Club Rules

INTRODUCTION

Reference is made in these Club Rules to the Club Procedures which:

  • define membership categories.
  • quantify subscription discounts and reductions and the conditions for their application.
  • provide guidelines for the administration of Club activities.

The Club Procedures are subject to amendment by the Committee where considered appropriate to satisfy the needs of the Club. These Club Rules specify which procedural changes require the approval of an Annual General Meeting.

CLUB NAME

  1. The Club shall be called “The Sevenoaks Clarendon Lawn Tennis Club”, with the “working title” of “Sevenoaks Lawn Tennis Club”.

GENERAL

  1. The Club is constituted by these Rules as an unincorporated non-profit-making Members’ Club open to all the community, with the objects of promoting Lawn Tennis and providing opportunities to participate in the sport.
  2. No member shall make financial gain within the Club except as authorised by the Committee and then only if the activities involved clearly provide a benefit to the Club or its members. Members may only provide coaching if authorised to do so by the Committee and they must at all times act in compliance with the regulations on coaching set out in the Club Procedures.

CLUB RULES

  1. Permanent alterations to the Club Rules can be made only by a majority vote at an Annual General Meeting.
  2. The Committee may make temporary changes to Club Rules. Such changes must be ratified or rejected at the next following Annual General Meeting.

MEMBERSHIP

  1. Different categories of membership are determined by the Committee and defined in Club Procedures with subscription rates for the different categories reflecting the different levels of usage of the facilities. Membership of the club is open to all applicants, without discrimination. Any changes that are introduced in the number or definition of categories shall be ratified or rejected at the next following Annual General Meeting. In accordance with bar licence requirements, the full name and address of each applicant for membership shall be displayed on the Club Website for at least two days prior to his or her becoming a member and new members cannot purchase drinks from the bar until their name has been listed in the New Members section of the Club Committee minutes on the notice board.
  2. At least one parent (or guardian) of a Junior Member is also required to join the Club as either a Playing or Non-playing Member and shall remain responsible for the conduct of that Junior Member at all times. The adult is also responsible for making the supervising adult aware of any special medical requirements, whenever the junior takes part in activities arranged at the club.
  3. On introduction by an existing member and application to the Club Secretary a temporary member may be admitted to the Club for a maximum period of two months.
  4. The Committee shall have the power to request the resignation of a member or to terminate membership. A visitor may be asked not to attend again.

SUBSCRIPTIONS AND ENTRANCE FEES

  1. Subscriptions and entrance fees and any discounts applying shall be reviewed annually by the Committee, which will recommend rates to apply from the following 1 April for approval at the Annual General Meeting.
  2. Annual subscriptions are due on 1 April and it is the member’s responsibility to pay at that time. Membership will lapse in the event of non-payment by 1 May.
  3. Anyone who allows their membership to lapse may only be readmitted to the Club by re-applying for membership in the normal way, including payment of the joining fee, except when rejoining within 3 years. Where personal circumstances so require, existing playing members may retain membership rights by reverting to non-playing membership. A subsequent return to playing membership will not incur payment of the joining fee.
  4. Reimbursement of a subscription will be made only in the event of resignation of a member due to moving away from the Sevenoaks area. The calculation of the amount due is prescribed in Club Procedures.

GUESTS

  1. A member may be accompanied by guest(s) on the payment of the prescribed visitors fee(s). On arrival, the guest’s and member’s names must be entered in the visitors’ book provided in the club house. The member shall be responsible for their guest(s) and no guest may attend more than four times during a playing season.
  2. Members of visiting club teams shall be guests of the club for the day, the name of the club being entered in the visitors’ book or on display in the fixtures list. No fee is payable. Similarly, no fee is payable for opponents in Kent LTA tournament matches.

COMMITTEE

  1. The general management of the affairs of the Club shall be under the exclusive control of the Committee, of whom five shall form a quorum, and the Chairman shall have a casting vote in addition to his ordinary vote.
  2. The Committee shall consist of six Officers: The Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Men’s Captain, Ladies’ Captain, Match Secretary, and a maximum of six other Members, all of whom shall be elected annually by Club members at the Annual General Meeting. However, the Ladies’ and Men’s Captains may decline to stand for the committee and their place may then be filled by other Members. The person responsible for the Club’s child protection policy shall have the right of access to the Committee and shall advise the Committee accordingly when it is considered that changes are required to the child protection policy.
    Election procedures at the AGM are as follows:

