Durham Women Supporters Club

Durham Women Supporters Club Constitution

1 Name and Constitution

The name of the group shall be for the purposes of this document Durham WSC.
The name of the football team we support for the purpose of this document is Durham WFC.
This constitution is currently Final 1.0
The name of the group has been decided upon and will be known as Durham Women Supporters Club.
The name of the football team we support has been decided upon and will be known as Durham Women Football Club.
The final version of the constitution has been decided upon, it will be published as the Final Constitution once accepted/agreed by the club. It will be signed by The Chairman, Secretary and 2 Committee Members.

2 Aims/Objectives

The aims of Durham WSC will be:

To set down and encourage the acceptance of standards of conduct to be observed by members of the Supporters Club.
To do all things that may be deemed necessary to facilitate the objectives of the Supporters Club and act in the best interests of our members.
To promote the interest of and provide facilities for the supporters of Durham WFC
Represent and campaign on behalf of Durham WFC supporters, on issues decided by the AGM and/or the Committee of the Association.
Increase the opportunities for Durham WFC supporters to express their active support of the Club
To promote and organize recreational activities, high quality services and mutual support among our members.
To investigate fund-raising ideas to further the aims of the Supporters Club.
To encourage participation of younger members of the Supporters Club.
To encourage friendly relations with supporters of all football clubs.
Affiliate to appropriate football supporters’ associations and encourage social activity between supporters of other football clubs.
To organise the support and encouragement of Durham WFC and support Durham WFC in their aims and objectives.
Offer financial input to Durham WFC, strictly from within the Supporters Club with money raised through a variety of fund-raising events.
To encourage closer links between players and supporters.
Establish and maintain channels of communication with the Directors and Management of Durham WFC.

3 Membership

Membership of the Supporters Club will be open to all ages.
Candidates for membership must not be subject to any football related ban or disciplinary action and agrees to be bound by these rules and the constitution.
Members under 18 years of age need to have the approval of a parent or guardian aged over 18 years.
Members will support the aims of Durham WFC and Durham WSC
Every candidate for membership will complete a membership form that will normally be accepted by the committee who will have absolute discretion for its acceptance and the issue of membership card and link to the constitution or the right to refuse the application.
If membership is refused, the committee will furnish the applicant with the reasons for rejection; the applicant will then have the right to appeal to the next Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting of the Supporters Club.
Membership will begin as soon as the membership application has been accept and approved, and first annual payment has been received.
There will be an annual membership fee which will be agreed/reviewed at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and will be payable by all members, electronically where possible.
The Group’s membership is open to all who support Durham WFC.
The Group is committed to fairness and equality for all regardless of their colour, race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, religion or belief.
No application will be approved unless acceptance of the rules is given and current membership fees are duly paid.
A list of all members and their details will be kept by the Supporters Club officials.
voting rights and any benefits of Group membership suspended until payment is made.
Membership ceases after the AGM each year.
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held by the month of July each year.
There will be one type of category of membership, namely full membership including all benefits.
Membership application forms can be obtained downloaded from the Supporters Club website, emailing or requesting from an officer
In the event of any member making payment for an event or the like and failing to appear any reimbursement sought will be at the discretion of the Supporters Club committee or a nominee of the committee.
If any payment made by a member is for any reason dishonoured upon presentation, then, in addition to making good any payment still due, the member concerned will be liable to meet any administrative or bank charges incurred in consequence of the cheque not being met at the first attempt.
No member may use the name or title of the Supporters Club without the authority of the members.
Other than travel arrangements made by members authorised for that purpose, no financial liability will be accepted by the Supporters Club for any transport arranged by the member or any group of members, nor will any such arrangements fall within the scope of any insurance cover arranged by the Supporters Club.

