Club Constitution
1 - (a) The purposes of the Club are to promote and provide facilities for the amateur sport of angling in the Crowborough and District area and community participation in the same.
(b) The Club shall be known as the Crowborough and District Anglers Association with Headquarters at the Social Club, Croft Road, Crowborough, East Sussex.
(c) The Club exists to further the aims of the angling fraternity and to protect the angling environment within the Crowborough and District area, together with the countryside in which it exists.
2 - (a) The Officers of the Association shall consist of an Honorary Secretary, Assistant Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, Assistant Honorary Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Fund Raising Officer, Water Management Officer and Publicity Officer. All of whom shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting.
(b) The AGM shall annually elect two Auditors.
3 - The AGM shall annually elect a President and Vice-Presidents.
4 - The AGM shall annually elect up to 12 Adult and 2 Junior members who together with the Officers, the President and the Vice-Presidents, will form the Executive Committee.
5 - The EC shall:
(a) Have full executive power to transact the Association’s business during the course of the year.
(b) Have the power to remove any Executive Committee member from the Executive Committee, only for good cause such as conduct or character likely to bring the Association or sport into disrepute. Subject to a majority vote by the remaining Executive Committee members.
(c) The EC shall have the power to co-opt any vacancies that may arise during the year and may co-opt additional members if it should think fit.
(d) The EC shall have the power to form Sub-Committees to carry out its business and to co-opt non-EC members to sit on a particular Sub-Committee. All Officers shall be ex-officio members of all Sub-Committees.
(e) The EC shall annually elect from its members a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Minutes Secretary and any other Officer the Committee see fit to elect.
6 - No Executive Committee member of the Association may be an Officer or Committee Member of any other Angling Club or Association.
7 - The Association’s year shall end at the 31st March each year and the AGM shall be held at HQ or at a venue designated by the EC no later than the following May. At the AGM the Honorary Secretary shall submit a report of the year’s activities and the Honorary Treasurer shall submit an audited statement of accounts for adoption.
8 - An Extraordinary General Meeting of the Association shall be called on a majority decision of the EC, or on the receipt by the Honorary Secretary of a written request signed by 12 fully paid-up members. The meeting shall be arranged within one month of the EC’s decision or from the date of the receipt of the written request. An EGM shall only deal with the matter for which it was called.
9 - (a) EC meetings shall be held at HQ on the first Tuesday of each month at 8pm. Ordinary fully paid-up members can attend and address the meeting with the prior agreement of the Honorary Secretary or Chairman.
(b) If a decision on any matter is required prior to the regular monthly EC meeting then, with the prior approval of the Chairman or Vice-Chairman, EC members will be balloted via e-mail. Responses to the ballot will be required within 72 hours or a shorter period if specified. No response to the ballot by any EC member will be deemed to be a yes vote.
10 - (a) Membership of the Association shall be open to anyone interested in the sport on application regardless of sex, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or other beliefs. However, limitation of membership according to available facilities is available on a non-discriminatory basis.
(b) The Association may have different classes of membership and subscription on a non-discriminatory and fair basis. The Association will keep subscriptions at levels that will not pose a significant obstacle to people participating.
(c) The Association’s Executive Committee may refuse membership, or remove it, only for good cause such as conduct or character likely to bring the Association or sport into disrepute. Appeal against refusal or removal may be made to the members.
(d) A junior membership is open to persons aged 12-18 years inclusive. Additionally the Association will accept a junior member under 12 years of age free of charge, who may only fish the Associations waters when accompanied by an adult who is conversant with the Rules of the Association.
(e) Members of the Association as a condition of membership shall be deemed to have indemnified the members of the Executive Committee and the Trustees of its property from and against liability under any contract entered into by one or some of them with the authority of the Association.
11 - The annual subscription and concessionary subscription rates shall be determined by a General Meeting of the members. The annual subscription falls due on 1st April each year.
12 - On joining the Association new members shall be charged an entrance fee determined by a General Meeting of members. Members of the previous year who have not paid current years subscriptions by the 1st May will be deemed to have forfeited their membership and may be required to pay an entrance fee to re-join the Association.
13 - The EC shall arrange outings during the year. Only fish caught on these outings shall be eligible to count for Association trophies unless otherwise stated. An annual fixture list shall be published at the beginning of each year but the Executive Committee shall have the power to alter this programme if for any reason they consider it necessary. Notices will be posted on the Association website and in local tackle shops windows where possible.