    1. Nominations for election and re-election to the Committee must be submitted to the Club Secretary at least six weeks prior to the AGM. Nominations for Officers must state the position sought. All nominations for Officers and other Committee members must include a brief biographical profile written by the nominee setting out the nominee’s suitability for the proposed position (a “Nominee Profile”). Failure to deliver a Nominee Profile to the Secretary at least six weeks prior to the AGM will result in the removal of that nominee from the ballot.
    2. If there is only one candidate nominated to fill any particular vacancy, that candidate shall be declared elected unopposed for that particular vacancy at the AGM. If there is more than one candidate for any particular vacancy, there shall be an election for that position at the AGM as described below.
    3. When nominations for Officers or Members exceed the declared vacancies in either group, a ballot(s) shall be conducted for the relevant position. A ballot for Officers shall include the nominee(s) for a specified position and the existing incumbent. A ballot for Members shall include all nominees and all existing Members. Should equal votes be cast for two or more candidates, a show of hands will decide which of these is/are selected.
  3. The Chairman shall not normally hold office for more than four consecutive years. However, the Committee may recommend that the Chairman stand for re-election provided a secret ballot of all Committee Members indicates that at least 80% supports this recommendation.
  4. The Committee may appoint such sub-committees as it may deem necessary or expedient and may delegate to them such of the powers and duties of the Committee as they may determine. The Committee shall also have power to co-opt any person or persons to serve on any such sub-committee.
  5. Every member of the Committee, trustees, employee or agent of the Club shall be indemnified by the Club and the Committee acting on behalf of the Club shall pay all costs, losses and expenses which any such member of the Committee, trustees, employee or agent may incur or for which he may become liable by reason of any contract entered into or act or thing done by him in good faith as such member of the Committee, trustees, employee or agent in accordance with the instructions of the Committee or of a general meeting of the Club or otherwise in the discharge of his duties. The Committee may give to any member of the Committee, trustees, employee or agent of the Club who has incurred or may be about to incur any liability at the request of or for the benefit of the Club such security by way of indemnity as may seem expedient.
  6. The Committee shall have power to fill any casual vacancy among the Officers and the Committee with any member of the Club not then on the Committee, but any Officer or Member of the Committee so appointed shall hold office only until the next following Annual General Meeting and is then eligible for re-election.
  7. The Committee may borrow a maximum total amount of £50,000 on behalf of the Club for the purposes of the Club from time to time at its own discretion and with the sanction of a general meeting may borrow any further money above that sum.

BAR

  1. The purchase for the Club and the supply by the Club of intoxicating liquor and the management of the Club House bar shall be by the Bar Committee, which shall consist of three members of the Club each of whom shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting. All guests must be signed in if alcohol is being consumed on the premises.
  2. The club premises may not be hired out to non-members with the use of the bar facility.
  3. Persons under 18 years are not permitted to consume or purchase intoxicating liquor.
  4. Guests must be accompanied by members and may not purchase liquor.

GENERAL MEETINGS

  1. A General Meeting shall be held annually without a lapse of more than 15 months. A notice convening the AGM and stating the business to be done (including the reasoning behind all proposals to be voted on at the Annual General Meeting and the Nominee Profiles described above) shall be sent to members by email and shall also be posted on the club notice board at least 14 days prior to the meeting. All matters for inclusion on the agenda of the AGM should be submitted to the secretary, in writing, six weeks before the date of the AGM. Any other matters raised at the AGM will not be subject to a vote at the AGM but referred to the committee who will be mandated to decide on the matters at a later date. All members of the Club other than “Non-Playing Members” and those under 18 years of age on the date of the Meeting shall be entitled to attend and vote at all General Meetings of the Club. Non-playing members may attend General Meetings but may not vote.
  2. When the Committee considers it appropriate, General Meetings may be conducted by consulting with the membership on matters which require a vote and requesting entitled members to vote on proposals by post and email, without a meeting being held.
  3. A Special General Meeting may be called at any time by the Committee. A Special General Meeting shall also be convened within 28 days on the requisition in writing of one-fifth of the members of the Club entitled to vote at General Meetings or 30 such members, whichever is the lower number. A requisition must state the purpose for which the meeting is required, include the reasoning behind proposals that are to be voted on at the Special General Meeting and be addressed to the Club Secretary.
  4. Members making proposals to be considered at a General Meeting should submit to the secretary in writing the reasoning behind their proposals in accordance with the deadline under rule 28 in the case of an AGM and the deadline under rule 30 in the case of a Special General Meeting. The Committee may refuse to accept a members’ proposal if in the opinion of the Committee the reasoning behind it contains material which is or might be defamatory. In addition, the Committee may refuse to accept a member’s proposal if the reasoning behind it is longer than 500 words. The Committee may itself send to the members a statement commenting on the members’ proposals and supporting reasoning and may include in such a statement a recommendation to the members as to which proposals it considers to be in the best interests of the club.
  5. Voting at General Meetings: Members eligible to vote who are not intending to attend a General Meeting of the club can vote on matters proposed to that General Meeting by specifying their vote on any proposal in writing by a simple statement of ‘in favour’ or ‘not in favour’. Votes made in writing may be either:
    1. handed to the Secretary; or
    2. posted to the Secretary; or
    3. emailed to the Secretary.

