Eastleigh Walking Football Club – Constitution

Eastleigh FC Walking Football play under the laws of The Walking Football Association. The  two main aims of the laws are to ensure that players walk, i.e. move within the rules, and to play with minimal physical contact. Physical contact cannot be eradicated totally but any tackling from the side or behind is outlawed. The reality is, given the age range of the players, the problem is not necessarily the contact itself, it is the fact that as we get older, we are more likely to sustain injury if knocked to the ground. Here are the laws that we self police in our sessions. Sometimes we play in tournaments where specific rules apply, such as 3 touch football or restrictions on passing back to the goalkeeper.

We also have our own Code of Conduct which outlines how we respond to each other on the field of play and elsewhere.

CLUB CONSTITUTION

  1. NAME, STATUS AND OBJECTIVES

The name of the Club is ‘The Eastleigh Walking Football (hereinafter called the “Club”).The Club is an unincorporated association of its Members.

Members are categorised as: Players who have completed their registration with the club:

Life Member: Recognised and approved (current and ex-players) by the committee:

Associate Member: non-playing and bestowed with membership at the discretion of the committee.

These rules regulate the conduct of the Club and its Members.  By applying for and/or becoming a Member of the Club the Members agree to abide by and be bound by these rules (as amended in accordance with these rules) together with any Code of Conduct or rulings of the Management Committee.

  • The objectives of the Club are to promote fellowship and sportsmanship through walking football and other sports and social activities and to promote the interests of and raise the Community profile for Eastleigh Football Club.
  1. USE OF NAME

The name of the Club shall be mentioned in legible characters on all notices, advertisements and official publications of the Club, in all bills of exchange, promissory notes, endorsements, cheques and orders for money or goods, purporting to be signed by or on behalf of the Club and all bills or parcels, invoices and letters of credit of the Club.

  1. MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
    • The Club shall be governed by a Management Committee which shall be responsible for the overall policy strategy and management of the Club.
    • The Management Committee shall be elected by the Full Members at the Annual General Meeting and shall consist of the Chairman, Club Secretary, Treasurer and sufficient officers of the club as shall be deemed necessary to manage the day to day activities of the club.
    • All Officers of the Management Committee shall retire prior to the Annual General Meeting but shall automatically be eligible for re-election.
    • All nominations for office of the Management Committee must be in writing duly signed by the proposer and seconder both of whom must be Full Members. Such nominations to be lodged with the Club Secretary eight days before the Annual General Meeting.
    • The Management Committee may appoint Sub-Committees as required. All Sub-Committees are answerable to the Management Committee.
    • A quorum shall consist of not less than two of the Management Committee. No meeting shall become incompetent to transact business from the want of a quorum arising after the chair has been taken.
    • Minutes shall be taken of all Management Committee meetings together with a record of attendance. After adoption of the minutes, persons present may, through the Chairman, ask questions which have reference to the minutes only.
    • The Management Committee shall meet as often as necessary and the Chairman, or (in his absence) Secretary shall preside and shall have the casting vote, (unless the subject in question has a personal effect on him). If the Chairman or Secretary are not present at a Management Committee meeting then the Officers of the Management Committee present shall elect a chairman from their number for the purposes of that meeting only.
    • All questions of the Management Committee shall be determined by ballot or a show of hands on a majority basis with each Officer of the Management Committee present being entitled to one vote on each motion.
    • Absence from three consecutive meetings without tendering an apology can, at the discretion of the Management Committee, result in the Officer of the Management Committee being relieved of his duties.
    • The discussion, statements of persons, evidence of witnesses and other matters within and before the Management Committee in Committee shall be deemed privileged and confidential and the Management Committee shall have the power to censure, suspend or expel from service any person proved to be guilty of a breach of this Rule in accordance with Rule 10.
  2. FINANCE
    • All activities of the Club shall be carried out in accordance with agreement of Eastleigh Football Club Limited and the Club. The Club shall organise such fund raising activities for the benefit of Eastleigh FC Walking Football
    • Eastleigh Walking Football Club’s bankers are Metro Bank plc
  3. SECRETARY

The Secretary shall be an officer of and responsible to the Management Committee for the conduct of all matters relating to the general management of the Club and for the submission to the appropriate authorities of all returns which are required to be made under such legislation as may from time to time be enacted.  The Secretary shall be responsible for the transaction of the Management Committee’s decision to the appropriate person or persons.  All matters relating to the government of the Club’s affairs must be raised by Members with the Secretary.

