CLUB CONSTITUTION SEASON 2017/18 ST JOHNS JUNIOR FOOTBALL CLUB (Founded 1981) St Johns Junior Football Club Affiliation Numbers: St Johns Junior Saturday Club: S-BIR2314 St Johns Junior Club ID : S-BIR2028 St Johns Junior Girls Club : S-BIR2109 1) Name The name of the Club is St. John s Junior Football Club and is herein after called the Club. The Club shall be affiliated to the Birmingham County Football Association. The official Club colours are Green, Black and White. 2) Objectives The Club s primary objective shall be to provide Association Football, coaching and personal development for all the playing members, plus social activities as deemed desirable by the General Committee. 3) Ethos The ethos of the club is to generate an atmosphere and environment where young players can develop their skills and enjoy the game in a friendly non-competitive environment until such time that they are mature enough to take part in competitive fixtures and leagues. The emphasis must always be on development, enjoyment, fair play and fostering team spirit in the Soccer Saints Development age groups. Under 7 s, Under 8 s, Under 9 s, Under 10 s and Under 11 s will take part in league development fixtures and trophy events as indicated by leagues. 4) League Football It is the clubs policy to affiliate teams Under 7 s and Under 8 s to the Tamworth Junior Football League Friendly Fixtures, the Under 9 s, U10 s & U11 s into the Development Fixtures and all other age groups are to be entered into local League Competitive Fixtures. Note: other leagues will be considered with similar guidelines. 5) Officers There are 6 clearly designated roles of Officers within the club. The Officers are as follows: - Honorary President, Chairman, Vice Chairman, Club Secretary, Treasurer and Child Welfare Officer to be appointed by the General Committee for each year at the AGM, the manager from the previous season will normally be appointed in their prospective age group, and however the decision for this ultimately lies with the appointed General committee. Each Team Manager can appoint his own Assistant, Joint Manager and Team Secretary, with the Committee s approval. (For a list of the duties and responsibilities of each Officer, see Section 25). 6) General Committee The club shall be controlled by a General Committee of 6 officers, plus a Minute Secretary should the need arise, these officers will decide on the best interests of the club and implement the clubs ruling as agreed at the AGM. In addition to the members so elected to the General Committee, the Committee may also co-opt up to two further members, such as Parent Liaison or Press Officer. The 6 clearly defined officer roles of the General Committee shall by
definition be deemed to be Full members of the Club and allowed to vote accordingly. Any vacancy which occurs on the Committee during the season may be filled by the Committee, and the member appointed may hold office until the next Annual General Meeting, at which point he/she must stand for election to the position if he/she wishes to continue. The Committee shall meet on no less than 1 occasion per month throughout the season to maintain the welfare of the club, these meetings shall take place on the fourth Monday of each month unless otherwise decided by the committee. The proceedings at such meetings shall be duly recorded by the Secretary. At such meetings of the General Committee 4 members inclusive of the Club Chairman (or Vice Chairman) and Club Secretary shall form a quorum. Decisions taken by the Committee need a simple majority of those voting members present in order to be confirmed. The General Committee should represent the club at all times when dealing with all official bodies over club matters but all correspondence must be directed through the Club Secretary. Powers of the Committee a) To appoint such sub-committees as may be deemed necessary from time to time, and shall receive reports from such sub-committees at its meetings. These sub committees are to; at all times include the Chairman and Club Secretary. b) To fill such vacancies as may arise in its constitution between Annual General Meetings. c) To declare a seat vacant should a member be absent from 3 consecutive meetings without an explanation deemed to be satisfactory. d) To employ and pay any person or persons to carry out work for the club. Including, but not limited to, secretarial duties and pitch & ground maintenance, external coaching expertise. To pay expenses, such as travelling or out of pocket expenses, at the discretion of the Committee. e) To subsidise club members up to the value of 100% for attending training courses such as coaching or First Aid, at the discretion of the Committee. f) To purchase, lease, rent, hire or otherwise acquire any property for the promotion of the objectives of the Club and may construct, maintain and alter any buildings necessary for the work of the Club. g) To make regulations for any property this may be so acquired. h) To sell, let, mortgage, dispose of or turn to account, any or all of the property or assets of the Club, subject to such consents as may be required by law. i) To borrow or raise money for the said objectives of the Club and on such security as shall be deemed necessary, subject to such consents as may be required by law. j) At their discretion introduce discounted tickets to fundraising events. k) The General Committee has the power to freeze any bank account affiliated with the Club. This action may be undertaken and will be communicated by email to the Manager. From that point any transactions from the frozen account will be deemed theft by the Club and dealt with accordingly by the General Committee. The property, assets and finances of the club shall be vested in the General Committee. l) All members of the committee have equal voting rights with any split decision to be decided by the casting vote of the Club Chairman. 