Constitution & Statement of Purpose
The Club’s Constitution is designed to support the Purpose of the club. Both documents are shown below.
Statement of Purpose
Aims of the club
- To promote the sport of competitive trampolining and to encourage participation of members and parents in all aspects of the sport
- To ensure that a programme exists for all members for onward progression in the club and in the sport (including but not limited to recreational) who show willingness and commitment.
- To ensure that coaching is provided consistently and in an impartial manner drawing no distinction between members of whatever background.
- Brentwood Trampoline Club is an affiliated member of British Gymnastics and adopts and implements all BG policies of whatever nature.
- BG policies dictate that enhanced level criminal records disclosures must be obtained for each person who may have significant contact with children or vulnerable adults. British Gymnastics recommends anyone over the age of 16 with substantial access to young people or anyone with a managerial responsibility for individuals in this position, should complete a disclosure.
- Specifically, Brentwood Trampoline Club adopts the BG policies on child protection
- Has a designated responsible person with lead responsibility for child protection
- Ensures that the Club implements Child Protection policies and procedures
- Ensures that all competitions and events for which it is responsible implement procedures for Child Protection – including those that relate to the use of recorded images
- Ensures that all staff, coaches and volunteers have access to adequate training on Child Protection matters
- Inform BG of any incidents or allegations of poor practice or abuse involving BG members.
- Brentwood Trampoline Club maintains a record of all persons within the Club who have significant contact with children and vulnerable adults and will provide evidence of any such disclosures to Club members or their nominated representatives on demand.
Coaching Standards
- All actively coaching members will adhere to the Club’s agreed coaching standards to ensure similar standards are applied through out the Club. These standards will be agreed by the coaches themselves giving due weight to the views of the most senior coach.
- Coaches are encouraged to develop within the Club and the sport generally. Where appropriate, financial assistance will be given to attend coaching courses.
- All coaches will ensure that, where possible and giving weight and consideration to each member’s ability and scope for progress, members can progress through the club and in the sport generally.
- All active coaching members will agree upon the progression of members including their movement between training or competition groups.
- The coaches are responsible to the Committee for the programme that they provide and adherence at all times to the BG codes of conduct and ethics.
- In the event that the coaches fail to provide a programme that reflects the aims of the club and that after being advised of the fact do not remedy the weakness adequately, then the Committee shall investigate the options open and present a report and proposal to the Committee for consideration and resolution.
- Any coaches who consistently do not adhere to the Club’s coaching standards and after being advised of the fact continue to fail to achieve these standards, will cease to be a coach of the Club.
Club Standards
- Brentwood Trampoline Club adopts the BG safety regulations and shall ensure that these safety regulations are made available to all members as required.
- Brentwood Trampoline Club expects all members adhere to its code namely that the Club encourages a high standard of behaviour at Club sessions, competitions and displays. Failure to adhere to these standards will result in exclusion from the Club’s activities.
- Members shall be expected to wear Club kit (or any such kit as is deemed appropriate, in the opinion of the coaches), whilst competing in a competition or whilst participating in a display. Club kit may be changed from time to time.
Adopted at AGM, 2005
Constitution
The principal functions and officers of the Committee are:
- Chairman
- Membership Secretary
- Treasurer
- Minute Secretary
- Home Competitions Secretary
- Head Coach
- Welfare Officer(s)
- Press Officer
- External Competitions official(s)
- Coaches (not already holding Committee positions)
- Volunteer Coordinator(s)
- Fund Raising Coordinator(s)
- Parent Representative(s)
- Adult / junior representatives
- Plus any other officer / position deemed necessary and voted by the Committee in accordance with its rules.
The Committee
- The Chairman or a nominated alternate shall call and chair regular meetings of the Committee at a time, date and frequency agreed by the Committee.
- Subject to these Rules the Committee shall have responsibility for the management of the Club, its funds, property and affairs.
- Any Committee member may be re-elected or re-co-opted without limit.
- The Committee will be responsible for setting scales of payment to coaches and may review and amend, at any time, as appropriate.
- Acceptance or rejection of proposals / resolutions by the Committee will be by simple majority vote. In the event that votes for and against any such proposal or resolution are equal then the chairman is permitted to cast a deciding vote and any such decision will be deemed binding on the Committee as a whole.
- The principal Committee posts (shown above) and respective job descriptions can be reviewed and amended from time to time as deemed appropriate by the Committee.
- The Committee will be deemed to be quorate when no fewer than four members of the Committee are present and of these four at least three must be drawn from the following offices – the Chairman, the Membership Secretary, the Minute Secretary, the Treasurer, the Press Officer and the Head Coach.
- The Club may also in connection with the sports purposes of the Club:
- Sell and supply food, drink and related sports clothing and equipment;
- Employ members (though not for playing) and remunerate them for providing goods and services, on fair terms set by the Committee without the person concerned being present;
- Pay for reasonable hospitality for visiting teams and guests
- The 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).
