Rules and Constitution

Constitution April 2024

l. NAME

1.1 The name of the Association shall be ‘Long Itchington Tennis Courts Association’.

2. OBJECTS

2.1 The objects of the Association shall be to provide facilities for and to promote the game of tennis within the community and on the community courts in Long Itchington.

2.2 ‘Providing facilities’ shall include the funding of maintenance and improvement of the existing facilities and the funding of additional facilities that are considered commensurate with the promotion of the game of tennis within the community.

2.3 ‘Promotion’ shall include amongst other things distribution of literature, attendance at community events and interaction with other community organisations in order to raise awareness of the Association and its Object, and may include the distribution of merchandise promoting the Association as part of fundraising for the provision of facilities or further promotion.

3. MEMBERSHIP AND USE

3.1 The Association will accept as key holders :

a. Any member of the Parish of Long Itchington and families with pupils at Long Itchington Primary School.

b. Other users will be accepted at the discretion of the Association committee. Discretionary users shall not form more than 10% of the key holding members.

3.2 Membership shall be open to anyone in categories a. and b. above regardless of sex, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or other beliefs subject only to a maximum membership set by the Committee according to the constraints imposed by the facilities. Where such a limit is set priority will be given to those in category a. Where there are still more potential members than the maximum set, the Committee will select members on a non discriminatory basis.

3.3 There are no requirements for standards of play and the Association encourages any and all members to use the facilities provided to play tennis whenever the courts are available.

3.4 The Association committee shall have the right to refuse to accept membership or to refuse the continued use of the courts, either temporarily or permanently, to anyone for good cause, for example, poor conduct or character likely to bring the Association into disrepute, damage to Association facilities or equipment, appropriation or misuse of Association assets, breach of Association Rules, poor behaviour towards other members or discrimination.

3.5 Appeals against such refusals may be made in writing to the Committee and those appeals shall be put to the membership at an AGM or EGM. Membership shall not be allowed pending appeal.

3.6 In Addition to Membership all pupils of Long Itchington Primary School shall be entitled to full use of the courts under supervision of the Long Itchington Primary School teaching staff during the school day.

4. REGISTRATION

4.1 The Association shall be registered with and affiliated to such bodies that the Association committee deems appropriate.

5. MANAGEMENT

5.1 During school times management and control of the tennis courts shall be operated by the Association Committee in close co-operation with the Long Itchington Primary School Head Teacher.

5.2 Out of school times the management and control of the courts shall be the responsibility of the Association Committee alone.

6. LEASE

6.1 The Association has a lease signed with the Warwickshire County Council (the Landlord) that governs the terms under which the Association must use, maintain, protect, improve, or otherwise change the Tennis Courts adjacent to the Community Centre in Long Itchington.

7. ASSOCIATION COMMITTEE

7.1 Composition - There shall be a committee of not less than 3 adults and no more than 12 persons.

7.2 The Committee shall be elected annually from the association membership.

7.3 The courts will be operated by the Committee, which will consist as a minimum of:

a. Chairman

b. Secretary

c. Treasurer

The following roles are available on the Committee. An individual may fulfil one or more roles:-

d. Membership Secretary

e. Coaching and Development

f. Junior Committee Representative

g. Affiliation Secretary

h. Welfare Officer

i. Social Secretary

j. Maintenance Officer

7.4 The following special role is a requirement of the Landlord:-

k. ‘Trustee’ for the purpose of providing a named interface between the Committee and the landlord on matters concerning the lease. Two trustees will be appointed. A ‘Trustee’ will remain in place for the duration of the lease unless and until that ‘Trustee’ is unable or unwilling to continue, leaves the Association or the immediate area. The Committee may remove him or her if in the reasonable opinion of the Committee, the Trustee acts or fails to act in a manner which is inappropriate to the role. In the event that a ‘Trustee’ is no longer fulfilling the role, the Committee will seek to find a replacement, and will inform the Landlord of the fact and the name of any replacement ‘Trustee’.

7.5 Duties of the Committee shall include:

a. The Rules and policies of the Association

b. Finance, insurance, fabric, equipment & other properties of the Association

c. Structure and cost of membership

d. Organisation and promotion of events competitions and teams

e. Operation of the tennis courts booking system

f. Maintain an up to date Child Protection Policy

g. Maintain an up to date Accident Reporting Procedure

h. Compliance with all regulations, obligations, and other instructions issued from time to time by the various bodies with which the Association is affiliated, or that it is obliged by law to implement

i. Adherence to the terms of the Lease

7.6 Procedures:

a. The Committee shall meet not less than 4 times a year.

b. One of these meetings shall be the A.G.M. held in the Spring.

c. The A.G.M. shall transact the following business Receive the annual reports & statement of accounts

Elect a Chair, Secretary and Treasurer
Appoint an Honorary Auditor
Elect committee members

d. The committee shall have the power to fill vacancies during the year.

e. Any decision made by the committee or any event that requires action under the terms of the lease, including giving notice to the Landlord, shall be communicated to the ‘Trustees’ and the Landlord at an appropriate time.

f. A quorum shall be 3 members. ‘Trustees’ need not attend Committee meetings although they will be invited to do so if appropriate.

g. Not less than 7 days notice shall be given for all meetings.

h. A comprehensive system of accounts shall be kept, audited and a statement of accounts shall be presented at the A:G.M.