7) Discipline The Child Welfare Officer/assistant shall manage all areas of discipline for the club, including complaints against coaches. A disciplinary Committee formed from members of the General Committee shall be convened as determined by the Club Secretary and CWO. They shall have the powers to fine or suspend players and to prevent parents/spectators from attending any club activities should it become necessary. The committee shall have the power to expel any member deemed to have brought the clubs name into disrepute. (See Membership) 8) Suitability of Individuals a) In the interests of child welfare, any person connected with the club in a position of responsibility over the children, including Managers, coaches and all members of the Committee will be submitted for positive vetting by the Football Association Criminal Records Bureau, or any other appropriate body, as to their suitability to be working with children. A new CRB will be requested every 3 years from all those coaching players Under 18. b) Every volunteer must complete a Volunteer Form and submit to the Club Secretary c) The decision of engaging any person in connection with in the club will be the decision of the General Committee and will be final. d) All members of the club must abide by the current Code of Conduct relating to the position they undertake within the club (see #25). Failure to do so will result in the individual appearing before the Disciplinary Committee (see #9).
e) All members of the club must abide by the current Child Protection Policy (see appendix). Failure to do so will result in the individual appearing before the Disciplinary Committee (see Membership). 9) Membership Membership is open to all and no application for membership will be refused on other than reasonable grounds. There will be no discrimination on grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, political or other opinion. Members of St Johns Junior Football Club are defined as follows: i. Officers of this Club ii. Managers of this Club iii. Coaches of this Club iv. Junior Coaches of this club v. Team Secretaries of this club vi. Players of a team representing this club vii. Members of our Soccer Saints Development School viii. Parents of members of our Soccer Saints Development school ix. Parents of a player representing this club x. Any other person deemed to be a member by the General Committee. a) All of the above defined members i-vii will sign a team register, which documents their agreement to abide by the club constitution, Club ruling and RESPECT codes of Conduct. b) It remains the responsibility of the age group manager to ensure this takes place within his/her age group. In the event of a member refusing to sign a club register, the Manager will document this by showing on the club register the name, reason and date of refusal. This in turn will deem this person not a member of St Johns Junior FC and therefore this person will be excluded from being a member. c) The Managers of the appointed age groups WILL, at all times uphold the rules of the Club, League and Football Association which the teams are affiliated to and will sign a club register on the day of the AGM agreeing to this. d) Junior club membership shall be open to children aged 2 to 18 years currently registered with the Club, and who have paid the annual subscription, as determined by the General Committee and signed and returned the Club Registration Form (this is to be done with every person wishing to play on behalf of St Johns Junior FC before they can become a member). e) Adult club membership shall be open to players as in d) but over 18 years of age f) Playing membership shall be approved by the Club Secretary. A register of all playing members of the Club will be kept by both the Club Secretary and Child Welfare Officer. Membership is open to both boys and girls, although Football Association and League rules can govern the appearance of girls in mixed matches after reaching a certain age g) All playing members within the Club will be deemed to be members of the Club. Junior members shall not be entitled to vote. Membership of the Club shall be open to any parent/ guardian of a current playing member or an elected Officer of the Club (See section 4 for list of Officers) even if that Officer is not the parent/guardian of a current playing member. h) Membership is conditional on the individual having registered to the club website; this applies to both playing members and non-playing members. i) Associate members (i.e. not necessarily parents of playing members) may be granted membership of the Club at the discretion of the General Committee. j) Full members shall be entitled to vote at meetings of the Club. Associate members shall not be entitled to vote. Voting shall be restricted to one vote