1. The Club shall be called “The Ryde Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club” and shall have for its objects the provision of lawn tennis, croquet, social and other facilities for its Members.
2. The Trustees
2.1 The Trustees of the Club shall be appointed from time to time as necessary by the Club in a General Meeting from among the Members who are willing to be so appointed. A Trustee shall hold office during his/her life, or until he/she shall resign by notice in writing given to the Management Committee or until a resolution removing him/her from office shall be passed at a general meeting by a majority comprising two-thirds of the Members present and voting.
2.2 All property of the Club, including land and investments, shall be held by the Trustees for the time being, in their own names so far as necessary and practicable, for the use and benefit of the Club. If the death, resignation or removal from office of a Trustee should reduce the remaining number to three the Management Committee shall take steps to procure the appointment by the Club in General Meeting of a new Trustee in his/her place; and shall as soon as possible thereafter take lawful and practicable steps to procure the vesting of all Club property into names of the Trustees as constituted after the said appointment. The Trustees shall in all respects act, in regard to any property of the Club held by them, in accordance with the directions of the Management Committee; and shall have power to sell, lease, mortgage or pledge any Club property for the purpose of raising or borrowing money for the benefit of the Club in compliance with the Management Committee’s directions. But no purchaser, lessee or mortgagee shall be concerned to enquire whether any such direction has been given.
2.3 The number of Trustees shall be not less than three or more than six.
2.4 Every member of the Management Committee, Trustee, employee or agent of the Club shall be indemnified by the Club out of Club funds against any legal claims made against them in connection with the proper discharge of their duties.
3. The Management Committee
The Club shall be managed by a Management Committee.
3.1 The elected officials of the Club shall be:
The President
The Club Secretary
The Treasurer
The Publicity Officer
The Membership Secretary
The Chairman and Secretary of the following Sub-Committees, being Tennis Committee, Croquet Committee, Social Committee, Maintenance Committee and Development Committee
3.2 The Management Committee shall consist of:
a) The President
b) The Club Secretary
c) The Treasurer
d) The Publicity Officer
e) The Membership Secretary
f) The Club Coach
g) The Chairman of each Sub-Committee.
3.3. At its first meeting after the AGM the Management Committee shall elect one of its members to be the Committee Chairman.
3.4 The Management Committee shall meet at least quarterly and the quorum for any meeting shall be five, including the Chairman, subject to the exception in Rule 6.
3.5 The Chairmen and Secretaries of the Sub-Committees have full powers of co-option.
3.6 When the Chairman of any Sub-Committee is unable to attend a Management meeting, the Secretary may attend.
3.7 The Management Committee may appoint any Member to fill any casual vacancy on the Management Committee until the next Annual General Meeting when that person shall retire but shall be eligible for re-election.
4. Election of Management Officials
4.1 Any Member seeking election, and nominated by two other members, must submit a signed nomination form to the Club Secretary not less than 21 days before the Annual General Meeting.
4.2 If there is more than one candidate for any particular position there shall be an election at the Annual General Meeting for that position. In the event of a tie, the winner shall (unless the candidates otherwise agree) be determined by lot.
No individual may be elected to more than one Management position.
4.3 The Management Officials shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting. Each candidate may be re-elected for up to four successive years in any one position. This restricted tenure of office does not apply to the positions of President, Treasurer or Club Secretary.
4.4 Any existing Management Official wishing to continue in office and not constrained by limit of tenure will be considered as a candidate without having to submit a nomination form.
5. Election of Members shall be in the hands of the Committee.
6. The Club Secretary may call a meeting of the Committee at any time for the election of Members. Three shall form a quorum for the purpose of the election of Members only. The Committee decision shall be by a simple majority.
7. A book shall be kept by the Treasurer in which the names and addresses of all Debenture Holders shall be entered and in which all transfers of Debentures shall be registered.
8 Honorary Membership
8a. The Committee shall have power to make Honorary Members.
8b. The Committee shall have power to elect as Honorary Vice-President anyone who has made an outstanding contribution to the Club.
9. Temporary Membership. The Committee shall have the power to elect temporary Members, in accordance with the Rules relating to the election of Members, for a period not exceeding 7 days.
10. Membership Privileges. Non-playing Members and temporary Members shall have all the privileges of a Full Member, including that of voting. Junior Members shall not be entitled to vote.
11. Admission. An interval of at least two clear days must elapse between a person being nominated for membership and their admission to any of the privileges of membership. This restriction applies to all classes of membership, including temporary. Example: A person applying for membership on a Monday cannot be admitted as a Member until Thursday morning.
