North West England Lacrosse Association Constitution
1. Name
1.1 The Association shall be called the North West England Lacrosse Association and is hereinafter referred to as 'the Association’.
2. Objects
2.1 The objects of the Association shall be to encourage and facilitate the playing of lacrosse within the geographical area comprising Counties and regions of the North West of England defined as From the Scottish border in the North to Staffordshire in the south and as bordered on the east by Yorkshire and North East counties. Clubs and universities in North Wales competing in relevant leagues shall also be eligible for membership and participation in association events.
2.2 In particular, the Association will prepare a three/five year strategy based on England Lacrosse and National Lacrosse Committee objectives and priorities, and an annual operating plan based on the strategy that shall include the following:
2.2.1 encourage the playing of all forms of lacrosse in clubs, Universities, schools and other institutions hereinafter referred to as "clubs";
2.2.2 organise matches and tournaments
2.2.3 select, train and support regional representative teams ;
2.2.4 stimulate Interest in lacrosse as a post-school activity, by liaison and publicity in and between clubs;
2.2.5 stimulate the formation of new lacrosse clubs and support such new clubs where appropriate, whether with grant funding where available or by other means.
2.2.6 Represent and communicate the views and ideas of all clubs within the region at the relevant national body.
2.2.7 act as hosts to events promoted by England Lacrosse (which expression shall include any successor organisation);
2.2.8 establish and continue a policy of self-supportive fund-raising for the promotion and furtherance of the game of lacrosse;
2.2.9 operate the relevant disciplinary processes and programmes agreed by English Lacrosse, and
2.2.10 assist English Lacrosse staff in the implementation of development programmes within the Region
Note: these objectives shall be done in liaison with the professional staff and in co-ordination, where relevant, with other Regions.
3. England Lacrosse
3.1 The Association shall be affiliated to England Lacrosse and shall be subject to its Articles and Bye Laws and guided by England Lacrosse policies and strategic objectives as directed by the National Lacrosse Committee.
3.2 Membership of England Lacrosse shall carry with it affiliation to the Association, upon payment of the appropriate subscription
4. Membership
4.1 The following shall be entitled to become Full Members of the Association with voting rights:
4.1.1 All registered clubs playing, promoting or supporting lacrosse and based within the Region (hereinafter ‘Clubs’) including affiliated bodies representing specialist areas of the sport, such as match officials;
4.1.2 All schools, colleges and universities playing, promoting or supporting lacrosse and having paid the relevant team fees for playing within the accepted (by the Executive Committee of the Association) league or competitive structures.
4.2 The following shall be entitled to become Associate Members of the Association with no voting rights:
4.2.1 Those clubs, schools, colleges and universities playing, promoting or supporting lacrosse but not playing within the accepted (by the Executive Committee) league or competitive structure (for example Bucs).
4.2.2 Individuals who are members of Member Clubs and lacrosse organisations recognised by the Executive Committee and registered with England Lacrosse; and
4.2.3 Individuals whose residence is in the Region and registered with England Lacrosse.
4.3 The Executive Committee of the Association may nominate for Honorary Life Membership of the Regional Association individuals who in the Committee's view have rendered valuable service either to the Association or to the interests of lacrosse in the Region. Nominations will be voted on at the last committee meeting in each year and shall be declared at the next AGM.
4.4 Honorary positions granted by the former County Associations within the North West Region shall be recognised as Honorary Life memberships within the North West Regional Association.
4.5 Applications for membership shall be made in writing to the Association's Secretary who, being satisfied that the requirements of Clause 6 herein are met, shall propose that the applicant be admitted to full or associate membership at the next Executive Committee meeting. The application shall be accepted or rejected by a simple majority of those present at the meeting eligible to vote.
4.6 Any member may resign its membership by giving to the Secretary written notice of its intention to do so. If such notice is given after 31 December in any year, the member must pay its subscription for that year.
4.7 All England Lacrosse or Regional annual subscriptions must be paid by the date specified otherwise, after due warning, the Executive Committee will be entitled to cancel the membership of that member.