per Full member. Hence, if both parents of a playing member attended an AGM or EGM, then only one would be eligible to vote on their child s behalf. If the parent/guardians were representing two or more of their children, then they would both be able to vote, once each. k) The General Committee will have the final decision if necessary, over the movement of playing members between teams within the club when their age makes them eligible for both. They shall decide in the best interests of the player and the club. l) The General Committee shall have the right to warn an individual member as to their future conduct, suspend them from the club for a given period, or expel them from the Club. (See also Section 22 for Complaints Procedure). m) Any of these actions may take place in the event of a member or associate member directly contravening any rules laid out by the club in the Constitution, club rules, Codes of Conduct or the affiliated League rules and also ultimately the rules of the Football Association and RESPECT campaign. The committee may request or sanction a hearing with the member should the committee deem it beneficial.
10) Annual Subscription a) An Annual Subscription by each individual team to the Club of from 250.00 dependant on age group shall be made payable to the Club no later than the 14th August of each season. At the General Committees discretion this could be paid on a monthly basis in certain circumstances but must be paid in full by 31st January of the same season. b) The annual subscription for each playing member shall be 20.00 This subscription shall be chargeable to each and every individual player. All Annual subscriptions shall be made payable to the club up to the maximum amount of players allowed in each individual team by the League rulings. c) The Player Registration forms shall be handed into the committee on, failure to submit the forms will result in the team not being registered with the club and the team being withdrawn from the league. d) Subscriptions are due each month and every month the sum of 20.00. Subscriptions will be collected by direct debit set up by the parent using a reference which is handed back to team manager. e) The Club Secretary has the discretion to waive subscription fees for specific members in exceptional circumstances or cases of hardship. Any such decisions must be recorded and made available to the General Committee for inspection. f) In the event of non-payment of subscription, an individuals membership can be terminated after 4 weeks. 11) Additional Subscriptions Subscriptions for players taking part in competitive games such as league fixtures or cup competitions where additional expenses will be incurred (e.g. Referee s fees) plus registration fees for acceptance into such leagues and competitions shall be raised from the specific members concerned. The actual costs can vary dependent on age group and league, and shall consequently be decided by the General Committee at the start of each season. All players for the club are required to pay a monthly subscription of 20.00 to cover the cost of training and League Games. 12) Insurance The General Committee will ensure that an insurance policy is in place and paid for by the policy renewal date every year. (Note: An individual team policy taken out by the Football Association will cover the club for Public Liability.) A separate policy will be taken out for the Adult team(s) 13) Duration of Season The General Committee will agree the operating dates for each season and will notify members at the AGM. 14) Annual General Meeting The Annual General Meeting shall be held not later than the end of August each year. The Club Secretary shall give a minimum of 14 days notice of such meeting to all members. The Financial Statement and Secretaries report shall be received by the Meeting which will also elect the Officers and General Committee by ballot, appoint auditors and transact any other business. All serving Officers will automatically stand for re-election unless those officers have stood down from re-election by informing the Club Secretary. Only full members aged 18 and over have the power to vote. Items which fall under the heading of Any Other Business which will require a vote by the membership should be submitted in writing to the Club Secretary at least 7 days prior to the meeting. Any items raised after such a date, or at the meeting itself, shall only be accepted with the approval of the Club Chairman. 15) Extraordinary General Meeting An Extraordinary General Meeting may be convened by the General Committee when deemed desirable and also on the written request of at least 4 full members. The Club Secretary shall give 7 days notice to all members of such a meeting at which 12 voting members shall form a quorum. 16) Finance The General Committee shall ensure that a proper Book of Accounts be kept and that it is independently audited by a properly qualified person on an annual basis. The auditor shall audit, and then certify the annual statement of accounts and balance sheet before they are issued. Official receipts for all monies received shall be signed by either the Club Secretary or treasurer. The General Committee shall authorise all cheques to be signed by at least 2named signatories at all times. The 2 named signatories must all be members of the General Committee.