Ceasing to be a member

Members may resign at any time in writing to the secretary.
Any member who has not paid their membership fee for one year will be contacted by the committee, who will then decide whether that member is deemed to have resigned.
Any offensive behaviour, including racist, sexist or inflammatory remarks, will not be permitted.
Anyone behaving in an offensive way, breaking the equal opportunities policy or who’s behaviour is deemed to be detrimental to the aims of the club may be asked not to attend further meetings or to resign from the group. The individual concerned shall have the right to be heard by the management committee, accompanied by a friend, before a final decision is made.
The members shall have the power to reprimand, suspend or expel any member who shall infringe any rule or whose conduct shall, in their opinion, render him/her unfit for membership. Before any such suspension the member concerned shall be given the right to explain his or her conduct to the members.
A suspended member shall forfeit all rights of membership during suspension. No expelled or suspended member will be entitled to the return of any part of his or her membership fee.

4 Equal Opportunities

Durham WSC will not discriminate on the grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, sexuality, disability, religious or political belief, marital status or age.

5 Officers and Committee

The Supporters Club shall be governed by a Committee elected at the Annual General Meeting.
The Committee will consist of at least 5 members, and be composed of 3 officers and at least 2 committee members.
The committee shall appoint a Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and such other officers as they deem necessary, from amongst its elected members.
The Committee will meet as necessary and not less than four times a year.
To seek election of the Supporters Club Board, you must have been a Supporters Club member for a period of at least 12 months, however, the Supporters Club Board, can request members to seek election to the board, or co-opt them onto the board with the Membership agreement.
Nominations for election to the committee, proposed and seconded, can be made during or prior to the AGM.
Any Durham WSC member can apply to be elected to the committee.
Applicants for Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer must be proposed and seconded by two separate non-related members.
Voting shall be by a show of hands and all votes shall be recorded in person.
Any committee member not attending a meeting without apology for three months will be contacted by the committee and asked if they wish to resign.
Open meetings for all members will be held at least once a year.
The Committee shall have powers to fill any vacancy in their membership through co-option until the Annual General Meeting (AGM).
The committee may invite lay-persons to attend its meetings as either an observer or in an advisory capacity, this procedure is without voting powers.
No member of the Committee will be personally responsible for any expense of the Club.

The officers’ roles are as follows:

The Chairperson shall preside at all meetings.
They shall have a deliberate and a casting vote in all decisions.
In their absence the chair shall be filled by the Secretary, or failing them, a member appointed by the Committee members present at any such meeting

The Secretary, shall be responsible for the taking of minutes and be responsible for keeping records of members.
The Secretary will issue all notices calling meetings of the Group and Committee, and in general attend to all correspondence.
They will keep records of meetings and other correspondence, notes, requests etc. and store them accordingly.
They will make sure copies of Minutes are available to all Members in rotation with meetings.

The Treasurer shall keep correct records of all transactions in the Group funds; shall collect any membership fees and/or subscriptions; ensure that any monies collected are accounted for, issue receipts and/or any other form of confirmation of membership of the Group; ensure that the membership of any Group member who leaves the Group in any way (including expulsion) is rescinded.
They shall keep a bank account in the name of the Group, to be operated by any two from The Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer.
They shall submit a statement to the Committee at each Committee Meeting and at the end of the financial year shall close their books and prepare a statement of account inclusive of all receipts and expenditure to be presented to the AGM.
When it is deemed appropriate, the statement of account will be audited by an appropriate individual.
The Financial year will run from 1st June until 31st May each year

In the event of an officer standing down during the year a replacement will be elected by the next General Meeting of members.

Sub-committee

The committee may appoint sub-committees for special purposes.
When setting up sub committees the Committee shall determine its terms of reference, compositions and powers.
Sub-committees shall have a co-ordinator and a recorder.
Sub-committees shall have the power to co-opt additional persons as and when required.

6 General Meetings

General Meetings are open to all members and will be held at least once every 3 months or more often if necessary and at such times and places as shall be determined by the members, online if possible.

