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CONSTITUTION, RULES & REGULATIONS
1) NAME
The club shall be known as I.W.K.R.. All references hereinafter in this document to “The Club” shall mean I.W.K.R..
2) LOCATION
The Club shall be located at Blackrock Community Centre, Sandy Lane, Blackrock, Dundalk, Co. Louth or at any venue that shall be agreed upon by the club committee.
3) AFFILIATION
The Club shall be affiliated to the Irish Karate Advisory Board, which is the governing body for karate within the Irish Martial Arts Commission and shall adhere to and be governed by the Rules, Regulations, Laws and Constitution of the said associations.
4) AIMS, OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
The club shall endeavor to provide facilities for training, coaching and competition in karate in a sporting, friendly and fair manner for the benefit of its members.
5) MEMBERSHIP
5.1 Membership shall be open to all persons aged five years and upwards;
5.2 All applicants shall complete and sign an application for membership form and by appending their signature to this form shall signify their acceptance of, and commitment to, the constitution, rules and regulations of the club;
5.3 A parent or guardian shall also sign each application form together with any applicant aged under sixteen years, thereby signifying acceptance of, and commitment to, the constitution, rules and regulations of the club;
5.4 Incorrect information provided on an application form shall render the member liable to expulsion from the club. Any member expelled from the club is not entitled to a refund;
5.5 Any member may resign from the club by notifying the club secretary in writing;
5.6 Any coach can issue a written warning to any member for conduct that is deemed to be behaving in a manner that is disruptive, disrespectful or brings the name of the club into disrepute. Warnings can be issued for behavior during training at any other event that the member is representing the club or while traveling to/from any said event;
5.7 Any coach can suspend a member from the club provided the member has been given a written warning within the one year period preceding the suspension. Suspensions can be for any duration up to a maximum of one month;
5.8 The club committee shall have the right to expel any member provided the said member has been notified in writing a minimum of 21 days earlier and has been granted the opportunity to defend himself/herself before the committee and/or a general meeting of all club members. The decision of the meeting shall be notified to the member in writing within 7 days after the meeting. A member shall only be expelled by a committee meeting or general meeting provided there is at least a two-third majority in favour of the motion to expel;
5.9 The club registrar shall maintain a register of all members detailing name, address and date of birth;
5.10 Membership fee shall be set by the club committee and shall be payable annually in advance on the first day of January. Members joining during the year shall be liable for the full annual fee. Any person who has not paid his/her membership fee by 31st January annually may be expelled from the club, but may reapply for membership at any time;
6) OFFICERS / COMMITTEE
6.1 Each club member aged eighteen years and upwards shall have one vote;
6.2 A member aged under eighteen years shall have one vote. This vote can only be used by a parent or guardian of the member. Irrespective of the number of members aged under eighteen from the same family, their parent or guardian only has one vote.
6.3 To be a member of the committee, a person must be either a:
6.3.1 member of the club aged eighteen years or older;
6.3.2 parent of a member of the club, if the member is younger than eighteen
years.
6.4 The committee shall consist of a maximum of 15 members and a minimum of 5 members;
6.5 The size and composition of the committee and the election of officers shall be decided by a majority vote at the clubs Annual General Meeting;
6.6 The committee shall meet at such time and place as the committee members decide;
6.7 The officer members of the club shall be Chairperson, Secretary/Club Registrar, Treasurer, Public Relations Officer, Child Officer and any other positions as shall be agreed at any Annual General Meeting;
6.8 If the Chairperson is absent, the members present shall elect a chairperson for the particular meeting;
6.9 All officers and committee members shall serve for one year but may offer themselves for re-election;
6.10 Fifty percent of the committee officer members shall constitute a quorum. If at fifteen minutes after the stated time of commencement of the meeting a quorum cannot be constituted, the meeting shall be adjourned for seven days. If a quorum cannot be constituted at fifteen minutes after the stated time of commencement of the reconvened meeting, those members present shall constitute a quorum;
6.11 The club committee shall be responsible for all the administrative and financial activities of the club and have control of all the clubs assets;
6.12 Any committee member who is absent from three consecutive committee meetings without a reason which is deemed to be acceptable by the committee shall be replaced by co-opting a club member to fill the vacancy. This co-opting procedure shall also be used to fill vacancies caused by resignations or death. Members co-opted on to the committee shall serve only for the unexpired time of the year in question;
6.13 All decisions taken by the club committee shall be by majority vote with the chairperson having the casting vote;
6.14 All payments, withdrawals and cheques on the club’s accounts with financial institutions shall be signed by either the Chairperson, Secretary or Treasurer.
