CONSTITUTION OF DOUGLAS LAWN TENNIS CLUB

  1. Name & Objectives

    1. The Club shall be called Douglas Lawn Tennis Club, hereinafter referred to as “The Club”.
    2. The objectives of the Club shall be –
      1. To promote the game of tennis
      2. To cater socially for its members.

      Douglas Lawn Tennis Club is fully committed to safeguarding the wellbeing of its members. Every individual in the Club should at all times show respect and understanding for their rights, safety and welfare and conduct themselves in a way that reflects the principles of the Club and the guidelines contained in the Safeguarding Children and Young People in Tennis Manual.

  2. Trustees

    1. The property of the Club shall be vested in three Trustees.
    2. All Trustees shall be appointed by simple majority of members present and voting at the Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting.
    3. In the event of the Dissolution of the Club, all property vested in the Trustees shall be disposed of by them for the benefit of all creditors, if any. The surplus, if any, shall be divided between the members whose subscriptions shall have been paid in the year in which the dissolution takes place including Honorary Life Members.
    4. No member shall be elected as a Trustee without his/her consent previously obtained.
    5. A Trustee shall hold office until s/he retires, dies or is removed from office. Trustees may be removed from office by simple majority of members present and voting at an Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting.
    6. No personal liability shall attach to any Trustees with the exception of liability for Club funds or assets which may have been received by him/her and the Club shall indemnify the Trustees in respect of any liabilities or costs incurred or undertaken by them in the course of discharging their duties of the Club.

  3. Membership

    1. The Club shall consist of Senior Members, Family Members, Junior Members, Student Members, Associate Members and Honorary Members.
    2. Candidates for membership shall be proposed and seconded by current senior members and shall sign a proposal form agreeing to abide by the rules and constitution of the club.
    3. All applications for membership shall be considered at a meeting of the committee. Candidates will be elected if approved by a simple majority of the members of the committee present and voting at a meeting.
    4. Junior members shall be under eighteen years of age on January 1 of the current year.
    5. Student members shall be over eighteen years of age on January 1 of the current year and shall be in full-time attendance at a second level or third level educational institution.
    6. Family membership will be confined to husband/wife and to parent/s, together with those children who are categorised as junior or student members.
    7. Associate membership shall be available only to those who have previously held membership who have taken up permanent or temporary residence away from Cork and wish to maintain their association with the Club or those who are members with another Club at a distance of 60 km away from Douglas Lawn Tennis Club who wish to play socially with the Club. Associate members shall not have voting rights and shall not be eligible to serve as officers or committee members.
    8. The Committee shall from time to time frame such additional regulations and make such additional rulings as it may see fit concerning the admission and rights of associate members, temporary members and visitors.
    9. Honorary members shall be elected at a General Meeting of members, on the recommendation of the committee. Honorary life membership shall only be granted to those who have brought honor to the Club or those who have through exceptional dedication contributed substantially over a number of years to the objectives of the Club.
    10. An Honorary member shall be elected for life or until s/he resigns, retires or is suspended as hereinafter provided.
    11. An Honorary member shall enjoy all the privileges and rights of full senior membership.
    12. An Honorary member shall not be liable for a registration fee or an annual subscription.

  4. Subscriptions

    1. Members voting by simple majority at the Annual General Meeting shall determine the annual subscriptions and registration fees for the coming year.
    2. Annual subscriptions and registration fees so determined shall not be less than those of the previous year.
    3. The committee shall have power from time to time to determine and impose penalties for late payment of annual subscriptions.
    4. Annual subscriptions shall become due in the month of January immediately after the holding of the Annual General Meeting.
    5. Members who fail to pay their annual subscription by March 31 of the current year shall automatically forfeit their membership. They will be re-admitted to membership at the sole discretion of the committee and on payment of any penalty for late payment imposed by the committee.
    6. The Club President and the Club Captain, and their dependents shall not be liable for an annual subscription.

  5. Officers & Committee

    1. The following will be elected each year at the Annual General Meeting:
      1. A President, a Vice-President, a Captain, a Vice-Captain, an Honorary Secretary, an Honorary Treasurer, and six committee members.
    2. The immediate past-President shall be ex-officio member of the incoming Committee.
    3. The residents of Douglas Hall Lawn shall be represented on the committee, in accordance with the terms of the Club’s lease with Cork City Council (formerly Cork Corporation).
    4. The officers and committee members shall take up office immediately after the AGM has been held and as close as possible to the 1st January.

