November 22nd 2023

Constitution of Clonmel Athletic Club

Name.
Aims and Objectives.
Membership.
Management of the Club.
Management Committee Roles Definition.

5.1. Role of the Chairperson.

5.2. Role of the Vice Chairperson.

5.3. Role of the Secretary.

5.4. Role of the Treasurer

5.5. Role of the Registrar/Competitions Secretary.

5.6. Role of the Child Welfare Officers.

5.7. Role of the Public Relations Officer

5.8. Role of the Coaching & Development Officer

Finance.
Annual General Meetings and Extraordinary General Meetings.

7.1. Annual General Meeting (AGM)

7.23. Extraordinary General Meeting.

Disciplinary & Complaints Procedure.
Dissolution.
Version History.

1. Name

The club will be known as Clonmel Athletic Club and will be affiliated to the Tipperary County Board and the Munster Provincial Council of the Athletic Association of Ireland.

The club will be further affiliated to the Athletic Association of Ireland (hereinafter referred to as Athletics Ireland or AI) or its successor, the internationally recognised body which oversees athletics in Ireland.

All club members including committee members, coaches and volunteers shall register annually with the parent association, Athletics Ireland, and will be subject to its rules and regulations.

2. Aims and Objectives

To foster the development of Track and Field Athletics, Road Running, Race Walking, Cross Country Running, Trail Running, Mountain Running and Ultra Distance Running (all collectively hereinafter called “Athletics”) and associated disciplines in Clonmel and surrounding areas.
To assist, through athletics, each member of Clonmel Athletic Club to reach their full potential, physically and mentally, in an atmosphere of friendship, co-operation, fairness, equal opportunity and safety.

3. Membership

All members will be subject to the regulations of the constitution and by joining the club will be deemed to have accepted these regulations and codes of conduct that the club has adopted. All members will be registered with Athletics Ireland.
Membership of the club shall be open to active athletes, aged 7 years and above, and any other such persons that can assist in the promotion of athletics and the development of the club.
Membership fees will be set annually and agreed by the members at the Annual General Meeting. Payment of the requested fee agreed at the AGM is required before the end of January each year unless agreement is reached with the Treasurer for payment by arrangement otherwise. For new members, membership must be paid within 3 weeks of their first Club training session.
Membership is a contract between the club and the athlete. The athlete commits to train to the best of their ability and will endeavour to compete for the club when requested. The athlete further commits to promote the club by wearing official club gear at races whenever possible and to assist, when requested, in the running of club activities. The club commits to supporting the athlete to achieve their potential, and their enjoyment of athletics, by providing appropriate facilities and coaching supports.
Transfer applications from Clonmel Athletic Club will be dealt with at the Management meeting and submitted to the County Board subject to the rules of Athletics Ireland. No transfer will be accepted or approved if there is any financial liability outstanding. All transfers need to be ratified by the Management Committee.
Liability of Clonmel Athletic Club will not be the liability of the Management Committee but will be the liability of all its members.
Members and athletes are bound by the Code of Conduct which is presented and accepted on the online membership registration portal.
Membership can be terminated in exceptional circumstances. Members who have their membership so terminated, have the right to appeal.
Members must always act for the good of the club and in the best interests of Clonmel Athletic Club.

4. Management of the Club

A Management Committee consisting of elected members will manage the club on a day-to-day basis on behalf of the membership. The Management Committee shall comprise of a maximum of 13 positions as follows:

Chairperson
Vice Chairperson
Secretary
Treasurer
Registrar/Competitions Secretary
Child Welfare Officer (Female)
Child Welfare Officer (Male)
Public Relations Officer
Coaching & Development Officer
Committee Member x 4

The duties of the Management Committee will include the following:

Manage the day-to-day operation of the club.
Enhance the club’s activities by adopting proper policies and practices.
Oversee optimal usage of club resources.
Develop and implement policies (Safeguarding, Health & Safety, Code of Conduct etc).
Create and implement development strategies.
Appoint and develop Coaches to meet members’ needs.
Oversee the disciplinary process.

