TWICKENHAM SAINTS CLUB RULES

1. NAME

The Club shall be called Twickenham Saints (the "Club").

2. OBJECTS

The objects of the Club shall be to provide facilities, promote the game of Association Football, to arrange matches and social activities for its members as an active part of a County Football league, and community participation in the same.

3. STATUS OF RULES

These Rules (the "Club Rules") form a binding agreement between each member of the Club.

4. RULES AND REGULATIONS

(a) The members of the Club shall so exercise their rights, powers and duties and shall, where appropriate, use their best endeavours to ensure that others conduct themselves so that the business and affairs of the Club are carried out in accordance with the Rules and Regulation of The Football Association Limited ("The FA"), County Football Association to which the Club is affiliated ("Parent County Association") and Competitions in which the Club participates, for the time being in force.

(b) No alteration to the Club Rules shall be effective without written approval by the Parent County Association. The FA and the Parent County Association reserve the right to approve any proposed changes to the Club Rules.

(c) The Club will also abide by The FA's Safeguarding Children Policies and Procedures, Codes of Conduct and the Equal Opportunities and Anti-Discrimination Policy as shall be in place from time to time.

5. CLUB MEMBERSHIP

(a) The members of the Club from time to time shall be those persons listed in the register of members (the "Membership Register") which shall be maintained by each Team manager and overseen by the Club Secretary.

(b) Any Parent who wishes for their child to be a member must apply by the terms stipulated by the Club Committee. Election to membership shall be at the discretion of the Club Committee and granted in accordance with the anti-discrimination and equality policies which are in place from time to time. An appeal against refusal may be made to the Club Committee in accordance with the Complaints Procedure in place from time to time. Membership shall become effective upon an applicant's name being entered in the Membership Register.

(c) In the event of a member's resignation or expulsion, his or her name shall be removed from the Membership Register.

(d) The FA and Parent County Association shall be given access to the Membership Register on demand.

(e) Membership to the club will be restricted to children who attend St. Mary's C.of.E. school, Twickenham for the Under 9s, Under 10s, and Under 11s squad. If membership of a team is oversubscribed then priority of membership will be given to children that regularly attend St Mary's C.of.E Saturday Morning Football sessions, or a child of a parent taking a role in the Club Committee or Club sub Committee at the discretion of the management of the team that they will join. The Club Committee can grant exceptions to this rule, in the case of a child not attending Saturday Morning Football or not currently attending St. Mary's School, or existing members leave and recruitment of external players is required to provide a full squad.

6. ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP FEE

(a) An annual fee payable by each member shall be determined by the Club Committee and set at a level that will not pose a significant obstacle to community participation. Any fee shall be payable on a successful application for membership and annually by each member. Fees shall not be repayable.

(b) The Club Committee shall have the authority to levy further subscriptions from the members as are reasonably necessary to fulfill the objects of the Club.

7. RESIGNATION AND EXPULSION

(a) A member shall cease to be a member of the Club if, and from the date on which, he/she gives notice to the Club Committee of his / her resignation. A member who does not re-apply for membership following the Club Committee's end of year process, will be deemed to have resigned the club.

(b) The Club Committee shall have the power to expel a member when, in its opinion, it would not be in the interests of the club for them to remain a member. They include the following 2 situations:

  • i) All members of the Club must abide by the Club "Values". (Please refer to "the Twickenham Saints Values" document). It is the responsibility of the parents of the members to ensure that their children abide by the values, and the club will be operating a "3 strikes and out" system, where members who have been deemed to have breached the club values for more than 3 times in the course of a year, will be expelled from the Club.

  • ii) All Parents of members must abide by the F.A. code of conduct at matches. If the Club deem a parent to be infringing the F.A. code of conduct, then the club has the right to expel the member.

An appeal against such a decision may be made to the Club Committee in accordance with the Complaints Procedure in force from time to time.

(c) A member who resigns or is expelled shall not be entitled to claim any, or any share of, any, of the income and assets of the Club (the "Club Property").

8. CLUB COMMITTEE

(a) The Club Committee shall consist of the following Club Officers: Chairperson (Peter Wilson), Treasurer (James Mylet), Secretary (Andy Doherty), Head Coach (James Griffin) and Welfare Officer (Alison Ritchie). They shall be referred to as the "Club Committee" and will oversee the running of the Club as well as their specific Team.

(b) Each team in the Club will also have a Secretary, Treasurer, Coach and Welfare Officer, to be referred to as the "Team Sub-Committee", and will be responsible for the specific running of a team, within the club rules.

(c) The Club Committee shall be responsible for the management of all the affairs of the Club. Decisions of the Club Committee shall be made by a simple majority of those attending the Club Committee meeting. The Chairperson of the Club Committee meeting shall have a casting vote in the event of a tie. Meetings of the Club Committee shall be chaired by the Chairperson or in their absence by a member chosen by the Committee. The quorum for the transaction of the business of the Club Committee shall be three (3).