17) Club Property No member shall, without the consent of the General Committee, take away or permit to be taken away, damage or destroy, any property belonging to the Club. 18) Charter Standard Club The Club shall at all times endeavour to ensure that it maintains its status as a Charter Standard Community Club. 1 Youth Mod 1 coach for every 4 teams by 2017/18 50% of all coaches to be LCC members by end of 2015/16 Minimum 90% of all coaches to be LCC members by end of 2019/20 2 Level 2 coaches in the club by end of 2015/16 1 Youth Mod 2 coach for every 6 teams in the club by end of 2017/18 1 FA Youth Award coach (Mod 3 assessed) per club by the end of 2017/18 19) Rules and Constitution a) A copy of the Rules and Constitution of the Club shall be available to all members on request from the Club Secretary. b) The Club shall have the status of an Affiliated Member Club of the Football Association by virtue of its affiliation to/membership of the Football Association. The Rules and Regulations of The Football Association Limited and parent County Association and any League or Competition to which the Club is affiliated for the time being shall be deemed to be incorporated into the Club rules. c) All team finances shall be managed by the Club Treasurer, A maximum of 50 shall be kept by the team manager for the use of sundry items with the team. This "float" will be accounted for by the treasurer. The treasurer and an authorised nominated team representative will sign for the use of funds within the team account. Paying in of funds will be cash or cheque made payable to St Johns Junior FC. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL A BANK ACCOUNT UNDER ST JOHNS JFC'S NAME BE OPENED BY A ST JOHNS JFC TEAM. d) The club will try to provide equipment. This will be discretionary and team funds will be assessed prior to approval. e) No players shirts shall display ANY players name, nicknames or other personal player identification at any age group. f) The Club will also abide by The Football Association s Child Protection Policies and Procedures, Codes of Conduct and the Equal Opportunities, Anti-Discrimination Policy and RESPECT campaign rules. g) Every Manager SHALL endeavour to play every fixtured match, they SHALL allow enough time to postpone a match and only in extreme circumstances will the points to be awarded to the opposing team by way of walkover. h) There will be a minimum of one FA Level 1 coach with an in-date FA Emergency Aid and Safeguarding Children certificate with every team. With the aim to have all coaches at minimum Level 1 by end of 15/16. i) All Level 1 coaches to register with the FA Licensed Coaches Club by end of 15/16 j) All coaches and volunteers involved with any team to be fully DBS checked and cleared prior to working with U18 s. Coaches to pay for their own 10 DBS check. k) There must be a fully stocked First Aid kit at all training sessions and fixtures. l) RESPECT barriers must be used at every league or cup match m) All home kits must be in the clubs official colours (see section 1) and purchased via the kit Manager. Away or training kits can be Managers choice, but must be approved by the committee and new purchases must be NIKE. No kit must be a very dark colour or black All sponsors need to be notified to the committee prior to the new season starting. Sponsors must not include alcohol, tobacco or gambling for any U18 teamsteam Managers to supply the club Secretary their sponsor logo in jpeg and eps or png format for printing on shirts. n) After a team failing to be represented at monthly Managers meetings twice in the same season a team will be fined 25, failure for a third time will result in the team been excluded from the club and the league. o) Every registered player is to sign a registration form which covers kit; this form will be submitted to the league on failure to return kit items upon the player leaving the club. p) Every Team Manager is to support the Annual Fundraising events, failure to do so could result in the clubs refusal to support their team and the team risk expulsion from the club. 20) NIKE Partner Club a) All equipment purchases from start of 15/16 season must be via our club shop through Vesey UK. b) All coach, player and official wear shall be NIKE (including away and training kits). Current clothing can be phased out once unfit to wear. c) All match balls at home matches to be NIKE