It is possible to delegate some decision making to one or more subcommittees, but it should be used in an advisory capacity as the management committee will still be responsible for the decisions of the subcommittee. The procedures, responsibilities, and limits of authority of any subcommittees should be set out and agreed by the Management Committee before the subcommittee is formed.

Only paid-up members can seek election to the Management Committee. To be eligible for membership of the Management Committee one must have been a continuous member, in good standing, for the preceding year and be 17 years of age and over.
A minimum of 5 committee positions must be elected at the AGM for a properly constituted Management Committee to be formed.
The Management Committee, thereby formed, shall seek to fill the vacant positions, up to the maximum of 13, at a subsequent Management Committee meeting.
Members, in attendance at the AGM, who may be interested in being co-opted to the Management Committee may put their names forward for consideration, but a final decision can only be made by a valid Management Committee meeting.
Co-opted Management Committee members must be fully paid-up members, aged 17 years of age and over. The stipulation to be a continuous member for the preceding year does not apply.
Should the AGM fail to elect the minimum of 5 committee positions, the AGM should be adjourned and the nomination process should begin again for consideration at a subsequently re-convened AGM.
For a Management Committee meeting to be held, a quorum of 5 must attend.
No member of the Management Committee may serve more than three consecutive terms in the same role. Such a committee member, having served three consecutive terms in one role, is however, eligible to seek election to an alternative position on the Management Committee. This stipulation does not prevent the said member from seeking election to the previously precluded position, once a one-year hiatus has been observed.
The Management Committee will have the power to appoint different sub-committees and to approve membership of each sub-committee.
The Management Committee retains the power to veto any decisions of the subcommittee where approval was not sought in advance.
The chairperson of such sub-committees must always be a member of the Management Committee.
The other members of the sub-committee may be drawn from other Management Committee members or the ranks of members or non-members where appropriate.
Management meetings shall take place monthly but at least eight times per year.
The only vote that the Chairman has is the casting vote.
If, for any reason, the Membership of the Committee falls below the maximum of 13, the Management Committee has the power to co-opt additional members from the Registered Membership. This Co-option will take place at a subsequent Management Committee Meeting.
The Management Committee must ensure a Register of current paid up members is maintained and is available for examination at any AGM or EGM.
Minutes of the previous meeting and Agenda of upcoming meeting to be issued to all Management Committee members at least 24 hours before upcoming meeting.
The Management Committee may request a member, aged 17 and over, to act on its behalf in any forum.
It will be the responsibility of the Management Committee to secure funding for Clonmel Athletic Club from all available sources.
It will be the responsibility of the Management Committee to formally ratify the coaches and coaching assistants at the start of each year, and throughout the year as necessary, to ensure club officials have the appropriate qualifications, and to ensure adherence to vetting and safeguarding requirements.

5. Management Committee Roles Definition

5.1. Role of the Chairperson

The role of the Chairperson is to manage the club in an efficient and effective manner, while always keeping in mind the club constitution. They have overall control, giving direction, keeping focus, and providing guidance. The chairperson should be elected at the AGM.
At meetings, the Chairperson takes charge of the meetings and ensures that those present are heard in a fair and equal manner.
chair committee meetings and AGMs.
assist committee members with their roles and responsibilities.
ambassador/spokesperson for the club.
may need to act as mediator.
The Chairperson also gives the Chairperson’s addresses at EGMs, AGMs and any function organised by the club.
Only where a vote is tied does the Chairperson have a casting vote.
In a case where the Chairperson has a specific interest, the Vice Chairperson takes over this role.
The Chairperson may have a role in relation to correspondence of a strictly personal and confidential nature.
The Chairperson is one of the officers who can sign cheques, this is their only function in relation to finances.

5.2. Role of the Vice Chairperson

In the absence of the Chairperson, the Vice Chairperson assumes their duties and responsibilities.
The Vice Chairperson may also assume the duties where the Chairperson has a specific interest in a matter.

