Subscriptions

BENWELL & WALBOTTLE CRICKET CLUB
RULES

1. The Club shall be called Benwell & Walbottle Cricket Club. It shall form a section of Walbottle Campus Community Sports Association (WCCSA) and its members shall be subject to the rules of WCCSA. It shall be affiliated to the England & Wales Cricket Board through the Northumberland Cricket Board.

2. Its Aims and Objectives shall be:-
To foster and promote the sport of cricket at all levels within the community and within the sport, providing opportunities for recreation, coaching and competition.

To help promote the sport of cricket in its partner school, Walbottle Campus Technology College.

To manage the cricket field at Walbottle Campus Technology College as defined in the lease granted from Newcastle City Property dated 20^th May 1998, ref RH/8664

To ensure that all members, playing and non-playing, abide by the ECB Code of Conduct which incorporates the Spirit of Cricket and by the Laws of Cricket.

To ensure a duty of care to all members of the club, by adopting and implementing the ECB ‘Safe Hands – Cricket’s Policy for Safeguarding Children’ and any future versions of the Policy.

To ensure a duty of care to all members of the club by adopting and implementing the ECB Cricket Equity Policy and any future versions of the Policy.

To encourage all members to participate fully in the activities of the club.

3. (a) Membership shall be in accordance with the rules of WCCSA, briefly Senior members over 18 years of age, junior members under 18 years of age, non-playing members, and Honorary Life Members. A list of members in each category shall be maintained by the committee.

Membership shall be open to all irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, ethnic origin, creed, colour, sexual orientation and social status. Limitation of membership according to available facilities is allowable on a non-discriminatory basis.
Parents of Junior members shall be regarded as non-voting members of the club.

4. Application for membership of the club shall be by completion of a membership application form and by payment of the relevant subscription/joining fees as determined by the Annual General Meeting of the club.

5. No person shall be eligible to take part in the business of the club or eligible for selection for any club team unless the appropriate subscription has been paid by the specified date or membership has been agreed by the Committee.

6. The Club Committee may refuse membership only for good cause such as conduct or character likely to bring the club or cricket into disrepute. Appeal against refusal or removal may be made to the Committee of WCCSA. Members may only be expelled by the WCCSA General Committee under WCCSA rule 17. However the club committee shall have the power to recommend suspension or expulsion to the WCCSA committee.

7. An Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall be held in February for the election of officers and for other business.

8. The Committee shall consist of Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Fixture- Secretary, Captains and Vice-Captains of 1st , 2nd and 3rd teams and four elected members. The League representative to be elected from within the committee. Nominations for office must be made to the club secretary in writing at least 7 days in advance of the Annual General Meeting. In the event of more than two nominations for any office the election will be decided by a single transferred vote system.

9. Such nominations, proposed and seconded, must be made to a nominated postal address, or to a nominated fax number (if available), or to a nominated email address (if available), or by filling in a notice placed on the club notice board for that purpose. Where a nominee for a captaincy might also wish to be considered for the vice-captaincy in the event of being defeated in an election for the captaincy, this must also be indicated in writing in the same way. Nominations can only be made by Full Members and must be seconded by another Full Member. Only when no written nominations have been made, may nominations be accepted from the floor at any General Meeting.

10. Written nominations duly received shall be posted on the notice board at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting for the information of members.

11. Any member under eighteen years of age at the date of the Annual General Meeting shall not be eligible to vote at any Meeting nor to serve on the Committee.

12. The Committee shall be empowered to act in the name of the Club and be guided by a majority, with a casting vote to the Chairman in the event of tied votes. It shall have the authority to co- opt additional members as deemed necessary by such majority, to fill vacancies which may arise during the year, and to appoint ad hoc sub-committees to deal with specific matters which may arise. Co-opted committee members, and sub-committees, shall act as advisers only and shall not have a vote on the committee.

13. The Committee shall appoint a Club Welfare Officer who shall report briefly to the General Committee, though he or she shall not necessarily be a member of that committee.

14. The committee shall meet a minimum of 10 times a year. The duly appointed Secretary shall notify Committee members of the dates of all meetings.

