Metro - Constitution

Metro Constitution

Purpose

The purpose of this Constitution is to outline the rules under which the Club operates

Terms of Reference

the Club	Metro Aberdeen Running Club
the Sport	Amateur Athletics
AGM	Annual General Meeting
EGM	Extraordinary General Meeting
SAL	Scottish Athletics Limited
Membership Management System	Membership Mojo, or any other management system selected by the Club Management Committee

Name and Identity

The name of the Club shall be Metro Aberdeen Running Club
The Club colours shall be black and gold quartered vest with black shorts and must be worn by any member representing the Club at any competitive meeting

Objectives

The Club is established to pursue the following objectives:-

The promotion and participation in the Sport of amateur athletics
Upholding the rules of the Sport
Providing equal opportunities for successful participation in the Sport by all sections of the community

Affiliation

The Club shall be affiliated to Scottish Athletics Limited and as such adopts:-

the UKA and HCAF Child Safeguarding Policy and Child Safeguarding Procedures
the UKA and HCAF Adult Safeguarding Policy and Adult Safeguarding Procedures
the UKA and HCAF Codes of Conduct
the UKA and HCAF procedures for managing safeguarding concerns
the Scottish Athletics AFFILIATED CLUB DISCIPLINARY POLICY & PROCEDURES (June 2021 version) for managing misconduct cases

Membership

All members are subject to the Constitution of the Club and the regulations of Scottish Athletics Limited

Membership is open to all and no application for membership will be refused on other than reasonable grounds
There will be no discrimination on grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex; sexual orientation, political or other opinion
All applications for membership shall be made on the approved application form via the Member Management System and be accompanied by the appropriate annual membership fee
All members will be required to review and accept this Constitution and all policies, procedures and codes referenced within when applying for or renewing membership to the Club
Membership fees are due on 1st January and will provide membership until 31st December of the same calendar year. Any member joining after 1st October in any calendar year shall be considered to be a member from the date of membership fee payment until 31st December of the following calendar year
Any member who does not pay their fee for membership renewal by the end of February shall be deemed to have left the Club, without formal notice, and will forfeit all benefits associated with membership of the Club, This includes taking part in any members only event under the control of the Club, voting at AGM/EGM, participation on Club Management Committee or any other representation of the Club in any format
Any expired members will be removed from the Club membership management system and any member’s only social media pages or other formal club organised groups within 4 weeks of expiration of membership
Membership fees must be paid in full prior to participation in any events representing or competing for the Club
Members shall be enrolled on one of the following categories:-

Senior Member - Aged from 18 years old at the date of membership application / renewal. There is no upper age limit
Junior Member - Aged between 6 years old and 17 years old at the date of membership application / renewal. A waiting list may be put in place for new Junior members wishing to join the Club, at the discretion of the Club Junior and Coaches’ Representative dependent on the ratio of Club coaches and Junior members, or any other reasonable grounds as determined by the Junior and Coaches’ Representative
Honorary Member - Honorary members do not require to pay the annual membership fee and will have lifetime membership unless honorary membership is declined by the member or revoked by the Club Management Committee on any relevant grounds according to the Club Constitution

Honorary Membership

Nominations for honorary membership may be submitted by any member of the Club for any current member of the Club, by written submission of the justification for awarding honorary membership. Reasonable grounds for honorary membership nomination include but are not limited by the following criteria:-

Member has held membership of the Club for over 10 years; and
Member has served on the Club Management Committee during their membership of the Club; and
Member has made a significant contribution to the Club during their membership

The Club Management Committee will review and vote on any nominations for honorary membership
The criteria outlined above is not prescriptive and any nomination may be approved at the discretion of the Club Management Committee

Resignation

Any member wishing to resign from the Club shall inform the Club Secretary, in writing
If joining another SAL affiliated club, the member must also inform SAL and complete the appropriate form(s) which are to be endorsed by both Clubs and SAL

Election of Officers To The Management Committee

The members of the management committee shall be drawn from the membership:-

Fully paid up Senior members or Honorary members may be elected and serve on the Management Committee
Junior Members are not eligible for selection to serve on the Management Committee. The junior section will be represented by the elected Juniors’ Representative being supported by the qualified coaches and Welfare Officer(s)
Candidates shall be elected by ballot at the AGM, and shall be members of the management committee from the conclusion of that AGM until the conclusion of the following AGM
The Secretary shall notify all members of the list of all positions available for the Club Committee, not less than four weeks prior to the AGM
Resumes may be sent to the secretary from any nominated person for distribution to the membership to aid an informed decision as to a candidate’s suitability, not less than 14 days prior to the AGM
Any person elected to the committee will be required to serve one year as an ordinary member before being considered for a senior post* with the exception being if no other member is nominated for the post and the post would become vacant if not filled
Members may only submit two submissions in total for nominations or seconding of candidates for selection to the Management Committee
All nominations of candidates for election shall:-

have the consent of the nominee;
be in writing;
be seconded;
be received by the Club Secretary not less than two weeks before the AGM