All members will be given two weeks’ notice of such a meeting, giving the venue, date, time and agenda, notice will be made electronically

The quorum for a General Meeting shall be 10% of the membership or 5 members, whichever is the greater number.

Actions at a general meeting will consist of but not restricted to

Chairman’s update.

Review of Club Correspondence.

Upcoming fixtures & events.

Minutes will be kept of proceedings at all meetings.

No meeting shall last more than 90 minutes

Questions arising at a meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes.

At any meeting, voting shall be by show of hands or by ballot paper, whichever procedure is deemed more suitable by the Chairman.

The Chairman shall have no vote at any meeting, except in the case of a tie.

7 Committee Meetings

We plan to hold Committee meetings at least once every two months or when deemed necessary by any committee member.
Committee meetings may be called by the Chair or Secretary.
Committee members must receive notice of meetings at least 7 days before the meeting.
The quorum for Committee meetings is three Committee members (one of which must be the Chairman or Secretary).
Minutes will be kept of proceedings at all meetings.
No meeting shall last more than 90 minutes
Committee meetings will consist of the elected committee members only and will contain
- Review of Club Correspondence.
- Chairman’s update.
- Upcoming fixtures & events.
Questions arising at a meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes.
At any meeting, voting shall be by show of hands or by ballot paper, whichever procedure is deemed more suitable by the Chairman.
The Chairman shall have no vote at any meeting, except in the case of a tie.
Members wishing to raise topics for discussions at Committee Meetings are required to submit discussion items, direct to the Supporters Club or to a member of the Committee, no later than 48 hours prior to the meeting.
The Committee will, at all times, act in the best interests of the Supporters Club and its members by:
- Canvassing the views of its membership.
- Representing the interests of its membership when dealing with DURHAM WFC.
- Organise social events for the enjoyment of its membership.

8 Annual General Meetings

An Annual General Meeting of the Supporters Club shall be held every calendar year
All members will be notified least 2 weeks before the date of the AGM, giving the venue, date and time.
The AGM shall be publicised at least 7 days in advance by website/email announcements.
The quorum for the AGM will be 50% of the membership or 10 members, whichever is the greater number.
Any items for the agenda will have to be submitted to the Committee Secretary in writing at least 14 days prior to the AGM.
Any proposals given to the Secretary at least 14 days in advance of the meeting will be discussed.
The meeting will be open to All members
The Chairman may invite any person to attend an Annual General or Special General Meetings in a non-voting capacity
Nominations for the committee may be made to the Secretary before the meeting.
Questions arising at a meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes..
Each fully paid up member shall have one vote at an AGM by show of hands or by private recorded vote, whichever the Chairman deems more suitable.
The Chairman shall have no vote at any meeting, except in the case of a tie.
The meeting will have reports on the activities of the previous year and discuss plans for the coming year
The meeting will have the Treasurers report including Current Bank Balance, Review of Incomings & Outgoings since the last meeting, expected upcoming expenditure and payments.
The meeting will discuss any changes to the constitution
The meeting will appoint or sanction the appointment of the committee of the Supporters Club for the next year
The chair, and officers of the committee shall hold office until the conclusion of the AGM

9 Special General Meeting

The purpose of an SGM is to deal with an urgent item of business that would normally only be dealt with at an AGM but for what-ever reason has arisen at some other time.
The Secretary will call a Special General Meeting at the request of the majority of the committee or at least eight other members giving a written request to the Chair or Secretary stating the reason for their request.
These reasons will then be stated in a notice to the full membership of the Group with 14 days notification of the SGM being given to Members.
The members will be notified of the date, time and venue of the SGM at least 1 week in advance
The meeting will take place within twenty-one days of the request.
Members will hold one vote at the SGM
The quorum for the Special General Meeting will be 10% of the membership or 5 adult members, whichever is the lower number
including Chair or Secretary.

