[Name] Sports Club
CONSTITUTION
1 Name
1.1 The name of this sports club shall be the
[Name] Sports club. Throughout this
document it will be referred to as the Sports
club.
2 Aims and Objectives
The Sports club shall exist:
2.1
2.2.
2.4.
2.5.
3 Membership
3.1 Full membership shall be open to all full
Union Members.
3.2 Associate membership shall be open to
all staff and alumni of the University of Kent
and to students from other institutions.
3.3 A subscription fee shall be required for
membership, which shall be fixed each
academic year at the discretion of the
committee being no less than the minimum
rate set by the Team Kent Executive.
3.4 All references to Members in this
Constitution shall be to paid up Members of
the Sports club.
4 Member Entitlements
4.1 All Members of the Sports club, whether
Full or Associate, shall be entitled to:
i. Attend, speak and place items on the
agenda at all Sports club General Meetings.
ii. Attend, speak and place items on the
agenda at all meetings of the Sports club
Committee.
iii. Inspect all Sports club minutes at seven
(7) calendar days' notice.
iv. Inspect the Sports club accounts at seven
(7) calendar days' notice.
4.2 All Full Members of the Sports club are
also entitled to:
i. Stand and vote in Sports club Committee
Elections.
ii. Vote at all Sports club General Meetings.
4.3 All Associate Members of the Sports
club shall be entitled to partake in Sports
club events at the discretion of the Team
Kent Executive.
5 Government
5.1 All government of the Sports club shall
be in accordance with this Constitution,
Kent Union's Constitution and Rules and the
Team Kent’ Executive Constitution.
5.2 The Sports club shall have a number of
key decision-making bodies. In order,
starting with that of highest authority, they
are the following:
i. The Sports club Annual General Meeting
and the Sports club General Meeting.
ii. The Sports club Committee Meeting.
The General Meeting
5.3 The Annual General Meeting shall be
held once per academic year during term
time to elect a new Committee and shall be
conducted in accordance with the Meeting
Rules.
5.4 Sports club General Meetings may be
called in accordance with the Meeting
Rules.
The Sports club Committee
5.5 The Sports club Committee shall consist
of the following elected, voting, Executive
Officers:
i. Sports club President
ii. Sports club Treasurer
iii. Sports club Secretary
5.6 The Executive Officers alone shall be
entitled to pay out or withdraw funds from
the Sports club's account, or to pay for
Union services by internal transfer.
5.7 No Member shall hold more than one
Executive post.
5.8 The Sports club Committee shall also
consist of the following elected, voting
Officers:
i. ...
ii. ...
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iii. ...
5.9 The Committee may co-opt such nonvoting Officers as it considers necessary.
5.10 The Union Team Kent Executive shall
be informed of the names of all Sports club
Officers.
5.11 The Union Team Kent Executive shall
be informed of any changes to the
Committee structure.
The Sports club Committee Meeting
5.12 The Committee Meeting shall be
responsible within Constitutional limits for
determining policy in accordance with the
Committee Meeting Rules.
7.5 Any approved amendments must be
presented to the VP Activities approval
before they come into effect.
8 Interpretation
8.1 In the event of a dispute as to the
interpretation of any part of the
Constitution or Rules, the ruling of the
Student Activities Sabbatical Officer shall be
sought.
8.2 In the event of a challenge to the
Student Activities Sabbatical Officer’s ruling,
the decision of the Executive Committee
shall be final.
6 Finance
6.1 All financial matters shall be dealt with
in accordance with Kent Union's financial
procedures.
6.2 Confirmation of expenditure or
withdrawal of money from the Sports club's
account shall be validated by no means
other than the signature of the Treasurer
and one other Executive Officer.
6.3 Neither the Sports club nor Kent Union
accepts any liability for any debt or other
obligation incurred by any of its Officers or
other Members, whether or not it is
incurred on behalf of the Sports club.
7 Amendments
7.1 The Sports club General Meeting shall
be the sole body competent to amend the
Constitution.
7.2 All amendments to the Constitution
shall require the support of a simple
majority of those voting at a General
Meeting.
7.3 Any amendments to the constitution
must be in accordance with the Model
Constitution for Sports Clubs and/or ruling
of the Team Kent Executive.
7.4 Any approved amendments must be
presented to the Team Kent Executive for
approval before they come into effect.
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GENERAL MEETINGS
M 1 Who can come to a General Meeting?
M 1.1 Any Member of the Sports club and
any Member of the Executive Committee
and Team Kent Executive may attend
General Meetings in accordance with this
Constitution. Any individuals who are not
such members who wish to attend must
receive permission from the Meeting.
M 2 Who may speak at a General Meeting?
M 2.1 Any Member of the Sports club and
any Member of the Executive Committee
and Team Kent Executive may speak at a
General Meeting. Any individuals who are
not full Members may only speak with the
permission of the Meeting.
M 3 Who may vote at a General Meeting?
M 3.1 Only Sports club Members who are
present at the meeting may vote.
M 3.2 The Chair shall have an original and, if
necessary, casting vote
M 4 How many Members have to be there?
M 4.1 The quorum for Sports club General
Meetings is thirty percent (30%) of Sports
club Members.
M 5 Who runs the Meeting?
M 5.1 Unless absent, the President shall
ordinarily chair the Meeting.
M 5.2 The Sports club Committee may, in
the case of the President's absence, appoint
an alternative Chairperson by simple
majority vote.
M 6 How must Members be notified of a
Meeting?
M 6.1 Notice of any General Meeting shall
be given at least three (3) days in advance,
stating clearly date, time and place.