The Secretary shall send all members a list of all nominations not less than seven days prior to the AGM

Members Of The Management Committee

The Management Committee shall consist of the following roles, where possible:-

Chairman*
Secretary*
Treasurer*
Male and Female Captains*
Junior and Coaches’ Representative*
Welfare Officer(s) - The welfare officer will report to the management committee but will also come under the jurisdiction of SAL; Preferably 2 officers – male and female
Four Ordinary Members:-

Race Director
Assistant Club Secretary
Kit Secretary
Social Secretary

The management committee may fill any vacancy that occurs within it, allocating any role it deems necessary as voted upon at any monthly management committee meeting
The management committee may appoint any sub-committees of members it may deem necessary to deal with the matters of the Club until the conclusion of the following AGM. The proceedings of all such sub-committees shall report to the management committee by a representative elected by that sub-committee at the monthly Club Management Committee Meetings

Rules For The Management Committee

The Chairperson shall chair the meeting, or in their absence may appoint a nominee from the committee to stand in
The management committee meeting will be held in any manner which allows all attendees to communicate with each other
Management Committee Meetings will be held the second Tuesday of every calendar month unless by prior agreement with the Committee Members
The quorum for the management committee shall be four
All members of the management committee shall be entitled to vote
Only those in attendance are eligible to vote, there is no proxy voting allowed
All votes shall be determined by a simple majority. In the event of a tied vote, the Chair may exercise a casting vote
Meetings shall be open to all members of the Club, upon prior written request to the Secretary to attend

Resignations from the Management Committee

Any Management Committee Member wishing to resign from the Committee during their term shall notify the Chairman and Secretary in writing, providing four weeks’ notice of their intention to resign and providing a full handover of any Club related business within the remit of their role upon termination of their role
The Management Committee may fill any resigned posts through advertisement to the membership, should it deem necessary

General Meetings - Annual General Meeting (AGM)

The AGM shall be held each year at approximately 12 month intervals (ordinarily the second Tuesday in November each year)
Notice to the membership shall be of a minimum of 4 weeks’ notice, and stating the date, time and location of the meeting
At each AGM the following business shall be conducted, as a minimum:-

Chairman’s Introduction
Captains’ Reports
Presentation of the Club’s financial accounts for the year and setting of all club fees
Election of Officers to the Management Committee
Any other business brought before the meeting which has been submitted in writing to the secretary not less than two weeks prior to the AGM, and any other business deemed relevant by the Chairperson
Annual awards presented (unless a separate awards night has been arranged)

General Meetings - Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM)

An EGM may be called:-

upon two weeks’ notice to all members by the management committee
or upon receiving a petition duly signed by twenty paid up and eligible voting members to discuss any matter of pressing urgency, as determined by the membership calling the meeting and upon agreement with the Management Committee

Rules For General Meetings

General meetings will be held in any manner which allows all attendees to communicate with each other
The Chairperson, or in their absence a member selected by the meeting, will take the Chair
The Secretary, or their delegate, shall keep the minutes of the meetings recording all proceedings and resolutions, which will then be communicated to the membership
Only fully paid up members over the age of 14 years may vote

Only those in attendance are eligible to vote, there is no proxy voting allowed

All votes will be decided by a simple majority of the members present at the meeting. In the event of a tied vote, the Chairman will have the casting vote

All votes will be conducted by an anonymous ballot in whichever form as the meeting format dictates

Finance

The income and property of the Club, however derived, shall be applied solely towards the objectives of the club as set out in Section 4, of this Constitution
The Club shall have the power to raise money by means of annual membership fees, any club organised events and by any other means as voted upon by the Club Management Committee
All monies shall be lodged in a bank account in the name of the Club
The Treasurer and Chairman shall be authorised to sign cheques on behalf of the Club
The financial year of the Club shall run from 1st October to 30th September
Financial accounts will be independently verified on an annual basis

Discipline and Appeals

All complaints regarding the behaviour of members should be submitted in writing to the Club Secretary or Welfare Officer(s)
Such complaints will be dealt with according to the Procedures, Policies and Codes outlined in Section 5 of this Constitution

Amendments to the Constitution

No alteration to this Constitution shall be made except at the AGM by a vote of at least two thirds of attending members eligible to vote
Alternatively, an EGM attended by at least 20 club members may alter the constitution providing that at least two thirds of those present vote in favour of the amendment

Dissolution of the Club

The management committee by a two-thirds majority may decide to dissolve the Club. They must then call an EGM giving minimum four weeks’ notice to all club members. If a two thirds majority passes the motion then the Club is dissolved
Twenty voting club members may also petition the Club secretary in writing to call an EGM to dissolve the Club
Upon dissolution any funds remaining after all debts have been settled will be donated to a charity to be voted on at the EGM

Declaration

It is hereby certified that this document represents a true and most up to date version of the Constitution of Metro Aberdeen Running Club