5.3. Role of the Secretary

The efficiency of the club will greatly depend on the efficiency of the secretary to carry out the duties of the role.
The Secretary is the mediator between Club Committee and everybody else.
All the written communication that the club receives will go to the Club Secretary.
To ensure optimal efficiency, appropriate measures should be put in place to deal with this communication.
The Secretary, as the first point of contact for most enquiries, is responsible for the club phone.
The Secretary organises meetings and writes/distributes minutes.
Advise club administrators on issues of confidentiality, record keeping and data protection.
The Secretary is one of the officers who can sign cheques, this is their only function in relation to finances.

5.4. Role of the Treasurer

The primary responsibility of the Treasurer is to maintain strict financial records of all incoming and outgoing monies in accordance with normal accounting procedures.
manage all income and expenditure, including banking arrangements.
Ensure renewal of Lotto licence and manage other such legal requirements where necessary.
reports regularly to the committee/chairperson on the club’s financial status.
prepares/presents financial year end report to AGM.
Implement a Financial Plan to ensure best use of club funds for members’ benefit.
financial planning and monitoring throughout the year.
Identify and exploit any opportunities for grant aid/funding from any available sources.
The Treasurer can sign for necessary, receipted expenditure for the running of the club up to 1,000 Euro. Any expenditure greater than 1,000 Euro must be pre-approved by the Management Committee.
The Treasurer is a mandatory signatory/authoriser of cheques/bank transfers for club expenditure.

5.5. Role of the Registrar/Competitions Secretary

The Registrar is responsible for the online Club Membership/Registration portal.
The Registrar deals with any queries/difficulties that existing or prospective members may have with registration.
Keeping up to date records of members and amends details online as required
The Registrar also manages competition entries and ensures that athletes who wish to compete in championship events are entered in a timely manner on the online entry platform.
The Registrar reports to the Management Committee on a periodic basis, on the composition of the club membership
At the Annual General Meeting, the Registrar provides a member report to ensure that all attendees are entitled to attend and/or vote.

5.6. Role of the Child Welfare Officers

The Child Welfare Officers are responsible for ensuring that the club adheres to best practice in relation to all child protection matters and the safeguarding of young people.
The Child Welfare Officers will review child safeguarding policies and procedures annually, and more frequently where necessary, to ensure adherence to any new guidelines and compliance with any legislative changes or national policy amendments.
Ensure that Clonmel Athletic Club has an up-to-date Child Safeguarding Statement that is available for all young people and their parent(s)/Guardians.
Act as the Designated Liaison Persons to whom any person can raise a child protection concern.
Ensure Safe Recruitment Guidelines are followed including Garda Vetting and acceptable references are obtained.
Ensure that all activities are safe, fun, and conducted in a spirit of fair play and inclusion for all.

5.7. Role of the Public Relations Officer

The PRO is responsible for the promotion of the club and its members’ achievements.
Provide regular updates as to club activity in local media.
Advertising for members.
Ensuring results of competitions are given to the local papers and radio.
Manage the club website, newsletter, and social media.
Keep the County Board informed of club activity.
Positive appropriate promotion regularly in every possible way.
Establish promotional plans/strategies to assist in attracting new members and promoting athletics in general.

5.8. Role of the Coaching & Development Officer

The Coaching Officer will liaise and coordinate with the club coaches and Regional Development Officer.
Act as chair of a coaching & development subcommittee.
Ensure all coaches have access to the appropriate courses to develop themselves as coaches.
Maintain listing of all club coaches and their qualifications.
Work with club coaches to ensure all members have equal access to the appropriate training plans and resources to aid their developments as athletes.
Work with the committee to implement a Strategic Plan to ensure the continued development of the club.
Suggest such events and/or strategies that will increase the statute of the club locally and nationally.
Engagement with local schools and institutions to better promote the services the club can offer.

