Constitution

THE FINCHLEY VICTORIA BOWLING AND CROQUET CLUB CONSTITUTION ADOPTED AT A SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING OF MEMBERS ON 11^th OCTOBER 2025

Section 1: General Provisions

1.1 The name of the Club shall be ‘The Finchley Victoria Bowling and Croquet Club’.

1.2 The objectives of the Club are to provide sports activities and social facilities. The Club specifically promotes participation in the amateur sports of outdoor flat green bowls and croquet for the benefit of the community, particularly in the London Borough of Barnet and in the area of Victoria Park, Finchley.

1.3 The Club shall be affiliated to Bowls England and Croquet England and may affiliate to local and regional associations with similar objectives to the Club.

1.4 The Club shall adopt and conform to the rules and regulations governing the sports of lawn bowls and croquet as set out by Bowls England and Croquet England

1.5 The Management and Leadership of the Club shall be vested in five Members of the Management Team who shall be appointed by Members as provided for in Section 31.(b) of this Constitution.

Section 2: Membership

2.1 The Club shall have distinct categories of Membership and subscription on a non-discriminatory and fair basis. Each Member shall pay the subscription set out for the appropriate category of Membership and shall have voting rights at General Meetings of the Club according to that category. The Club shall maintain a register of the names of Members with their contact details It is the duty of a Member to notify any change in those details.

2.2 There shall be the following categories of Membership:

(a) An Adult Playing Member, who is over the age of twenty-five, shall pay the Full Member’s subscription and shall have one vote.

(b) A Junior Playing Member, who is aged twenty-five or under shall pay the Junior Member’s subscription and shall have one vote.

(c) An Honorary Life Member, who shall pay no subscription, shall have one vote. Such Member shall be nominated to this category of Membership by the Management Team and be approved by Members in General Meeting.

1. d) A Social Member, who shall pay the Social Member’s subscription, shall have no vote.

2.3 The rights and privileges of each category of Membership:

(a) An Adult Playing Member shall have the full use of all Club facilities in accordance with Rules set out by the Management Team and any necessary affiliation Fees to other organisations or associations shall be paid by the Club.

(b) A Junior Playing Member shall have the full use of all Club facilities in accordance with Rules set out by the Management Team, subject to appropriate safeguarding provisions, and any necessary affiliation Fees shall be paid by the Club.

(c) An Honorary Life Member shall have the full use of all the Club facilities  in accordance with Rules set out by the Management Team and any necessary affiliation Fees shall be paid by the Club.

(d) A Social Member shall have the use of the Clubhouse facilities and the open areas surrounding the Clubhouse and may use the playing areas for £5 per session.

2.4 Membership Applications, Fees and Subscriptions:

(a) The Joining Fee (if any) and subscription rate for each category of Membership shall be proposed by the Management Team to the Members at the Annual General Meeting and shall be approved by a majority of those present and proxies entitled to vote

(b) All Members shall pay the Joining Fee (if applicable) and their annual subscription upon admission to the Club and thereafter by 1 May in each year. In the first year of Membership, the Joining Fee will be the appropriate proportion of the Adult/Junior Playing Member’s Fee calculated from date of admission

(c) An application for Membership shall be in the form prescribed by the Management Team and shall include the name, address and contact details of the applicant. The admission to Membership of all classes of Members is vested in the Management Team and shall be by a simple majority vote of those on the Management Team present.

(d) The Management Team may refuse applications only for good cause such as conduct likely to bring the Club into disrepute. The total number of Members of the Club may be limited on a non-discriminatory basis according to available facilities. Any written appeal against refusal of Membership received by the Secretary shall be referred by the Management Team to a General Meeting of Members.

(e) Upon admission a new Member shall be provided with copies of the Constitution and any Club rules then in force and shall pay within one calendar month such Fees as shall be requested. In default of such payment the admission shall be void unless sufficient cause for delay is shown.

(f) A Member who resigns during the course of a year may be entitled to a refund of the appropriate proportion of the Membership Fees paid for that year at the discretion of the Management team.

