Constitution


Article 1 - Name

The club shall be called Lanark Chess Club

Article 2 - Purpose

i) To provide residents of Lanark and the surrounding area who wish to play chess with a forum in which to do so.

ii) To promote chess within the community; to teach new players the rules and the game of chess and encourage their development; to provide a forum for players to meet and to play and exchange information and ideas about chess.

Article 3 - Membership

i) Any person regardless of age, gender, race, or ability to play may become a member of the Club. Members will be Adult members if aged 18 years or over, otherwise they will be Junior members. Only the Adult members will be voting members.

ii) Rights and Responsibilities:

Members have the following rights:

a. to participate in all Club activities.
b. to stand for election to the Management Committee.
c. to vote at all General and Extraordinary Meetings [voting members only]

Members have the following responsibilities:

d. to uphold and abide by the constitution of the Club.
e. to behave in an appropriate and sporting manner and to treat other members respectfully and cordially.
f. to abide by the laws of chess.
g. to pay their annual subscriptions by the due date.

iii) A member found to be in violation of the constitution or in breach of his/her responsibilities may be subject to the following penalties. The Management Committee will determine the appropriate penalty in the light of the nature and circumstances of the violation or breach and taking account of the member's record.

a. a verbal warning from the Management Committee.
b. a written warning from the Management Committee.
c. suspension or termination of membership and expulsion from the Club.

Any member who has the penalty described at c. imposed upon him/her by the Management Committee has the right to appeal to the full membership of the Club at an Extraordinary Meeting. The Management Committee will call such a meeting on receiving a written request to do so from the member. The member and the Management Committee will explain their positions to the membership; the voting members will then vote in a secret ballot to uphold, reduce or overturn the penalty. The member and the Management Committee have the right to vote in any such ballot.

A member whose membership has been terminated under this Article will have no right to any refund of membership fees.

Article 4 - The Management Committee

i) The members of the Management Committee shall be members of the Club and shall be elected by the voting members of the Club, normally at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). Candidates for election must be nominated and seconded at the AGM. If two candidates are nominated and seconded for a given position there will be a ballot of members by show of hands and the candidate securing the majority of votes will be elected. If more than two candidates are nominated and seconded for a given position, unless one candidate secures an absolute majority of the available votes in the first ballot, the two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes will go forward to a final ballot.

ii) The Management Committee will normally consist of four members: President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Match Captain. At an AGM members may, at their discretion, elect an individual to more than one Management Committee post.

iii) Responsibilities and Duties of the Management Committee

The Management Committee is responsible for all matters relating to the running of the Club. The duties of each of the Committee members are as follows:

President
a. call and chair meetings and set the agenda
b. present the year end report
c. actively promote the Club and its activities

Secretary
d. attend to the day to day business of the club
e. take and keep minutes of all meetings
f. deputise for the President in appropriate circumstances
g. perform other duties as assigned by the Management Committee

Treasurer
h. manage the financial affairs of the Club
i. maintain appropriate accounting records
j. submit financial reports as requested by the Management Committee
k. collect subscriptions and make payments as required

Match Captain
l. organize and direct club tournaments including the Club Championship
m. represent the Club at Lanarkshire League fixtures meetings
n. arrange teams to play in Lanarkshire League and other matches and captain the team as appropriate
o. report results as required

Article 5 - Meetings And Meeting Procedures

i) Annual General Meeting:

a. The AGM shall be held at a location, time and date in April of each year as determined by the Management Committee or as soon as possible thereafter for the purpose of hearing and receiving the reports and statements required by the Club at an annual meeting, electing the Management Committee, and for the transaction of such other business as may properly be brought before the meeting.

b. The quorum at the AGM shall comprise one half of the voting members of the Club. A resolution will be considered adopted if proposed and seconded by members of the Club and voted for by a majority of those voting members present at the meeting.

c. A member unable to attend the AGM may vote by proxy.

ii) Regular Meetings:

a. The Club shall have a regular meeting, normally once a week, between September and April at a time and place determined by the Management Committee with the agreement of the members for the purpose of playing chess or decision making.

b. The quorum for the purpose of decision making at a regular meeting shall comprise one half of the voting members of the Club. A resolution will be considered adopted if voted for by a majority of those voting members present at the meeting.

iii) Extraordinary Meetings:

a. The holding of Extraordinary Meetings for disciplinary purposes or to consider proposals to amend the constitution will be dealt with as described in Articles 3 iii) and 6 i) respectively.

b. It is expected that most other business will be dealt with under the arrangements described in Article 5 ii) above. However, a member may request that the Management Committee call an Extraordinary Meeting for other purposes. Such a request must be supported by at least 25% of Club members.

Article 6 - Amendments To The Constitution

The constitution shall become effective upon adoption and shall not be amended except as follows:

i) amendments may be proposed by any member of the Club and must be seconded. Such proposals shall be presented at the Annual General Meeting or at an Extraordinary Meeting convened for the purpose. Any request to hold an Extraordinary Meeting for the purpose of amending the constitution must be made in writing to the Management Committee and bear the signatures of at least 25% of the Club members.

ii) proposed amendments to the constitution shall be made available to all members at the two regular meetings in advance of the AGM or Extraordinary Meeting.

iii) any proposal to amend the constitution of the Club must be approved by the majority of the voting members of the Club. Amendments to the constitution approved by the majority of voting members shall become effective immediately unless otherwise stipulated in the proposal.

Article 7 - Dissolution

In the event of the dissolution of the Club any monetary assets shall be donated to one or more charitable causes chosen by the Management Committee. Non-monetary assets shall be disposed of as deemed appropriate by the Management Committee.