Plumpton Tennis Club

The Plumpton Tennis Club

The Club Rules and Constitution

1. Name & Objects
The club shall be named “The Plumpton Tennis Club” and shall have for its objects the provision of tennis, social and other facilities for its members in the surrounding district.

2. Constitution
The club is constituted by these rules as a non-profit making members’ club. In no circumstances during the continuance of the club, nor after its dissolution, shall any assets or surplus funds be distributed to any members or other person or to any organisation which is not itself either constituted as non-profit making or a charity. In the case of dissolution, any assets or surplus funds should be distributed to a similarly constituted club or to the Lawn Tennis Association.

3. Affiliation
The Club shall seek affiliation to the Lawn Tennis Association through the appropriate County Lawn Tennis Association and shall adopt and conform to the Rules of these organisations in so far as they can apply.

4. Classes of Member and Subscription Rates
There shall be the following Classes of Members at the rates of annual subscription shown: -

• Senior
• Intermediate (ages 16-24 years inc for non-students)
• Student (upper age limit 22 years inc.)
• Junior (upper age limit 15 years inc.)
• Non Playing Member
• Family

(Rates to be agreed and set at the Annual General Meeting)

Notes to the Subscription Scale: -

• Every Senior and Junior Playing Member must, with the Club subscription, pay a Player’s Contribution, which the Club passes on to the County LTA. The rates of contribution are decided annually at the AGM of the Lawn Tennis Association.
• The subscription year runs from 1st April to 31st March.
• For a subscription paid before 1st April a reduction of 10% will be allowed.
• The subscription and entrance fee of a new Member shall be due on notification of election or within 14 days. Alternatively, it may be paid with the membership application, in which case, it will be re-paid if election to membership does not take place.
• For a new Member after the end of July the Committee may, at their discretion, accept a proportionately reduced subscription for the part year. Likewise, they may make a refund to a Member who becomes unable to use the Club for a substantial part of the year on account of injury, illness, or a departure from the district.
• An entrance fee will be charged for a new Member on election. The rate to be agreed at the AGM

5 Supervision
There should be a least one adult present full time at the court if Juniors or children under the age of 16 are using the latter. Responsibility for the court rests with this person(s).

6 Accountancy Year
Except for the purposes of subscriptions (see Rule 4), the Clubs Financial Year shall run from 1st October to 30th September and the accounts submitted to the Annual General Meeting shall be prepared accordingly.

7 Election of Members
Honorary Membership, including Honorary Life Membership, shall be strictly limited and should be agreed at either an AGM or a Special Meeting. It can be used as a means of recognising special services and work done for the club.

For the other classes of Membership provided in Rule 4, a candidate shall be proposed and seconded by members aged 18 or over on a form to be provided for the purpose. Every application shall be posted on the Club notice board for at least seven days before being considered by the Committee, whose decision shall be by a simple majority and shall be final. The Committee shall have power to limit the numbers of Members in their respective classes if they consider this necessary.

8. Resignation and Transfer between Classes
A member wishing to withdraw from membership shall notify the Honorary Secretary by 31st March in writing and otherwise shall be liable for the full subscription.

9. Suspension or Expulsion
The Committee shall have power to terminate or suspend the membership of any Member, or to exclude any Member or Visitor whom it considers guilty of a breach of these Rules, or of misconduct or offensive behaviour to any other Member, Visitor or Employee, whether on the Club’s premises or elsewhere.

10. Injury, Loss of Property etc.
Members or Visitors leaving unattended vehicles, rackets, clothing or other property at the Club do so at their own risk and the Club shall not be responsible for any loss, damage or injury resulting from this or any other cause.

11. Visitors and Temporary Members
Visitors may be introduced by the Honorary Secretary or other member. Before a Visitor plays, the Member introducing the player must make an appropriate entry in the Visitors Book and pay the appropriate fee.