14 - The EC shall annually appoint Coarse Angling and Sea Angling Stewards who will be responsible for weighing in and keeping a record of the catches.
15 - Junior Members are entitled to compete for all trophies.
16 - Junior Members are entitled to all other privileges unless otherwise stated.
17 - Only Fully Paid-Up Members’ shall be entitled to vote at an AGM or at an EGM and to enter Association competitions.
18 - The EC shall have the power to deal with any contingencies not provided for in the constitution and the Associations regulations and rules. Any decision shall be submitted to the next AGM for approval and if approved shall be included in the Association’s constitution, regulations and rules as the case may be.
19 - (a) The Association is a non-profit making organisation. All profits and purchases will be used to:
(i) Administer the Associations’ affairs or
(ii) Improve the Associations’ facilities or
(iii) Directly benefit the Association or its Members in some tangible fishery / angling manner.
(b) The members may vote to wind up the Association if not less than three quarters of those present and voting support that proposal at a properly convened general meeting. The Executive Committee will then be responsible for the orderly winding up of the Association’s affairs. After settling all liabilities of the Association, the Executive Committee shall dispose of the net assets remaining to one or more of the following.
(i) To another Club with similar sports purposes which is a registered charity and / or
(ii) To another Club with similar sports purposes which is a registered CASC and / or
(iii) To the Sport’s governing body for use by them for related community sports.
20 - Trustees – The document giving details of the Associations Trustees is held by the Honorary Secretary and can be viewed by any member on application.
21 - The Association shall operate a Sea Section as an additional form of membership to cover Sea Anglers (boat and shore). The Sea Angling and full members are eligible to fish for all Sea Trophies including Bass / Mullet Trophies and attend Sea competitions. Sea Angling members are also eligible for Fish of the Year competition. Sea Angling members are only eligible to vote on rules and matters applicable to sea angling. Sea Angling members cannot use any of the Association’s freshwater facilities. All monies raised from Sea Angling fees are to be used to promote and facilitate Sea Angling, after any general Association administrative expenses have been deducted. Any disciplinary action, not covered in the Association’s constitution or general regulations and rules will be dealt with by the EC at which a minimum of two sea angling members are present. The Sea Section will submit annual accounts to the Honorary Treasurer for incorporation into the Association’s accounts.
22 - (a) All expenditure over £50 must be passed by the EC to an upper limit, with a 10% emergency extra.
(b) All expenses should go through the EC on a quarterly basis.
23 - (a) The property and funds of the Association cannot be used for the direct or indirect private benefit of members other than as reasonably allowed by the Rules and all surplus income or profits are reinvested in the Association.
(b) The Association may provide sporting and related social facilities, sporting equipment, coaching courses, insurance cover, medical treatment, away-match expenses, post-match refreshments and other ordinary benefits of Community Amateur Sports Clubs (our registration is CASC06262) as provided for in the Finance Act 2002.
(c) The Association may also in connection with the sports purposes of the Association:
(i) Sell and supply food, drink and related sports clothing and equipment.
(ii) Employ members (though not for fishing) and remunerate them for providing goods and services, on fair terms set by the Executive Committee without the person concerned being present.
(iii) Pay for reasonable hospitality for visiting teams and guests.
(iv) Indemnify the Executive Committee and members acting properly in the course of running the Association against any liability incurred in the proper running of the Association (but only to the extent of its assets)
(d) The Executive Committee will have due regard to the law on disability discrimination and child protection.
24 - The EC shall have the power to appoint, from time to time, the appropriate number of Officers / Fully Paid-Up Adult Ordinary and Honorary Members to the Office of Club Bailiff. Those Members, so appointed, duties will include the patrolling of the banks of Association Fisheries to endeavour to ensure, by all legal means, that no unauthorised angling takes place and that duly Paid-Up / Honorary Members and Day / Guest Membership Holders only fish in manners that are compliant with all the Association’s Rules and Regulations. The Club Bailiff will report any incidents of unauthorised angling & / or breach of the Association Rules and Regulations as soon as
possible, preferably in writing, to the Hon. Secretary or an Executive Committee member, giving as much information about the offender, such as name, address, car registration number etc. as it is reasonably possible to obtain by legal means.
* * *
Crowborough and District Anglers' Association are members of The Angling Trust and the Rother Fisheries Association.
* * *
Club Headquarters:
The Social Club, Croft Road, Crowborough, TN6 1DL
(Membership of CDAA does not give you membership of the Social Club)