4.8 All Member Clubs shall advise the Secretary no later than the first day of June in each year the contact details of that Member Club’s Secretary and the address of its ground for the following year where known.
5. Administration of the Association
5.1 The Association shall be administered by an Executive Committee (hereinafter ‘the Committee’) which shall compromise of the following elected Officers (hereinafter ‘the Officers’):
5.1.1 Chair
5.1.2 Secretary;
5.1.3 Finance Officer;
5.2 There shall be an individual member of the Committee appointed by each of the following; the Junior North Committee (formally Juniors and Schools North and JNGLA); Officials (referees and umpires), Senior league players (Men's and Women's) for which there will be standing sub committees responsible for relevant issues and advising the deliberations of the main committee, a regional Universities representative, and the appointed National Lacrosse Committee representative(s).
5.3 In addition, the Association may elect up to 6 general Committee Members who will be jointly responsible for the following functions:
5.3.1 Regional Teams (organisation, selection, talent identification and development)
5.3.2 Regional Fixtures and Events (organisation and delivery in coordination with England Lacrosse and NLL);
5.3.3 Youth development (Coordination of all youth matters including U19)
5.3.4 Officiating; (Coordination of recruitment, development and talent identification of officials)
5.3.5 Clubs (liaison with all clubs, consultation in respect of rule changes, circulation of best practice, advice and mentoring of new clubs)
5.3.6 Universities ( Liaison with universities providing support in their development and coaching and integration in wider regional activities).
5.3.7 Liaison with outside bodies such as local or national authorities.
5.3.8 Competition ( Liaison with NLL, who have responsibility for the organisation of regional league and cup competitive structures and all associated matters, and consulting with members regarding the structure and organisation of leagues and the organisation of other competitive events).
Or other functions as decided by the Executive Committee.
5.4 The Chair shall hold office for 3 years but shall be eligible for re-election once for a further 3 years. They may be elected again, but only after an absence of at least 1 year from that particular post. All other members of the Committee shall retire annually but shall also be eligible for re-election for an indefinite period.
5.5 Any member of the Association registered with England Lacrosse shall be entitled to stand for election. Any person wishing to stand for election shall notify the Secretary in writing (be that by letter or email or any other form of written communication) not less than 2 weeks prior to the AGM at which the relevant election shall take place the post for which they intend to stand, the name of their proposer and seconder (both of whom must also be members of the Association) and shall provide signed consent to their nomination.
5.6 Nominees may submit an election statement not exceeding 500 words stating their suitability for the position and relevant experience. These will be submitted to the secretary for circulation by electronic means at least 14 days before the AGM.
5.7 In order to secure election, each nominee must secure the votes of at least 50% plus 1 of the members present, or eligible to cast a vote at the relevant AGM. If there are more than 2 candidates, there will be an elimination of the candidate(s) with the lowest votes on the first round, followed by a subsequent vote or votes until one candidate has secured the necessary majority for election. Postal votes for eliminated candidates will not be counted.
5.8 In the event of any vote being tied, the Chair shall have the casting vote.
5.9 In the event of any committee positions being left vacant after the election process the committee is empowered to fill the vacancies with candidates receiving the majority vote of a quorate full committee meeting.
5.10 The Committee shall have the power to co-opt other members to the committee for limited periods defined by the committee in order to engage in specific tasks or provide specialist knowledge to the Committee. Co-opted members shall not be entitled to vote on Committee proposals.
5.11 The elected members of the Committee shall have the power to fill any vacancies on the Committee that may arise from time to time, but any individuals invited to join the Committee must stand for election at the next AGM.
5.12 The Committee shall meet at least 3 times during each year, which period shall run from 1 September to 31 August. Meetings may be held by way of telephone or online conferencing facilities at the agreement of the Committee members.
5.13 The Secretary shall convene all Committee meetings by giving all elected officers and Member Clubs at least 14 days' notice of the date, time and venue for the meeting and by circulating an agenda at least 7 days before the date of the meeting.
5.14 The Chair and Secretary may, at their discretion, call further meetings, on at least 7 days' notice to all elected officers and Member Clubs.
