Theydon Bois Lawn Tennis Club

CLUB RULES

(As at January 2021)

 

1.​NAME:

 

​The name of the Club shall be the Theydon Bois Lawn Tennis Club.  The Club is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registered number 1167874.

 

2.​OBJECTS:

 

​The objects of the Club shall be the:

 

           a)​advancement and playing of lawn tennis in accordance with the Rules of the Lawn Tennis Association.

 

​b)​provision of social and recreational facilities for its Members.

 

3.​MANAGEMENT:

 

a)​The management of the Club and of its property and assets shall be vested in the General Committee, which may make, amend and repeal Byelaws and regulations covering internal management, use of the courts and facilities, including the provision of alcoholic beverages and generally providing for the well-being of the Club.

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          b)​All Byelaws and regulations shall be consistent with these Rules and shall be binding upon the Members and their Visitors until repealed by the General Committee or until set aside by a resolution at a General Meeting of the Members.

 

c)​The Byelaws and regulations in force shall be displayed on the Club noticeboard.

 

d)​The General Committee may, from time to time, appoint such sub-committees as it may deem expedient or necessary and may depute or refer to them, or to any group of Members, or to any individual Member of the Club, such powers and/or duties as the General Committee may determine, but in every such case the sub-committee/group of Members/Member shall be subordinate and responsible to the General Committee.

 

e)​The Club is empowered to borrow monies subject to the prior approval of its members at General Meeting.

 

f)​Alcoholic drinks may be provided between such hours as the elected members of the General Committee may, from time to time, decide.

 

4.​OFFICIALS:

 

​These shall be elected annually by the club in General Meeting:

 

The Officers, who shall be as follows:

           President

           Chairman

​​Captains

​​Secretary

​​Treasurer

                       Membership Secretary

​​Match Secretary

​​Social Secretary

 

A President and not more than eight Vice Presidents.

 

An Honorary Auditor, who need not be a Member of the Club.

 

At least three Trustees of the Charitable Incorporated Organisation.

 

5.​GENERAL COMMITTEE:

 

a)​The General Committee shall consist of the Officers, the President and not more than seven other elected Members 18 and over.

 

b)​If any person or persons is/are appointed by the General Meeting to hold more than one of the Officers’ posts, then the numbers of elected members on the General Committee shall be increased accordingly.

 

c)​The elected members of the General Committee shall be appointed by the Club in General Meeting.  All such members shall retire annually but shall be eligible for re-election.

 

d)​Nominees for election to the General Committee, other than the retiring members, shall be proposed and seconded respectively by a Member 18 and over, such proposal to be in writing and to be received by the Secretary at least seven days before the relevant General Meeting.

 

e)​In cases where there are more candidates for the General Committee than places available, voting shall be by ballot and every Member 18 and over present at the Annual General Meeting, shall be entitled to one vote for each vacancy to be filled.  The candidates receiving most votes shall be declared elected.

 

f)​The General Committee shall have power at any time to fill any vacancy in the membership of that Committee, howsoever arising.  The Committee shall also have the power to co-opt any Member or Members of the Club 18 and over to membership of the General Committee, on such terms as it may decide.

 

6.​PROCEEDING OF THE GENERAL COMMITTEE:

 

a)​Meetings of the Committee shall be held at such intervals as its members shall decide and upon reasonable notice having been given by the Chairman.

 

b)​Seven members of the Committee, including any co-opted members present shall comprise a quorum, provided that this number includes at least two Officers.

 

7.​MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES AND BENEFITS:

 

Members of the Club shall be in one of their chosen categories agreed at the AGM.

 

8.​ADMITTANCE AND TRANSFER PROCEDURES:

 

a) Membership shall be open to any person, regardless of race, age, gender, sexual orientation or ability.  The admittance of Members and transfer of Members from one category to another shall be vested in the General Committee and administered by the Captain or other nominated person.