7) SUB-COMMITTEES
7.1 The committee shall have the right to create sub-committees to deal with specific tasks;
7.2 A sub-committee can only be created if by majority vote of the committee members present;
7.3 Once created, a sub-committee will expire either by:
7.3.1 dissolving itself;
7.3.2 majority vote of the committee members present at a committee meeting;
7.3.3 at the end of the year in which it was created.
7.4 A sub-committee may be re-created after it has expired;
7.5 The chairperson of all sub-committees must be either a:
7.5.1 member of the club aged eighteen years or older;
7.5.2 parent of a member of the club, if the member is younger than eighteen
years.
7.6 The non officer members of any sub-committee must be either a:
7.6.1 member of the club aged eighteen years or older;
7.6.2 parent of a member of the club, if the member is younger than eighteen
years.
7.7 It is the duty of the Chairperson of any sub-committee to report to the committee.
8) ANNUAL/EMERGENCY GENERAL MEETINGS
8.1 An Annual General Meeting shall be held each January at which the
following business shall be transacted:
8.1.1 Adoption of Annual Report of the Club Committee;
8.1.2 Adoption of the Club Annual Financial Statement;
8.1.3 Election of Officers and Committee members;
8.1.4 Chairperson’s Statement of Intent for the coming year;
8.1.5 Discussion and vote on all motions submitted by members.
8.2 Motions shall be passed or defeated on a simple majority vote by those present with the chairperson having a casting vote. Voting shall be by way of a show of hands;
8.3 All motions shall be submitted by a club member in writing to the Club Secretary at least seven days prior to date of the Annual General Meeting;
8.4 An Emergency General Meeting shall be called if deemed appropriate or necessary by the Club Committee or on receipt of a written request by the Club Secretary signed by a minimum of twenty percent of club members. The said written request shall clearly detail the purpose for which the meeting is called;
8.5 The Club Secretary shall give Fourteen days notice of all General Meetings in writing or verbally to all members. An announcement at training is acceptable as a verbal notification. This notice shall detail time, date and place of the meeting and all business to transacted at the meeting;
8.6 At any Emergency General Meeting eighty percent of the club officer members shall constitute a quorum. If at fifteen minutes after the stated time of the meeting, a quorum can not be constituted, the meeting shall be adjourned for seven days. If at fifteen minutes after the time of the reconvened meeting a quorum cannot be constituted, the members present shall constitute a quorum;
8.7 Deletions, additions or alterations to the club’s rules and regulations and constitution shall only be made at an Annual General Meeting or an Emergency General Meeting.
9) TRAINING, COACHING AND COMPETITION
9.1 Training clothing and training footwear shall be worn at training and coaching sessions;
9.2 A white karate gi must be worn when representing the club in competition as a team member or as an individual;
9.3 A karate gi should be worn at training and coaching sessions. New members to the club shall be given a two month grace period from this rule;
9.4 Club tracksuits should be worn to/from tournaments by competitors and coaches;
9.5 Official uniforms should be worn by all club officials when representing the club in tournaments;
9.6 Training fees as determined by the committee shall be paid prior to each training session;
9.7 Members aged under sixteen years shall not leave the designated training area without permission of a supervisor or coach;
9.8 Reasonable effort shall be made to ensure that at all training and coaching sessions and competitions where club members aged under sixteen years are present there shall be a minimum of two adults present in a coaching or supervisory role.