(g) The Management Team may cancel the Membership of any Member whose annual subscription is more than one month in arrears provided that the Management Team may at its discretion re-instate such Member upon payment of arrears. No Member whose annual subscription is in arrears may vote at any meeting.

(h) Every Member shall furnish the Secretary with up-to-date contact details that shall be recorded in the Register of Members. Any notice sent to a Member’s address either by post or electronically shall be deemed to have been duly delivered. Subject to any necessary provisions for data protection a list of the names of Members together with their addresses and telephone numbers shall be available in the Club premises.

2.6 Conduct of Members:

(a) Every Member, upon election and thereafter, is deemed to have notice of, and undertakes to comply with, the terms of this Constitution and any Rules notified to Members by the Management Team

(b) A complaint by a Member about the conduct of another Member shall only be considered if submitted in writing to the Secretary, who shall proceed in accordance with the provisions in the Annex to this Constitution.

(c) Any Member expelled from the Club shall not be entitled to have any part of the annual Membership Fee refunded and must forthwith return any property belonging to the Club.

(d) Membership of the Club will be deemed to constitute consent to the holding of relevant personal data for the purposes of the Data Protection Act.

Section 3: General Meetings of Members

3.1 Annual General Meetings

(a) An Annual General Meeting of the Members of the Club shall be held in each year and not more than 15 months after the preceding Annual General Meeting. The Secretary shall send to all Members, not less than twenty-one days before the date of the meeting, notice of the date, time and place of the meeting. Business to be brought forward shall be sent to all Members, not less than seven days before the date of the meeting.

(b) At the Annual General Meeting Members shall elect the Honorary President, the five Members of the Management Team of the Club, receive the report of the Management Team and approve the accounts of the Club.

(c) At the Annual General Meeting Members shall elect an Independent Examiner of the Club’s accounts. The Independent Examiner may be a Member of the Club but shall not be a Member of the Management Team.

(d) No business, except receiving the report of the Management Team, the approval of the accounts and the election of the Team Leaders, election of Honorary President and Independent Examiner, shall be discussed at the Annual General Meeting unless notice thereof be given in writing to the Secretary by a Member entitled to vote at least fourteen days before the date of the Annual General Meeting

3.2. Special General Meetings

(a) The Management Team may at any time, upon giving not less than twenty one days’ notice in writing, call a Special General Meeting of Members for any special business, the nature of which shall be stated in the notice convening the meeting, The discussion at such meeting shall be confined to the business stated in the notice.

(b) The Management Team shall call a Special General Meeting upon a written request addressed to the Secretary signed by at least five Members. The Management Team shall meet within fourteen days of such request and within a further fourteen days give notice to Members of such Special General Meeting. Such Special General Meeting shall be held not less than fourteen days nor more than twenty-eight days after the issuing of notice of meeting. The discussion at such meeting shall be confined to the business stated in the notice sent to Members.

3.3. Procedure at General Meetings

(a) At every General Meeting the Chair of the Management Team shall take the Chair or in his/her absence, a Chair elected by a majority of those present shall preside.

(b) Playing Members and proxies are entitled to vote at any General Meeting. Eleven such Members personally present shall form a quorum. All Members may attend and speak at General Meetings; only fully-paid playing and Honorary Members are entitled to vote. Signed proxy forms, nominating the proxy, must be in the Secretary’s hands at least three days before any general meeting. Only fully-paid playing Members may be nominated as a proxy.

(c) Voting shall be by show of hands and proxy votes unless a poll be demanded by one third of those present and entitled to vote. Voting by secret ballot shall include proxy votes. In the case of an equality of votes the Chair may have a second casting vote.

3.4 Any changes to this Constitution must be approved by a majority vote of at least two-thirds of Members entitled to vote and voting at a General Meeting. The proposed changes shall be included in the notice of meeting.

Section 4: The Management Team

4.1 Membership of the Management Team

(a) The Management Team shall comprise the five Members of the Club elected by Members at the Annual General Meeting. All Members shall be fully-paid Playing Members. All Members shall hold their offices and Membership of the Management Team for one year but shall be eligible for re-election at the next AGM.