5.15 There must be at least 5 Officers and Committee Members present at each Committee meeting for that meeting to be quorate. In the absence of the Chair, the Committee will agree a temporary Chair.
5.16 Each Member Club may send representation to Committee meetings each year (physically or via audio / Skype/ WebEx etc.). Member clubs may be asked to leave the meeting if confidential or disciplinary matters are to be discussed. Member clubs may be invited to comment on matters under discussion but shall have no voting powers.
5.17 The Secretary, or any elected Committee member deputised to undertake that task in the absence of the Secretary, shall take minutes of each meeting, which must be circulated to members within 14 days of the date of the relevant meeting.
5.18 The Committee may ask other individuals to attend the Committee meetings as it sees fit but only the elected Officers and Committee Members present may vote at a Committee meeting.
5.19 The roles of the Committee Officers and Members shall be as set out in their respective working briefs, which will be subject to approval by the National Lacrosse Committee (NLC). Each working brief will be reviewed by the NLC no less than every 3 years.
5.20 The Committee may from time to time make and amend such regulations as it thinks fit for the management and well-being of the Association. Such regulations shall not be inconsistent with this Constitution and shall be binding on members until repealed by the Committee or set aside by a resolution of the Association at the AGM. The Committee will operate Collective Responsibility and once a decision is taken applies to all Committee members.
5.21 In addition to committee meetings the association shall organise in conjunction with NLL not less than 3 Forum meetings per year to consult directly with clubs and England Lacrosse registered members from the North of England on matters of joint concern. Attendance at this meeting is compulsory for all Clubs. A fine of £25 will be incurred by Clubs not attending either physically or by audio, Skype, WEBEX etc. These meetings shall be regarded as advisory and may not overrule committee decisions.
6. AGM
6.1 The Association shall hold its AGM once each calendar year at a specific time and date agreed upon by the Committee.
6.2 The Secretary shall provide all members with notice of the date, time and venue of the AGM at least 21 days before the meeting is due to take place.
6.3 The business of the AGM shall include:
6.3.1 Receiving from the Finance Officer the annual report and statement of accounts for the preceding year and the appointment of two member auditors;
6.3.2 Consideration of annual reports from the appropriate Committee Officers and Members;
6.3.3 Election of the Officers and Members of the Committee;
6.3.4 Consideration of any amendments to the Association's Constitution or to any regulations made by the Committee; and
6.3.5 Any other business (that has previously been notified and notice given to members).
6.4 In the absence of the Chair, the Secretary shall preside at the AGM.
6.5 Every full and associate member of the Association may attend the AGM (in person or by electronic media) and may speak, but only those specified in clause 8 will be eligible to vote.
6.6 In order to be approved, any proposals for changes to the Association’s Constitution must have the support of at least two-thirds of the persons attending the AGM that are eligible to vote and cast a vote. Changes must reflect English Lacrosse policies and guidance.
6.7 The Secretary, or in her/his absence another member of the Committee, shall take minutes of each meeting, which must be circulated to all members within 21 days of the AGM.
7. EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING (EGM)
7.1 The Chair and the Secretary of the Association may, whenever they consider it necessary, convene an EGM of the Association.
7.2 An EGM shall also be convened on receipt of a request in writing being made to the Secretary of the Association:
7.2.1 signed by three elected Officers and/or Members of the Committee; or
7.2.2 signed by six members of the Association, each a member of a different Member Club and with the written support of the club to which the signatory belongs. Any such requisition must state the purpose for which the meeting is required.
7.3 The Secretary shall give all members at least 7 days' notice of an EGM. Such notice shall specify the purpose for which the meeting is convened and no other business shall be transacted.
7.4 Any EGM shall be conducted in the same way as an AGM and the same voting rights and quoracy requirements will apply.
8. VOTING
8.1 At the AGM, or EGM, those entitled to vote shall be:
8.1.1 All elected officers and members of the Committee.
8.1.2 1 representative from each Member Club
8.2 If any elected officer or Executive Committee Member is unable to attend the AGM or EGM, they may provide written authority for another member to vote on their behalf.
