Club Rules
Name
The name of the Club shall be Barnet and District Athletic Club (the “Club”).
Purpose
The purpose of the Club shall be the promotion of community participation in healthy recreation by providing an environment to develop amateur athletics which includes running and track & field by providing coaching, competition, social activities and other services to support these activities for Members.
The Club is committed to everyone having the right to enjoy their sport in an environment free from threat of intimidation, harassment and abuse.
Club Colours
The Club colours shall be royal blue and red. The Club vest shall have either a red top and blue bottom or a top showing blue with red stripes, with the Club name or equivalent across the chest. Shorts shall be red.
Members
Admission to Membership
Any person who is an amateur as defined by the rules of UK Athletics (for the time being in force) is eligible to apply for membership of the Club, whether as 1st Claim, 2nd Claim or Supporter Member (“Members”).
Completed application forms should be submitted to the Membership Secretary and must be accompanied by the appropriate fee. The Club is committed to equal opportunities, and membership shall be open to anyone regardless of their age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or disability.
The acceptance of membership shall be at the discretion of the Committee, but will not unreasonably be withheld
Cessation of Membership
Membership of the Club shall terminate if:
the Member resigns by notice in writing to the Club by giving at least seven days’ notice in writing to the Club provided that upon such resignation the number of Members is not less than one.
the Member is in arrears to the Club and their subscriptions or any other payments are at least three months overdue;
the Member is removed from membership by a resolution of the Committee as a result of application of the Club’s disciplinary policy;
the Member’s membership is terminated at the discretion of the Committee following a majority vote at a Committee Meeting;
the Member contravenes the EA Code of Conduct or is guilty of misconduct prejudicial to the good name of the Club;
the Member being an individual, is convicted of a criminal offence which involves dishonesty or any other offence, relating to safeguarding, drugs and any crime involving violence (including any convictions relating to children) at the Committees discretion;
the Member dies.
Any person ceasing to be a Member forfeits all rights in relation to and claims upon the Club, its property and its funds and has no right to the return of any part of their subscription fee. Without prejudice to the foregoing, the Committee may refund an appropriate part of a resigning Member’s subscription fee if it considers it appropriate in all the circumstances.
In the event of a Member’s resignation or expulsion, their name shall be removed from the Club’s register of Members.
Management
The Club shall be managed by Members of the Club who shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting (the “Committee”). The Committee shall meet on no fewer than 6 occasions during a year and shall consist of the following positions:
Chair
Vice Chair
Hon. General Secretary / Clerk to the Committee
Hon. Treasurer
Membership Secretary
Team Managers Coordinator
Coaching Coordinator
Events/Promotion Coordinator
President
5 General Committee Members
Each Member of the Committee shall hold office from the date of election until the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting (“AGM”). A retiring Member may be re-elected at the AGM.
Any vacancy on the Committee which arises between one AGM and the next may be filled by a Member proposed by a Committee Member, seconded by another Committee Member and approved by the Committee. The Committee shall also have power to co-opt additional paid-up Members to the Committee, who shall have power to vote. Any co-opted Committee Member shall hold office until the conclusion of the next AGM.
The quorum for the transaction of business of the Committee shall be the greater of 6 Officers or 50% of all of the Officers (rounded up). The Committee meeting shall be chaired by the Chair or in their absence the Vice Chair. The chair of the meeting shall have a casting vote in the event of a tie.
The Committee may appoint sub-committees for specific purposes, provided that such purposes shall be within the Committee’s powers. The membership, terms of reference and powers of such sub-committees shall be determined by the Committee but they shall not have authority to make final decisions on matters which these rules specifically delegate to the Committee.
Presidents
At an AGM the Club shall also elect a President who may serve in this post for a maximum of 3 continuous years, subject to being re-elected annually. The President is a voting Member of the Committee.
Hon Vice-Presidents
The Club may at an AGM elect Hon. Vice-Presidents who shall not thereby become Members of the Committee. Such Members are subject to re-election at each AGM.
Life Members
The Club may at an AGM, on the recommendation of the Committee elect Life Members of the Club.
Officers
The officers of the Club shall be the Committee, President and the Members who act in the capacity of a coach, team manager and official for the Club (the “Officer(s)”).
Finance
With effect from 10 October 2024 subscriptions shall be payable on election as a Member of the Club and thereafter on an annual basis from the date of joining. Subscriptions for Members who joined the Club before 10th October 2024 shall be payable on the 1st January each year. Life Members, President, Past Presidents and Hon. Vice-Presidents shall not be liable for subscriptions. The amount of subscriptions shall be decided at the AGM.
The financial year shall be from 1 August to the following 31 July.
The Hon. Treasurer shall keep a record of income and expenditure and of assets and liabilities in such form as may be required by the Committee.
The Club’s funds shall be deposited with one of the Clearing Banks and/or invested, either in whole or in part, with a Building Society that is a member of the Building Societies’ Association or in local government bonds. The Hon. Treasurer may, subject to Rule 25, operate the accounts to a maximum of £500 for any one item and for any item above £500 the accounts shall be operated by the Hon. Treasurer together either the Chair or the Hon. General Secretary. The Chair or the Hon. General Secretary may authorise any Committee Member, other than the Treasurer, to act on their behalf in this matter.