6. Finance

- The day-to-day funding of the Athletic Club is to be funded by the annual subscription fees as agreed at the AGM as well as other fund-raising activities agreed by the Management Committee. The Membership fee covers Registrations and Insurance.
- It will be the responsibility of the Management Committee to secure funding for Clonmel Athletic Club from the Lotto, County Council, Sports Capital Funding programs or any other available sources.
- All club monies will be banked in an account held in the name of the club.
- The Club Treasurer will be responsible for the finances of the club.
- The financial statements of the club will be prepared up to a date in advance of the AGM.
- A statement of annual accounts will be presented by the Treasurer at the Annual General Meeting.
- Any cheques drawn against club funds should hold the signatures of the Treasurer plus one of Chairperson or Secretary.
- No expenditure greater than 1,000 Euros can be spent without the approval of the Management Committee. Where expenditure for the club is over 5,000 Euro, tenders should be obtained from at least three suppliers unless there is only one specialist supplier, where practical.
- The Club may not borrow more than a sum, equal to the total membership subscription income from the previous year, without seeking the approval of the majority of its members at an AGM or an EGM. Full details of the proposed expenditure must be given to the membership.
- The membership, not the Management Committee, carries the joint liability for any funding borrowed.

7. Annual General Meetings and Extraordinary General Meeting

7.1. Annual General Meeting (AGM)

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the club will typically be held each year in December. The Management Committee will decide the date and venue. 21 fully paid up members must be in attendance to form a properly constituted meeting.
In exceptional cases the AGM may be held virtually. Where public health advice or government regulations precludes members from being in physical attendance in one location, a virtual meeting may be held subject to adherence to all other provisions of this constitution.
Members will be notified at least 21 days in advance of the AGM. The Secretary will notify members through the appropriate and commonly used communication channels. The notification will include documentation for submission of Motions and Nominations.
Motions and Nominations must be returned to the Secretary 10 days before the AGM.
The Agenda for an AGM, and minutes of previous AGM, should be circulated to all paid up members 7 days before the date convened. Details of any Proposed Motions must also be circulated in this timeframe.
The Agenda of the AGM should include:

Welcoming address by the Chairman
Standing Orders and scrutiny of delegates
Minutes of the last AGM
Matters arising from the minutes
Reports of Officers
Approval of Financial Statement and setting of subscriptions and fees
Reports of any EGM held
Amendments to the Constitution
Motions for debate
Nominations for Election to the Management Committee
AOB

Any paid-up Registered Member may propose an Amendment to the Constitution or a motion once the motion is seconded by another Registered paid-up member. These should be notified in writing at least ten days before the AGM to allow the Secretary to copy them and to circulate them to all paid up members.
Any paid-up member may propose or second another member for any post on the Management Committee, subject to section 4.1 of this constitution.
The Proposer and Seconder of any Motions and/or Nominations must be present in person at the AGM, or the Motion or Nomination will be deemed to be invalid and will therefore be removed for consideration at the AGM.
All members, 16 years of age and older, who are fully registered and paid up by before the 1st of November prior to the AGM, are eligible to vote.
All members, 15 years of age and under, who are fully registered and paid up by before the 1st of November prior to the AGM, may be represented by a parent/guardian who may vote on their behalf by proxy.
Only one proxy per family/household is allowed.
Each person in attendance at the AGM has only one vote and cannot vote as both a paid-up member and a proxy holder.
All members who are fully registered and paid up on, or after, the 1st of November prior to the AGM may attend, in the case of those 16 years of age and older or have a parent/guardian attend, in the case of those 15 years of age and under, but are not entitled to vote.
At any properly constituted meeting of members or Management Committee, all decisions/motions are passed by simple majority of those in attendance, unless where otherwise indicated. In the case of a tied vote the Chairperson has the casting vote.
A secret ballot will take place where there in one or more nominations for a position or where there are more than the required number seeking to go on the Management Committee.
All recordings related to the meetings and correspondences remain the property of Clonmel Athletic Club and should be held by the Secretary. An outgoing Secretary hands these over to the incoming Secretary after the AGM.
All financial records, similarly, remain the property of Clonmel Athletic Club and are held by the Treasurer and an outgoing Treasurer hands these over to an incoming Treasurer after the AGM.
The outgoing Management Committee should endeavour to ensure that full knowledge transfer, to the newly elected Management Committee, takes place, for the continued smooth running of the club.
The outgoing Management Committee falls at the end of an AGM as do any sub-committees.
Club records should be held for 6 years.