(b) The positions of the Club shall be the Chair – the Chair is elected by, and is a Member of, the Management Team,

1. Club Secretary,
2. Club Treasurer,
3. Club Lead on outdoor activities
4. Club Lead on indoor activities
5. Communications Lead.
6. The Honorary President, who can not be a Member of the Management Team, is simply responsible for representing the Club at public occasions and may work with the Management Team, as requested.
7. One of the Management Team shall act as Chair and this can be on a rotational basis.

(c) Nominations for persons to be Members of the Management Team shall be made in writing with the names of the proposer and seconder and the consent of the person nominated and shall be delivered to the Secretary not less than fourteen days before the date of the Annual General Meeting.

(d) If, for any reason, a casual vacancy shall occur amongst the Management Team the Team may co-opt another fully-paid Playing Member to fill such a vacancy until the next following Annual General Meeting. Any such co-opted Member shall be entitled to vote in the Management Team.

 

4.2 Management Team Meetings

(a) The Management Team shall meet as necessary making such arrangements as to the conduct, place of assembly and holding of such meetings as it may wish.

(b) Except in cases of emergency, seven days’ notice of a Management Team meeting shall be given to Management Team Members by the Secretary

(c) At any Management Team meeting, Members of the Management Team shall elect a Chair from among their number at the meeting.

(d) Any conflict of interest must be declared to the Chair prior to the start of the meeting. The Chair shall determine if the person may remain in the meeting and/or vote when the item is discussed. The decision on any conflict of interest must be clearly minuted.

(e) Three Members personally or virtually present shall form a quorum at any meeting of the Management Team. Voting shall be by a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ of those participating in the meeting, including any proxies In the case of equality of votes the Chair of the meeting shall be entitled to a second casting vote.

4.3 Powers of the Management Team

(a) The Management Team shall manage the affairs of the Club and shall cause the funds of the Club to be applied solely to meet the objectives of the Club.

(b) The Management Team shall keep accounts, prepare a statement of accounts and an annual report to be presented to Members at each Annual General Meeting.

(c) The Management Team may issue Rules to Members of the Club to regulate the use of the Club’s facilities. Such Rules and a copy of this Constitution shall be available at the Clubhouse for inspection by Members and will also be available on the Club website.

(d) The Management Team shall ensure that the property and funds of the Club shall not be used for the private benefit of Members other than may be reasonably allowed by any Rules issued by the Management Team. No surplus of funds or assets shall be distributed to Members or third parties.

(e) The Management Team shall manage the Club in a manner, which enables it to be registered as a Community Amateur Sports Club within the meaning of the Finance Acts.

(f) The Management Team may appoint such appropriately qualified sub-groups as it may deem necessary and may delegate such of its powers as it may think fit upon such terms and conditions as shall be deemed expedient and/or required by the law. The Management Team may nominate Trustees to hold the property of the Club on the terms set out in Section 5 of this Constitution.

(g) A Member of the Management Team, of a sub-group, or any Member of the Club, in transacting business for the Club, shall disclose to third parties that they are so acting. No one shall, without the express authority of the Management Team, borrow money or incur debts on behalf of the Club or its Membership; such authority to be clearly minuted.

(h) The Management Team may nominate for election as a Honorary Life Member any person whose services in the interests of the Club are in the Management Team’s opinion such as to have merited this distinction; such nomination to be approved by Members at a General Meeting.

(i) The Management Team shall have the power to implement any recommendation made to it under the provisions of the Annex to this Constitution, including the powers of suspension and expulsion from Membership.

(j) The Management Team shall ensure that the following clause is incorporated in every contract, lease, licence or other agreement entered into by the Management Team and/or Trustees nominated under Section 5 of this Constitution: “The liability of the Management Team and Trustees, for the performance of any contractual or other obligation undertaken by them on behalf of the Club shall be limited to the assets of the Club from time to time. The Management Team and Trustees shall have no personal liability.”