  1. THE PRESIDENT

The Management Committee shall be empowered to appoint any Member or Member of Eastleigh Football Club to serve in the office of President.  The appointment will be announced at the Annual General Meeting and the President shall serve until the next Annual General Meeting.  The President may attend and vote at General Meetings and shall be an officer of the Management Committee.

  1. MEMBERSHIP

Only Members shall be entitled to attend and vote at all meetings of the Members and shall be eligible for election to the Management Committee.

7.1.         Membership of a Member will be withdrawn in the event of the Member resigning or being                suspended or expelled from Membership under Rule 10.

7.2.         The Officers elected or appointed to their office in accordance with Rules 5 to 6 shall be Members of the      Club and enjoy the same voting rights.

  1. ASSOCIATE MEMBER
    • Any person nominated and elected by the Management Committee may be made an Associate Member.  Upon election they may participate in the benefits of the Club.
    • No person may be admitted to Associate Membership or to any of the privileges of such Membership without an interval of at least two clear days between their application and their admission.
  1. SUBSCRIPTIONS
  • The rates of annual subscription for Membership may be fixed from time to time by the Management Committee. The Management Committee may decide that no annual subscription to be a member is required and that instead payment of playing fees shall be deemed to be sufficient payment.

9.2    Current playing fees can be found on the club’s website  

EXPULSION FROM MEMBERSHIP

10.1.1 The Management Committee shall appoint a Disciplinary Committee (comprising of two officers of the Management Committee) who shall have the power to reprimand, suspend or expel any Club Member who shall infringe any Rule or whose conduct shall in its opinion render them unfit for Membership or is contrary to the Club’s aims and objectives.

  • If the Disciplinary Committee consider there are grounds to take steps under rule 10.1 the Member in question (the “Relevant Member”) must be provided with details of the alleged misconduct in writing (the “written complaint”) together with a date, time and venue at which the Disciplinary Committee intend to convene a hearing to decide that written complaint (the “Hearing”).
  • The Hearing shall not be less than eight days after the receipt by the Relevant Member of the written complaint, For these purposes the written complaint is deemed to have been received by the Relevant Member two days after it was posted (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays in England).
  • Not less than three days prior to the Hearing, the Relevant Member shall supply to the Disciplinary Committee any evidence or witness statements (“evidence”) upon which he intends to rely.
  • At the Hearing the Relevant Member is entitled to be accompanied by another Full Member of his choice or one legal representative of his choice.
  • At the Hearing the Relevant Member or his appointed legal representative will be entitled to make oral submission to support his position and any evidence submitted in accordance with Rule 10.1.4. The Relevant Member will not be permitted to call witnesses to give oral evidence unless the Disciplinary Committee consents (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld).
  • The Disciplinary Committee may, at their discretion issue directions as to the timetable of the Hearing and the timetable allowed for oral submissions. If directions are made these will be provided with the written complaint to the Relevant Member.
  • At the Hearing the Disciplinary Committee shall consider the written complaint; any evidence submitted in accordance with Rule 10.1.4 and any oral submissions made in accordance with rule 10.1.6. The Disciplinary Committee shall have the right to decide, in their complete discretion, at the conclusion of the Hearing whether to reprimand, suspend or expel the Relevant Member from the Membership of the Club.
  • Every Relevant Member so summoned to a Hearing, who fails to appear at the Hearing, will be dealt with by the Disciplinary Committee in their absence and the Disciplinary Committee may at their entire discretion reprimand, suspend or expel the Relevant Member from the Membership of the club.
  • The Disciplinary Committee must give written reasons for its decision within seven days of the Hearing.
  • GENERAL MEETING

11.1     Annual General Meeting

11.1.1    An Annual General Meeting shall be held in the month of January in each calendar year, of which at least fourteen clear days’ notice shall be advised by means of a written or electronic communication and advised of the agenda.

