Constitution

1 - Club name and affiliation

The club will be called BATS, and will be affiliated to BADMINTON England.

2 - Aims and Objectives

The aims and objectives of the club will be to:


play and promote badminton
offer badminton coaching and competition opportunities to all junior members
provide duty of care and protection to all club members
make sure all club members are treated equitably.

3 - Finance and Accounts

The accounts will be kept by the Treasurer, and audited annually.

The financial year of the club will end on 1st September..

Should BATS no longer be viable and the accounts need to be wound up then any residual funds, after all creditors have been satisfied, shall be donated to a club or organisation with similar aims and objectives.

4 - Running of the Club

The club will be run by a committee consisting of:


Chairman
Treasurer
Secretary
Junior representative
1 other.


At the AGM, the committee will resign but will be eligible for re-election.

5 - Membership

Membership shall consist of:


adult members
junior members.
BATS JUNIORS is a subsidiary of BATS and as such has adopted and agreed to abide by all the Club’s policies and procedures.


All members will be subject to the constitution and codes of conduct adopted by the club.

Fees will be set and reviewed annually by the committee and approved at the AGM.

6 - A G M

The Annual General Meeting will be held in September. At least twenty-one days’ notice will be given to members.

The Agenda will include:


a report from the committee
Treasurer’s report and the year’s Accounts
resignation of the current committee
election of the committee for the coming year.


All members have the right to vote at the AGM.

Members have the right to call for an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM). It shall be held at the request of at least 25% of members. Notice for an EGM will be the same as for an AGM.

7 - Constitution Changes

This Constitution can be changed only by majority vote at an AGM or EGM.

Byelaws and Other Regulations
1- League and Friendly Matches

Members taking part in league and friendly matches shall pay a match fee for home and away matches at an amount as shall be agreed from time to time by the Management Committee.


2 - Guests and Attendance of Members

Club members shall be entitled to bring guests in but members must obtain the permission of the Secretary. A guest shall pay a visitors fee at such amount as shall from time to time be fixed by the Management Committee.

Team members will be expected to turn up regularly for club nights or forfeit their team placement. The committee may override this rule in an emergency,.


3 - Membership of the Leagues

The Chairperson and General Secretary shall be the Club’s official representatives at general meetings of Leagues and shall have the power to vote on all matters affecting the Club’s interest. If unable to attend or act in these capacities the Management Committee shall have the power to appoint another member of the committee to officially represent the Club at such meetings.


4 - Club Entries in Leagues

The Management Committee shall make a decision as soon as possible following the Annual General Meeting as to the type and number of entries to be submitted for entry into any League for the following season.


5 - Waiting List

If necessary the Honorary General Secretary shall maintain a “waiting list” and have authority to invite potential new members to three club sessions respectively. After two attendances the Management Committee shall decide whether or not to accept the application for membership.


6 - Match Selection (Friendly and League)

Initially, all members of the Management Committee shall be responsible for selecting and where appropriate nominating teams, whose decision must be regarded as final in respect of the first matches played. Thereafter, the Captain of a team, to be selected by the said team, may make changes to their team.

Child Protection Policy

In September 2005 BATS Badminton Club adopted a Child Protection Policy for badminton endorsing a document entitled "Child Protection Policy and Procedures in Badminton " produced by the Council of Badminton England (BE) in February 2000.

This policy can be seen on the Badminton England Website - see Link. This policy is reviewed annually by BATS.

On 31 July 2007 BATS Badminton Club added our own paragraph on photography.

Photography

No photographs or video footage taken using club equipment will be seen or used by non-club members (Senior or Junior) without the permission of parents/guardians and/or the seniors concerned. Parents/guardians will be deemed to have club status for the purposes of photography only, in order that they can see and approve footage/stills taken of their children.

Equity

This club is committed to ensuring that equity is incorporated across all aspects of its development. In doing so it acknowledges and adopts the following Sport England definition of sports equity.

Sports equity is about fairness in sport, equality of access, recognising inequalities and taking steps to address them. It is about changing the culture and structure of sport to ensure it becomes equally accessible to everyone.

The club respects the rights, dignity and worth of every person and will treat everyone equally within the context of the sport, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, religious belief, sexuality or social/economic status.

The club is committed to everyone having the right to enjoy their sport in an environment free from threat of intimidation, harassment or abuse.

All club members have a responsibility to oppose discriminatory behaviour and promote equality of opportunity.

The club will deal with any incidence of discriminatory behaviour seriously, according to club disciplinary procedures.