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WILLUNGA FOOTBALL CLUB INCORPORATED
CONSTITUTION
(UPDATED NOV 2015)
WILLUNGA FOOTBALL CLUB INCORPORATED
CONSTITUTION.
1. NAME OF CLUB
The name of the Incorporated Association is The Willunga Football Club referred to herein as “The Association”.
2. In these rules, unless the contrary intention appears :- Committee means the Committee of Management of the Association ; Meeting means a general meeting of members of the Association convened in accordance with these rules; “Member” means a member of the Association; the “Act” means the Associations Incorporation Act, 1985; the “Regulations” means the Associations Regulations, 1985
3. OBJECTS OF THE CLUB
a. To promote the playing of the game of football under the Australian Rules of Football
b. To promote unity and good fellowship amongst the members of the Club and between members of this and other Clubs.
c. To be a member of the Great Southern Football League and represent Willunga in football matches under control of the Great Southern Football League.
4. THE CLUB COLOURS SHALL BE WHITE AND RED
5. MEMBERSHIP
5.1 General Membership
Membership shall be open to all persons subscribing to the objects of the Club and paying the prescribed fee. No restrictions shall be imposed on any person by virtue of religious or political beliefs, sex, nationality, race or age, but the Committee shall have the right to refuse membership to any person without assigning any reason therefore.
5.2 Life Membership
5.2 Life Membership
a) Life Membership shall be granted to any member who plays 200 senior games or who plays senior football for 12 years provided that a minimum of 3 games are played each year and that a minimum of 150 games is achieved. Games played in Local League, Zone or State Representative teams, while a member of Willunga Football Club, and Senior and Reserves games in the SANFL and the AFL, count as games toward life membership, provided that the player returns directly to WFC and stays for at least one season as a player, or an official, when his higher level career is complete. This amendment is retrospective.
b) Life Membership shall also be granted to an official who serves the Club in that capacity for 12 years or whose total senior playing years in which 3 or more games are played and an average of at least 12 games per year over the period are played, and years as an official total 12. However, if the latter case is used the years must not be concurrent.
c) An official of the Club shall be defined as an appointee of the committee as recorded in the Club Minutes for that year. Official positions shall include:
In A, B, Senior Colt, Junior Colt grades; coaches, team managers, runners, goal umpires, timekeepers, selectors, boundary umpires.
Also; trainers, Mini and Modified coaches, scoreboard attendants, gatekeepers, canteen manager, official appointees to Ladies Auxiliary.
These definitions shall apply to 1990 and henceforth. Definitions prior to 1990 shall be at the discretion of the committee.
6. MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTIONS
The Annual Subscriptions for each year shall be decided at the Annual General Meeting. The period of annual membership shall be deemed to be April 1 to March 31.
7. MEETINGS
7.1 Annual General Meeting
a) There shall be an Annual General Meeting in each year at which members of the Committee of Management for the ensuing year shall be elected. Elections shall be by secret ballot with a first-past-the-post method to be used and the Chairman to have a casting vote.
b) The said Annual General Meeting shall be held not earlier than the first day of October and not later than the thirtieth day of November and may be adjourned. The report and balance sheet for the past year shall be presented and any other business connected with the Club may be transacted.
7.2 Special General Meeting
A Special General Meeting of the Club may be called at any time by the committee on its own motion or upon receipt by the Secretary of a requisition signed by no less than twenty members of the Club and setting forth that a Special General Meeting of the Club is desired and the purpose of such meeting. The Committee shall convene a Special General Meeting for the purpose only set forth in such requisition within 28 days of receiving such requisition.
7.3 Quorum
At all General Meetings of the Club fifteen members shall form a quorum
7.4 Voting Rights
a) Only financial and life members shall be entitled to vote at General Meetings. Subject to these rules each member present in person or by proxy shall be entitled to one vote.
b) Proxy Voting
A member may appoint another person (wether a member or not) to attend and vote instead of the member at any meeting as long as that person has written authority of that member.
7.5 Notice of Meetings
At least fourteen days’ notice of each Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting shall be given to each member by;
- Pre-paid letter posted to the last known address of the member; and/or
- Email and a notice on the clubs official website
8. COMMITTEE
a) The Committee shall compromise the President, Secretary, Treasurer and Vice President (to be known as “The Executive Committee”) and nine others, making a total of thirteen. In the event of less than nine nominations (excluding the Executive Committee) being received no less than seven other Committee members shall be required to form the total committee. Executive Committee members shall be appointed for two-year terms with the President and Secretary being elected on alternate years to the Vice President and Treasurer. In the event of a resignation of an Executive Committee member, the replacement member shall only serve the balance of the term of the resigned member.
b) The quorum of the Committee be eight at any Committee Meeting
c) The Committee shall be required to meet no less than eight times during an annual term of office.