15. In a General Meeting eleven full members, and a Committee Meeting, seven, shall constitute a quorum.

16. An elected Committee member ceases to be such if he or she ceases to be a member of the club, resigns by written notice, or is removed by the Committee for good cause after the member concerned has been given the chance of putting their case to the Committee. Appeal against removal may be made to the WCCSA Committee. The Committee shall fairly decide time limits and formalities for these steps.

17. The committee shall keep accurate accounts of the finances of the club through the Treasurer who shall report to each meeting of the committee. They should be audited before every AGM. The club shall maintain a bank current account which shall require the signature of the Treasurer and one other of the Chairman, vice-Chairman or Secretary. All club monies shall be banked in an account in the name of the club. The financial year shall end on January 31^st
18. The Committee shall have the power to:

Acquire and provide grounds, equipment, coaching, training and playing facilities, transport, medical and related facilities
Provide coaching, training, and first-aid treatment.
Take out any insurance for club, employees, contractors, players, guests and third parties.
Raise funds by appeals, subscriptions, loans and charges, open bank accounts, buy, lease or license property and sell, let or otherwise dispose of the same,
Set aside funds for special purposes or as reserves, invest funds in any lawful manner
Employ and engage staff and others and provide services,
Co-operate with or affiliate firstly to any bodies regulating or organizing the sport of cricket, secondly to any club or body involved with cricket, and thirdly with government and related agencies
Do any other thing reasonably necessary to advance the aims and objectives of the club.
None of the above powers (a – j) may be used other than to advance the aims and objectives in a manner consistent with the Rules and the general law.

19. The committee shall ensure that the club maintains adequate and appropriate insurance to cover the activities of the club.

20. 14 days written notice of the AGM shall be given to members by circulating a copy of the notice to every member at their home address and posting the notice on the club notice board and any website operated by the club. Members must advise the Secretary in writing of any other business to be moved at the Annual General Meeting at least 7 days before the meeting. The Secretary shall give notice to members on the club notice board of the agenda for the meeting, and if possible on any club website not less than 48 hours before the meeting.

21. The business of the AGM shall be to:

Confirm the minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting and any General Meetings held since the last Annual General Meeting.
Receive the annual report of the committee
Receive the audited accounts for the year
Elect an auditor
Elect the Officers of the Club
Review the club subscription rates and agree them for the forthcoming year. Subscriptions shall be kept at levels that will not pose a significant obstacle to people participating.
Transact such other business received in writing by the Secretary from members 7 days to the meeting and included on the agenda.

22. At all General Meetings, in the absence of the Chairman and vice-Chairman, the Chair will be taken by a deputy appointed by Full Members attending the meeting. Decisions made at a General Meeting shall be by a simple majority vote from those Full Members attending the meeting, with the exception of the election of officers which when necessary shall be performed by STV as provided for in rule 8. In the event of equal votes, the Chair of the meeting shall be entitled to an additional casting vote.

Each Full Member of the Club shall be entitled to one vote at any General Meeting.

23. A Special General Meeting shall be called by the Secretary within twenty-one days of receipt of written application by any twelve members who are eighteen years of age at the date of the preceding Annual General Meeting. Such application must specify the object of the Meeting. Each member of the Club shall be given fourteen days written notice of the Meeting and of its purposes.

24. The property and funds of the club shall not be used for the direct or indirect private benefit of members. No pecuniary benefit shall directly or indirectly be derived from membership of the club or any of the activities of the club in accordance with WCCSA rule 14.

25. The club may in connection with the sports purposes of the club
(a) Employ members and remunerate them for providing goods and services, on fair terms
set by the Committee without the person concerned being present.
(b) Pay for reasonable hospitality for visiting teams and guests
(c) Indemnify the 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).

26. Discipline and Appeals.

All complaints regarding the behavior of members should be lodged in writing with the Secretary. The Committee shall appoint a Disciplinary sub-committee who will meet to hear complaints within 14 days of a complaint being lodged. Any member requested to attend a Disciplinary sub-committee shall be entitled to be accompanied by a friend or other representative and to call witnesses. The Committee (or its sub-committee) has the power to take appropriate disciplinary action, including recommendation to the WCCSA General committee of the termination of membership. The outcome of the disciplinary hearing shall be put in writing to the person who lodged the complaint and the member against whom the complaint was made within 7 days following the hearing.

