1. NAME: The Club shall be known as THE BRADGATE BRIDGE CLUB. It shall be affiliated to the Leicestershire Contract Bridge Association (“LCBA”) and to the English Bridge Union (“EBU”).
2. AIMS & OBJECTS: The principal aims and objects of the Club are to provide facilities for the playing of duplicate bridge, to enter a team or teams in the LCBA League and to hold Open Tournaments in association with the LCBA and/or the EBU.
3.MEMBERSHIP: Membership shall be open to all bridge players of an adequate standard and in good standing with the EBU. Members of the Club are automatically enrolled as members of the EBU and shall abide by its bye-laws.
Prospective members must be proposed and seconded by existing members and must have attended three Club meetings as visitors, paying normal visitor’s fees. Names will then be considered for approval by the committee. If the committee wishes to take in a new member but it decides that there is no room available for a new member at that time, it may create a category of “associate member”.
Associate members have the full rights and responsibilities of Club membership, other than having restricted rights under the Club’s “House Full” policy.
All membership application forms received by the Secretary shall be displayed at the Club for at least two weeks. Any member wishing to object to an application for membership shall notify the Secretary in writing.
In appropriate circumstances the Committee may nominate individual members as Honorary Life Members. Such Honorary Life Members shall be exempt from paying table money and annual subscriptions.
In exceptional circumstances (for example if a member is unable to take part in the Club’s affairs for a lengthy period as a result of illness or absence abroad), the Committee may waive the subscription of that member for a year or the remainder of a year.
4. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Each member shall pay an annual subscription, the level of which shall be approved at the Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) each year and paid to the Honorary Treasurer not later than the 31st December of that year (“the due date”). Any member whose subscription remains unpaid after the due date shall pay table money appropriate to visitors until the subscription has been paid in full. A member who has not paid his subscription by one month after the due date (or such longer period as the Committee deems appropriate) shall cease to be a member.
5. COMMITTEE: The Committee shall be responsible for the general management of the Club and for maintaining insurance cover in respect of personal liability and property.
The following shall be elected as Officers of the Club at the AGM for a period of three years:- Chairman; Secretary; Treasurer; Tournament Secretary; Social Secretary. Two other Club members shall also be elected to serve on the Committee.
In the event of a vacancy arising during the year in any of the above positions, the Committee shall invite one of their number to fill this vacancy until the ensuing AGM.
LCBA League Team Captains and the LCBA Representative shall be appointed by the Committee at the first meeting following the end of the league season, for a period of one year. The LCBA representative shall be an ex-officio member of the Committee. The immediate past Chairman shall also be an ex-officio member.
The Committee may co-opt further members if it deems necessary.
The Committee may from time to time appoint sub-committees to undertake on its behalf such aspects of the administration of the Club as it thinks fit, and these sub-committees may include Club members who are not members of the Committee.
The quorum for a Committee meeting shall be four Committee members, of which at least one must be an Officer.
6. OTHER APPOINTMENTS: The committee shall appoint a Senior Tournament Director, Webmaster and Steward. These appointees are not Committee members unless they are co-opted onto the Committee.
7. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING: An AGM is to be held each year within three months of the financial year end on 31st August, to receive the Chairman’s report and the statement of the accounts, to elect Committee members and to transact any other business of which due notice has been given. Notice may be given by post or e-mail. Voting at General Meetings shall be by show of hands; the Chairman shall have the casting vote.
Notice of the meeting is to be circulated to members at least fourteen days before the meeting. Proposals for changes to the Constitution are to be sent to the Secretary not less than seven days before the meeting, together with any matters members may wish to raise at the meeting. A Nomination Sheet for Committee positions shall be put on the Notice Board at least four weeks before an AGM. 20 members present in person at an AGM shall constitute a quorum.
If there is no quorum present within 15 minutes after the time fixed for the meeting, the meeting shall be adjourned to a new date with the appropriate notice period. There shall be no minimum quorum requirement at a meeting adjourned for this reason.
8. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING: A Special General Meeting may be called by the Committee at any time and shall be called by the Secretary on receipt of a requisition signed by not less than 20% of the members. All members shall be given twenty-one days notice of such a meeting. Notice may be given by post or e-mail. 20 members present in person at such a meeting shall constitute a quorum.
9. BRIDGE SESSIONS: The main bridge sessions shall be on Monday evening and Wednesday afternoon, at the Rothley Centre or other such venue as the Committee decides. The Committee shall set the start time. Players are expected to arrive ten minutes before so that play can start promptly
All bridge played at the Club shall be according to the Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge. Except where advertised, the EBU Blue Book level 4 shall apply. Table seatings shall be in accordance with the Tournament Director’s requirements.
Members shall comply with the Club’s rules of etiquette, a copy of which is set out on the Club’s website. The EBU sets out detailed guidance to Clubs from time to time on the best practice to be followed in dealing with complaints about conduct or disciplinary issues; the Committee shall follow the latest guidance in dealing with such issues.
10. TABLE FEE: The Table Fee shall be decided by the Committee.
11. VISITORS: Visitors shall pay an additional Table Fee, which shall be decided from time to time by the Committee. No person shall play more than five times as a visitor on the main Club night in any one season without applying for membership. The Committee may waive this requirement in exceptional circumstances.
12. MASTER POINTS: The results of each bridge session shall be submitted to the EBU so that Master Points can be automatically credited to members.
13. SEASON: Subject to the Rothley Centre being available, the club shall meet every Monday, with the exception of selected Bank Holidays and Christmas week. The frequency of Wednesday sessions will be set by the Committee. The Committee shall have the power to close the club for a period of time, should it be thought necessary.
14. ALTERATIONS TO CONSTITUTION: No alterations shall be made to this Constitution except at a General Meeting of the Club. A resolution to alter the Constitution shall require two-thirds of the members present and voting to vote in favour of it.
15. WINDING UP: If the club should cease to meet in pursuance of its aims and objects, then the club shall be wound up. A resolution for winding-up shall be approved at an AGM or Special General Meeting, and shall require two-thirds of the members present and voting to vote in favour of the resolution.
The surplus assets of the Club may not be distributed among the Club’s members, but shall be transferred to some other club, or to the EBU or LCBA, or to other charitable organisations. The destination of surplus assets shall be agreed by the members at the final AGM or Special General Meeting. The Committee shall be responsible for winding up the affairs of the Club and distributing its surplus assets.
Version 13 – 30th October 2017