12. All subscriptions, as set out in Appendix A, are payable in advance on the First day of April in each year. A surcharge of the greater amount of £5 or 10% of the Subscription due will be payable if any member fails to pay his, or her, subscription by 1st May in each year. The name of any Member who, after notice, neglects to pay his, or her, subscription prior to the First day of June, may be posted in the Pavilion, following which the Committee shall have power to erase his, or her, name from the Club list.
13. Guests. Any Member over the age of 16 years may introduce guests only upon the following conditions:-
All guests names be entered in the Guests Book and a Green Fee paid by the Member before the guest may go on to the courts to play. The Member introducing the guest is responsible for the strict observance of this rule. Guests of Members may play only four times a season.
14. Children under 12 years of age can only play if accompanied by a Member on such days and at such hours and on such courts as the Committee may from time to time appoint, but not to the exclusion of any Members.
15. Members absent from the United Kingdom for the whole of any season shall not be liable for any subscription for that season, providing that they have given notice to the Club Secretary of their intention to be absent before the First day of May.
16. Resignations. Any Member intending to resign his or her membership shall give notice in writing to the Club Secretary on or before the First day of May in any year, otherwise he or she will be liable for that year’s subscription.
17. Expulsion of a Club Member
17.1 The Management Committee shall have power to expel a Member when, in its opinion, it would not be in the interests of the Club for him/her to remain as a Member. A Member shall not be expelled unless he/she is given at least 14 days’ written notice of the meeting of the Management Committee, at which his/her expulsion shall be considered and written details of the complaint made against him/her.
The Member may make written representation and/or appear before the Management Committee and at any such meeting be accompanied by a representative or friend to answer complaints made against him/her and to cross examine any witnesses. If the Member decides upon this course of action he/she must notify the Secretary as to the name of the representative or friend at least 7 days before the date of the meeting. No Member will be expelled from the Club unless at least two-thirds of the Management Committee then present vote in favour of the expulsion.
The Management Committee may exclude the Member from the Club’s premises until the meeting considering his/her expulsion has been held. For the avoidance of doubt, the Member shall be entitled to attend that meeting for the purpose of making his/her representations.
Any person ceasing to be a Member forfeits all rights to and claim upon the Club, its property and its funds and has no right to the return of any part of his/her subscription.
Any person expelled from the Club, resigned as a result of disciplinary procedures, or whose application for membership has been rejected, shall not be admitted as a guest or temporary member.
17.2 Visitors and Members’ Guests. A non-member may enter the Club to play as a Member’s guest or visitor on payment of the appropriate green fee.
If a simple majority of the Management Committee decide that the presence of any particular person(s) may be prejudicial to the good order of the Club, such a person will not be admitted to the Club.
18. No dogs shall on any account be brought into the Club premises or on to the Club grounds, except on a lead.
19. Tennis players must wear recognised tennis clothing. This clothing may be of any colour.
Only recognised tennis footwear, which must be clean, will be allowed on the courts. Studs, spikes, heels or soles likely to damage the court surface will not be permitted. White croquet clothing must be worn in competition.
Flat soled shoes must be worn on the croquet lawns at all times.
20. When the “NO PLAY” notice is displayed, the grass courts will not be used under any circumstances.
21. The Annual General Meeting shall be held on the eve of the start of each season as agreed by the Committee, and the Committee can at any time, on its own resolution, call an Extraordinary General Meeting. It shall be the duty of the Committee to call an Extraordinary General Meeting at any time at the written request of not less than ten Members. At least fourteen days’ notice of every Annual General Meeting (AGM) and every Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) shall be sent to each Member electronically to the email address held by the Club. At any AGM or EGM 15% of the adult membership listed at the time of the meeting shall form a forum.
22. The Club Secretary shall keep a Register in the Pavilion showing the full names and addresses of all the Members of the Club.
23. Any question not provided for by these Rules shall be decided by the Committee, whose decision shall be final, until the next General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting, when the Committee’s action shall be confirmed or amended.
24. Alterations to the Rules of the Club can only be made at an Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting, notice whereof must be given to the Club Secretary at least three days prior to the summoning of such a meeting.
25. The Committee are empowered to make or alter such byelaws as they may consider necessary for the well-being of the Club, which shall have effect until the next Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting when the Committee’s action shall be confirmed or amended..