Section 5: Trustees

5.1 From time to time the Management Team may nominate three Trustees from among the fully-paid Playing or Honorary Members who are willing to be so nominated. The Management Team may at any time remove a Trustee.

5.2 All the property of the Club, including land and investments shall be held by the Trustees for the time being, in their own names, so far as it is necessary and practicable, in trust for the use and benefit of the Club. In the event of the death, resignation, or removal from office of a Trustee, the Management Team shall nominate a new Trustee and shall as soon as possible thereafter take all lawful and practicable steps to procure the vesting of all Club property into the names of the Trustees as constituted after such nomination.

5.3 The Trustees shall in all respects act in regard to any property of the Club held by them in accordance with the directions of the Management Team, which shall be recorded in the minutes of the proceedings of the Management Team and they shall be indemnified by the Club from any liability, costs, expenses and payments reasonably and properly incurred or made by them in the exercise of their duties or relation to any property of the Club vested in them.

Section 6: Dissolution of the Club

6.1 If, at any General Meeting of the Club, a resolution is passed calling for the dissolution of the Club, the Secretary shall immediately convene a Special General Meeting to be held not less than one month thereafter to discuss and vote on the resolution.

6.2 If, at that Special General Meeting, the resolution for dissolution is carried by at least two-thirds of the Members present including proxy votes, the Management Team shall as soon as practicable realise the assets of the Club and discharge all debts and liabilities of the Club.

6.3 If, upon the dissolution of the Club, there remains after the satisfaction of all its debts and liabilities any property whatsoever, the same shall not be paid to or distributed amongst the Members of the Club but shall be given to one or more of the following:

(a)   another Club with similar sports purposes which is a charity and/or

(b) another Club with similar sports purposes which is a registered    Community Amateur Sports Club and/or

(c)  Bowls England and Croquet England, equally divided between them, for use by them in related community sports.

Section 7: Transitional arrangements

7.1 The Members of the Committee appointed under the former Constitution of the Club shall continue to form the Committee of the Club until elections are held under this Constitution at the next Annual General Meeting following the adoption of this Constitution.

ANNEX

PROCEEDINGS RELATING TO A COMPLAINT ABOUT A MEMBER

1. A complaint by a Member about the conduct of another Member shall only be considered if submitted in writing to the Secretary, who shall consider whether there is a case to answer.

 

2. If the Secretary decides that the issue could be appropriately dealt with by mediation, the Secretary shall determine how and by whom such mediation shall be conducted and the result of such mediation shall be confidential.

 

3. In the event of the failure of mediation or if the Secretary decides that more formal action is required, the Secretary shall without delay convene a Panel from the Management Team of the Club to hear the issue and to make recommendations to the Management Team. The Panel shall comprise three persons who are Management Team Members.

 

 

4. The Panel shall disclose at the hearing, in the presence of the person complained of, any interest or prior knowledge they have relating to the issue and all proceedings shall be conducted in accordance with the principles of natural justice.

 

 

5. The Member about whom the complaint is made shall be informed in writing that a hearing is to be held and advised in writing of the specific terms of the complaint. The Member shall be offered the option of three dates for the hearing and be told who the Panel Members will be. The Member shall be entitled to make the case as the Member sees fit, may call any witnesses and may be accompanied by an adviser. If the Panel considers it desirable, the Member making the complaint may be invited to attend and the parties may be permitted to question each other as well as answer questions from the Panel.

 

6. At the end of the hearing and in the absence of the parties to the complaint, the Panel shall immediately consider and report what action, if any, should be taken by the Management Team. The Panel shall report its findings to the parties within 48 hours of the hearing with details of any recommended sanction.

 

7. Either party who is not satisfied with the decision of the Panel may appeal within fourteen days to the Secretary who shall arrange for a further hearing before the Management Team under the same procedure as set out in paragraph 5 above.

 

8. Either on the recommendation of the Panel or after a hearing arranged under the provisions of paragraph 5 above, the Management Team    shall decide what sanction, if any, shall be imposed on the Member        whose conduct has been the subject of the complaint.

 

9. After the above appeal hearing, the Management Team’s decision shall be final