ASA Insurance is with Royal Sun Alliance, current certificate runs from 01/04/2007 to 31/03/2008, Policy Number RTT242222. The certificate will be uploaded soon.
RULES of Broadstairs Lifeguard and Swimming Club as at 9 November 2006
1. Name
1.1 The name of the Club shall be Broadstairs Lifeguard and Swimming Club
2. Objects
2.1 The objects of the Club shall be the teaching, development and practice of swimming, diving, synchro, open water, water polo for its members, and in particular:
Ø To introduce and develop water based skills in children and adults
Ø To introduce new volunteers into and develop existing volunteers within the Club
Ø To ensure that the Club operates as a whole to protect the interests of young people as developing citizens, individuals and sports participants
In the furtherance of these objects:
2.1.1 The Club is committed to treat everyone equally within the context of its activity. This shall be, for example, regardless of sex, ethnic origin, religion, disability or political persuasion, on any grounds.
2.1.2 The Club shall implement the A.S.A. Equal Opportunities policy
2.2 The Club shall be affiliated to ASA South East Region, and shall adopt and conform to the rules of this Association, and to such other bodies as the Club may determine from time to time.
2.3 The business and affairs of the Club shall at all times be conducted in accordance with the Laws and Technical Rules of the Amateur Swimming Association (“A.S.A. Laws”) and in particular:
2.3.1 all competing members shall be eligible competitors as defined in A.S.A. Laws; and
2.3.2 the Club shall in accordance with A.S.A. Laws adopt the A.S.A. Child Protection Procedures; and shall recognise that the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility and that all children and young people have a right to have fun, be safe and be protected from harm.
2.3.3 members of the Club shall in accordance with A.S.A. Laws comply with the A.S.A. Child Protection Procedures.
2.4 By virtue of the affiliation of the Club to ASA South East Region, the Club and all members of the Club acknowledge that they are subject to the laws, rules and constitutions of:
2.4.1 ASA South East Region and
2.4.2 the Amateur Swimming Association; (to include the A.S.A./IOS Code of Ethics); and
2.4.3 British Swimming (in particular its Doping Control Rules and Protocols and Disciplinary Code); and
2.4.4 FINA, the world governing body for the sport of swimming in all its disciplines (together “the Governing Body Rules”)
2.5 In the event that there shall be any conflict between any rule or by-law of the Club and any of the Governing Body Rules then the relevant Governing Body Rule shall prevail
3 Membership
3.1
3.1 The total membership of the Club shall not normally be limited. If however the Committee considers that there is a good reason to impose any limit from time to time then the Committee shall put forward appropriate proposals for consideration at a General Meeting of the Club. The members shall have the right to impose (and remove) from time to time any limits on total membership (or any category of membership) of the Club.
All persons who assist in any way with the club’s activities shall become members of the club and hence of the A.S.A. and the relevant A.S.A. membership fee shall be paid. Assisting with the club’s activities shall include, but not be restricted to, administrators, associate members, voluntary instructors, teachers and coaches, Committee members, helpers, Honorary members, life members, officers, patrons, Presidents, technical and non-technical officials, temporary members, Vice Presidents and verifiers or tutors of the A.S.A’s educational certificates.
Paid instructors, teachers and coaches who are not members of the club must be members of a body which accepts that its members are bound by the A.S.A.’s Code of Ethics, the Laws relating to Child Protection and those parts of the Judicial Laws, Judicial Rules and procedures necessary for their implementation and whilst engaged in activities under the jurisdiction of the A.S.A. shall be subject to all the constraints and privileges of the Judicial Laws and Rules.
