Argideen Vale Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club Constitution as agreed at Extraordinary General Meeting 6th Jun 2026
- The Club
1.1 The Club shall be known as “Argideen Vale Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club”, (hereafter called the Club)
1.2 The objectives of the Club shall be:
- To promote the games of tennis and croquet
- To cater socially for its members
1.3 The Club is fully committed to safeguarding the wellbeing of its members. Every individual in the Club should at all times show respect and understanding for the rights, safety and welfare of all members and conduct themselves in a way that reflects the principles of the Club and the guidelines contained in the Safeguarding Children and Young People in Tennis Ireland Manual.
1.4 The tennis and croquet playing surfaces of the Club shall be maintained in natural grass.
- Trustees
2.1 The property of the Club, other than the Club Bank Account, shall be vested in the five Trustees (“the Trustees”), who shall deal with the Club property as directed by decisions of the Club Members and an entry into the Minute Book of the Club shall be conclusive evidence of such a decision.
2.1.1 All Trustees shall be appointed by simple majority of members present and voting at the Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting. The Trustees shall act as Trustees until resignation or ceasing to be a member, unless removed by a resolution passed at a General Meeting. No member shall be elected as a Trustee without his/her consent being previously obtained.
2.1.2 On their removal or resignation, a Trustee shall execute a conveyance, in such form as required by the Club’s solicitor, to a newly appointed Trustee or the existing Trustees as directed by the Club Committee. On the death of a Trustee any Club property vested in them shall vest automatically in the surviving Trustees. If there are only three surviving Trustees, an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be convened as soon as possible to appoint additional Trustees.
2.1.3 The Club shall ordinarily have five Trustees. It is a prerequisite that a Trustee be a member of the Club during all of their period of office. Where, in the course of a year, the number of Trustees falls below five in number, the remaining Trustees shall have the same power as if there were five, until the next Annual General Meeting, when the number of five Trustees will be reestablished by election of the membership present.
2.1.4 To be eligible for election as a Trustee, the candidate must be a member of the Club for a minimum of ten years, nominated by a Proposer and Seconder from the membership, at least one of whom shall be a Committee Member. The nomination shall be submitted to the Honorary Secretary, in writing, at least 4 weeks prior to the General Meeting.
2.2 Roles and duties of Trustees will be as defined by law. Trustees may be invited by Committee to attend any meeting where their expertise is considered of benefit to a particular issue. Trustees will be issued with the Minutes of a meeting attended by any one of their number. Trustees will not be a Committee member. Trustees shall not have voting rights on the Committee
2.3 The Trustees of the Club, at the request of the members at a General Meeting, shall have the power to acquire by purchase, exchange, lease or otherwise, for an estate in fee simple, or for any lesser estate or other estate, or interest, whether immediate or reversionary, any lands, tenants or hereditaments, of any tenure and to arrange a mortgage on said lands.
2.4 The Trustees of the Club are hereby authorised to defend any proceedings brought against the Club and to commence proceedings for the protection of the Club and/or the Club property.
2.5 The Trustees and members shall be entitled to be indemnified out of the assets of the Club in respect of all liabilities incurred by them in the bona fide execution of the duties and powers imposed and conferred on them by the Constitution and by law. The Committee will ensure that suitable insurance is in place for the club and that the policy will be available for inspection at the Annual General Meeting and available to the Trustees on issue of the policy.
2.6 Trustees may be removed by simple majority vote of members at a General Meeting on motion put forward by the Committee. The Trustee shall have the right to be heard by the Committee and make written submissions to the General Meeting as to why this should not proceed. The decision of that General Meeting shall be final.
- Club Operations and Governance
3.1 The level of subscription shall be determined each year by the Committee and put forward to the AGM for approval.
3.2 The Club shall be run by the Committee under the present rules and where same rules do not conflict with this Constitution, and where there is a conflict, this Constitution shall prevail.
3.3 The membership of the Club shall be provided for in the current Rules of the Club and/or as altered in accordance with the Rules.
3.4 This Constitution may be altered by way of amendment by members of the Club at a General Meeting called in the manner provided in the Rules of the Club, subject to a simple majority and a quorum of 33% of the members eligible to vote being present.
3.5 The Club shall not be dissolved except at a General Meeting called for that purpose. The quorum of such a meeting is to be a minimum of two thirds of the membership. Distribution of assets will be decided by members at the General Meeting and in accordance with the law.
3.6 The Club shall have the following Officers and Committee: Officers
- President
- Vice President
- Honorary Treasurer
- Honorary Secretary
- Child Protection Officer
Committee
- Three Tennis Representatives
- Three Croquet Representatives
- Honorary Grounds Secretary
3.7 A candidate going forward for election to any position at a General Meeting, including any vacated office, shall be proposed and seconded by a member of the Club. Notice of same shall be given in writing to the Honorary Secretary, naming their Proposer and Seconder, not later than 4 weeks before the date of the General Meeting. During the season these names will be displayed on the Club Noticeboard and outside of the season these names will be communicated to members. Should there be more than one candidate for any particular position, the result shall be decided by a secret ballot. Only members in attendance at a General Meeting shall be eligible to vote. In the case of family members voting, there will be a maximum of two votes per family.
3.8 The Office of Vice-President shall be open for election every second year. The elected Vice-President shall serve as Incoming Vice-President for one year. The following year, that Vice-President shall assume the office of President for the next two consecutive years. The fourth year he/she shall assume the office of Vice-President (Outgoing VP) for one year, thereafter standing down from those two offices for a period of five years and may take up another Committee position for continuity if required.
3.9 The Committee shall have the option to co-opt a member to Committee where particular circumstances justify. Should an Officer resign, be unable to carry out his/her duties, or be removed from office during the year, the President has the power to nominate a member, preferably a Committee Member, to hold the office and carry out the duties of that office, only until the next Annual General Meeting, and only on an interim/ex officio basis. The co-opted member shall not have a vote in that position
3.10 A Member may be removed by notice given in writing by the Committee setting out the reasons for the decision. The Member shall have the right to be heard by the Committee and make written submissions to the Committee as to why the removal should not proceed. The Member may request a meeting with Committee as to why this should not proceed and has entitlement to be represented at such meeting by a solicitor. After the conclusion of the meeting and within 14 days, a written decision shall be given by the Committee arising out of its adjudication The dismissed Member may appeal the decision to a three-member Appeal Committee to be appointed by the appropriate sports governing body, which should sit without unreasonable delay, ideally within a two-calendar month period from the date of the decision (or appointment of the appeal committee). The decision of that Committee shall be final.
3.11 The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall normally be held in the month of October. Notice of the meeting date, the Agenda, Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting and Motions for the meeting, shall be communicated to each voting member not less than three weeks in advance of the date of the meeting.
3.11.1 Motions to be put before the Annual General Meeting must be submitted in writing to the Honorary Secretary no later than 4 weeks before 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.
3.11.2 A requisition signed by not less than 20 per cent of the members shall have the power to request an Extraordinary General Meeting. Such notice shall be sent to the Honorary Secretary, giving the reasons for calling such a meeting, and when requisitioned, the Honorary Secretary will bring the request to Committee, and a meeting will then be called in accordance with the rules set out above for the Annual General Meeting.
3.11.3 The Committee shall have the power to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting to address any issue arising of significance for the Club and its membership.
3.12 The Club is to adhere to the Constitution Policy Statement from Tennis Ireland, the Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Children’s Sport.
