ALBRIGHTON BOWLING CLUB

RULES AND CONSTITUTION

Amended 31 Jan 2025

1. The name of the Club shall be the Albrighton Bowling Club. It will be referred to in these rules as the ‘Bowls Club’.

OBJECTIVES

2. The Management Committee shall provide a Crown Green Bowling facility for its members and encourage bowling at all standards of play, both competitive and recreational.

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

3. The Bowls Club shall be under the management of a committee, which shall consist of the following: -

(a) Chairperson

(b) Secretary

(d) Vice Chair

(e) Players Secretary

(f) Competition Secretary

(g) Volunteer & Social Secretary

(h) Welfare Officer

(i) Green Rep

(j) Lead Coach

(k) Maintenance Rep

(l) Complex Rep x 3

(m) A quorum for any committee meeting shall be seven which shall, whenever possible, include the Chairperson, and either or both the Secretary and the Treasurer.

(n) All members of the committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeeting.

(o) The Chairperson shall have no vote in meetings unless the vote is tied.

(p) All committee members shall be prepared to carry out at least one or more of the posts called for in Rule 12.

MEMBERSHIP

4. The club has 5 types of membership:

(a) Full Members: Have access to use the bowling green outside of organised events and shall be eligible to play in club organised events and to represent the club in the various teams.

(b) Life Membership: On occasion the club committee may appoint Life membership to a member who has excelled at supporting the club and its membership over an extended period. Life members are not required to pay membership fees and have the same right to utilise the club as a full member. The total number of Life members within the club are not to exceed 5% of the club membership at the time of the Life membership being considered.

(c) Junior Membership: Shall be by a written application form and payment of the current Junior annual subscription, (or part thereof), agreed by the members of the Bowls Club at the Annual General Meeting. Junior members shall, automatically, become a member of the Albrighton Sports Complex. Junior members will have limited access to use the bowling green outside of organised events and shall be eligible to play in club organised events and to represent the club in the various teams, whilst accompanied by a parent or guardian or whilst a registered club CRB club member is in attendance.

(d) Social Membership: Available to anyone who wishes to join the club for organised social activities only. A separate fee for social membership shall be approved by the General Committee at the first meeting after the AGM. Social members are not able to participate in any club bowling, league or club competitions nor have any vote at an AGM/EGM. The secretary is to ensure that social member details are recorded on a separate membership list and to include them onto any club mailing list.

(e) Honorary Membership: On occasion the club committee may appoint a member who is unable to utilise the facilities due to long term ill health honorary membership to the club. Honorary members will not be required to pay a joining fee and will have the same rights/restriction to the club as a social member.

THE SECRETARY

5. The Secretary shall be responsible for –

(a) arranging all committee meetings, Annual General Meetings and Extraordinary General Meetings.

(b) issuing all papers to be discussed at management meetings seven days prior to the meetings.

(d) dealing with all applications for membership.

(e) keeping a Register of Members.

THE TREASURER

6. The Treasurer shall be responsible for-

(a) keeping records of receipts, payments, purchases, and assets in an approved system of book-keeping.

(b) delivering all such records to the management committee on retiring from office.

(c) submitting a Profit & Loss Account and Balance Sheet for each financial year, which shall end on the 31st December, to the management committee, prior to audit by a firm of accountants who shall report to the management committee.

LEAGUE REPRESENTATIVES

7. The League Representatives shall attend League Meetings as called for by the respective Leagues or Counties and to report to the Management Committee. If a representative is unable to attend a League or County meeting, then they are to organise a replacement or to send an apology to the respective Secretary.

COMPETITIONS SECRETARY

8. The Competitions Secretary shall: -

(a) organize the season’s Club Competitions and arrange the respective Trophies as required by the Management Committee or by the Annual General Meeting.

(b) if required, liaise with Team Captains to organise any handicaps.

GREEN REPRESENTATIVE

9. The Green Representative shall report to the Management Committee on matters concerning the state of the green.

LEAGUE TEAMS

10. Where there is more than one team playing in any Bowls League, then the players of the First team shall be nominated by the Club Committee. Any club member, so selected, shall have the option to accept or decline such an offer.