d) All new training ball purchases to be NIKE. Current footballs can be phased out once unfit to play with. e) All home league and cup games to be played in NIKE home kit. 21) Dissolution A resolution to dissolve the club can only be passed at an AGM or EGM through a majority vote of the membership. In the event of dissolution, any assets of the club that remain will become the property of The Tamworth Junior Football League and will be distributed to clubs in need. The following dissolution clause applies to any funds awarded from external sources: If the Committee, by a simple majority, decides at any time to dissolve the Association, it shall give at least 21 days notice of a meeting to all members of the Association who have the power to vote. If such a decision is confirmed by a majority of those present and voting at the meeting, the management shall have the power to dispose of any assets held by the Association. Any assets remaining after the satisfaction of any proper debts or liabilities shall be given or transferred to such charitable groups or groups having similar objects to the Association as the committee may decide. 22) Alteration to the rules No alteration to these rules shall be made except at an Annual General Meeting or at an Extraordinary General Meeting convened for that purpose. Changes made at an AGM require a simple majority of those voting members present, whereas at an AGM any decision must be supported by at least 60% of those voting members present. 23) Members bound by Rules Every member shall be bound by, and submit to, the rules as laid down in the Constitution of the Club. 24) Complaints Procedure All complaints of any kind should be reported in writing to the Club Secretary. If he/she is unable to deal with them he/she shall submit them to the General Committee whose decision shall be final. In no incidence shall any Club member assume responsibility to directly reprimand any other member. Any member wishing to complain about a third party external to the Club (i.e. such as Officials, Referee s, Managers, visiting Supporters etc.) must without exception do so via the Club Secretary. (See also Section 9(f) Membership.) The only exception to this rule will be in the instance of the complaint being of sensitive child welfare issues which then shall be directed to the Child Welfare Officer, from there will enter into the Child Welfare network and dealt with accordingly Formal complaints process Stage 1 An informal complaint can be made to the team Manager. The Manager should discuss the complaint with the complainant and attempt to agree a way forward or a solution that suits both parties. Complainant should allow the team manager sufficient time to investigate or remedy the grievance. Stage 2 If the complaint cannot be resolved informally to the satisfaction of complainant, or if complainant feels that they cannot make an informal complaint to the team Manager, the complaint should be submitted in writing to the clubs Secretary via email or by letter. The written report should include: Details of what, when and where the occurrence took place. Any witness statement and names. Names of any other who you believe to have been treated in a similar way. Details of any former complaints made about the incident, date, when and to who made. A preference to a solution to the incident. The Club Secretary will write to complainant to acknowledge receipt of the complaint within 10 working days and outline the course of action to be taken. The Club Secretary will carry out an investigation, which will involve interviewing and getting written statements from others involved as necessary, and will write to the complainant within 20 working days with [his/her] findings and a decision as to whether the complaint was justified. Stage 3 If complainant has followed Stage 1 and/or 2 of the complaints procedure and are still dissatisfied with the outcome, they have the right to take their complaint to the Birmingham County Football Association.
