Constitution and Rules

NAME AND PURPOSE
1)
a) The Club shall be called the “UCS Old Boys RFC”. (registered as “UCSOBRFC”) is Limited Company and confirmation of this status must be declared on the entrance to the premises.

b) This Club shall be affiliated to the Rugby Football Union (RFU), to the London Society of Rugby Union Referees (LSRFUR) and the Middlesex County Rugby Football Union (MCRFU)

c) The principal purpose of this Club shall be to promote the playing of the amateur sport of Rugby Union Football within the UCS School alumni community and within the local residential and business communities in West Hampstead and district. In addition, it will promote the game to the wider community through contact with students from Institutes of Higher Education and friends and acquaintances of club members.

d) Participation in the same, and to make available facilities and resources to support this.

PLAYING ORGANISATION

2)
a) The Club colours shall be maroon, black and white irregular hooped jerseys and socks and black shorts.

b) Playing members shall be responsible for providing themselves with jerseys shorts and socks in the Club colours and rugby boots of a design approved by the Rugby Football Union.

3) The Club shall field such number of teams of players as the number of available playing members may dictate and as the Committee shall from time to time determine. The playing club membership for any season should comprise at least 50% Old Boys or staff of UCS School. The Club shall play against such other teams and enter and promote such competitions both at home and away, as the Committee shall from time to time determine.

4) The teams shall be selected by a Selection Committee nominated by the Club Committee which shall consist of a Chairman (Director of rugby), the Team Secretary and the Captain of each team (or alternate). The Selection Committee shall have the power to co-opt other members of the Club (who may but need not to be members of the Club Committee) as it shall from time to time deem necessary.
Any member selected or likely to be selected to play in any match and unable to do so shall notify the Honorary Team Secretary or the Captain of his team at least three days before the match.

5) In accordance with the requirements of the Rugby Football Union and the Middlesex County RFU, the Committee shall appoint one or more disciplinary sub-committees which shall carry out the functions prescribed by the relevant Rules promulgated by those bodies. An appeal from any such disciplinary sub-committee shall be to the Full Committee, the decision of which in the issue in question shall be final.

MEMBERSHIP AND SUBSCRIPTIONS

6)
a) Membership of the Club shall be open to anyone interested in the sport on application, regardless of sex, age, disability, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion or other beliefs. Numbers of non-UCS Old Boys will be not be restricted but must comply with the constitution which states that ‘the playing membership in any one season must comprise at least 50% Old Boys or staff of UCS School’.

b) A membership form must be completed on application. The committee reserve the right to deny membership to any individual whom they believe would be deleterious to the clubs welfare. The appropriate deposit (which can be offset against the annual subscription) must accompany every formal application for membership.

c) The name and address of any person proposed for election shall be prominently displayed in the Club premises for not less than two days prior to his/her election.

d) An interval of not less than two days shall elapse between a person becoming a member and his/her admission to the privileges of membership.

e) All existing members shall automatically be re-elected for the ensuing year on the 1st October in each year subject to the due payment of the appropriate subscription by such members.

f) The Committee may refuse membership or remove it only for good cause (such as conduct or character likely to bring the Club or sport into disrepute). Appeal against refusal or removal may be made to the Full Members. Members are reminded that UCSOBRFC Ltd are granted use of the facilities (pitches, grounds and pavilions) under the terms of the licence granted to UCSOBRFC Ltd, by UCS School. Members are granted access and use of the bar under the terms of their UCSOBRFC membership, which includes membership of the Gower Club (which operates and administers the bar facilities). No member shall take any action which brings the name of UCSOBRFC Ltd into disrepute, or besmirches the good name of UCS School.

7) There shall be the following categories of membership:

a) Full Playing Membership: this Membership shall be for the purpose of playing rugby football and carries entitlement to the use of all Club facilities and to attend and vote (save for the case of Full Members who are under the age of 16) at General Meetings of the Club.

b) Full Non-Playing Membership: this Membership carries the entitlement to the use of all Club and bar facilities.

c) Social Membership of Gower Club: this Membership carries the entitlement to the use of the social facilities of the Club and to take part in social functions but excludes the use of all playing facilities and excludes the right to attend or vote at any General Meeting of the Club.

d) Membership of other Old Boys sports sections: this Membership shall be separate to the UCSOBRFC Ltd. Membership and can only be made by agreement of that particular sports section of the UCS Old Boys Club.

8)
a) Prior to the Annual General Meeting in each year the Committee shall review the Club subscription and shall make a recommendation to the Membership for the amount of the Full Membership for the ensuing year.

b) At the Annual General Meeting in each year Members present shall be invited to approve or disapprove the recommendation of the Committee for the Full Membership subscription. If the Meeting disapproves the recommendation of the Committee then the level of the subscription ruling for the immediately preceding year shall apply.

c) All other subscriptions shall be determined by the Committee and published to the Membership provided that no other subscriptions shall exceed the approved Full Membership subscription.

d) Members joining subsequent to the 1st January in each year may at the discretion of the Committee be admitted at a lower subscription.

9)
a) All subscriptions of existing members shall become due on the 1st October of each year

b) Failure to pay the subscription by the 1st November in each year shall entitle the Committee by ordinary vote to exclude the Member from all rights and privileges of the Club until such time as the subscription shall have been paid.

MEETINGS

10)
a) An Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) shall be called by the Committee in every year and not more than fifteen months shall elapse between consecutive AGMs.

b) The Secretary may at any time at the request of the Committee and shall at the request of one fifth of the total full membership or 30 Full Members whichever is the less, call a Special General Meeting of Members entitled to attend and vote at General Meetings of the Club.

11)
a) Each Notice of motion for General Meetings shall be proposed and seconded by two Full Members of the Club and delivered to the Secretary at least eight clear weeks prior to the Meeting in the case of a motion to be considered at the then next Annual General Meeting and at least three clear weeks prior to any other General Meeting at which it is to be considered.

b) No such motion shall be considered at any Meeting unless the ‘proposer’ and ‘seconder’ thereof are present.

c) The Committee may reject any such motion the publication or discussion of which in their opinion is likely to be detrimental to the interests of the Club.

12) Not less than 14 days prior written notice shall be given of any General Meeting, provided that (for the avoidance of doubt) notice of the Annual General Meeting may be given by including the date in the current Membership/Fixture Card.

13) Resolutions at General Meetings shall be passed by a simple majority of Full Members present and entitled to vote.