10 Rules of Procedure

The Supporters Club shall have and shall adopt rules governing the day to day conduct of the Supporters Club and the rules and any amendments thereto shall not conflict with the provisions of this constitution and shall only be adopted or amended or repealed by at least 75% of the members present and entitled to vote at a General Meeting.
Amendments to the constitution shall only be made at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting.
A minimum of three committee members shall form a quorum at committee meetings and a minimum of all committee members and five ordinary members shall form a quorum at AGM
All questions that arise at any meeting will be discussed openly and the meeting will seek to find general agreement that everyone present can agree to.
If a consensus cannot be reached a vote will be taken and a decision will be made by a simple majority of members present.
Every matter, except where this constitution provides.

otherwise, shall be determined by a majority of members present voting. In the case of equal votes the chair of the meeting shall have the casting vote.

Minutes of all meetings including sub-committees shall be kept and formally adopted.
Raise a hand to speak
Do not interrupt someone speaking
Only matters relevant to the agenda will be discussed.

11 Finance

The Supporters Club shall, at all times, ensure that proper accounts are kept of all transactions connected with the activities of the Supporters Club.
The Supporters Club shall have a general account at a bank to be determined by the members.
All cheques drawn on that account shall bear at least two of the signatures of the Secretary, Treasurer and one other nominated member.
The signatories must not be related nor members of the same household.
All monies received by the Supporters Club shall be paid into such account.
For other payments (such as BACS payments, cash withdrawals, debit card payments or cash payments), a requisition note will be signed by two signatories, and held by the treasurer.
Separate accounts may be opened for specific purpose at the discretion of the members, provided that a minimum of two signatures is always required.
A record of all monies collected and paid out shall be kept by the treasurer. The Treasurer will balance the accounts for each meeting.
An annual statement of accounts shall be presented to the Annual General Meeting
All monies raised by the club will be spent solely on the objects laid out in the constitution
For the purposes of the Club Accounts, the Financial Year shall end on 31st May of each year.

12 Amendments to the Constitution

Any change to the constitution shall be at an AGM or a SGM.
Any proposal to amend the constitution must be given to the Secretary in writing.
The proposal must then be circulated with the notice of meeting.
Any proposal to amend the constitution will require a 75% majority of those present and entitled to vote.
Provided that the secretary has received such notice of any alteration in writing no less than 7 clear days before the meeting at which the alteration is proposed.
Any such amendment shall subsequently be adopted or amended or repealed at the next general meeting of the Supporters club.

13 Relationship with the Club

The Supporters Club is administratively and financially independent of the football club.
The committee will represent the views of the membership by means of meetings with members of football club committee and will report the results of those meetings to the members.
The Supporters Club will be represented by one or all of its officers at such meetings.

14 Complaints

All complaints must be made to the Secretary in writing.
Differences between members shall be referred to the Committee who shall have the power to deal with any complaint as they deem fit.

15 Dissolution

If a meeting, by simple majority, decides that it is necessary to close down the group it may call a Special General Meeting to do so, the sole business of this meeting will be to dissolve the group.
The members will be notified of the date, time and venue of the SGM at least 2 weeks in advance.
If it is agreed to dissolve the group all remaining money and other assets, once outstanding debts have been paid will be donated to selected local charitable organisations.
The organisations to be agreed at the meeting which agrees the dissolution

16 Other

The Supporters Club and its elected committee shall at all times adhere to the constitution and rules as approved by each AGM.
Any personal data including, but not limited to, membership details, must not be freely available. The said details must only be held by the person responsible for membership and not made available to ANY other party (GDPR).
No member may use the name, style or title of the Supporters Club without committee authority.
The committee has the power to elect a ‘Honorary President’ who will not be a member of the committee nor will he be an officer.
Any matter not covered by the above rules shall be dealt with by the members.
A full copy of the constitution is available to view on the Durham WSC website and can be made available in print by the secretary to members upon receipt of any such request.