- The Committee will have due regard to the law on disability discrimination and child protection.
- The Committee has the power to:
- Acquire and provide grounds, equipment, coaching, training and playing facilities, clubhouse, transport, medical and related facilities;
- Provide coaching, training, medical treatment, and related social and other facilities;
- Take out any insurance for club, employees, contractors, players, guests and third parties;
- Raise funds by appeals, subscriptions, loans and charges;
- Borrow money and give security for the same, and open bank accounts;
- Buy, lease or licence property and sell, let or otherwise dispose of the same;
- Make grants and loans and give guarantees and provide other benefits;
- 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 to firstly any bodies regulating or organising the Sport and secondly any club or body involved with it and thirdly with government and related agencies;
- Do all other things reasonably necessary to advance the purposes;
Disclosure
- Annual club reports and statements of account are available for inspection by any member and all club records may be inspected by any Committee member.
Annual General Meetings (AGM)
- The Chairman, or a nominated alternate, shall call and chair an AGM annually and at least no more than 15 months after the date of the previous AGM
- The Members will elect a Committee including a Chair, Treasurer and Secretary to serve until the next AGM
- The Treasurer will produce accounts of the Club for the latest financial year audited, as the Committee shall decide
- The Committee will present a report on the Club’s activities since the previous AGM;
- The Committee will be deemed to be quorate when no fewer than four members of the Committee are present and of these four at least three must be drawn from the following offices – the Chairman, the Membership Secretary, the Minute Secretary, the Treasurer, the Press Officer and the Head Coach.
- Acceptance or rejection of proposals/resolutions by the Committee will be by simple majority vote. In the event that votes for and against any such proposal or resolution are equal then the chairman is permitted to cast a deciding vote and any such decision will be deemed binding on the Committee as a whole.
- The Chairman, or a nominated alternate, shall prepare a Statement of Purpose (SP) – setting out the goals, aims and objectives of the Brentwood Trampoline Club.
Finance
- The BTC is a not-for-profit organisation and any surplus funds achieved over and above expenses, in any year, are carried forward into the next and subsequent years and held for the benefit of the Club and the good of the members.
- The Chairman, Membership Secretary, Treasurer and one other shall be the Club’s authorised signatories. Two authorised signatories are required to sign cheques or to authorise any other form of payment drawn on the Club’s bank account. One of the two authorised signatures must be that of the Treasurer.
- Borrowing is not generally permitted but may be undertaken at times and for periods and purposes as agreed by the Committee. Any such borrowing may only be undertaken on the express combined permission of the Chairman, the Membership Secretary and the Treasurer
- The Treasurer will maintain records as necessary to record accurately all financial transactions entered into by the Club and these must be reviewed at least annually but a suitably qualified accounting practitioner.
- All monies raised by the Club arising either in the form of regular member subscriptions and or raised in fund raising projects of any kind will be regarded as belonging to the Club and may be used by the Committee in the general running of the Club and for any purposes as agreed by the Committee.
- The members of the Committee are not responsible for the debts and obligations of the Club either jointly or severally.
Club equipment
- All equipment (any such equipment purchased by or given to the Club) will become the property of the Club.
- The property and funds of the Club cannot be used for the direct or indirect private benefit of members other than as reasonably allowed by the Rules and all surplus income or profits are reinvested in the club.
Dissolution of the Club
- The members may vote to wind up the Club if not less than three quarters of those present and voting support that proposal at a properly convened general meeting.
- 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 assets of the Club in any manner as agreed which may include one or more of the following:
- To another Club with similar sports purposes which is a registered charity and/or
- To another Club with similar sports purposes which is a registered CASC and/or
- To the Club’s governing body for use by them for related community sports.
Club Membership
- All regular fee paying participants will be deemed to be members of the Brentwood Trampoline Club. In the case of those members who are under the age of 16 years, a parent or other appropriate and responsible adult shall, be deemed to represent their interests as a members of the Club, and assume any rights and obligations of the Club.
- Membership of the Club shall be open to anyone interested in the sport on application regardless of sex, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or other beliefs. However, limitation of membership according to available facilities is allowable on a non-discriminatory basis.
- All members of the Club will abide by the rules of the club
- The Club may have different classes of membership and subscription on a non-discriminatory and fair basis. The Club will keep subscriptions at levels that will not pose a significant obstacle to people participating.
- The Club Committee may refuse membership, or remove it, only for good cause such as conduct or character likely to bring the Club or sport into disrepute. Appeal against refusal or removal may be made to the members.
- Members of the Club will pay a membership fee that shall also include any registration fees due to any affiliated body (e.g. British Gymnastics) and or liability insurance as required.
- Membership fees may be reviewed by the Committee and amended at any time.
- Fees are payable quarterly in advance.
Adopted on 3rd May 2007
Signed Steven Nicholls, Chairman Brentwood Trampoline Club
Witnessed Susan Gregory, Welfare Officer, Brentwood Trampoline Club