There shall be a right of appeal to the Committee against either the finding or the sanction imposed or both following disciplinary action being taken. The Committee shall appoint an Appeals Committee (a maximum of three) which shall not include members involved with the initial disciplinary hearing but may include non members of the club. The Appeals Committee shall consider the appeal within 14 days of the Secretary receiving the appeal. The individual submitting the appeal shall be entitled to be accompanied by a friend or other representative and to call witnesses. The decision of the Appeals Committee shall be final and binding on all parties, always subject to rule 6 above, and WCCSA rule 17.

27. Dissolution

If at any General Meeting of the club, a resolution be passed calling for the dissolution of the club, the Secretary shall immediately convene a Special General Meeting of the club to be held not less than one month thereafter to discuss and vote on the resolution. If at that Special Meeting, the resolution is carried by at least three quarters of the Full Voting Membership present at the meeting, the Committee shall thereupon, or at such date as shall have been specified in the resolution, proceed to realise the assets of the club and discharge all debts and liabilities of the club.

The Committee will then be responsible for the orderly winding up of the club’s affairs.

After settling all liabilities of the club, the Committee shall dispose of the net assets remaining to Walbottle Campus Technology College in accordance with WCCSA rule 14.

28. These Rules shall be posted on the club notice board and this shall be mentioned in all notices of meetings circulated, on any website operated by the club and in any literature
circulated to members such as newsletters, fixture cards etc. A copy of the rules shall be provided to any member who requests them on payment of a fee of £2. No Rule shall be amended, rescinded or additional Rule or Rules made unless by consent of a majority of the members at a General Meeting. No such alteration will be considered until at least fourteen days have elapsed from submission in writing, to the Secretary, of the full text of the proposed alteration.

29. The selection of Teams shall be in the hands of the Committee.

These rules are as approved at successive general meetings up to and including a meeting held on March 6^th 2008
Extracts from the rules of Walbottle Campus Community Sports Association

1. Walbottle Campus Community Sports Association (WCCSA) has been set up by the Governors of Walbottle Campus School. Its address shall be Walbottle Campus Technology College, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE15 9TP. Its objects shall be to:-
Increase and improve the quality and range of sporting opportunities for the pupils of the school and to extend their curricular and extra-curricular sporting activities.

Provide additional opportunities for local people and sports organizations to participate in sport and to develop their skills.
Bridge the gap between school and club sport by establishing and maintaining strong links between the school and clubs.
Attract, and sustain the interest of, new participants in sport. Establish new clubs and encourage new participants to join established clubs and sports organizations
To provide a facility where appropriate, for established clubs to link with the school. Seek to provide the highest practicable quality of sporting facilities at the school site Provide facilities for social intercourse for its members.

11. The categories of membership of the association shall be:-

(i) Honorary Life Members who shall be elected as such by three-quarters of those members present and voting at a General meeting of the association. Such Honorary members shall have all the privileges of full membership without payment of any subscription.
(ii) Playing Members
Senior Member: over 18 years of age, registered with 1 section of the club and entitled to vote at appropriate section and association general meetings
The AGM shall be empowered to determine a reduced subscription for students over the age of 18 years who are registered for any form of full time education, and for any members over 18 years of age not in full time employment.
Composite members: over 18 years of age registered with more than 1 section, but entitled to only 1 vote at any general meeting of the association.
Junior member: under 18 years of age and registered with one or more playing sections of the association but not be entitled to vote at any general meeting of the association.
(iii) Non-playing members
Senior: over 18 years of age and registered with one or more sections and entitled to vote at general meetings of appropriate sections and the association.
Associate: over 18 years of age not registered with any section and not entitled to vote at any meetings of the association.
Senior Citizen: optional reduced subscription which disqualifies entitlement to vote at any meetings of the association.
Non-playing members (i.e. those members not registered with any of the clubs/sections) shall pay their subscriptions directly to the association treasurer.
Subscriptions shall become due on the 1st September in any year.