8.3 If any Member Club is not represented and wishes to cast its votes on any previously circulated resolution, the Club must forward its written proxy to the Secretary of the Association prior to commencement of the relevant meeting.
8.4 The Secretary or her/his deputy alone shall be responsible for casting proxy votes.
8.5 Each person present at a meeting and entitled to vote may only record one vote, even though he/she may attend in more than one capacity.
8.6 In the event of a tie, the Chair, or the person presiding over the meeting in their absence, shall have a casting vote.
9. Finance and Accounts
9.1 The assets of the Association shall be used to further the aims and objectives of the Association and shall not be distributed except as provided herein.
9.2 The assets of the Association shall be vested in the Finance Officer and the Chair as trustees, who must deal with the assets as the Committee from time to time direct by resolution (of which an entry in the minutes of the Committee is to be conclusive evidence).
9.3 Save where any costs are incurred as a result of the Officer's fraudulent act or wilful neglect, the Association will indemnify the trustees against any risk and expense out of its assets.
9.4 Expenses incurred by the Committee, or individual Officers and Members serving on the Committee, in the execution of their duties shall be refunded by the Association, insofar as there are funds available to meet those expenses.
9.5 The Association’s financial year-end for any particular year shall be 31st March. The accounts shall be made up to that date and shall be verified annually, for presentation at the following AGM.
9.6 The Association will annually prepare a budget bid and apply for a grant from England Lacrosse to assist with operational expenses and will submit a copy of its accounts each year to England Lacrosse.
9.7 There shall be an annual team membership fee payable to the North West Association by those competing in NLL league, or North West events. The amount to be set annually by a General Meeting or ballot of the Association members.
9.8 The AGM will appoint 2 member auditors who shall not be members of the Committee, whose role will be to oversee the proper management of the Association funds and to agreed the annual financial report in advance of the AGM.
Dissolution
10.1 A resolution for the dissolution of the Association may be passed at an AGM or EGM by two-thirds of those members attending who are eligible to vote and who cast a vote. This decision will then be referred to the NLC for their agreement or other action.
10.2 After the discharge of all liabilities, the Committee shall divide the remainder of the assets equally among all members at that time (other than Honorary Members) for distribution to them. Upon the completion of the distribution of the assets, the Association will be dissolved.
NLL
11.1 The organisation and management of men's and women’s competitive league and cup, shall be managed on behalf of the North West England Lacrosse Association and Yorkshire and North East Counties Association by NLL (Northern Lacrosse Leagues).
11.2 This body shall be responsible for the organisation and structure of the playing leagues within the North of England subject to the agreement of both Regional organisations.
11.3 NLL shall operate within its own constitution and bye laws.
11.4 Annually each regional organisation shall appoint two members to the NLL management committee as full voting members.
11.5 Annually each regional organisation shall appoint a member auditor to oversee the proper management of NLL funds.
11.6 NLL shall maintain a disciplinary function limited to matters regarding game related incidents, usually involving automatic penalties for players.
12. Disciplinary and Conduct matters
12.1 The Association shall have responsibility for conduct and disciplinary matters referred to it by the League Management Committee (NLL), the National Lacrosse Committee, England Lacrosse, match officials, or matters brought to their attention that breach the Policies of England Lacrosse, the Respect guidelines, or generally issues that may bring the sport into disrepute.
12.2 The Association will adopt a disciplinary procedure in line with the national model and guidance.
12.3 The Association's aim in all these matters is primarily to ensure that all members and clubs become and remain compliant to the objectives and policies of England Lacrosse and consequently may consider the full range of responses available to achieve this result, including compulsory awareness training, periods of review, competition bans, financial or points penalties, or other appropriate measures.
13 National Lacrosse Committee
13.1 The governing body for recreational lacrosse in England is the National Lacrosse Committee (NLC). This body has responsibility for all recreational aspects of the game including Junior, Box, Mixed, Men’s and Women's lacrosse.
13.2 Annually the Committee shall recommend member(s) as required as the Regional representative(s) to the NLC. The appointment will be made by the NLC after reference to the published role requirements and skills matrix prepared by England Lacrosse.