11.1.2    All Members shall be entitled to attend Annual General Meetings and each such Member shall be entitled to move a resolution and cast one vote for each motion.

11.1.3    Associate Members may attend Annual General Meetings without voting power as expressed in these Rules. An Associate member who also holds a functioning role (eg minutes secretary) is entitled ex officio to attend and vote.

11.1.4    The retiring Club Chairman or Acting Chairman shall preside and ten Members present shall form a quorum.  Minutes shall be kept of all Annual General Meetings.

      Special General Meeting

 

  • A Special General Meeting shall be called by the Secretary:

11.2.1   Upon the discretion of the Management Committee.

11.2.2   On a requisition signed by one seventh of the Members such requisition must be accompanied by a statement of the object for which the Extraordinary General Meeting is to be called and such meeting shall be held within not less than fourteen days and not more than twenty one days from the date of receipt by the Honorary General Secretary of the requisition.

11.2.3   Notice of any Special General Meetings, together with the objects for which it is called, shall be posted on the Club notice boards and all Members advised by means of a written or electronic communication at least fourteen clear days prior to the date of the meeting.  No other business than that named shall be brought before or considered by a Special General Meeting.  The Club Chairman or Acting Chairman shall preside.  Minutes shall be kept of all Special General Meetings.

  1. APPLICATION OF PROPERTY

No money or property of the Club or any gain arising from the carrying on of the Club shall be applied otherwise than for the benefit of Eastleigh Walking Football Club as a whole or for some charitable or benevolent purpose.  Upon liquidation, the Club’s assets shall be given to Eastleigh Football Club.

  1. 13. CLUBMAN/WOMAN OF THE YEAR

The Management Committee shall annually decide who in their opinion (decided by a majority vote) which person or persons is/are worthy of the award of the Clubman/Woman Trophy or Trophies. Consideration of candidates and the winner shall be decided at monthly committee meetings with the final decision being taken ahead of the annual Christmas/presentation lunch, normally held during the month of December. The Trophy shall be returned to the Honorary General Secretary by 31st October of the following year.  The Club will cover the cost of suitably inscribing the Trophy annually.

  1. CLUB INSIGNIAS AND SPECIAL AWARDS

The award of the Club insignias and special awards shall be made at the discretion of the Management Committee and shall include the ability of the Management Committee to award life membership to deserving cases. Criteria for such awards will be decided from time to time by a majority vote of the Management Committee..

  1. REVISIONS OF RULES

No amendment or addition to these Rules shall be made except by resolution carried by at least two thirds of the Management Committee. Proposals for any revisions of the Rules by Members must be in writing duly signed by the proposer and seconder.  Such proposals to be lodged with the Secretary eight days prior to the Annual General Meeting.

  1. BYLAWS AND REGULATIONS

The Management Committee may from time to time make, agree and amend bylaws and regulations not inconsistent with these Rules for the regulations of the internal affairs of the Club and conduct of the Members.  All bylaws and regulations should, until repealed by the Management Committee, be binding on the Members of the Club.

  1. GENERAL

17.1        No Member or visitor shall improperly take away, injure or destroy any article, the property or the Club.

17.2        Any Member of the Management Committee shall have the power to order the withdrawal from Club property of any person or persons who misconduct themselves or contravene any of the Club Rules, bylaws or regulations.  Any Member of the Management Committee shall also have the power to refuse admission to any person or persons seeking entry onto Club property should, in their opinion, they consider the person or persons would endanger the good reputation and interests of good order of the Club.

Revised January 2024

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