Club Rules
1) NAME
The Club shall be known as the “Hoylake Lawn Tennis Club”.
2) PROPERTY AND TRUSTEES
a) The property of the Club (which shall mean the land and all the buildings and equipment thereon) shall be vested in not more than four trustees who shall be elected at a General Meeting of the Club and shall hold office until death or resignation or removal from office by a resolution passed at a general Meeting of the Club.
b) The Trustees shall hold the property of the Club upon the trusts set out in a Deed of Declaration of Trust made the 26th March 1935 by Geoffrey Horton, Ambrose Goodwin, Hugh Berenger Kendall, Kenneth Howard Mackenzie and John Carver Maclaren.
c) New Trustees shall be elected at a General Meeting of the Club. If the number of Trustees shall fall below two an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Club shall be called immediately to elect Trustees to fill the vacancies.
d) After the election of such new Trustees, the existing Trustees shall immediately execute any document which may be necessary to transfer the property belonging to the Club into.the names of the new Trustees.
e) The Trustees, on the authority of a resolution passed at a General Meeting of the Club, shall deal with any sale, lease or mortgage of the property of the Club.
2) CONSTITUTION
i) The Club shall consist of the following members (all ages being those attained at 1st January in the current season):-
a) Senior (over 21) and Intermediate (18-21, or over 21 and still in full time education) playing members.
b) Country and Student members who shall be members who have attained the age of 18 years and who normally reside more than 20 miles from the clubhouse or who are attending a full time course of education at a University or other place of education. Country membership may be granted for periods of less than one year at the discretion of the committee. Country members are not eligible to vote.
c) Junior members (under 18 years) who shall not be entitled to vote at General Meetings.
d) Non-playing members.
e) Life members who shall have all the rights and privileges of other members but shall not be required to pay either entrance fee or subscription.
f) Honorary members who shall be elected for any limited period or during the pleasure of the Committee and shall have all the rights and privileges of other members with the exception of any entitlement to vote at any General Meeting of the Club but shall not be required to pay either entrance fee or subscription.
ii) Persons of either sex are eligible for full membership. No person shall be denied membership on the grounds of race, ethnic origin, colour, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion or political beliefs.
4) ELECTION OF MEMBERS
Any person wishing to become a member under categories a, b, c and d above shall complete the official application form and send it to the Membership Secretary.
An application shall not be accepted until the appropriate entrance fee and subscription payable shall have been paid. Subject to Rule 3 ii, the Committee shall have the right to reject a membership application by ballot.
5) TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP
a) Members wishing to resign their membership of the Club shall notify the Membership Secretary in writing before the 1st May.
b) Any member may be excluded from membership of the Club by a resolution passed at a meeting of the Committee. Such resolutions must be passed by at least two thirds of those members present and entitled to vote.
6) NON MEMBERS
a) Guests
Members may introduce playing guests to the Club, but not more than 4 guests may be admitted at any one time by one member. The same person may not be admitted as a playing guest on any more than 4 occasions in any twelve month period. The member and his/her playing guest must sign the “Visitors Book” kept for the purpose. The member must accompany the guest while on Club premises and is responsible for ensuring that the rules of the Club are strictly observed and the appropriate fee paid.
b) Visitors
The Club shall admit as Visitors, members of Affiliated Clubs, members of visiting sports teams and their supporters and members of visiting Societies/Clubs.
c) Non-Members
Intoxicating liquor may be sold for consumption on the premises to Non-Members of the Club:-
i) When attending at the Club as guests or visitors or in the course of legitimate Club business.
ii) When attending members’ functions or other functions authorised by the Management Committee. (See also Rule 18).
7) MANAGEMENT
The management of the Club shall be vested in a Committee which shall consist of:
a) Not less than 8 members comprising a Chairman, Captain, Secretary, Treasurer, and not less than 4 others who shall perform such duties as are decided by the Committee. Members shall serve for a term not normally in excess of three years.
Names of candidates for election to these posts should be received in writing by the Secretary not later than the commencement of the General Meeting.
b) Any member whom the Committee deem it necessary to co-opt to help them conduct their work. Such members shall not have a vote at any Committee until the next annual General Meeting.
At any meeting of the Committee the Chairman or acting Chairman has a single vote which may or may not be used as a casting vote.
8) POWERS OF COMMITTEE
The Committee shall have the following powers:-
a) to elect members of the Club;
b) to dispense with the payment in whole or in part of any entrance fee or subscription or any other monies due to the Club in any case where in their opinion it is desirable to do so in the interests of the Club or for other reasons;
c) to take such steps as may be considered necessary to recover overdue entrance fees or subscriptions or other monies owing to the Club;
d) to frame bye-laws which shall remain in force until rescinded or amended by the Committee or by General Meeting;
e) to appoint sub-committees;
f) to fix the time, date and place of the General Meetings;
g) to determine from time to time all fees and subscriptions payable by the members;
h) to advise the Trustees in matters relating to the selling, leasing, mortgaging or other disposal of Club property;
i) to decide any other matters relating to the management of the Club not otherwise provided for by these rules.