    In order to be valid, votes cast in any one of these ways must arrive by 23:59 on the date falling four days prior to the date scheduled for a General Meeting (for example: if the General Meeting is scheduled to take place on Saturday 7 November, members’ votes must arrive by 23.59 on Tuesday 3 November). If multiple written votes are received from a member on the same proposal, then the Secretary will take the last written vote received prior to the deadline time as being the valid vote for that member on that proposal. Votes cast in any one of these ways would be counted as if the member concerned was present at the meeting. Members attending the General Meeting having previously voted in writing on a proposal to be discussed at that meeting must notify the Chairman at the start of the meeting that they are attending the meeting in person and their written vote(s) will then be disregarded. A member who has submitted a written vote and then fails to notify the Chairman of their attendance at the meeting before the relevant vote is taken will not be allowed to vote in person at the meeting and their written vote will be taken as their valid vote on the proposal. The member’s vote cannot be altered by any other person and if sent by email may only be sent from an account registered with the club as that person’s email account.

  6. A vote at the AGM cannot increase the financial value of any proposal put to the meeting, but this does not take precedence over rule 16.

PLAYING ARRANGEMENTS

  1. Periods of Club Play and other designated official playing periods shall be agreed by the Committee and notified to the members as required to meet the needs of the club.
  2. Any members not participating during a designated period of Club Play shall give up their court immediately if it is required for the Club Play.
  3. During Club Play a court shall be occupied by the same players for one tie-break set only.
  4. Priority for use of courts shall be specified in Club Procedures.
  5. Approved tennis shoes shall be worn for play on all courts (trainers are not acceptable). Recognised tennis attire shall also be worn.

COACHING

  1. Professional coaching shall be conducted only by coaches approved by the Committee and in accordance with conditions specified in Club Procedures. The Committee retains the right to review and require a change to any aspect of coaching programmes and the way they are conducted.

DISCIPLINE

    1.  The Club and all members accept and shall be bound by the Rules and the Disciplinary Code (“the LTA Rules”) of the Lawn Tennis Association Ltd (“the LTA”) and the General Rules and Constitution (“the County Rules”) of the Kent County Lawn Tennis Association (“the County”) in force from time to time including amendments made hereafter insofar as the same are relevant to the activities of the Club.
    2. All unlicensed and unregistered coaches and all visitors to the Club for the purpose of playing tennis will so far as reasonably practicable be required to accept and be bound by the LTA Rules and the County Rules.
    3. All members shall accept, and all persons mentioned in (2) above will so far as reasonably practicable be required to accept and be bound by the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 shall apply to the agreement between themselves and the Club and the LTA and the County may enforce any breach thereof but only insofar as it relates to a breach of the LTA Rules or the County Rules.

Expulsion

The Committee shall have power to expel a Member when, in its opinion, it would not be in the interests of the sport or of the Club for him to remain a Member. A Member shall not be expelled unless he is given 14 days’ written notice of the meeting of the Committee at which his expulsion shall be considered, and written details of the complaint made against him. The Member shall be given an opportunity to make written representations and/or to appear before the Committee and at any such meeting to be accompanied by a representative or friend, who may answer complaints made against the member and to cross-examine any witnesses on behalf of the member.  The member must not be expelled unless at least two-thirds of the Committee then present vote in favour of his expulsion. The Committee may exclude the Member from the Club’s premises until the meeting considering his expulsion has been held.  For the avoidance of doubt, the Member shall be entitled to attend that meeting for the purpose of making his representations.

DISSOLUTION OF THE CLUB

  1. If at any General Meeting a resolution for the dissolution of the Club shall be passed by a majority of the members present, and such resolution shall at a Special General Meeting held not less than one month thereafter be confirmed by a resolution passed by a majority of two‑thirds of the members voting thereon the Committee shall thereupon or at such date as shall be specified in such resolution, dispose of the assets of the Club to another Community Amateur Sports Club, a registered Charity or the Lawn Tennis Association.

03/01/2022