Examination of Accounts
The Club’s accounts shall be inspected by 2 Club Independent Account Examiners (not being a Committee Member) who shall be appointed at the AGM. A statement of the Assets and Liabilities and Income and Expenditure for the previous financial year, signed by the Independent Account Examiners, shall be presented at each AGM.
General Meetings
In each year, during the month of October, there shall be held an AGM on a date and at a time and venue fixed by the Committee. Such date and time, and the venue, shall be notified to all Members not later than 15 July of that year.
Motions for consideration, and items for discussion, at an AGM shall be notified to the Hon. General Secretary (or such other Committee Member may be advised) in writing by 15 August. All motions must be proposed and seconded by fully paid-up Members.
The agenda for the AGM shall be sent to all Members at least 3 weeks before its date; and only business of which notice is given on the Agenda may be transacted at an AGM.
Both the proposer and the seconder of a motion must attend the AGM to propose the motion, unless the absence of either of both parties is unavoidable, the definition of which shall be at the discretion of the Chair.
A Special General Meeting shall be convened at the request in writing to the Hon. General Secretary, signed by at least 20 Members of the Club whose subscriptions are not in arrears, or by the Committee directly, stating the purposes for which the Special General Meeting is to be convened. A Special General Meeting so convened shall be held within 6 weeks of the receipt of the request by the Hon. General Secretary, and an agenda, including the date, time and venue, shall be sent to each Member at least 3 weeks before its date. Only business of which notice is given on the agenda may be transacted at a Special General Meeting.
A quorum at an AGM shall be 25 and that for a Special General Meeting shall be 20. Only Members of the Club whose subscriptions are not in arrears shall vote at an Annual or Special General Meeting. In the case of equality of votes, the person presiding at an Annual or Special General Meeting shall (save as provided by Rules 31 and 32) have a second or casting vote.
Dissolution
If at a Special General Meeting called for the purpose, three-quarters of the Members present and voting so resolve, the Club shall cease to exist and its assets distributed for the benefit of amateur athletics generally.
Amendment of Rules
No alterations or amendments shall be made to or in the provisions of these Rules except by resolution at a General Meeting in accordance with these Rules and shall be carried by the majority of at least three-quarters of the Members present.
No betting shall be allowed in the Club. No lottery shall be promoted by any Member on behalf of or in any way connected with the Club or with any entertainment or event held by or in connection with the Club without the previous authority of the Committee. Gaming shall be permitted in the Club, so, however, as not to contravene any of the provisions of any statute for the time being in force.
Awards
Subject to any conditions relating to specific trophies, medals and trophies for Club Championships shall be awarded only to Members whose subscriptions are not in arrears.
Personal Risk
Members and potential Members involved in ‘taster sessions’ acknowledge and accept that playing or participating in sport of any kind can be dangerous and may result in injury and damage to property. Members and guests shall take personal responsibility for their own actions and play or participate in the Club's sporting activities at their own risk.
Subject to Rule 37 below, the liability of the Club and the Club’s Officers to any Member is limited to the net assets of the Club.
Nothing in these Rules shall limit or exclude liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for any loss or damage caused by criminal or fraudulent conduct or for any other liability which cannot lawfully be limited or excluded.
Indemnity
Without prejudice to any other indemnity to which an Officer may otherwise be entitled, every Officer of the Club shall be indemnified out of the assets of the Club against any liability incurred by them in the proper discharge of their duties to the fullest extent permitted by law.
Club Policies
The Committee may from time to time make such policies as they may deem necessary or expedient or convenient for the proper conduct and management of the Club and for the purposes of prescribing classes of and conditions of membership and in particular the Committee may by such policy regulate:
the establishment of different categories of membership of the Club;
the admission and classification of Members and the rights and privileges of such Members and the conditions of membership and the terms on which Members may resign or have their membership terminated and the entrance fees, subscriptions and other fees or payments to be made by Members;
the creation of regulations, standing orders and policy for the better administration of the Club and to govern the functioning of sub-committees to assist the Committee in the better administration of the Club;
the conduct of Members in relation to one another and to the Club's Officers, staff, volunteers or beneficiaries including disciplinary procedures;
the terms on which Members and guests may be permitted to take part in the Club's sporting activities;
any licensable or other regulated activities of the Club;
the procedure at General Meetings and meetings of the Committee and sub-committees insofar as such procedures are not regulated by these Rules;
the appointment of proxies, the form and content of proxy notices, the delivery of proxy notices to the Club and the revocation of such appointments;
any procedures to assist the resolution of disputes within the Club;
generally, all such matters as are commonly the subject matter of Club Rules;
provided that nothing in such policy shall prejudice the Club's affiliation to England Athletics.
The Club in General Meeting shall have power to alter, add to or repeal the policies and the Committee shall adopt such means as they think sufficient to bring to the notice of the Members all such policies.
Complaints and Disputes
All concerns, allegations or reports of malpractice or abuse relating to the welfare of children or vulnerable adults will be recorded and responded to swiftly and appropriately in accordance with the Club’s and UKA’s/EA’s safeguarding policy and procedures. The Welfare Officer shall be the lead Officer for all Members in the event of any safeguarding concerns.
Any complaints of misconduct (improper or unprofessional conduct) regarding the behaviour of Members or Officers shall be dealt with by the Club in accordance with the Club’s Grievance and Disciplinary Policy.
Updated AGM 10 October 2024