subscription fee.  Without prejudice to the foregoing, the Committee may refund an appropriate part of a resigning member’s subscription fee if it considers it appropriate in all the circumstances.

12.4 In the event of a member’s resignation or expulsion, his or her name shall be removed from the Club’s register of members.

13. Complaints and Disputes

13.1 All concerns, allegations or reports of malpractice or abuse relating to the welfare of children or vulnerable adults will be recorded and responded to swiftly and appropriately in accordance with the British Triathlon’s safeguarding policy and procedures.  The Chair shall be the lead Officer for all members in the event of any safeguarding concerns and should consult with the Club Welfare Officer.

13.2 Any complaints regarding the behaviour of members or Officers shall be presented and submitted in writing to the Secretary.  Unless exceptional circumstances apply, the Committee will hear complaints within fourteen days of receiving a complaint.  Subject to clause 13.3 below, a decision of the Committee shall be final and conclusive. The outcome should be notified in writing to the person who lodged the complaint and the member against whom the complaint was made within 14 days of the hearing.

13.3 A person whose application for membership has been rejected by the Committee or whose membership has been terminated by a decision of the Committee will have a right of appeal to the members in a General Meeting.  Unless exceptional circumstances apply, the members shall consider the appeal within twenty eight days of the Club receiving the appeal.

13.4 If a dispute arises between any members or Officers of the Club about the validity or propriety of anything done by any member or Officer under these Rules and the dispute cannot be resolved by agreement, the parties to the dispute must first try in good faith to settle the dispute by mediation before resorting to litigation.

15. Amendments

These Rules may be amended at an EGM or AGM by two-thirds of the votes cast but not so as to jeopardise the Club’s status as a Community Amateur Sports Club as provided for by the Finance Act 2002 and not in any event to alter its purposes or winding up provisions.

Bolton Triathlon Club Rules/Constitution

Adopted/Amended at the AGM held

At Lancashire Wildlife Trust, Bury Road, Breightmet, BL2 6DH

On 12th January 2016

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