25) Other Business Any matters not governed by the foregoing Rules shall be dealt with by the General Committee; the decision of such body shall be final and binding. The General Committee gives power to the Club Secretary to act on their behalf however the Club Secretary is ultimately answerable to the General Committee. 26) Interpretation The use of the word he/she within this document is assumed to be interchangeable with the word she in all cases. For any differences in playing restrictions between boys and girls see Membership section 9a. For the interpretation of this Constitution the Interpretation Act 1978 shall apply as it applies with interpretation of an Act of Parliament. Signatories of the Club Constitution All of the signatories on the following pages take on responsibilities as laid out in the Constitution and the following Club addendums. 1. Code of Conduct : Parents/spectators/Carers http://www.thefa.com/~/media/files/pdf/leagues/respect/codespecpntscrs.ashx/codespecpntscr s.pdf 2. Code of Conduct : Match Officials http://www.thefa.com/~/media/files/pdf/leagues/respect/codemofficials.ashx/codemofficials.pd f 3. Code of Conduct : Youth Players http://www.thefa.com/~/media/files/pdf/leagues/respect/codeyoungplayers.ashx/codeyoungpla yers.pdf 4. Code of Conduct : Team Managers, Coaches and Club Officials http://www.thefa.com/~/media/files/pdf/leagues/respect/codecoachmngoff.ashx/codecoachmn goff.pdf 5. Equality Policy 6. http://www.thefa.com/~/media/files/thefaportal/governance-docs/rules-of-theassociation/equality-policy.ashx 7. Safeguarding Children Policy 8. http://www.thefa.com/my-football/footballvolunteers/runningaclub/runningaclub/~/media/4a928034a7fb4a46a06106a6f6a909a2.ashx/123 %20SafeguardingPolicyTemplate.pdf 9. Internal Club Disciplinary Process http://www.thefa.com/~/media/files/pdf/the-fa-2012-13/charterstandard/model-internal-club-disciplinary-process-jan-2013.ashx 10. Goalpost Safety Guidelines http://www.thefa.com/getintofootball/charterstandard/club/~/media/files/pdf/get%20into%20f ootball/charter_standard_2009/supporting_policies/goalpost_safety.ashx/goalpost_safety.pdf 11. Press Release Guidelines http://www.thefa.com/getintofootball/charterstandard/club/~/media/files/pdf/get%20into%20f ootball/charter_standard_2009/supporting_policies/press_release.ashx/press_release.pdf 12. Celebrating Football by Photographs and Video Guidelines http://www.thefa.com/~/media/files/thefaportal/governance-docs/safeguarding/raisingawareness/photography-guidelines.ashx 13. Coaches Recruitment Policy http://www.thefa.com/getintofootball/charterstandard/club/~/media/files/pdf/get%20into%20f ootball/charter_standard_2009/supporting_policies/coach_recruitment.ashx/coach_recruitment.pd f 14. Volunteer Recruitment Policy http://www.thefa.com/~/media/files/pdf/get%20into%20football/hrissues2.ashx 15. Workforce Development http://www.thefa.com/~/media/files/pdf/get%20into%20football/footballworkforce2.ashx 16. Committee Roles & Responsibilities Handbook 15/16 By signing this document I am confirming my understanding of the Club Constitution and addendums, Club Rulings and Codes of Conduct and will, at all times abide by them. I am also confirming that I will enforce the rulings of the Club Constitution and addendums, Codes of Conduct, league and FA ruling throughout my allocated team.
Club Officials Honorary President Chairman Vice Chairwoman Club Secutary Club Treasurer CWO Assistant CWO Andrew Crane Glyn Smith Mellissa Hall Jason Adams Jason Adams Terry Mortimer Sophii wallbank
Managers Team/Age group Soccer saints U6's U7's Stars (Girls) U7's Maverics U7's Lions U8's Titans U8's Thunder U9's Tigers U9's Blue U10's Spirit (Girls) U10's Lions U10's Phoenix U10's Villans U11's Storm (Girls) U11's Pumas U11's Panthers U11's Spitfires U12's cosmos U13's colts U14's Open Age Ladies Manager Glyn smith Keiron Keegan Martin Rose Lee Sibley Ian Whitehead Ade Heart Lee Sibley Keiron Keegan Andy Chyla Mel Hall Neil Harding Rob McDermott Lee Sibley Mel Hall Gareth Kilcullen Jason Adams Terry Mortimer Simon Starkey Sally Meredith Alex Francis Ian Hemingway