Constitution
1: Name
The club shall be called Lewes FC Vets and will be a team within and affiliated to Lewes FC.
2: Affiliation
The club shall be affiliated to the Sussex FA through Lewes FC.
3: Aims and Objectives
The club shall aim to positively promote the game of association football to its members and offer coaching and competitive opportunities to all those members who wish to play, as well as cultural tours, community-building activities and activities focussed more generally around health and wellbeing. To this end it shall operate a ‘turn up and play’ policy for non-registered members, to ensure those who wish to play have the opportunity to do so. It will seek to involve all members in the undertaking of its activities to ensure there is sustainable and quality provision for all.
The club is explicitly not-for profit and will donate 15% of the annual cash reserve to charity, in a process determined by the Treasurer.
Only players over 35 may play at Lewes FC Vets events.
4: Equality Statement
The club is fully committed to the principles of the equality of opportunity.
No participant, volunteer, job applicant or employee of the club will receive less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, age, colour, disability, ethnic origin, parental or marital status, religious belief, social class or sexual preference than any other.
The club will ensure that there is open access for all those who wish to participate in the activities of the club, in whatever capacity and that they are treated fairly.
The club recognises its legal obligations not to discriminate and will regard discrimination by any employee, participant or volunteer as grounds for disciplinary action under the relevant club rules.
The club recognises the issues around age and discrimination as stated in its Aims and Objectives, but also seeks to provide a safe space for older (and hence less able) footballers. The legal status of the division between Vets and younger footballers is unclear.
5: Welfare Statement
The club recognises its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all children, young people and vulnerable adults who are involved in the club. The club will aim to provide good quality football in a safe environment by adopting the procedures and working practices of the Sussex Football Association Welfare Policy.
6: Membership
6.1 The club shall consist of the Officers and the registered players.
6.2 In becoming a registered player, a person agrees to abide by the Constitution of the Club, the Player-Club contract and the decisions of the Boot Room.
6.3 All officers and registered players are also required to abide by the appropriate Sussex FA Football Code of conduct.
6.4 The Boot Room shall be responsible for considering whether applications for membership should be accepted. This decision shall be made in accordance with the Equality statement in paragraph 4.
6.5 FA Registered players may not be under the age of 35. This is a Vets Team.
7: Fees
7.1 Fees shall be set at the Annual General Meeting where possible. The level of fees shall distinguish between those registered players who do or who do not need a bursary. This will be negotiated individually around individual need.
7.2 Fees shall be collected in every month of each year and are payable to the club Treasurer. No registered player will be eligible to represent the Club if he/she has not paid the agreed fee at the time the playing opportunity presents itself.
8: Boot Room
8.1 The Boot Room will act for the members of the club and shall be comprised of the following nominated Officers: 2 Directors of Football, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership, 2 Recruitment and Retention Leads, 2 Social Media Overlords, 2 Social Activity Vets, a Procurement and Equipment Chief. It also includes members of the Boot Room Whatsapp group.
8.2 These Officers shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting and hold their posts for a calendar year, but may seek re-election at the following year’s AGM.
8.3 Any liabilities incurred shall fall upon the membership of the club providing the Management Committee acts in accordance with the Constitution, in honesty and good faith.
8.4 The Boot Room shall meet bi-monthly (or when determined by the Directors of Football) and the Secretary will convene all meetings.
8.5 The quorum necessary for Boot Room meetings shall be 3.
8.6 The Boot Room shall be responsible for interpreting the Club Constitution in relation to the operation of the club’s affairs. Proposed amendments to the Constitution can only be agreed at the AGM.
8.7 Responsibility for all property owned or leased by the club rests with the Boot Room.
8.8 The Boot Room is responsible for the recruitment and management of all professional staff employed by the Club.
9: Finance
9.1 All monies raised by, or on behalf of the club shall be applied to further the aims and objectives of the club and for no other purpose.
9.2 The club Treasurer is responsible for collecting fees and maintaining the financial accounts of the club detailing all income received and expenditure made.
