CONSTITUTION OF LARNE ATHLETIC CLUB
1. NAME
The Club shall be known as LARNE ATHLETIC CLUB
2. OBJECT(S)
The object(s) of the Club shall be to PROMOTE RUNNING ON A COMPETITIVE AND FRIENDLY BASIS, AND TO ORGANISE SOCIAL FUNCTIONS.
3. MEMBERSHIP
(a) Membership of the Club shall be open to all persons who have been accepted by the General Committee on the basis of simple majority vote, who have paid the appropriate annual subscription and who have agreed to abide by the Rules and Constitution of the Club.
(b) Membership of the Club shall consist of Adult Members, Family Members, Individual Concessionary Members and Junior Members (12 to 15 years old).
(c) The General Committee shall have power to accept or refuse an application for membership at any time, such power being exercised by simple majority vote.
(d) The General Committee shall have power to remove from membership any person who commits an offence which is considered serious enough to warrant such removal. Such action or other disciplinary action against members shall only be taken at a duly convened meeting of the General Committee before which the alleged offender shall be entitled to appear.
4. GENERAL COMMITTEE
(a) The affairs of the Club shall be managed by a General Committee consisting of 15 members, or such other number as may be determined by members of the Club at an Annual or Special General Meeting in accordance with section 10 below, elected at the Annual General Meeting. From this General Committee shall be elected the Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer.
(b) The General Committee shall have overall control of all Club activities, finance and all matters pertaining to the general conduct and welfare of the Club. It shall have the power to appoint sub-committees when necessary and to delegate to any such sub-committees any power except the election or rejection of members.
(c) Meetings of the General Committee shall be held at least once each month and at least 50% of the total number of committee members shall form a quorum. The decisions of the General Committee shall be taken by simple majority vote and the Chairperson, or the person voted to the Chair in his or her absence, shall have a second or casting vote. Decisions taken at any meeting may be amended or revoked at any subsequent properly convened meeting by a majority of those present and entitled to vote.
(d) Any member who fails to attend 3 consecutive monthly meetings may be suspended from membership until an explanation for such absence has been given. In the event of a vacancy arising among elected members, the other members may co-opt a successor.
5. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
(a) The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held not later than the first day of October each year to hear reports of Club activities from the Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer, and any other reports which the Committee considers appropriate.
(b) The Annual General Meeting shall also: –
(i) consider, and if approved, sanction any duly made alteration in the constitution;
(ii) elect the General Committee and its officers for the coming year (see Section 4(a) above);
(iii) elect the Independent Auditor for the coming year, and
(iv) consider such business as the General Committee desires to bring before the members and such matters as are raised by members at the meeting.
6. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
A Special General Meeting may be convened by the General Committee as often as it deems necessary or by the Secretary at any time on the receipt of a requisition in writing signed by not less than three members. The notice convening such a meeting shall issue to Club members at least seven days
before the date fixed for the meeting and it shall state the business to be considered at the meeting; such a Special General Meeting shall exercise the powers of an Annual General Meeting upon such stated business.
7. PROCEDURE AT GENERAL MEETING
(a) At all General Meetings of the Club the Chairperson, or in his or her absence a member selected by the meeting, shall take the Chair.
(b) Every member present and entitled to vote shall have one vote upon every motion, and in the case of equality of vote the Chairperson shall have a second or casting vote.
(c) The quorum at all General Meetings of the Club shall be no less than 15% of the total membership of the club.
8. CLUB ASSETS
The Club’s assets and finances shall be used solely to further the object(s) of the Club. At no time or under no circumstances shall assets of the Club be distributed among members either on an interim or on a winding-up basis.
9. DISSOLUTION
(a) A resolution to dissolve the Club shall be passed only at a General Meeting specifically summoned for the purpose of such resolution if supported by not less than 75% of those present and entitled to vote.
(b) In the event of the Club being dissolved, surplus assets remaining after the satisfaction of debts and liabilities shall be transferred to a sports club or charity in Northern Ireland with object(s) similar to those of LARNE ATHLETIC (provided that such club’s rules similarly preclude the distribution of such assets to its members), decided on by not less than 75% of those present and entitled to vote at this General Meeting.
10. AmenDMENT OF CONSTITUTION
This constitution may be added to, repealed or amended by resolution at any Annual or Special General Meeting, provided that no such resolution shall be deemed to have been passed unless it is carried by a majority of at least 50% of members voting thereon.