(c) Decisions of the Club Committee shall be entered into the Minute Book of the Club to be maintained by the Club Secretary.

(d) Any member of the Club Committee may call a meeting of the Club Committee by giving not less than seven days' notice to all members of the Club Committee. The Club Committee shall hold not less than four (4) meetings per year.

(e) An outgoing member of the Club Committee may be re-elected. Any vacancy on the Club Committee which arises between AGMs shall be filled by a member proposed by one (1) and seconded by another one (1) of the remaining Club Committee members and approved by simple majority of the remaining Club Committee members.

(f) Save as provided for in the Rules and Regulations of The FA, the Parent County Association and any applicable Competition, the Club Committee shall have the power to decide all questions and disputes arising in respect of any issue concerning the Club Rules.

(g) The position of a Club Officer shall be vacated if such a person is subject to a decision of The FA that such person be suspended from holding office or from taking part in any football activity relating to the administration or management of a football club.

9. ANNUAL AND EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETINGS

(a) An AGM shall be held in each year to:

  • (i) receive a report of the activities of the Club over the previous year;

  • (ii) receive a report of the Club's finances over the previous year;

  • (iii) elect members of the Club Committee; and

  • (iv) consider any other business.

(b) Nominations for election of members as Club Officers or as members of the Club Committee shall be made in writing by the proposer and seconder, both of whom must be existing members of the Club, to the Club Secretary not less than 21 days before the AGM. Notice of any resolution to be proposed at the AGM shall be given in writing to the Club Secretary not less than 21 days before the Meeting.

(c) An EGM may be called at any time by the Club Committee and shall be called within 21 days of the receipt by the Club Secretary of a requisition in writing, signed by not less than five members, stating the purposes for which the Meeting is required and the resolutions proposed. Business at an EGM may be any business that may be transacted at an AGM.

(d) The Secretary shall send to each member at their last known email address written notice of the date of a General Meeting (whether an AGM or an EGM) together with the resolutions to be proposed at least 14 days before the meeting. Notification will also be posted in the application used officially for managing games and squads.

(e) The quorum for a General Meeting shall be 10.

(f) The Chairperson, or in their absence a member selected by the Club Committee, shall take the chair. Each member present shall have one vote and resolutions shall be passed by a simple majority. In the event of an equality of votes, the Chairperson of the Meeting shall have a casting vote.

(g) The Club Secretary, or in their absence a member of the Club Committee, shall enter the Minutes of General Meetings into the Minute Book of the Club.

10. CLUB TEAMS

At its first meeting following each AGM, the Club Committee shall appoint a Team Sub Committee to be responsible for each of the Club's football teams. The appointed members shall be responsible for managing the affairs of the team.

11. CLUB FINANCES

(a) A bank account shall be opened and maintained in the name of each of the Club's football teams (the "Club Team Account"). Designated account signatories shall be the Treasurer of each team. No sum shall be drawn from the Club Account except by cheque signed by the Treasurer. All monies payable to the Club shall be received by the team Treasurer and deposited in the Team Account.

(b) The Club Property shall be applied only in furtherance of the objects of the Club. The distribution of profits or proceedings arising from the sale of Club Property to members is prohibited.

(c) The Club Committee shall have the power to authorise the payment of remuneration and expenses to any member of the Club (although a Club shall not remunerate a member for playing) and to any other person or persons for services rendered to the Club.

(d) The Club may provide sporting and related social facilities, sporting equipment, coaching, courses, insurance cover, medical treatment, away match expenses, post-match refreshments and other ordinary benefits of Community Amateur Sports Clubs as provided for in the Finance Act 2002.

(e) The Club may also in connection with the sports purposes of the Club:

  • (i) sell and supply food, drink and related sports clothing and equipment;

  • (ii) employ members (although not for playing) and remunerate them for providing goods and services, on fair terms set by the Club Committee without the person concerned being present;

  • (iii) pay for reasonable hospitality for visiting teams and guests; and

  • (iv) indemnify the Club Committee and members acting properly in the course of the running of the Club against any liability incurred in the proper running of the Club (but only to the extent of its assets).

(f) The Club shall keep accounting records for recording the fact and nature of all payments and receipts so as to disclose, with reasonable accuracy, at any time, the financial position, including the assets and liabilities of the Club. The Club must retain its accounting records for a minimum of six (6) years.

(g) The Club shall prepare an annual "Financial Statement" in such format as shall be available from The FA from time to time. The Financial Statement shall be verified by an independent, appropriately qualified accountant and shall be approved by members at a General Meeting. A copy of any Financial Statement shall, on demand, be forwarded to The FA.

(h) The Club Property, other than the Club Account, shall be vested in not less than two (2) and not more than four (4) custodians, one of whom shall be the Treasurer (the "Custodians"), who shall deal with the Club Property as directed by decisions of the Club Committee, and entry in the Minute Book shall be conclusive evidence of such a decision.