9. POWERS OF THE COMMITTEE
9.1 The committee shall carry out all directions or resolutions which may be given or passed at any General Meeting, and it shall have; -
a) The general management of the Club and the funds and property thereof.
b) Power to borrow money and to take all such proceedings and to do and perform all such acts and things as shall or may be necessary or desirable for or incidental to attaining or carrying out the objects and interests of the Club.
c) Power to arrange social functions, trips and spend the monies and apply the income of the Club and incur debts within the apparent means of the Club or the objects of the Club.
d) Power to make standing order for the regulation of the meetings of the Club and of the Committee.
e) 1) The Committee may from time to time appoint from their membership (to include at least one Committee member) any Sub-Committee and may delegate powers to such a Committee.
2) Except where the resolution appointing any Sub-Committee specifically provides otherwise, the term of office of the Sub-Committee shall expire automatically twelve months after its appointment unless the Committee, either on its own initiative or at the request of the Sub-Committee, and either before or after that expiry date, resolves to extend that term of office.
f) The Secretary or any officer of the Club shall have the right to be indemnified by the Club against any liability properly incurred by him on its behalf and shall have a lien on the monies and property by the Club to secure such indemnity.
g) If the Committee at any time finds that there are not likely to be sufficient funds to meet the current accounts it shall summon a Special General Meeting to explain the position and obtain instructions.
h) Any officer of the Club may resign by notice to the Secretary of his intention to do so, and the Committee may continue to act notwithstanding a vacancy on the Committee
i) The Committee shall have the right to terminate a Committee member from office on the event of being absent from three Committee meetings during an annual term of office.
j) The Committee have the power to fill any vacancy caused by resignation of any members of the Committee.
k) The Committee may employ or engage such servants or agents as it thinks fit and may determine their remuneration.
10. FINANCE
a) The Association shall keep such accounting records as are necessary to correctly record and explain the financial transactions and financial position of the Association.
b) All monies received shall be deposited in Club bank accounts, authorised by the Committee. Payments are to be approved by any two of the Executive Committee or other such authorised persons.
c) The financial records will be audited by a nominated independent body (and/or person) and presented to the Annual General Meeting.
d) All financial records required by the Taxation Department shall be retained for seven years.
e) The Club is a not-for-profit organisation and must not distribute any of its profit, income or assets directly or indirectly to its members.
f) The Club can pays it members reimbursement for expenses properly incurred by them and for goods and services provided by them if this is in good faith and on terms no more favourable than if the member were not a member.
11. FINANCIAL YEAR
The financial year of the Association shall be the period starting on Nov 1 and ending on October 31 in each year. (Amended AGM 2006)
12. BORROWING POWERS
a) Subject to this rule the Association may borrow money from banks or other financial institutions upon such terms and conditions as the Committee sees fit, and may secure the repayment thereof by charging the property of the Association.
b) Subject to Section 53 of the Act the Association may invite and accept deposits of money from any person on such terms and conditions as may be determined by the Committee from time to time.
13. INVESTMENT
The Committee shall have the power to invest the funds of the Club in any way it may think fit.
14. DISSOLUTION
a) The Club shall be dissolved if a resolution to this effect is carried by a three-quarters majority at a General Meeting, twenty one days notice of the proposed resolution having been given to members.
b) In the event of dissolution all assets (after satisfying all debts and liabilities) and all records shall, subject to Sub-Clause 14 (c), be dealt with in such a manner (if any) as the General Meeting resolving on the dissolution shall determine.
c) In the event of dissolution no payment or distribution shall be made to members of the Club or any profit making body.
15. AMMENDMENTS
This Constitution may be amended by a three quartes majority at a General Meeting, provided twenty-one days written notice of the proposed amendment has been given to all members.
16. INTERPRETATIONS
Other than in Item 2 above the Committee has the sole authority to interpret.
17. MINUTES
a) Proper minutes of all proceedings of meetings of the Association and of meetings of the Committee shall be entered within one month after the relevant meeting in minute books kept for the purpose
b) The minutes kept pursuant to this rule shall be signed by the Chairperson of the meeting at which the proceedings took place or by the chairperson of the next succeeding meeting.
c) Where minutes are entered and signed they shall, until the contrary is proved, be evidence that the meeting was convened and duly held, that all proceedings held at the meeting shall be deemed to be valid.
18. DELEGATES
The Committee shall appoint two delegates and two proxy delegates to the Great Southern Football League together with any such delegates requires to affiliated leagues or associations. Such appointments shall be for a twelve month period and any casual vacancies filled by appointment of the Committee. Delegates shall be free to vote according to their conscience and judgement, on all matters other then motions submitted by the Club, when they shall follow any expressed or implied instructions given by a General Meeting.