3.2 Any person who wishes to become a member of the Club must submit a signed application to the Secretary (and in the case of a junior swimmer the application must be signed by the swimmer’s parent or guardian). Election to membership shall be determined by the Membership Applications sub-committee but other person(s) authorised by the Committee may make recommendation as to the applicants’ acceptability. The Membership Applications sub-committee shall be required to give reasons for the refusal of any application for membership. Any person refused membership may seek a review of this decision before a review panel appointed by the Committee (“Review Panel”) comprised of not less than three members (who may or may not be members of the Committee). The panel shall [wherever practicable] include one independent member nominated by the ASA South East Region. The person refused membership shall be entitled to make representations to the Review Panel. The procedures for review shall be at the discretion of the Review Panel whose decision shall be final and binding.
The Club shall not refuse an application for membership on discriminatory grounds, whether in relation to ethnic origin, age, sex, religion, disability, political persuasion or sexual orientation
3.3 Members are persons who:
Ø Are fully up to date with Club subscriptions
Ø If aged 16 or over on the day of an Annual General Meeting, are eligible to vote at that Meeting in their own right
Ø See also Rule 11.3
3.2
4 Subscription and Other Fees
4.1 The annual members’ subscription and coaching and squad fees (as applicable) shall be determined from time to time by the Committee and the Committee shall in so doing make special provision for different classes of membership as it shall determine.
4.2 The annual subscription and entrance fee (if any) shall be due on joining the Club and thereafter on the 1st day of January each year.
4.3 Any member whose subscription is unpaid by the date falling 14 days after the due date for payment may be suspended by the Committee from some or all Club activities from a date to be determined by the Committee and until such payment is made
4.4 The Committee shall, from time to time, have the power to determine the annual membership subscription and other fees. This shall include the power to make such increase in the subscription as shall, where the Club pays the individual A.S.A. Membership Fees to the A.S.A. on behalf of members, be consequential upon an increase in individual A.S.A. membership fees. Any increase in subscriptions shall be advised to the members in writing with the reasons for any increase to be reported to the members at the next Annual General Meeting.
5 Resignation
5.1 A member wishing to resign membership of the Club must give to the Secretary written notice of resignation. A member’s resignation shall only take effect when this (Rule 5.1) has been complied with.
5.2 Notwithstanding the provisions of Rule 5.1 above a member whose subscription is more than two months in arrear shall be deemed to have resigned. Where the membership of a member shall be terminated in this way, the member shall be informed in writing that membership has been revoked by notice handed in person or sent by post to the last known address.
6 Expulsion and other Disciplinary action
6.1 The Committee shall have power to expel a member when, its opinion, it would not be in the interests of the Club for him to remain a member. The Club in exercising this power shall comply with the provisions of Rules 6.2 and 6.3 below
6.2 The Club shall adopt and comply with the A.S.A. Guidelines for handling Internal Club Disputes (“the Guidelines”) as the same may be revised from time to time. The Guidelines are set out as an Appendix to the A.S.A. Judicial Laws and appear in the A.S.A. Handbook. (A copy of the current Guidelines may be obtained from the A.S.A. Legal Affairs Department.)
6.3 A member may not be expelled or (subject to Rule 6.4 below) be made the subject of any other penalty unless the panel hearing the complaint shall by a two-thirds majority vote in favour of the expulsion of (or other penalty imposed upon) the member.
6.4 The Officers of the Club (or any person to whom the Committee shall delegate this power) may temporarily suspend or exclude a member from particular training sessions and/or wider club activities, when in their opinion, such action is in the interests of the Club. Where such action is taken the complaint will thereafter be dealt with in accordance with the Guidelines.
7 Committee
7.1 The Committee shall consist of the Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer (together “the Executive Officers of the Club”) and up to 11 elected members all of whom must be members of the Club. The club shall have a Welfare Officer. All Committee members must be not less than 18 years of age though the Committee may allow younger member(s) to attend their meetings without power to vote.