9.3 The financial year of the club starts on April 1st and ends March 31st
9.4 The funds of the club shall be lodged at a bank or building society in an account in the name of the club. The Treasurer is the sole custodian of the bank account and directs all payments, but other officers may oversee that work and be a signatory on the bank account.
10: Annual General Meeting and other meetings
10.1 The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the club shall be held in July of each year or within three months of the end of the club’s financial year. At this meeting the annual report of the Boot Room and the audited statement of accounts up to the end of the financial year shall be presented.
10.2 The Secretary shall give no less than 21 days notice of the date of the AGM to all members.
10.3 All elections of Officers shall be confirmed at the AGM. The Secretary should receive all nominations for Officer’s posts not less than fourteen days prior to the AGM. Nominations shall require two supporting signatures from members of the club eligible to vote. No nominations can be accepted from the floor of the meeting.
10.4 The dates of the AGM and the Boot Room meetings shall be determined at the previous meeting. In addition, members of the Boot Room may call a meeting when he or she considers it necessary or desirable, or upon the written request of at least three members of the Boot Room.
10.5 The quorum for general meetings shall be 5 members present who are eligible to vote.
10.6 An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) shall be called by an application in writing to the Secretary signed by not less than 5 members. The Boot Room shall have the discretion to call an EGM by decision of a simple majority of its members.
11: Voting Procedures for all meetings
11.1 All members entitled to vote at meetings shall have equal voting rights.
11.2 A motion shall be carried by a simple majority of those present and voting, except when the motion is a Constitutional amendment, which shall require a two-thirds majority.
11.3 In the event of equal votes being cast, the Chair shall have a casting vote in addition to a deliberate vote.
12: Discipline and Appeals
12.1 The Boot Room shall have the authority to take appropriate disciplinary action against any drop-in player, Old Quality League player, member or employee of the club and the discretion to terminate playing, membership or employment if any person is found guilty of conduct deemed detrimental to the club. In the event of an allegation of a breach of the club's disciplinary rules and values, representations will made, both by the player involved and a representative of the club, to a specially convenened panel from the Boot Room (typically three players inc Chair). The representations will typically be made via a specially created WhatsApp group.
The Boot Room will be the ultimate decision maker in determining whether the club's rules and values have been breached and the appropriate sanction.
12.2 Should a disciplinary issue involve the Welfare of a child or vulnerable adult then the Area Association Welfare officer will be informed.
12.3 All individuals have the right of Appeal to any disciplinary decision made by the Boot Room.
12.4 Any request made for an Appeal Hearing should be made to either the Secretary or other member of the Boot Room within 14 days of the Disciplinary decision.
12.5 An Appeal Hearing should be convened within 14 days of the request for an Appeal being submitted.
12.6 An Appeal Hearing should be convened by a member of the Boot Room and no more than four additional Club members who are independent of the original Disciplinary Hearing and subsequent decision.
13: Dissolution procedures
13.1 In the event of the club ceasing to exist and following the discharge of all debts and liabilities, any assets at the time of dissolution shall be used to establish a new football club or will be donated to charity. No member shall obtain any asset from the club.
13.2 The club may be wound up upon a motion proposed and seconded by club members and passed by a two-thirds majority at a special meeting convened for that purpose following a written request signed by 10 members of the club.
14: Review of the Constitution
14.1 This Constitution should be reviewed a minimum of once every two years.
14.2 Any amendments to the Constitution can only be agreed at the Club’s AGM.
14.3 Proposed additions to, or alterations of the Constitution shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary not less than 21 days before the date of the AGM. All suggested amendments should be signed and seconded. No motion involving an amendment to the Constitution may be proposed from the floor of a meeting.
14.4 In the event of a proposal for amending the Constitution being submitted, the Secretary shall inform the membership of the proposed motion not less than 14 days prior to the AGM.
14.5 Any amendments to the proposed motion duly proposed and seconded shall be submitted not later than seven days before the meeting.
14.6 Any alteration to the Constitution shall require a two-thirds majority of members voting and present.
14.7 All matters arising that are not provided for by the Constitution will be dealt with by the Management Committee, whose decision shall be final.
15: Values
The following are the values of the club:
Valuing Compassion and Fairness
Valuing an Open, Inclusive Community