19. CONSTITUTION
The Secretary shall supply a copy of the constitution and of the current Standing Orders without charge:-
a) To all new members on joining
b) On reasonable request, to any existing member
20. PRESS AND MEDIA STATEMENTS
No statement on behalf of, or in the name of, the Club shall be made except by the President or by the President’s authority or that of the Committee
21. CUSTODY OF RECORDS
The Committee shall make appropriate arrangements for the safe custody of the club’s records and securities
22. MEMBERSHIP REGISTER
The Secretary shall maintain a register of members which shall contain such particulars as the Committee may require.
END OF WILLUNGA FOOTBALL CLUB CONSTITUTION
AMENDMENT RECORD
The WILLUNGA FOOTBALL CLUB was incorporated on February 2 1967
JANUARY 2006
This issue reproduced from an original copy of a booklet entitled “CONSTITUTION 1990”
Gerry Loots (Secretary)
2004 AGM
The constitution was amended at the AGM held on October 14 2004 to reduce the Quorum from twenty five members to fifteen members
Gerry Loots (Secretary)
2006 AGM
Financial Year changed to end Oct 31
Gerry Loots (Secretary)
2009 AGM
Clause 10 e) and 10 f) to confirm not for profit status
All references to age groups changed to grade names so U14 becomes Junior Colts etc.
2013 AGM
Clause 10 b) amended to make provision for electronic banking and approval by two executive before payment
Gerry Loots (Secretary)
2015 AGM
Amendments to Point 5.2 of WFC Constitution
Original clause
a) Life Membership shall be granted to any member who plays 200 senior games or who plays senior football for 12 years provided that a minimum of 3 games are played each year.
Added to clause a)
Games played in Local League, Zone or State Representative teams, while a member of Willunga Football Club, and Senior and Reserves games in the SANFL and the AFL, count as games toward life membership, provided that the player returns directly to WFC and stays for at least one season as a player, or an official, when his higher level career is complete.
This amendment is retrospective.
Gerry Loots (Secretary)
2016 AGM
Currently it is possible to achieve Life Membership by playing 3 games a season for 12 seasons making a total of 36 games. This was probably not the intention of this clause and the committee interprets it to allow for players who may not be able to play 200 games due to injury but who do play for 12 years.
Therefore the committee proposes that any player must play a minimum of 150 games before they can take advantage of the 3 games per season rule. That way if somebody is badly injured and plays only a few games for a season they can still achieve Life Membership.
Furthermore pt b) of Clause 5.2 also allows a 3 game minimum as a year’s qualification for a mix of administrator and player life member. To be consistent with the proposed change to clause a) it is proposed that the minimum number of games be changed with a minimum of 3 plus an average of at least 12 games for the playing years used to claim Life Membership.
5.2 Life Membership
a) Life Membership shall be granted to any member who plays 200 senior games or who plays senior football for 12 years provided that a minimum of 3 games are played each year and that a minimum of 150 games is achieved. Games played in Local League, Zone or State Representative teams, while a member of Willunga Football Club, and Senior and Reserves games in the SANFL and the AFL, count as games toward life membership, provided that the player returns directly to WFC and stays for at least one season as a player, or an official, when his higher level career is complete. This amendment is retrospective.
b) Life Membership shall also be granted to an official who serves the Club in that capacity for 12 years or whose total senior playing years in which 3 or more games are played and an average of at least 12 games per year over the period are played, and years as an official total 12. However, if the latter case is used the years must not be concurrent.
c) An official of the Club shall be defined as an appointee of the committee as recorded in the Club Minutes for that year. Official positions shall include:
- In A, B, Senior Colt, Junior Colt grades; coaches, team managers, runners, goal umpires, timekeepers, selectors, boundary umpires.
- Also; trainers, Mini and Modified coaches, scoreboard attendants, gatekeepers, canteen manager, official appointees to Ladies Auxiliary.
These definitions shall apply to 1990 and henceforth. Definitions prior to 1990 shall be at the discretion of the committee.
- 1. Change to “Notice of Meetings”
To keep abreast of modern communication methods it is proposed that notice of AGMs and SGMs be allowed through website and emails to members and that the requirement to Insert a notice in the ”Advertiser” newspaper be deleted.
Clause to be amended as follows:
7.5 Notice of Meetings
At least fourteen days’ notice of each Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting shall be given to each member by;
- Pre-paid letter posted to the last known address of the member; and/or
- Insertion of the details of such meeting in the public notices column of the Advertiser newspaper
- Email and a notice on the clubs official website
Gerry Loots (Secretary)
