Constitution

Skegness Indoor Bowls Club Constitution: 

1. Name

• Skegness indoor Bowls Club.

2. Objectives

•  To foster and promote the sport of Flat indoor bowls at  Wainfleet Road, Skegness, PE25 2EL and provide community facilities").

3. Affiliation

• States who you are attached to (e.g., "The Club shall be affiliated to Bowls England, English Bowling Association.

4. Membership

• Classes:  members (Full, Junior, Social, Life Members).

• Rights: Who can vote at the AGM? (Usually only Full Members).

• Resignation: How a member leaves (usually requires written notice).

5. Officers of the Club

• Lists the specific roles to be elected (President, Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Club Captain, Welfare Officer).

6. The Management Committee

• Powers: Gives the committee the legal power to make decisions, spend money, and manage the green on behalf of the members.

• Meetings: How often they must meet (e.g., monthly).

• Quorum: The minimum number of people needed to make a decision (e.g., "5 committee members must be present").

7. Trustees

• Crucial for un-incorporated clubs. This names the 2–4 people who legally sign the lease or hold the deeds to the land/clubhouse. They hold it "in trust" for the members.

8. Annual General Meeting (AGM)

• Timing: When it happens (e.g., "Annually in November").

• Business: What must happen (Election of Officers, Receiving Accounts, Setting Fees).

• Notice: How many days' warning members get before the meeting (usually 14 or 21 days).

9. Extraordinary General Meetings (EGM)

• How members can force a meeting if they are unhappy. (Usually requires a petition signed by ~10% of members).

10. Finance

• Bank Accounts: Who can sign cheques (usually "any two of three" signatures).

• Accounts: Requirement for books to be kept and audited/independently verified once a year.

• Financial Year: When the money year ends (e.g., "Ends 30th September").

11. Indemnity & Liability

• The "Protection" Clause. This states that committee members are entitled to be reimbursed by the club if they are sued while doing their club duties (provided they weren't acting illegally).

12. Discipline

• Simply states: "All disciplinary matters will be handled in accordance with the Club’s separate Disciplinary Procedure." (Links to the document I wrote for you earlier).

13. Alterations to the Constitution

• States that rules can only be changed at an AGM/EGM and usually requires a two-thirds majority vote (not just 51%).

14. Dissolution (The "Wind Up" Clause)

• Vital: If the club folds, what happens to the money?

• Rule: You generally cannot split the cash between members. It usually must go to the National Association or a local charity.

A Critical Note on "Trustees" (Clause 7)

If your club owns its own land or clubhouse (or has a long lease), you must have a Trustees clause.

• The club itself is not a person, so it cannot "sign" a lease.

• Specific people (trustees) sign the lease on the club's behalf.

• If you play in a council park and just pay a daily fee, you might not need this section.