 

b) Applicants are required to complete a standard application form

 

c) The General Committee, acting in the exercise of its powers, may from time to time fix a maximum number of Members in all or any category.

 

d) The Committee shall have absolute discretion as to the admittance of applicants living outside the parish of Theydon Bois.  During a period when a limitation of numbers is in force, an application for any category of Membership from a Theydon Bois parish resident shall take precedence over an equivalent such application from outside the parish.

 

e) A register of all members containing the particulars of each member shall be kept

 

f) All members of the Club must abide by the LTA disciplinary code as adopted by the Club in 2019.

 

9.​SUBSCRIPTIONS AND FEES:

 

Subscriptions

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(i)​The membership year shall commence on 1st February.

(ii)​Annual subscriptions shall be payable by Members and shall become due for payment no later than the 28th February in the relevant year and one month after receiving a notice requesting payment.

(iii)​The amounts due from each category of Member shall be determined by the Members in General Meeting and shall continue unchanged until altered at a subsequent General Meeting.

(iv)​Notice of current subscription rates shall be displayed on the Club notice board.

(v)​Members who do not pay their subscription promptly shall be liable to lose the benefits of membership (see Rule 10 (b) – Termination).

 

Visitors’ Fees

 

(i)​Where playing visitors are introduced in accordance with Rule 14, the Member concerned must ensure that the correct Visitor’s Fee is left in the red box within the clubhouse and that such payment is recorded on the Visitor’s Form.

(ii)​The amount of the fee shall be determined by the Members in General Meeting and shall remain at the level until amended by the same means.

 

10.​TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP:

 

a)​Any Member wishing to resign from the Club shall give written notice to the Secretary by 30 days after the start of the relevant year.  If such notice is not received by the due date, the full year’s subscription shall be due and payable.

 

b)​Where any Member’s subscription remains unpaid for more than one month after it is due, a further notice shall be sent to the last recorded address of that Member and, if the subscription is not then paid within a further month of the date of notice, that person shall cease to be a Member, unless satisfactory reason for non-payment is given to the General Committee.  Such a person shall not be re-admitted to the Club or allowed to play as a Visitor until such time as all the sums outstanding have been paid.

 

c)​The General Committee shall have the power to expel any Member who shall offend against the Rules of the Club or who, in the opinion of the Committee, behaves in a manner detrimental to the interests of the Club.  Before any such Member is expelled, the Secretary shall give that person not less than seven days written notice to attend a meeting of the General Committee, such notice to contain particulars of the complaint made.  If the Member concerned fails to respond to the notice without good reason or, if after stating his or her case to the Committee personally, at least two thirds of the Committee then present vote for expulsion, he or she will forthwith cease to be a Member of the Club and will still be liable for any sums due to the Club at such date.

 

11.​ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS:

 

​The Annual General Meeting of Members shall be held within six months of the end of each financial year ending 31st August.

 

a)​The precise date, time and place shall be determined by the General Committee and the Secretary shall give not less than 14 days’ notice of such meeting.

 

b)​The business to be conducted at an Annual General Meeting shall be:

 

           (i)​To receive an audited statement of the Club’s Accounts for the financial year ending on the previous 31st August.

           (ii)​To make any proposed changes to the schedule of Subscriptions and Fees, under Rule 9.

           (iii)​To receive a report on the Buxton Trust and from selected Officers and Committee Members on the Club’s principal activities during the previous 12 months.

           (iv)​To elect Officials, under Rule 4, and General Committee Members under Rule 5.

           (v)​To make any necessary amendment to the Rules under the provisions of Rule 17.

           (vi)​To discuss such other business as shall have been communicated in writing to the Secretary, not less than seven days before the date fixed for the Annual General Meeting.

           (vii)​At the sole discretion of the Chairman, to discuss any other matter of concern or importance to the general membership of the club.

 

c)​Any resolution at an Annual General Meeting shall be passed if carried by a simple majority of the Members present and entitled to vote, except as provided under Rule 17 (Amendment of Rules).  If there shall be an equality of votes for any resolution, the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.