8 FEES AND USE OF FEES

8.1 Members (or the Key holder in the case of Family Members) shall pay a subscription Fee annually. Subscriptions to the Warwickshire LTA will be collected with the Fee and all members are required to pay the Subscription.

8.2 Fees shall be set at such a level that does not pose a significant obstacle to membership such that most members of the community are able to afford to join.

8.3 Fees shall be employed for the objects listed in clause 2 including any reasonable costs associated with coaching, training and attendance at meetings of bodies with which the Association is registered or recognised and any similar uses that the Committee approves.

8.4 The Association may make donations to other Community organisations that are charitable in nature and/or supportive of the local community and are non profit making.

8.5 The Association may at the Committee’s discretion reimburse travel and other costs for members attending matches or games with other tennis organisations where those members would not otherwise be able to attend.

8.6 The Association is an amateur organisation and shall not pay any member to play or provide prizes of any significant value such that the value of any prize is commensurate with amateur participation in Tennis.

8.7 Any surplus funds shall be retained for future use against the stated Objects, including the provision of a sinking fund for future refurbishment, replacement and enhancement of facilities and equipment, and shall not be distributed to members or third parties.

9 DISSOLUTION / TERMINATION OF THE ASSOCIATION

9.1 The decision upon dissolution will be taken at a formally called EGM and by majority vote of the attendees, together with any proxy votes.

9.2 Whether voluntary dissolution or otherwise, and after discharging all debts and liabilities of the Association, any remaining assets shall not be paid to or distributed amongst the Members but shall be given or transferred to some other Charity or Community Amateur Sports Club having objectives similar to those of the Association. The Association Committee will decide upon the disposal of such assets after due consultation and consideration.

10 ASSOCIATION LIABILITIES

10.1 Liabilities are joint and several for all Members.

10.2 All Members shall be notified by the Association in writing requesting them to read a copy of the Constitution and requesting them to pay their subscription and to sign and to deliver to the Membership Secretary a form, or if an existing member a renewal form, to the following effect “On being elected a member of the Association, I agree to be bound by all conditions of the Constitution and any pertinent Rules which I acknowledge that I have read”.

10.3 No Member shall enjoy any benefits or privileges of the Association until such payment shall have been made and such form duly signed and returned. If such payment is not made and such form not signed and returned within one calendar month of the notice, the membership shall be absolutely void unless the Member shall show sufficient cause for such delay to the satisfaction of the Committee.

10.4 Any person who ceases to be a Member from whatever cause, shall at once forfeit and lose all interest in or claim upon the Association and its property but shall not be freed from any liability incurred during their membership.

10.5 For the avoidance of doubt the Association intends that a ‘Trustee’ shall have no additional

liability than any other member.

11 ALTERATIONS

11.1 Clauses of the constitution may only be altered by the committee at the A.G.M. or at an extraordinary general meeting. Once adopted at an AGM or EGM, the latest version of the Constitution replaces all previous versions.

11.2 The Associations Rules may be altered by the Committee at any Committee meeting. Once altered by the Committee the new Rules shall come into effect immediately, and shall replace all previous versions. If there is a conflict between the Rules and the Constitution, the Constitution shall prevail.

11.3 Any alteration to the Constitution or Rules made by the Committee between AGMs shall be displayed on the notice board at the courts and/or distributed to the members. The current Constitution and Rules shall be distributed with membership forms (new or renewal) in paper or electronic format, and shall be sent to the HMRC to update CASC registration.

The Association’s Rules April 2024

12 USE OF THE COURTS

12.1 Persons using the courts do so entirely at their own risk. The Association is not liable for injury or loss to persons or property. The insurance paid for in the membership charge is for public liability. Personal Insurance is the responsibility of individual members.

13 ACCIDENTS

13.1 Any accident on the courts must be recorded on an Accident Form. These are kept in the storage unit behind the wall. The completed form must be delivered to William McCracken, the Welfare Officer, at 2 The Limes, Church Road, CV47 9PG, within 7 days of the accident. Further details are on the Notice Board.