26. All suggestions shall be made in writing in a book kept for the purpose in the Pavilion. If the Club Secretary shall be unable to deal with them himself, he shall submit them to the Committee, whose decision shall be final.
In no instance shall a servant of the Club be reprimanded directly by any Member.
27. Members shall pay every expense incurred by them or for any guests introduced by them, before leaving the Club grounds.
28. Members shall be responsible for any damage done to the Ground or to the property of the Club by themselves or by any person introduced by them.
29. The permitted licensing hours of the Club shall be:-
(a) Weekdays 10.30 to 23.00 hours inclusive
(b) Sundays 12.00 to 22.30 hours inclusive
(c) Christmas Day 12.00 to 15.00 hours inclusive
(d) Good Friday 19.00 to 22.30 hours inclusive
Intoxicating drinks may not be sold to person under the age of 18 years.
30 Sale of Alcohol
30a. Members, Officials and Supporters from other Clubs invited to participate in organised games and tournaments may at the absolute discretion of the Committee be admitted to the premises and intoxicating liquor may be sold to them by or on behalf of the Club for consumption on the premises.
30b. Intoxicating liquor may be sold for consumption on the premises to non-members of the Club, attending at the Club premises when functions are authorised by the Committee, providing always that such functions are limited to 12 such functions in any one year, and notice in writing of each such function shall be given to the Clerk to the Isle of Wight Justices and the Chief Superintendent of the Hampshire Police at least 7 days prior to the date of the function. When such functions are held the Club shall allow the Police the same right of entry to the Club premises as if there were a Justices’ On-Licence in force.
31. Borrowing
31.1 The Trustees may, at the direction of the Management Committee, borrow on behalf of the Club for the purposes of the Club
31.2 If the sum to be borrowed is greater than £5000 or the borrowing is to be secured by a charge on all or part of the Club property, the borrowing must be approved by members at a General Meeting.
32. Dissolution of the Club
32.1 A resolution to dissolve the Club shall be proposed only at an Extraordinary General Meeting and shall be passed only if carried by a majority of at least three-quarters of the Members present and voting
32.2 The dissolution shall take effect from the date of the resolution and the members of the Management Committee shall be responsible for the winding-up of the assets and liabilities of the Club
32.3 Any property remaining after the discharge of the debts and liabilities of the Club shall be equitably paid to or distributed to the LTA and CA for use in developing both tennis and croquet within local communities
33. Persons of either sex are eligible for membership of the Club. No person shall be denied membership of the Club on the grounds of race, ethnic origin, creed, colour, age, disability, sex, occupation, sexual orientation, religion, political or other beliefs.
34 Smoking is not allowed anywhere within the grounds of the club.
ADDITIONAL RULE AGREED AT THE 2012 AGM
35. The LTA Disciplinary Code
35.1 Defined terms
“Disciplinary Code” means the disciplinary code of the LTA in force from time to time;
“LTA” means LTA CLG and its subsidiaries or such successor entity or entities as become(s) the governing body of the game of lawn tennis from time to time;
“member” means for the purposes of RLTCC Rule 34 a tennis playing member of the RLTCC who is affiliated to the LTA;
“Rules” means the rules of the LTA as in force from time to time;
35.2 Conditions of membership
35.2.1 Each member agrees as a condition of membership:
to be bound by and subject to these rules as in force from time to time
to be bound by and subject to the Rules and the Disciplinary Code
35.2.2 Rule 2(1) confers a benefit on the LTA and, subject to the remaining provisions of this rule, is intended to be enforceable by the LTA by virtue of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999. For the avoidance of doubt, the members do not intend that any term of these rules, apart from rule 2(1), should be enforceable, by virtue of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999, by any person who is not a party to this agreement.
The Management Committee may terminate the membership of any person, or impose any other sanction they determine to be appropriate, in connection with the breach of any condition of membership set out in this rule.
35.3 The Management Committee
The RLTCC agrees that each member of the Management Committee will be required, as a condition of election or appointment, to agree to be bound by and subject to these rules, the Rules and the Disciplinary Code, such agreement to contain an express acknowledgement that the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 applies and that the LTA and RLTCC enforce any breach at its option and in its sole discretion
35.4 Coaches and players
The RLTCC agrees that all unlicensed and unregistered coaches and, so far as reasonably practicable, players and other persons using the its facilities will be required, as a condition of such use, to agree to be bound by and subject to these rules, the Rules and the Disciplinary Code, such agreement to contain an express acknowledgement that the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 applies and that the LTA and RLTCC can enforce any breach at its option and in its sole discretion.