Constitution
1. TITLE
a. The name of the Association shall be the Aldershot and District Bowling Association, hereafter referred to as the ‘Association’
2. OBJECTIVES
a. The objectives of the Association shall be:
a) To promote the outdoor, level green game of bowls within the District under the English Bowling Association (hereinafter referred to as Bowls England).
b) Stage competitions and provide a summer match programme
c) To arrange a winter indoor match programme
3. BOWLS ENGLAND
a. The Association shall affiliate to Bowls England and, except where varied by these Rules, shall be governed by its rules and constitution. All games shall be played under the laws of the World Bowls Board, as amended by Bowls England.
4. HEADQUARTERS
a. The headquarters of the Association shall be the Aldershot Underwood Bowling Club; this club shall normally be the venue of the Executive Council and Annual General Meetings
5. MEMBERSHIP
a. The Association shall consist of bowling clubs approved by the Association and who are affiliated to Bowls England via their County Associations. Applications for membership shall be made, in writing together with their appropriate joining free, to reach the secretary between the 31st May and 31st August for the attention of the Management Committee and the Green Committee.
b. All affiliated clubs are required to pay annual affiliation fees to the Association, these fees to be approved annually by the Annual General Meeting. Failure to pay these fees within the stated time will result in the withdrawal of all rights, privileges and membership from the offending club and membership, so long as the fees remain unpaid.
6. MANAGEMENT
a. At All meetings the Association and its various committees the Chair will be taken by the President or his appointee
a) Management Committee
i. The business of the Association shall be conducted by a Management Committee which shall be comprised of the President, Senior Vice President, Junior Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Match Secretary, Competitions Secretary, League Secretary/Public Relations Officer and Child Protection Officer (all the aforementioned elected annually) and the Immediate Past President, all hereafter referred to as the Officers.
ii. The Management Committee shall be invested with the power to administer the affairs of the Association in all matters, including the administration of finances, but excluding alteration to the Constitution and Administration Bye-Laws.
iii. A member of the Management Committee may hold more than one office and, at a properly convened meeting, four members of the Management Committee shall form a quorum.
iv. All correspondence shall be addressed to, and replied by, the Secretary of the Management Committee.
v. The Management Committee shall, with the adherence to the Rules of Bowls England, or with the aid of an Emergency Sub-committee consisting of the Secretary together with serving officers of Presidential rank, adjudicate on any dispute between clubs and/or players of clubs that may arise in the course of the season. Any three members of the Emergency Sub-committee shall form a quorum. No member of the Management Committee shall adjudicate in a dispute if he is a party in the dispute or a member of a club involved in the dispute.
vi. Any complaint must be made formally, in writing, to the appropriate Secretary. Parties shall be heard from each side and the decision of the Management Committee of Emergency Sub-committee shall be final.
b) Executive Council
i. The Executive Council shall consist of the Officers of the Association and one nominated delegate from each club affiliated to the Association. In the event of a delegated member being unable to attend an Executive Meeting a substitute will be allowed provided notice of the inability to attend, and the name of the substitute, is given to the Secretary before the meeting.
ii. The Executive Council meeting shall be held each year on the first Monday in October, the minutes of the previous Executive Council, together with the venue and current agenda, shall be circulated to all affiliated clubs twenty one days prior to the meeting. The business of the meeting shall be the preparation of an agenda for the Annual General Meetings and any motion that may amend the Constitution or Administration Bye-Laws shall be made, in writing, to the Secretary at least twenty-eight days prior to the meeting.
iii. The Executive Council shall be empowered to created Administrative Bye-Laws to cover all aspects of Association Management, and they shall have the power to amend those Bye-laws if necessary, except for changes in affiliation, league and competition fees which must be approved by the Annual General Meeting.
iv. Seven clubs, in addition to those present of the Management Committee, shall form a quorum.
c) Annual General Meeting
i. The Annual General Meeting shall consist of Officers of the Association and two nominated delegates from each club affiliated to the Association. In the event of a delegated member(s) being unable to attend the AGM a substitute will be allowed provided notice of the inability to attend, and the name of the Substitute, is given to the Secretary before the meeting.
ii. The Annual General Meeting shall be held each year on the first Monday in November. The minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting, together with the venue and agenda of the current Annual General Meeting, shall be circulated to all affiliated clubs twenty one days prior to the meeting. The business of the meeting shall be to receive the reports of the President, Secretary, Treasurer, Match, Competition and League Secretaries, the acceptance of the agenda and the business invoked by the agenda.
iii. In addition to the Officers and Committees, the Annual General Meeting shall elect an Accounts Examiner.
iv. Seven clubs, in addition to those present of the Management Committee, shall form a quorum.
d) Extraordinary General Meeting
i. An extraordinary General meeting may be called at the discretion of the Management Committee or at the request of the Secretarys of any three affiliated clubs.
ii. The Secretary of the Management Committee shall give the affiliated clubs twenty-one days notice, advise the venue and supply an agenda. Votes on an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be limited to those present of the Management Committee and two delegates from each affiliated club. The business of the meeting shall be confined to that of the agenda.
iii. Seven clubs, in addition to those present of the Management Committee, shall form a quorum.
7. SUB-COMMITTEES
a. Selection
a) Association Games
i. The Selection Committee shall comprise the President, Senior Vice President, Junior Vice President, Immediate Past President and four persons elected at the Annual General Meeting and they shall select the teams to play in friendly matches. The Match Secretary shall attend the meetings to take note of the selections but shall have no voting power.
ii. At a properly convened meeting four members of the Committee shall form a quorum.
b) Gwyn Guy Trophy and County Cup
i. The Management Committee shall appoint a sub-committee to select the team(s). They may co-opt additional members as required.
ii. Affiliated clubs shall be invited to submit names of players or rinks and the affiliated clubs shall be notified of the selected team(s). The sub-committee may invite players for selection where nominations have not been received.
b. Social Committee
a) Five persons shall be nominated by the Executive Council for election at the Annual General Meeting who shall assist the President, Secretary and Treasurer with the arrangements of social occasions. The Management Committee may co-opt members as required to fill any vacancies.
c. Green Committee
a) Five persons shall be nominated by the Executive Council for election at the Annual General Meeting. At the discretion of the Management Committee or the Emergency Sub-committee the committee may be called upon to inspect the playing surface of a green that has caused a dispute and may also be called upon to inspect the green of a club that has applied for affiliation and shall report back to the Committee that has requested their assistance.
8. ALTERATIONS
a. No alteration or additions to the Constitution/Bye-laws shall be made other than at the Annual General Meeting/Executive Council Meeting or at an Extraordinary General Meeting called for the purpose, and then only if supported by at least two-thirds of those present who are entitled to vote. Notice of any motion to amend the Constitution or Administrative Bye-Laws shall be given to the Secretary, in writing, not less than twenty-eight days before the meeting and details of the proposal shall be circulated to all Officers of the Association and club delegates not less than fourteen days before the meeting.
9. LIQUIDATION
a. In the event of liquidation of the Aldershot & District BA, the funds and assets of the Aldershot & District BA remaining after payment and satisfaction of all debts, costs and expenses of liquidation, shall be equally distributed by the Aldershot & District BA in General Meeting to clubs who have membership at the time of liquidation. No part of the income or other funds of the body operating a club shall be used or available for the pecuniary profit of any individual member of such clubs in membership.