 

12.​EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING:

 

a)​An Extraordinary General Meeting of the club may be convened at any time, for any special purpose, by the General Committee.

 

b)​An Extraordinary General Meeting of the club shall (subject to sub-paragraph ‘c’ below) be convened by the General Committee within five weeks from the receipt by the Chairman or Secretary of a requisition in writing to that effect by seven or more Senior Members.  Every such requisition shall specify the business for which the meeting is to be convened and shall be accompanied by an appropriate resolution(s).  No other business shall be conducted at such a meeting.

 

c)​If the business and resolution(s) specified in the requisition, is/are basically on the same topic as has been discussed and voted on at an AGM or EGM within the twelve months prior to the receipt of the requisition, a further EGM may not be convened unless in the opinion of the majority of the members of the General Committee, it is considered that:-

 

at that previous meeting (AGM or EGM), the members were misled.

 

further relevant or new information has become available and that this may have a significant effect on the views of the members.

 

d)​In all cases where an EGM is called, not less than 14 days’ notice of the meeting shall be given to members.

 

e)​Any such resolution shall be passed if at least two thirds of the votes cast by the members present are in favour.

 

13.​OTHER PROCEDURES FOR GENERAL MEETNGS:

 

a)​Notice of General Meetings shall be sent to all Members and Officials except Juniors. The accidental omission to give notice of a General Meeting to any person entitled thereto shall not invalidate the proceedings of that meeting.

 

b)​The Club Chairman, or in his absence, the Captain shall take the Chair at all General Meetings.  If, after ten minutes of the time fixed for the commencement of any such Meeting neither the Club Chairman nor the Captain is present, the Members shall appoint another person to take the Chair.

 

c)​A quorum shall be 15 members.

 

14.​VISITORS:

 

a)​Playing Visitors may be introduced by any Member.  Members shall ensure that any Visitors introduced by them during periods of ‘Club Play’ are of a suitable standard.

 

b)​Such Visitors shall be temporarily accorded the status of the Member introducing him or her.

 

c)​Fees shall be paid in accordance with Rule 9 (b) (i) and (ii).

 

d)​No individual shall be introduced as a playing Visitor on more than three occasions during any period of twelve months.

 

e)​A Visitors’ Book shall be maintained and kept in the Club Pavilion for the purpose of recording:-

 

(i)​the date on which visitors attend the Club premises.

(ii)​the names of all visitors introduced by individual members, together with the name of such member, who shall be responsible for ensuring that the correct entry is made.

 

f)​At the discretion of the General Committee the courts may, at off peak periods and without detriment to the members normal use of the courts, or infringement of the by-laws be placed at the disposal of non-members for organised tennis arranged in conjunction with recognised bodies.

 

15.​MATCHES AND FLOODLIGHTS:

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The General Committee (or a Sub-Committee appointed by it for the purpose) shall, through the Match Secretary, arrange matches at its discretion and shall make arrangements for the selection of Members to play in the teams.

 

The General Committee shall be responsible for determining the use of the floodlights, including dates, times and charges.  The rules around the use of the floodlights shall be communicated to members.

 

16.​GENERAL PROVISIONS:

 

​a)​Complaints

​Any complaint shall be made in writing to the Secretary, who, if unable to deal with it, shall bring it before the general Committee at the earliest opportunity.  The decision of the Committee shall be final.

 

b)​Damage to the Club Property

​Any Member causing damage to Club property may be required to make good the damage, or to pay the cost of repair.

 

17.​PUBLICATION AND AMENDMENT OF RULES:

 

a)​A copy of the rules shall be supplied to Members on request, and also kept on the Club Notice Board.

 

b)​Alterations to the Rules shall be made by the Club in General Meeting and the precise form of the resolution shall be sent with the notice convening the meeting.  Any such resolution shall be passed if at least two thirds of the votes cast are in favour of that resolution.