7.2 The Committee members shall be proposed, seconded and elected by ballot at the Annual General Meeting each year and shall remain in office until their successors are elected at the next Annual General Meeting. Any vacancy occurring by resignation or otherwise may be filled by the Committee. Retiring members of the Committee shall be eligible for re-election. (See also 8.1)
7.3 Committee meetings shall be held not less than every 2 calendar months (save where the Committee itself shall by a simple majority resolve not to meet), and the quorum of that meeting shall be such number as shall represent not less than a simple majority of the Committee members (to include not less than one Executive Officer). The Chairman and the Secretary shall have discretion to call further meetings of the Committee if they consider it to be in the interests of the Club. The Secretary shall give all the members of the Committee not less than 7 days oral notice of a meeting. Decisions of the Committee shall be made by a simple majority (and in the event of equality of votes the Chairman (or the acting Chairman of that meeting) shall have a casting or additional vote.) The Secretary, or in the case of absence a member of the Committee, shall take minutes.
7.4 In the event that a quorum is not present within thirty minutes of the published start time, a meeting shall stand adjourned to the time and date falling seven days after the date of the meeting, or such other date and time as may be determined by the Chairman. If a quorum is not present at the adjourned meeting then those Committee members attending may act for the purpose of calling a Special General Meeting of the members, to which the provisions as to minimum notice contained in Rule 11.1 shall not apply
7.5 In addition to the members so elected the Committee may co-opt up to 3 further members of the Club who shall serve until the next Annual General Meeting. Co-opted members shall be entitled to vote at the meetings of the Committee and shall not be counted in establishing whether a quorum is present.
7.6 The Committee may from time to time appoint from among their number such sub-committees as they may consider necessary (and to remove (in whole or in part) or vary the terms of reference of such sub-committees) and may delegate to them such of the powers and duties of the Committee as the Committee may determine. All sub-committees shall periodically report their proceedings to the Committee and shall conduct their business in accordance with the directions of the Committee.
7.7 The Committee shall be responsible for the management of the Club and shall have the sole right of appointing and determining the terms and conditions of service of employees of the Club. The Committee shall have power to enter into contracts for the purposes of the Club on behalf of all the members of the Club. The Committee shall be responsible for ensuring that the Accounts of the Club for each financial year be examined by an independent examiner to be appointed by the members in General Meeting. The Committee shall also have power to make regulations and to settle disputed points not otherwise provided for in this Constitution.
7.8 The members of the Committee shall be indemnified by the members of the Club against all liabilities properly incurred by them in the management of the affairs of the Club.
7.9 The Committee shall maintain an Accident Book in which all accidents to club members at swimming related activities shall be recorded. Details of such accidents shall be reported to the A.S.A. Office. The Club shall make an annual return to the A.S.A. in the prescribed form
8 Officers and Honorary Members
8.1 The Executive Officers and Committee of the Club shall be proposed, seconded and elected (by ballot) at the Annual General Meeting and shall hold office until the next Annual General Meeting when they shall retire. Any vacancy occurring by resignation or otherwise may be filled by the Committee. Retiring officers shall be eligible for re-election.
8.2 The Annual General Meeting of the Club, if it thinks fit, may elect a President and Vice-Presidents. A President or Vice-President need not be a member of the association and on election shall, ex officio, be an honorary member of the Club and must be included in the Club’s Annual Return of Members to the A.S.A.
8.3 The Committee may elect any person as an honorary member of the Club for such period as it thinks fit and they shall be entitled to all the privileges of membership except that they shall not be entitled to vote at meetings and serve as officers or on the Committee unless any such person shall have retained in addition an ordinary membership of the Club. Such honorary members must be included in the Club’s annual return as to membership.
9 Annual General Meeting
9.1 The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held each year on a date in May or June. The date for the Annual General Meeting shall be fixed by the Committee
9.2 The purpose of the Annual General Meeting is to transact the following business:
9.2.1 to receive the Chairman’s report of the activities of the Club during the previous year;
9.2.2 to receive and consider the accounts of the Club for the previous year and the report on the accounts of the independent examiner and the Treasurer's report as to the financial position of the Club;
