1.1 The name of the Club shall be Argideen Vale Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
1.2 The Club is fully committed to safeguarding the welfare of its members. Every individual in the club should, at all times, show respect and understanding of their rights, safety and welfare, and conduct themselves in a way that reflects the principles of the club and the guideline contained in the “Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Children’s Sport in Ireland”. (Adopted at A.G.M 2004)
1.3 The Club has a Child Protection Policy in place as recommended by Tennis Ireland. (Adopted at A.G.M. 2016 )
2. The Committee
2.1. The Committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting (A.G.M.), and shall consist of the Officers (President, Vice-President, Hon.Secretary, Hon. Treasurer, Hon. Grounds Secretary), three members representing Tennis and three representing Croquet. The President shall act as, or appoint, a Chairman. The Committee shall have the power to co-opt any member for a special reason (eg. to advise on a specific question), and to act only for that purpose. The co-opted member shall not have a vote.
Six members of the Committee shall form a Quorum. In case of equality the President shall have the casting vote. The Chairman and Hon. Secretary shall have the power to appoint a sub-committee for special purposes.
2.2 The Committee is empowered to hold the Annual General Meeting in September or October . (Adopted at A.G.M 2009). Notice of the meeting, along with the Agenda, shall be sent to each voting member at their last notified address (postal or email), not less than three weeks in advance of the date of the meeting.
Motions to be put before the A.G.M must be submitted in writing to the Hon. Secretary no later than two weeks prior to the date of the meeting, and must be signed by a Proposer and Seconder. Motions shall be decided by a majority decision of those present and voting.
An Extraordinary General Meeting (E.G.M.) can be called by not less than six members sending a signed request to the Hon. Secretary, giving the reason for calling such a meeting. The Hon.Secretary, when so requested, will call a meeting in accordance with the rules as set out above for the A.G.M.
No alteration of these rules shall be made except at an A.G.M or an E.G.M. Notice of such proposed alterations to be sent to all voting members along with notice convening the meeting.
The Club shall not be dissolved except at an E.G.M called for that purpose and then only by a two-thirds majority of the voting members present.
3. Membership
3.1. Categories
a) Family Member (Children of Family Members are entitled to play up to the age of 25.)
b) Single Member.
c) Junior Member (under 18, non voting.)
d) Holiday Member (temporary, no guests, non voting)
e) Hon. Life Member.
The Committee shall have the right to close all or any of the above categories. Such declaration to be confirmed or nullified at the A.G.M.
3.2 Election
Applicants for membership shall complete an Application Form and be proposed and seconded by a member to whom they are known personally. Completed forms must be received by the Hon.Secretary by 1st April each year. In exceptional circumstances, the Committee shall have the discretion to receive applications after that date.
The Hon. Secretary shall place the names and addresses of the candidates, along with the names of their proposers and seconders, on the noticeboard, at least two weeks prior to the Committee Meeting at which the applications for election will be considered.
A quorum of the Committee shall be present at that meeting and candidates shall be elected by a two thirds majority. A candidate shall not be deemed to be a member until notified of his/her election, in writing, by the Hon. Secretary, and until the subscription for the year has been received by the
Hon. Treasurer. Candidates who fail to be elected may reapply after one year.
3.3 Subscriptions
Membership subscriptions become payable on or before May 1st each year. In the case of new members it becomes payable on their election. Details of the annual subscriptions along with a general information pack shall be sent to each member and posted on the club notice board by the Hon. Secretary.
Members who are unable to play for at least one season (eg, illness, travel ) on notification to the Hon. Secretary may continue as full members on payment of an annual “Sabbatical Fee”.
Applications from Members who have formally resigned will be considered in the normal application process.
Members who fail to pay the subscription within two months of the due date may be contacted by the Hon. Treasurer to discuss their membership.
3.4 Guests
Members (excluding Holiday Members) may invite two guests to the club on Club Days. Members and their guests must sign the Visitors’ Book and pay the appropriate fee prior to starting play.
Members hosting Tea may invite guests, only two of whom may play tennis and two croquet. Guests of the Tea Host/ Hostess are free of charge but must sign the Visitors’ Book.
No visitor shall be permitted to be a guest on more than three occasions in the season.
4. The Grounds
4.1 The Club shall be open on;
a) CLUB DAYS; Tuesdays and Saturdays from 2pm.
b) PRACTICE DAYS ; (For Members) Sundays and Wednesdays from 2pm. A member may bring one guest only. The Visitors Book must be signed and the appropriate fee paid prior to starting play. A visitor may come to the club on three occasions in the season, these can be a combination of Club Days and Practice Days. (Rule amended A.G.M 2019)
c) JUNIOR DAY; Thursdays.
The courts shall be closed on Mondays and Fridays.
4.2 The Hon. Grounds Secretary, or his/her designee, has ultimate control over which courts are to be played on during Club Days, Coaching Days and Practice Days. If a net has been removed from the court it must remain so.
5. Club Etiquette
5.1 Tennis
On Club Days players concluding a set of tennis will vacate the court before starting a new set. Any player waiting should be included in the next set.
On Club and Practice Days except Thursdays, adult players shall have preference on the courts, except Court 6, which shall be reserved for Juniors.
A junior (under the age of 16 ) may play on one of the other courts only when invited to do so by an adult.
Singles may not be played if players are waiting for a court.
When more than eight players are waiting to play, short games and sets shall be played.
Matches with other clubs (eg.Summer Cup) are not to be arranged on Club Days.
5.2 Croquet
In the case of croquet, the court shall be vacated after 13 hoops, for a period of five minutes before commencing a fresh game. Any player waiting should be included in the next game.
5.3 Small children must be in the care of an adult at all times.
5.4 Dogs (except Guide Dogs) are not permitted at the Club unless kept on a lead at all times.
6. Tea Days
6.1 The member selected to act as Host/ Hostess on a Club Day should bring sufficient food for themselves and their guests. Tea will be served between 4.30pm – 5.30pm. The Tea Host/Hostess should ensure that no food is left at the Club at the end of the Tea Day. They are also responsible for removing, washing and returning tablecloths, towels and tea towels used on their Tea Day.
6.2 If a member is unable to host the Tea Day assigned to them, they must, themselves, arrange an alternative host/hostess.
7. Attire
7.1 The tennis player’s attire shall consist of tennis clothes and tennis shoes, which shall be white.
7.2 Croquet players must wear white sports shoes, without heels.
7.3 Spikes may not be worn.
7.4 When a player, for physical reasons, requires special shoes, with the Committee’s permission these may be worn provided no damage is likely to occur to the courts.
7.5 It is the responsibility of the member to advise their guests of the above rules.
8. Discipline
8.1 If any member is in persistent breach of these rules, the Committee shall have the right to take such action as it sees fit, which includes suspending that person from membership, indefinitely.
