Constitution - Hart Squash Club (download pdf version)

1 Name
The club will be called Hart Squash Club and will be affiliated to England Squash, and will be based at the Hart Leisure Centre, Fleet, Hants.

2 Aims and Objectives
The aims and objectives of the club will be:
a) to conduct regular Leagues and occasional Tournaments
b) to offer coaching
c) to maintain a good playing standard of Squash
d) to promote the club within the local community and England Squash
e) to ensure a duty of care to all members of the club
f) to provide all its services in a way that is fair to everyone
g) to ensure that all members receive fair and equal treatment.
h) to enforce the Rules of Squash

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

Members will be enrolled in one of the following categories:
• Full member
• Junior member

New members may be admitted to the Club provided sufficient vacancies exist.
a) Every effort shall be made to place new members into a division at an appropriate level to their known playing standard.
b) New members shall be encouraged to attend a Club Night in order that an initial assessment of their playing standard can be ascertained in order to achieve 3(a).

4 Membership fees
Membership fees will be annually determined by the Committee and confirmed at the Annual General Meeting.

Fees will be paid annually.
a) The Club shall levy an;
i) initial joining fee, to include the membership fee for the first year.
ii) annual membership fee payable 1 January.
b) Responsibility for the payment of subscriptions rest with the individual member. Failure to pay subscriptions within a reasonable time, as determined by the Committee, may result in the member being removed from the Club, and that member being required to pay a joining fee to be re-instated to the Club.

Players removed from the League for failing to fulfil their fixtures, or players wishing to be temporarily removed from the League shall not be charged a joining fee when requesting to be re-instated to the Leagues, providing the current annual fee has been paid.

5 Officers of the Club
The officers of the club will be:
• Chairman
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Committee Members (min 2, max 4)

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

6 Management of the Club
The club will be managed through the Committee. All of these posts will have the right to vote at meetings of the Committee.

The Committee will be convened by the Secretary of the club and held no less than four times per year.

The quorum required for business to be agreed at Committee meetings will be four.

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 appoint advisers to the Management Committee as necessary to fulfil its business.

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

7 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. The financial year of the club will end on 31 December.

An audited statement of annual accounts will be presented by the Treasurer at the Annual General Meeting.

8 Annual General Meetings
The Club Secretary will give notice of the Annual General Meeting (AGM). Not less than 21 clear days’ notice to be given to all members.

The AGM will receive a report from offices of the Chairman, Secretary and a statement of the accounts.

Nominations for officers of the Committee will be sent to the Secretary prior to the AGM.

Elections of officers are to take place at the AGM.

All members have the right to vote at the AGM.

The Committee has the right to call Extraordinary General Meetings (EGMs) outside the AGM. Procedures for EGMs will be the same as for the AGM.

9 Discipline and appeals
All complaints/suggestions must be submitted in writing to the Secretary.

The Committee will meet to hear complaints within fourteen days of a complaint being lodged. The committee has the power to take appropriate disciplinary action including the termination of membership.

The outcome of a disciplinary hearing should be notified in writing to the person who lodged the complaint and the member against whom the complaint was made within five days of the hearing.

There will be the right of appeal to the Committee following disciplinary action being announced. The committee should consider the appeal within fourteen days of the Secretary receiving the appeal.
Suggestions will be categorised by the Secretary, and dealt with at the next Committee meeting unless it is considered appropriate to call an extra Committee Meeting.

10 Dissolution
A resolution to dissolve the club can only be passed at an AGM or EGM through a majority vote of the membership.

In the event of dissolution, the funds of the club will be distributed equally to all paid up full members of the Club.

11 Amendments to the constitution
The constitution will only be changed through agreement by majority vote at an AGM or EGM.

12 Operation of Leagues/Tournaments
Appendix 1 details the operation of the internal leagues, and amendments to these rules may be agreed by a majority decision of the Management Committee. The League Tables will be posted on the Club’s Internet site in addition to being posted on the Club’s Notice Board at the Hart Leisure Centre.

13 Declaration
Hart Squash Club hereby adopts and accepts this constitution as a current operating guide regulating the actions of members.

Appendix 1 – Rules for the Operation of the Leagues & Tournaments

A) LEAGUE MATCHES
a) All matches to be played under S.R.A. Rules.
b) White or pastel coloured clothing to be worn for matches, ie no dark clothing, which may hinder vision of the ball.
c) Matches to be best out of five games, ie first player to win three games win the match.
d) Scores for completed matches as follows:

e) Unfinished matches may be re-arranged if desired by BOTH players. A re-arranged match is to be regarded as a new match and played under Rule A(c). In these circumstances, the losing player may claim the greater number of games won in either the original game or the replayed game.
f) Players may elect to regard an unfinished match as completed, scoring as follows:

g) All matches played count towards the final points total, although the Committee reserves the right to vary this rule for the benefit of all other members in a League Division, whenever necessary.
h) No points are awarded for matches not arranged.
i) If a player fails to arrive for an arranged match then the opponent may claim the match, scoring 4–0, PROVIDED a written explanation is given to the Committee.
j) Players failing to arrive for an arranged match have a responsibility to reimburse their opponent for the cost of the court.
k) Where an opponent declines the offer of a third court, without reasonable explanation, having already declined to play on two previous occasions, then the arranging player may claim the match, scoring 4-0, PROVIDED a written explanation is given to the Committee.
l) Members failing to complete a minimum of four matches in a session, without explanation, may be removed from the Leagues
m) Members failing to complete a any matches in a session, without explanation, shall be removed from the Leagues
n) All matches shall be played using a single yellow spot ball, unless both players agree an alternative.
o) An agreed marker may be used to score matches at the request of either player. If players are unable to agree the marker, then the committee shall appoint an independent marker.
p) All members have a responsibility to arrange League matches

B. LEAGUE POSITION
a) League positions will be determined upon the basis of total points obtained in each session.
b) Promotion and relegation will normally be on a three-up and three-down basis, in the Divisions up the top Leagues.
• The winner of each Division will be promoted two Divisions, the runner up and third placed player being promoted one Division.
• The last placed player will be relegated two Divisions, the penultimate and antepenultimate player being relegated one Divisions.
• The Committee reserves the right to vary these arrangements to achieve the Objectives under 2(c). Please also see 3(a).
c) Should a tie result it will be resolved by applying the following criteria:
• The first criteria will be the points against; least number wins.
• The second criteria will be the result of their match; the winner of the match wins.
• The third criteria will be the number of games played; the player having played the most games wins.
• The fourth criteria will be the based on the position last session; higher placed player wins.

C. TOURNAMENT COMPETITIONS
a) The Committee shall organise Tournament from time to time as the members’ request and circumstances permit.
b) In the case of over-subscription of applications to any Tournament, preference will generally be given to those members who are currently playing on the Leagues.
c) The Rules governing any Tournament shall be set out by the Organiser. They must be clearly set out in writing, be available to all members at the time of the Tournament, and have been approved by the Committee.

D) MATTERS NOT COVERED
a) Any matters not covered by these Rules shall be referred to the Committee, whose decision shall be final and binding.
b) These Rules may be amended at the discretion of the Committee for the benefit of the Club.