9) GENERAL MEETINGS
a) A General Meeting of the Club shall be held annually at a time, date and place to be decided by the Committee for the following purposes:-
i) to receive from the Committee a report and statement of accounts for the preceding year;
ii) to elect the Committee for the ensuing year;
iii) to decide upon any other business relating to the affairs or interests of the Club.
b) An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called when thought necessary by the Committee or shall be called on requisition sent to the Honorary Secretary by not less than ten members of the Club entitled to vote and which must state in writing the object of the meeting.
c) At least six days notice of any General Meeting and of the business to be transacted shall be given in writing to all members entitled to attend and vote.
d) Any motion submitted to any General Meeting of the Club other than those submitted by the Committee must be proposed and seconded by any two members of the Club entitled to vote at the meeting.
e) The Chairman of the Committee, or in his absence an acting Chairman appointed by the Committee, shall take the chair at each General Meeting of the Club and shall have a casting vote.
10) QUORUM
The quorum for any General Meeting of the Club shall be sixteen. The quorum for a General Committee Meeting shall be six.
11) FEES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS
a) All fees and subscriptions shall be as determined from time to time by the Committee.
b) Entrance fees, together with the subscription payable, shall be payable within one month of the admission of a new member to membership of the Club.
c) Annual subscriptions shall be paid to the Treasurer or the membership secretary
appointed by the committee on or before 1st May in each year.
d) If an annual subscription is not paid on or before 1st May:-
i) the name of the member shall be posted in the clubhouse;
ii) the member shall not be eligible to play in any club match or tournament or otherwise to use the facilities of the Club.
e) If an annual subscription is not paid on or before 1st June the member shall cease to be a member of the Club;
12) FINANCIAL YEAR
At the end of the financial year a copy of the accounts, independently examined, shall be displayed on the Club noticeboard at least seven days before the Annual General Meeting.
13) RULES AND BYELAWS
a) A copy of the Club rules shall be displayed at all times on the Club notice board and the Club website and further copies shall be supplied by the Honorary Secretary to any member requesting a copy.
b) In any case of dispute or question on the interpretation or application of any rule or bye-law, the decision of the Committee shall be binding on all members.
14) ALTERATION OF RULES
a) No addition to or amendment of these rules shall be made except at a General Meeting and then only when at least two thirds of those present shall vote in favour of a resolution embodying such addition or amendment.
b) Any proposal for such addition or amendment must be communicated in writing to the Honorary Secretary not less than ten days before the date of any such meeting.
15) AFFILIATION
The Club shall be affiliated to the Lawn Tennis Association either directly or through the Cheshire County Lawn Tennis Association.
16) BAR SUB-COMMITTEE
The committee shall appoint a Bar Sub-Committee, if deemed necessary, consisting of the Bar Manager and at least one other member who shall be responsible for the provision, storage and supply of intoxicants during the permitted hours and for ensuring that there shall be full compliance with the current licensing laws. No ‘off’ sales will be made to any person other than a club member.
17) DISSOLUTION
a) If at any General Meeting a resolution for the dissolution of the Club shall be passed by the majority of the members present and at a Special General Meeting held not less than six weeks thereafter (of which not less than four weeks notice shall have been given to each member) that resolution shall be confirmed by a majority of two thirds of the senior playing members, student members and life members present and voting thereon, all of which said members shall have been at the date of the said resolution members of the .Club for not less than three years, the Committee shall thereupon, or at such future date as shall be specified in such resolution proceed to realise the property and assets of the Club and after discharging all liabilities shall not divide the same among the members but shall give or transfer the same to some other voluntary organisation having objects similar to the objects of the Club and on completion of such gifts or transfer the Club shall be dissolved.
b) In the event of a doubt as to whether any member is or is not entitled to vote at the Special General Meeting hereinbefore referred to, the decision of the Chairman of the meeting shall be conclusive, final and binding on such member.
18) HIRE OF CLUB FACILITIES
The committee may, at their discretion, hire to any member the Club facilities or any part set aside by the Committee for functions of a private nature not open to the admission of the general public. The member hiring must be present and remain on the premises for the duration of the function and shall be responsible to the Committee for the management of the function and the conduct of guests.
19) DEFINITIONS
The provisions set out in Appendix 1 – Schedule to these Rules shall apply.
20) INTERPRETATION
All reference to “in writing” in these Rules shall include communication by electronic means.
APPENDIX 1
1) Defined terms
1.1 In this Schedule, unless the context requires otherwise:
“Disciplinary Code” means the disciplinary code of the LTA in force from time to time;
“LTA” means the Lawn Tennis Association Limited (a company limited by guarantee) 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 a member of the club;
“Rules” means the rules of the LTA as in force from time to time;
2) Conditions of membership
2.1 Each member agrees as a condition of membership:
(A) to be bound by and subject to these rules as in force from time to time;
(B) To be bound by and subject to the Rules and the Disciplinary Code.
2.2 Paragraph 2(1) in this Schedule 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 (other than the LTA).
2.3 The 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 paragraph 2.1 of this Schedule.
3) The Committee
The club agrees that each member of the 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 the club/registered place to play can enforce any breach at its option and in its sole discretion.
4) Coaches and players
The club agrees that all unlicensed and unregistered coaches and, so far as reasonably practicable, players and other persons using the facilities of the club 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 the club can enforce any breach at its option and in its sole discretion.