Adopted and accepted at the Special General Meeting held on 2 July 2019.
STRATFORD UPON AVON & DISTRICT AIRGUN LEAGUE
1. TITLE
The name of the League which is an Unincorporated Association shall be the STRATFORD UPON AVON & DISTRICT AIRGUN LEAGUE (the League) whose correspondence address is that of the Secretary of the League.
2. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The aims of the League are to foster good shooting, sportsmanship, to promote the sport of shooting generally and to encourage membership of the League.
The objectives of the League are to arrange a programme of fixtures and competitions throughout the shooting season; to hold practice sessions and open days offering the opportunity for personal development; to encourage new participants in the sport and to regulate the activities of shooters who are members of the League and to assist teams in recruiting new members.
3. MEMBERSHIP
3.1. Membership of the League is open to any individual who is interested in participating in, promoting, or coaching Bell Target Shooting with an air rifle, regardless of sex, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.
3.2. Membership shall consist of the following categories:-
Teams – a group of shooters who wish to participate in a programme of fixtures and competitions and who register by a date fixed at the Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Full Membership – individual shooters aged 14 and over and who are members of a registered team.
Temporary Membership – individual shooters aged 14 and over participating in a practice session or open event, fixture or competition and who has not yet joined a registered team.
Honorary Life Membership - granted by the general membership, by way of a simple majority vote at an AGM, to an individual, in recognition of the contribution made to the aims and objectives of the League. Life members are not required to pay any membership fee unless they actively participate in any shooting match competition or other event when the appropriate full or temporary membership fee must be paid.
3.3. Full members must complete a Registration Form annually and pay the membership subscription, fixed at the AGM, no later than the date of the October Delegates Meeting for the calendar year commencing 1 January.
3.4. Temporary Members and Guest/Visitor members must complete a Registration Form on each occasion that they shoot and must pay the appropriate membership subscription fixed at the AGM. This constitutes a “form of Visitors Book” as defined in the League’s insurance documents. The League requires all such shooters to be supervised by a full member.
3.5. Temporary members may only shoot in two League matches before full membership becomes obligatory. Any fee paid may be set against the cost of full membership.
3.6. Completed Registration Forms and subscriptions should be passed to the Treasurer and the Match Secretary should be notified. The Match Secretary shall maintain a list of registered shooters who are members of the League. Team Captains should ensure that all shooters are correctly registered before shooting commences.
3.7. No new shooters may join the League after 31st December each season without the prior approval of two Officers of the League.
3.8. All members will be subject to the regulations of the Constitution and by joining the League will be deemed to accept both these regulations, the Rules of Shooting and all other policies which the League has adopted.
4. MANAGEMENT
4.1. The League shall be managed by a Committee comprising the Captain of each team participating in the League or his/her nominated delegate and the Officers of the League.
4.2. The Officers of the League shall be the President, Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Match Secretary and the Webmaster/Statistician.
4.3. Only full members of the League shall be eligible for election as an Officer of the League. Officers shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and shall subject to termination of office by resignation or otherwise, remain in office until their successors are elected at the AGM. Retiring Officers shall be eligible for re-election.
4.4. The Committee shall have the power to fill any casual vacancy that may occur and to appoint any advisor as is deemed necessary to fulfil its business.
4.5. The Committee shall govern the League and have power to make and or change the “Rules of Shooting” for the purpose of regulating the conduct and activities of the League. Such Rules of Shooting shall be available to all members of the League and shall be binding on all members. Any breach of the Rules of Shooting will be considered by the Committee in accordance with section 5 below and section 7 of the Rules of Shooting.
4.6. The Committee shall be responsible for adopting new policies, codes of practice and rules which affect the organisation of the League and detail how it operates. Documents include but are not limited to the following items which may be amended by the Committee as it sees fit.
Rules of Shooting – these apply to all League shooting activities.
Gun Safety Policy – applies to all League shooting activities and must be complied with by all shooters at all times.
Venue Risk Assessments – every venue shall be risk assessed on an annual basis. Team Captains shall be responsible for ensuring any matter identified as a risk is addressed promptly and appropriately.
Complaints & Disciplinary Procedure – applies to all complaints.
Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults Policy - applies to all League activities at all times and reviewed annually.
Equal Opportunities Policy - applies to all League activities at all times.
4.7. Meetings shall be held as and when business arises but with the exception of urgent business not more frequently than once a month during the shooting season and shall be called Delegates Meetings. All teams shall be represented at the meetings. The Committee shall fix the date of the AGM and give notice to all members.
5. COMPLAINTS, DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES & EXPULSION
5.1. The Committee will be responsible for dealing with any complaint or infringement of the Rules of Shooting which cannot be resolved on the night providing that the Complaints procedure has been followed.
5.2. The Committee shall have the power to discipline or expel any member of the League who shall offend against the rules of the League or whose conduct shall in the opinion of the Committee render the member unfit for membership of the League. The Committee shall inform the member of any complaint(s) made against him or her and shall give such member 7 days written notice to attend a meeting of the Committee. No member shall be expelled without first having an opportunity of appearing before the Committee and answering any complaint(s) made against him or her. At least two thirds of the Committee then present must vote in favour of that member's expulsion.
5.3. Any member expelled in accordance with the rules or otherwise ceasing to be a member of the League shall immediately forfeit all rights to or claim upon the League or its property or funds as he or she otherwise would have by reason of such membership. No member shall be entitled to any return of subscription and shall remain liable for any subscription or other fees (if any) outstanding at that time
6. FINANCIAL MATTERS
6.1. All League monies will be banked in an account held in the name of the League.
6.2. The League Treasurer will be responsible for the finances of the League.
6.3. The financial year of the League will end on 31 June annually.
6.4. A Statement of Account drawn up on a Receipts and Payments basis and a Balance Sheet shall be prepared annually at the end of the financial year for presentation by the Treasurer to the membership at the AGM.
6.5. The team entrance fee and individual member subscription shall be fixed annually at the AGM.
7. ALTERATION OF RULES
The Committee shall have power to consider and make changes to the Constitution effective immediately but any change must be ratified at the next Annual General Meeting or at a Special General Meeting convened for that purpose for the change to have permanent effect.
8. GENERAL MEETINGS
A General Meeting of the League shall be held every year not later than the thirty first day of July to transact the following business:-
to receive and if approved, adopt the Statement of Account and Balance Sheet;
to consider and if approved, sanction any duly made alterations to the Constitution;
to elect the Officers of the Committee;
to appoint an independent reviewer of the accounts;
to seek sponsorship for various shooting competitions;
to deal with any special matter which the Committee desires to bring before the members and to receive suggestions from members.
Notice convening the Annual General Meeting shall be communicated to the members not less than 14 days before the meeting and shall specify matters to be dealt with.
9. SPECIAL MEETINGS
A Special General Meeting may be convened at any time by the Committee and shall be convened within 21 days from the receipt of a requisition signed by not less than 10 see full members which must represent all registered teams and which must specify the object of the Meeting which can be for any of the following purposes:-
to consider and, if approved, sanction any duly made alteration to the Constitution;
to deal with any special matter which the Committee may desire to place before the members;
to remove any member or members of the Committee from office and to fill any vacancy or vacancies caused by such removal;
to deal with any special matter which the members desire to place before the membership.
Notice of the convening of a Special General Meeting shall be communicated to the members of the League not less than 7 days before the meeting and shall specify the matters to be dealt with.
10. VOTING
At all General Meetings all voted items shall be carried by a simple majority vote.
At Delegates Meetings each team will have a single vote regardless of the number of team members present and each Officer will have a single vote.
Honorary Life Members are not entitled to vote at any meeting unless they participate in shooting and have paid the appropriate membership subscription.
Proxy votes are not allowed unless specifically decided by the Committee.
11. CHAIRMAN'S CASTING VOTE
At Delegates meetings and at General Meetings the Chairman or the Vice Chairman shall preside and shall have a deliberative as well as a casting or additional vote in the event of equality of votes. If necessary a Chairman shall be elected for the sole purpose of holding the meeting.
12. QUORUMS
At Delegates meetings (except for the purposes of rule 5 when half the total members of the Committee shall form a quorum) four shall form a quorum. At General Meetings ten shall form a quorum.