A Non-Playing Member may play, at the same fee as a Visitor, but neither a Visitor nor a Non-Playing Member may play more than three times in any year except with the special permission of the Committee.

Every member of a visiting match team shall be an Honorary Member for the day and every competitor in a tournament at the Club (and in the case of a competitor under the age of 18, his parent or guardian) shall be an Honorary Member for the period of this tournament.

It shall be possible for the public to hire the two courts on land leased from the Council, i.e. nearest the Pavilion, on an hourly basis when they are not required by the Club; this to include Primary School and Youth Club. For the period of such hire the hirers shall become temporary members of the Club. The availability of the courts for public use shall be on the basis of forty (40) per cent of the playing time of each week. The term public in the sense of these rules to mean use by non-Club members living within the surrounding local district.

12. Management
The management of the Club shall be in the entire control of a Committee of five members, in addition to the Officers, who shall be ex-officio members of the Committee and shall be a Chairman, Vice Chairman, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, Men’s and Ladies Captains and/or Match Secretaries (but if more than one of these offices are held by a single person, no extra Committee vacancy shall be thereby created). All shall be elected for the year at the Annual General Meeting except that the elected Committee shall have power to fill any vacancy.

The Club may also appoint a President at the AGM and the position will be held on an honorary long-term basis.

The committee shall elect Members in accordance with Rule 7 and shall from time to time make and revise the Club’s Regulations and shall have power to decided any matter not provided for by these Rules and the current Regulations and shall have power to decide any matter, including an express power to borrow money for club purposes only, not provided for by these rules and current regulations.

They shall meet at least four times in every year and additionally as circumstances may require. The quorum at a Committee Meeting shall be 5 and in the event of equality of voting the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.

The Committee may delegate any part of its duties (except the election of Members) to one or more sub-committees, which may be composed of any Members of the Club.

13. General Meetings
An Annual General Meeting shall be held each year between 15th October and 30th November inclusive.

The Committee shall call an Extraordinary General Meeting at their discretion or within one month of receipt by the Honorary Secretary of a request signed by twenty Members or, if the total membership is less than 100, by one-fifth of the Members, stating the business proposed to be transacted.

Any Member wishing to propose a resolution at the Annual General Meeting must send a copy thereof to the Honorary Secretary before 1st October so that provision may be made on the Agenda. The Honorary Secretary shall send to every Member (other than Temporary Members) at least seven day’s notice of any general meeting together with a copy of the Agenda.

The business of an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be in accordance with the request under which it was summoned and the Agenda issued. At any general meeting further business may be accepted at the discretion of the Chairman provided that it does not call for an alteration of Rules, the winding up of the Club, the transfer of any of the Club’s assets, the borrowing of money, or any expenditure not within the immediate financial resources of the Club.

Every Member (other than Temporary Members), shall be entitled to be present and to speak at any general meeting and, if aged 18 years or over, to vote thereat. In the event of an equality of votes, the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.

At any general meeting the quorum shall be 15 members entitled to vote.

14 Trustees

15 Indemnity
The Trustees and Members of the Committee shall not be liable (otherwise than as Members) for any loss suffered by the Club as a result of the discharge of their respective duties on its behalf, except such loss as arises from their respective wilful default, and they shall be entitled to an indemnity out of the assets of the club for all expenses and other liabilities incurred by them in the discharge of their respective duties.

16 Rules and Constitution
A copy of these Rules and of the Regulations made by the Committee under Rule 12 shall be issued to all Members on election and all Members shall be deemed conversant therewith. The Rules shall not be altered except at a general meeting after due notice, and then only provided that two-thirds of those present and voting are in favour.

17 Dissolution
The Club shall be dissolved on the passing of a resolution to that effect at a general meeting after due notice, by at least two-thirds of those present and voting. Such a meeting shall appoint a committee to wind up the affairs of the Club and shall give general directions as to the disposal of any assets, within the scope of Rule 2.