7.23. Extraordinary General Meeting

Any 4 members of the Management Committee can call an EGM or 15 signed up and paid-up members, aged 16 years of age or older. Fully paid-up members, aged 15 and under, may be represented by their parent/guardian by proxy for the purposes of calling an EGM and such nominations will have the same weight as non-Management Committee signatories. The request for EGM must be signed by all parties (4 or 15 as appropriate) and must include, in their application for an EGM, the reason for the request.
Club records should be held for 6 years.
Any request for such a meeting must include copies of any proposed amendments to the Constitution or any motions, signed, proposed, and seconded in line with the stipulations of section 7.24 of this constitution.
Members will be notified a minimum of 7 days in advance of an EGM, but all efforts will be made to extend 21 days’ notice, as per AGM.
Where the Management Committee believe the request for an EGM pertains to a topic of immediate urgency, 7 days’ notice will be given to members. This is expected to be used in exceptional cases only, with 21 days’ notice the standard notice period.
The members requesting the EGM can document their requirement for an urgent meeting, but the Management Committee will make the final decision and will seek to always extend 21 days’ notice where possible.
All registered and paid-up members are entitled to attend and vote at an EGM. 21 fully paid up members must be in attendance to form a properly constituted meeting.

8. Disciplinary & Complaints Procedure

- The Management Committee shall have the power to make rules governing the conduct of the club.
- Such rules shall be binding on membership.
- All complaints will be investigated and dealt with by the Management Committee
- The club will endeavour to provide a fair complaints procedure with timely reporting on the outcomes.
- The principal steps in the procedure are as follows:

Complaint is received by the Secretary or Child Welfare Officer.
Member against whom the complaint is made should be informed of the nature of the complaint being made against them as soon as practical after the complaint has been received by the club.
A Disciplinary committee should be formed which typically comprises the Chairperson and two other Management Committee members as selected by the Chairperson.
The Chairperson will recuse themselves, and Committee nominees may refuse appointment, where there is a conflict of interest. Alternative committee members should then be sought from the Management Committee in the first instance, and subsequently, the general membership if necessary.
All complaints should be handled with sensitivity and with due consideration for the complainant and the necessity for confidentiality.
The Disciplinary Committee shall meet and review the complaint and discuss separately with the complainant and the accused member. This should be done within 10 working days where practical. At all times, the expected timelines and process steps should be communicated to the parties involved.
Once a decision has been reached it must be communicated to the parties involved.
Where a sanction is to be imposed, the disciplinary committee should notify the member in writing, setting out the reasons for such a decision.
The member has a right to appeal any decisions to an Appeals Committee, independent of the disciplinary committee. Any appeal should be made in writing within 10 working days of the decision.
The chairperson of the Appeals Committee should be a member of the Management Committee, along with two other members from the Management Committee or ordinary members where necessary.
No member of the Appeals Committee should have served on the Disciplinary Committee.
The Appeals Committee has the power to confirm, set aside, or change any sanction imposed by the Disciplinary Committee.
Should the complainant not be happy with the outcome of the Disciplinary and Appeals process, they can escalate their complaint, in sequence, to the Tipperary County Board, the Munster Provincial Council and ultimately, to the National Governing body, Athletics Ireland.

9. Dissolution

- Clonmel Athletic Club can be dissolved if a motion to that effect is proposed at an AGM, EGM subject to two thirds of the total membership being in attendance and subject to the motion being passed by two thirds of the attendance at the meeting.
- The assets of Clonmel Athletic Club as well as any monies remaining will be disposed of, to other similar clubs in the area, with similar objectives, as agreed by a majority at that meeting.
- Any outstanding debts are the responsibility of the membership, and it falls to them to decide how to clear them and to do so.

10. Version History

Date	Version	Description	Author/Reviewer
12.11.2023	1.0	Initial draft	Nigel O’Flaherty
16.11.2023	1.1	Update after committee discussion and ratification at EGM 22.11.23	Nigel O’Flaherty
05.01.2024	1.2	Updated for Motions passed at AGM 18.12.2023	Nigel O’Flaherty