11. Those players who accept the offer shall be expected after due discussion to elect a captain who will be responsible for team selection for each subsequent match.

12. Para 11 and 12 shall apply also to players in any other league in which the Club may be involved.

CLOSURE OF THE GREEN

13. The Green shall be closed at the sole discretion of the Green Representative. Team Captains shall also close the Green for League fixtures, if water has formed on the surface of the Green, or if, in their opinion, any play on the Green will cause damage to the Green or cause injury to persons playing on the Green.

TEMPORARY MEMBERS

14. A member of the Bowls Club shall be allowed to bring visitors (a maximum of three at any one time) to play on the Green. Visitors, regardless of who hosts them may play on the green a maximum of three times in a season, thereafter they are required to join the club.

Before play all guests and introducing member must sign their names in the Visitors Book located within the Pavilion.

EXPULSION

15. The Management Committee shall have the power to award punishments up to and including expulsion from the Bowls Club for any member on the grounds of misconduct on any part of the Green.

16. The Management Committee shall carry out all disciplinary procedures for the Bowls Club.

17. Members who wish to appeal against the decision of the Management Committee shall do so in writing to the Complex Secretary within seven days of notification from the Management Committee.

18. The Sports Complex shall provide an independent appeals panel for Complex members. The panel shall consist of two Complex executive officers and a maximum of three representatives from the opposite sporting organisation to the person making the appeal.

19. Members of the appeal panel must not have participated in the applicant’s original hearing. The appeal panel has the right to overturn, change or sanction any decision made by a committee that affect any member of the Sports Complex. The decision of the panel shall be binding to all parties concerned and shall not be subject to appeal.

20. Any member expelled shall not be allowed to play on the Green or represent the Bowls Club in any League or Competition matches.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

21. An AGM shall be called within three months of the end of the financial year and members shall be given be given at least TWENTY-EIGHT days notice. All items for the agenda shall be submitted to the Secretary, in writing, TWENTY-ONE days before the Meeting. The proposals at the AGM shall be voted on in their entirety and no amendments to any proposals shall be made.

22. Proxies shall be lodged with the Secretary before the meeting.

23. A quorum shall be at least 30% of the membership, including proxies.

24. A proposal requires 60% of those attending, including proxies, to be carried.

EXTRAORDARY GENERAL MEETINGS (EGM)

25. An EGM may be called by the Management Committee giving seven days notice, in writing, to the membership together with details of the proposal(s) to be discussed. Clauses 26, 27 and 28 will operate.

26. Members may also call an EGM, providing a notice, in writing, is received by the Secretary together with details of the proposal(s), signed by thirty members.

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS

27. The Annual Subscription and Individual League match fees to be set each year by the Bowls Committee at the November meeting. The current fees for 2025 season are: -

a. Full membership £45

b. Junior membership £5

c. Social membership £5

28. Members who cease to participate in the Bowls Club, either by resignation, by order of the Management Committee or otherwise, shall not be entitled to recover any portion of the subscription fee they have paid.

CLUB PREMISES

29. Members and their visitors shall, at all times:-

(a) keep the club premises clean, tidy and free of litter.

(b) refrain from causing excessive noise or a nuisance to the detriment of the playing of Bowls or the enjoyment of the Club Premises.

30. All members and their visitors shall be reasonably and properly dressed whilst on the premises. The Management Committee shall exclude from use of the premises any persons who, in their opinion, are not suitably dressed.

31. All lost property found on Club Premises should be handed in. Any goods not claimed after one month may be disposed of by the Management Committee at their discretion.

32. Members are requested to report any accident and to have recorded its circumstances and make known to the Management Committee any hazards or potential threats to the safety of members or visitors of which they may become aware.

ALTERATION TO RULES & DISPUTES

33. If any question or dispute arises, not provided for in these rules, it should be referred, in writing, to the Management Committee whose decision shall be final.

Bye-Law (2025 Season)

Match Fees

MSBL £1:50 per person per match.

Mid-Shrop Senior Citizens £2:00 per person per match (to include Tea & Coffee).

Telford Ladies £2:00 per person per match (to include Tea & Coffee).