M 6.2 Notice of any General Meeting
pertaining to the alteration of the Sports
club Constitution shall be given to the Team
Kent Executive.
M 7 How to call a Sports club General
Meeting
M 7.1 A Sports club General Meeting shall
be called by the Sports club Committee as
necessary.
M 7.2 In addition, the Secretary must call a
Sports club General Meeting if handed a
petition signed by at least ten percent (10%)
of Sports club Members.
M 7.3 The Secretary may accept a petition
gathered electronically, provided they are
satisfied as to its authenticity.
M 7.4 The Secretary shall make
arrangements for the General Meeting to
be held on a date not exceeding five (5)
academic days from receipt of notice.
M 8 Minutes
M 8.1 The Sports club shall keep at least one
paper copy of the minutes of any General
Meeting.
COMMITTEE MEETINGS
CM 1 Calling of Meetings
CM 1.1 Committee Meetings shall be
convened by the Secretary, or another
Officer appointed by the Committee, on a
regular basis.
CM 1.2 The Secretary shall be responsible
for publication of details of all Meetings at
least three (3) academic days before the
Meeting.
CM 2 Chairing
CM 2.1 Committee Meetings will be
ordinarily chaired by the Sports club
President.
CM 3 Quorum
CM 3.1 The quorum for Committee
Meetings shall be fifty percent (50%) plus
one (1) of the voting Committee Officers.
CM 4 Voting
CM 4.1 All decisions shall be simple majority
of decisions of all Committee Members
present.
CM 4.2 The President shall have an original
and, if necessary, casting vote.
CM 5 Agenda
CM 5.1 Any Member shall be entitled to
place items on the agenda up to two (2)
days in advance of the Meeting.
CM 5.2 The agenda shall be published by
the Secretary at least one (1) day in advance
of the Meeting.
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CM 6 Minutes
CM 6.1 Full minutes will be taken at each
Meeting and approved at each subsequent
Meeting. The approved minutes will be held
by the Secretary, but will also be distributed
to Committee Members.
ELECTIONS
E 1 Application
E 1.1 These Election Rules shall apply to all
elections conducted within the Sports club.
E 1.2 Kent Union’s Election rules shall also
apply to all elections conducted within the
Sports club.
E 1.3 Kent Union’s Returning Officer shall
oversee the elections process and shall
appoint anyone to assist them in the
elections process.
E 1.4 The Committee, within these election
rules, shall decide the elections procedure
subject to the approval of the Returning
Officer.
E 1.5 Kent Union’s Returning Officer shall be
given (10) days in advance notice of any
election.
E 1.6 Team Kent Executive must be made
aware of all elections conducted within the
Sports club.
E 2 Publicity
E 2.1 The Secretary shall be responsible for
advertising the elections seven (7) days in
advance to all members, including details of
when nominations and voting open and
close.
E 3 Nominations
E 3.1 All Full Members shall be entitled to
stand for any position.
E 4 Voting
E 4.1 The vote shall be held by Secret Ballot
open to all full Members of the Sports club.
E 4.2 The vote will be conducted by Single
Transferable Vote, with a facility for No
Suitable Candidate and to Re-Open
Nominations (RON).
E 5 The Count
E 5.1 The Returning Officer shall be
responsible for conducting the count.
E 5.2 The Returning Officer shall appoint
anyone to assist them with the count.
E 5.3 Kent Union’s Returning Officer shall
notify the executive committee of the
results within three (3) academic days of the
close of voting.
E 5.4 The executive committee shall be
responsible for advertising the results to all
members within seven (7) days of the close
of voting.
E 5.5 Any challenge to the results must be
made within three (3) days of the
announcement.
E 5.6 In the event of a tied vote, the
Returning Officer will arrange a ‘drawing of
lots’ between candidates.
E 5.7 The Returning Officer shall be called
upon to settle any matters arising from the
elections.
E 5.8 If called upon, the decision of the
Returning Officer shall be final.
E 6 Bye-Elections and Co-Options
E 6.1 If any committee position falls vacant,
the executive officers shall determine if and
when a bye-election should be called.
E 6.2 In the interim period before any such
bye-election, the committee may co-opt a
full member of the sports club into the
position as a non-voting officer, with the
exception of the executive positions.
E 6.3 If a bye-election fails to fill a position,
the committee may co-opt a full member of
the sports club as a non-voting officer, with
the exception of the executive positions.
RESIGNATION & REMOVAL OF COMMITTEE
MEMBERS.
R.1 Any committee member may resign at any
time by submitting their resignation in writing
to the Sports club President, Secretary or
Treasurer, as well as the relevant Officer VP
Activities.
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R.2 Any committee member may be only
removed from the committee by either;
- A two-thirds majority Vote of No Confidence
at a Sports club Committee Meeting, triggered
by a failure to attend three (3) consecutive
committee meetings without sending
apologies or by a petition signed by three
committee members or more.
- A simple majority Vote of No Confidence at a
General Meeting, triggered by a petition of at
least six members or ten percent (10%) of
Sports club Members, whichever is the
greater.
R.3 Any individual(s) subject to a vote of no
confidence shall be given the opportunity to
address the meeting before the vote takes
place.
R.4 The Team Kent Executive shall be notified
three (3) academic days in advance of any
Vote of No Confidence and any Team Kent
Executive member may attend to observe.
RULES: DISCIPLINE
D 1 Disciplinary Measures
D 1.1 Disciplinary measures may be
implemented against any Sports club
Member, whether Full or Associate.
D 1.2 All disciplinary measures shall be
executed in accordance with any Union
rules in place for such purposes.
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