  6. Powers and Duties of Committee

    1. The Committee shall have powers to select from within the Club members various sub-committees. Recommendations of sub-committees shall always be subject to the approval of the main executive Committee. At least one Committee Member shall be a member of each sub-committee and shall report at each Committee Meeting on the activities and recommendations of that subcommittee.
    2. The Committee shall operate only within the terms of the Constitution and of the Lease with Cork City Council.
    3. The Committee shall have powers to co-opt up to three additional members if they so wish during their term of office, by simple majority vote of the Committee Meeting.
    4. The President shall preside at all meetings and shall be the Club’s official representative. In his absence the Vice-President shall act in his or her place.
    5. The Honorary Secretary shall keep full and accurate Minutes of all meetings and a record of the attendance of members at Committee meetings.
    6. The Honorary Treasurer or a person appointed by same or the President of the Club shall lodge all monies to the Club’s account/s at its nominated Bank/s and all payments shall be by Online banking/cheque where applicable.
    7. The Honorary Treasurer shall at all times have details of the Club’s financial transactions and financial position.
    8. Online payments should be set up and authorised by any two of the Following. Cheques shall also be signed by any two of the following:
      1. President        ii. Secretary      iii Treasurer      iv. Office Administrator
    9. Decisions of the Committee shall be taken by simple majority, a quorum being present.
    10. The Committee shall have power to appoint Auditors to audit the Club Accounts.

  7. Borrowing Powers

    1. The Committee shall be empowered to raise loans on behalf of the Club whose cumulative total in any financial year should not exceed 60k euro (sixty thousand euro) (agreed at AGM 19th January, 2017)
    2. The Trustees shall be notified in writing of each new loan or loan facility as soon as it is arranged.
    3. Loans in excess of the amount in a. above shall only be arranged by the Committee after receiving approval from an Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting.

  8. Disciplinary Powers

    1. Any Committee member absent for three successive Meetings without satisfactory explanation shall automatically cease to be a member of the Committee and shall be so notified by the Secretary.
    2. The Committee shall have power to suspend by simple majority any officer or Committee member who acts contrary to the Constitution or Rules or otherwise against the interests of the Club.
    3. The Committee shall have power to suspend any member who acts against the interest of the Club. A Committee decision as to what constitutes the interest of the Club shall be final and binding. The duration of the suspension shall be at the discretion of the Committee at all times.
    4. Any suspended member has the right to appeal his suspension and this appeal must be considered by the Committee.

  9. Vacancies

      In the case of a vacancy amongst the officers or Committee, the Committee may coopt a member of the club as a successor and he or she may hold office until the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.

  10. Committee Decisions

      All decisions of the Committee except as otherwise provided in the Constitution shall be by simple majority of Committee members present and voting. All decisions so made shall be final and binding.

  11. General Meetings

    1. The Annual General Meeting shall be held as early as possible in the month of January.
    2. The Committee at any time or any other member on a requisition signed by twenty five members of the Club may summon an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Club. On receipt of such a requisition the Committee must arrange for such a meeting to be held within twenty-one days.
    3. Only registered paid-up members are entitled to notice and to vote at General Meetings.
    4. Notice of General Meetings shall be given by email, Notice on the Notice Boards within the Club and outside Notice Boards. All members are entitled to such notice at least twenty one days before such meeting. Failure to notify any individual member shall not invalidate the proceedings of such meetings.
    5. Only senior members are entitled to vote at General Meetings.
    6. Junior members may attend General Meetings and raise questions relevant to their category.

  12. Quorum

    1. The Quorum at General Meetings shall be twenty-five senior members or ¾ of the senior membership, whichever is the smaller.
    2. Eight members duly elected shall constitute a Quorum for Committee Meetings at which the President shall have a casting vote in all voting issues.

  13. Nominations for Committee

    1. Nominations of candidates for election at the Annual General Meeting must be sought at least twenty-one days before such Annual General Meeting and must be received by the person nominated by the Committee at least seven days before the Annual General Meeting.
    2. Only those correctly nominated i.e. those proposed and seconded by senior members shall be eligible to contest elections. To be nominated for President, you must be nominated by either three committee members or by 10 senior members. The President shall not hold office for more than two successive years.
    3. In the absence of sufficient nominees, the President may accept nominations at the Annual General Meeting.

  14. Constitutional Amendments

    1. Any part of the Constitution may be amended only if the amendment is properly proposed and seconded and approved at the Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting.
    2. Amendments proposed to the Constitution by the committee shall be notified to all members in writing at least twenty-one days prior to an Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting. Proposals by members to amend the Constitution must be received by the person designated by the committee at least fourteen days prior to a General Meeting of members. Such proposals will, on receipt, be displayed on the club noticeboard for the information of members.

  15. Motions for Annual General Meeting

      Motions for the Annual General Meeting shall be sought from the members by the committee at least twenty-one days prior to the Annual General Meeting. Proposed motions shall be received by the person designated by the committee at least seven days prior to the Annual General meeting. All proposed motions will be displayed in the clubhouse for seven days prior to the Annual General Meeting, for the information of members.