CONSTITUTION OF DROGHEDA CHESS CLUB
1. NAME OF CLUB
The name of the club shall be Drogheda Chess Club.
2. OBJECT OF CLUB
The object of the club shall be to promote and enjoy the game of chess. It will endeavour to help and encourage members to reach their playing potential.
3. MEMBERSHIP
The club shall consist of (a) Ordinary Full Members, (b) Honorary Life Members, (c) Youth Members, (d) Family Members, (e) Temporary Members and (f) Occasional Temporary Members.
(a) Ordinary Full Members shall be those who have applied and been accepted by the committee of the club and have paid the annual subscription as set down by the members of the club at AGM and by the due date agreed therein.
(b) Honorary Life Members shall be those who in the opinion of the AGM have given exceptional service to the club.
(c) Youth Members shall be those under the age of 18 years on the 1st July of the current season, who have applied and been accepted by the committee of the club and have paid the annual subscription as set down by the members of the club at the AGM and by the due date agreed therein.
(d) Family Members shall be those Ordinary Full Members and Youth Members belonging to any family grouping who have applied and been accepted by the committee of the club and have paid the annual subscription as set down by the members of the club at the AGM and by the due date agreed therein.
(e) Temporary Members shall be those who have applied and been accepted by the committee of the club and have paid the subscription as set down by the members of the club at the AGM for the period involved.
(f) Occasional Temporary Members shall be all players and officials of teams playing at the club premises for the duration of the day on which a match is being played.
4. OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE
(a) The officers shall consist of the Hon. President, Hon. Chairperson, Hon Secretary and Hon. Treasurer of the club.
(b) The business and affairs of the club shall be administered by a committee elected at the AGM.
The Committee shall consist of the Officers, Fixtures Organiser, PRO, Webmaster and other club members to create a committee of eight.
The committee shall hold office until the following AGM unless removed from office by an Extraordinary General Meeting.
In the event of a vacancy occurring on the committee, it shall have the power to co-opt a club member onto the committee for the duration of its term of office.
The committee shall meet at least once per month during the chess season and at whatever other times are deemed necessary by the committee.
At meetings of the committee, a quorum shall consist of Four.
In the absence of the Hon. Chairperson, a meeting shall be chaired by a committee member appointed by those present.
The person in the chair shall have a casting vote at all committee meetings.
The committee shall retire annually but shall be eligible for re-election.
5. FUNCTIONS OF COMMITTEE
(a) The committee shall be empowered to administrate the running of the club and its finances in accordance with the objectives of the club.
The committee shall be empowered to make rules and byelaws regulating the conduct of the affairs of the club generally. Such rules and byelaws shall have effect unless and until set aside by AGM or EGM.
The Committee shall appoint a Youth Officer.
The committee shall be empowered to set up sub-committees answerable to the committee.
(b) The Hon. Secretary shall make minutes in proper books of all resolutions and proceedings of the committee and of General Meetings. Minutes shall be signed by the presiding chairperson and shall be sufficient evidence of the matters contained within.
(c) The committee shall be empowered to open and maintain an account with the club’s bankers in the name of the club.
Cheques shall be signed by any two of the officers of the club.
Correct books of account shall be kept of all transactions of the club by the Hon. Treasurer and an income and expenditure account and balance sheet shall be presented at the AGM.
6. AGM
(a) A general meeting of the Ordinary Full Members and Honorary Life Members of the club shall be held each year, any time between 15th August and 15th September, for the purposes of:
(i) Receiving the annual report of the Hon Chairperson;
(ii) Receiving the annual report of the Hon Secretary;
(iii) Receiving the annual report of the Hon. Treasurer;
(iv) Receiving the other reports as necessary (including from the PRO and Fixtures Organiser);
All above reports should be provided in writing to the members.
(v) Electing Officers, Fixtures Organiser, PRO and Committee for the ensuring year. This to be the last order of business at the AGM before Any Other Business portion;
(vi) Transacting the business of the club;
(vii) Setting the annual subscription levels (including due date of payment) and weekly contributions.
(viii) Revising the rules and constitution of which due notice has been given.
(ix) The Secretary shall give at least 21 days written notice of general meetings specifying the place, date and time of meeting and in the case of special business, the nature of that business.
(b) The above general meeting shall be titled AGM and all other general meetings shall be titled EGM (Extraordinary General Meetings).
(c) The Hon. Secretary shall convene an extraordinary general meeting as directed by the committee or upon a requisition signed by at least 25% of the members. Such meetings shall be summoned within three weeks of such requisition. (The Hon Secretary shall give at least 10 days written notice of general meetings, specifying the place, date and time and in the case of special business, the nature of that business.
(d) A written notice may be given personally or through the post. Notice sent by post shall be deemed to have been served at the expiration of 24 hours after posting. The non-receipt of the notice by any member shall not invalidate the proceedings of any general meeting.
(e) A quorum for a general meeting shall consist of 10 members present and entitled to vote.
No business shall be transacted at a general meeting unless a quorum is present at the time the meeting proceeds to business.
If a quorum is not present within half-an-hour of the appointed time of a requisitioned meeting, then the meeting shall be dissolved. In respect of any other meeting, it shall stand adjourned to the following week at the same time and venue. If at an adjourned meeting a quorum is not present within half-an-hour of the appointed time, the members present shall be deemed a quorum.
(f) Written notice of proposals for consideration at AGM must be submitted to the Secretary with the name of proposer at least 14 days prior to the meeting. Late proposals may be considered at AGM at the discretion of the outgoing committee if received in writing up to and including the time of the AGM.
(g) Written notice of proposed changes to the constitution must be submitted to the Secretary with the name of the proposer at least 14 days prior to the AGM.
7. COMPETITIONS
(a) The club shall endeavour to support and maintain at least 2 member’s teams in the Leinster Chess Leagues each season.
(b) The club shall run a series of internal competitions for members each season.
(c) The annual club championship shall be rated by the ICU
(d) The club shall run an annual schools competition open to local schools for the purposes of promoting chess in the area and for generating new club players.
(e) The club shall organise and promote the Annual Drogheda June Chess Congress each year, which shall be open to all LCU, ICU and FIDE affiliated chess players.
8. CODE OF ETHICS
The club endorses and will uphold the code of practice drawn up by ICU for the protection of children in sport with the deletion of paragraph 2.6.2 defining Youth members as under 16. The amended code is appended to the constitution.
(As updated at AGM 02.09.14)
Drogheda Chess Club 