14 VISITORS

14.1 Anybody who is not a member will be welcome to play with a member for a fee of £2.00 but they must not play more than 3 times a year without becoming a member. On becoming a member these payments will be refunded. Also non-members taking part in coaching or events must pay the guest fee per session. These fees should be collected each time by the key holder from the guests and given to the Treasurer.

15 FEES

15.1 Membership fees shall be reviewed annually. Fees are payable on 1 April to the Membership Secretary. A court key will be issued upon receipt of Fees and a key deposit. Keys will be changed regularly. Members are responsible for locking the courts storage unit and gates to car park after use. A replacement key will cost £11.00 if the assigned key is lost. The keys are bought under licence to prevent copying.

15.2 There shall be at least the following categories of new membership:Adult Family Junior (18 or under on the 1st April) Full time Student.

16 PLAYING TIMES

16.1 Members are entitled to use the courts at all available times except when they are being used by the school during the school day or at other times agreed by the Committee from time to time, for organised events, Association sessions (colloquially known as Club Nights or Club Sessions) or coaching organised by the Committee.

17 RESTRICTIONS

17.1 Do not take bicycles, skateboards, roller skates, scooters, prams or similar inside the netting onto the court area. Do not to run into the netting. Do not wind the nets up until they are level with the tops of the posts. The height of the net at the centre should be 36” at the centre. This is lower than the height of the posts. Do not lean on the net.

17.2 Only wear proper tennis shoes when on the courts.

17.3 No smoking inside the court area.

18 ACCESS

18.1 Access is specified to help keep the court in the best condition possible by minimising mud and other contaminants being carried onto the court on footwear.

18.2 Access the courts through the single gate from the parking bay. Do not got to the storage unit or collect balls from outside the courts if there are pupils in the playground; when you do please facilitate this as quickly as possible. Please respect these arrangements.

19 THE OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE

The current 2025/2026 committee is: -

Chairman: William McCracken
Secretary: Christine Williams
Treasurer: William McCracken
Membership Secretary: Christine Williams
Maintenance Officer: Christian Reeve
Accident Officer: Yvonne Smith
Welfare Officer: Amanda Brown

Not on the Committee Coaching & development:

Lee Moreton & Wendy Hatfield
The ‘Trustees’ Andy Skilbeck & William McCracken

20 BRITISH TENNIS MEMBERSHIP

20.1 If you do not have a BTM number you can get one by going to lta.org.uk and follow the prompt “Sign up today”.The advantages of having a BTM number are:-

a. Access to Wimbledon ballot

b. Access to exclusive offers

c. Discounts on tickets and clothing

d. A monthly newsletter

21 GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATION [GDPR]

21.1 In compliance with the GDPR legislation which came into force on 25 May 2018, the following is for your information concerning your privacy.

21.2 The Association holds on record all the data that you entered on your membership forms. The actual data is only used by the following committee members:-

The Membership Secretary has access to it all.
The Treasurer and Secretary have access to names, email addresses and phone numbers.

21.3 The Association does not share your data with any other organisation. Actual numbers of members are sent to the LTA but not names, age or sex.

22 FINANCIAL GOVERNANCE

22.1 The committee will manage the finances of the association according to the following principles:-

a. The Associations balance of funds will be kept above the Minimum Funding Level agreed at the AGM. Ongoing operational costs should be covered from sources of funds within the year.

b. Additionally funds will be generated and accrued in a ‘sinking fund’ to cover major maintenance costs, refurbishment etc. with the aim of providing funds for the ongoing viability of the association.

c. Funds will not be committed in pursuance of minor maintenance or refurbishment unless costs can be met in full within the year and without depleting the MFL balance.

d. No individual committee member should commit the association to costs or obligations in excess of £100 without committee approval in the following way:

Below £250 Committee member plus treasurer
Below £500 2 committee members plus treasurer
Below £1000 4 committee members
Above £1000 Majority of full committee

e. In addition to a statement of accounts, the treasurer shall maintain a financial plan that details the MFL, any planned major spend and a target contribution to the ‘sinking fund’ for the year. If not adopted or available at the AGM, the financial plan will be distributed to all members as soon as it is available.f. In any event planned spend of more than £2000 will be discussed at the AGM or an EGM if it was unforeseen.

23 Association ‘Club Nights’.

23.1 The Committee will arrange sessions for members and guests to meet other members and play in a relaxed atmosphere. At these sessions all members are encouraged to turn up and play on a rotational basis and get to know each other. “Club Nights” are Monday starting at 6.00 pm during British Summer Time; also Club Sessions on Saturdays at 10.00 am throughout the year, weather permitting. Tennis balls are provided by the Association