Junior Teams: Constitution

This is part of the constitution. The full version, contained in a Microsoft Word file (22k), is available on request.

Constituted on 30 September 2000.

Committee (2000/2001):

Chair/Treasurer: Julie K. White
Vice chair: Mark Sullivan
Secretary/Football and Resources Manager: pauljwhite@iclway.co.ukTel: 020 8947 2789

1. The club will be known as Tooting and Mitcham United Juniors Football Club.

2. The club will provide a quality, safe football environment for any child, youth or adult who wishes to participate.

3. The club will aim to raise the standard of play of every participant, thus enabling the player to participate more fully in their team, gain increased enjoyment from their football, and appreciate that football is part of an education process.

4. The club should be open to any-one who fulfills the criteria as specified in rules 2, 3, 5 and 15, regardless of race, colour, cultural background, religion, economic circumstances (not withstanding rule 20 - also see rule 5), and gender.

5. Attempts should be made to recognise the economic, social and cultural circumstances of potential participants, and endeavour to make provision, where possible, for them to become members.

6. The club should be non-elitist, aim to provide the highest possible standards for anyone, regardless of ability (not withstanding rules 3 and 15).

7. The club will be based within the Merton, Wandsworth and Lambeth London Borough districts (in the tradition of Tooting and Mitcham United Football Club), but will be open to anyone regardless of address.

8. The club will aim to promote and further the aims of Tooting and Mitcham United Football Club, which should always remain it's parent club.

9. The club will provide the highest qualified staff available, to achieve the aims as specified in rule 2. This will mean attempting to provide a coach qualified to UEFA `B` license standard for all groups, comprising not more than 22 people. In doing so this will ensure that all coaches will have been Police vetted, screened and verified by the Football Association.

10. All team managers should have attended the relevant team managers courses, or be qualified at a Football Association recognized coaching level.

11. All football matters will be at the sole discretion of the manager and coach (and assistants) of a group. This should be recognised and respected by all parents and supporters.

12. The club will attempt to provide a ball per participant at all training sessions, and all equipment for a high quality coaching session, as specified by the Football Association.

13. The club will attempt to educate their players in the latest sport science ideas, thus improving health, fitness and well-being.

14. The club should aim to run football teams at all age groups, where practical, in as high a standard as possible.

15. The club will insist on good discipline of all members. Racist, anti-social, threatening or violent behaviour will not be tolerated. All members should attend (within reason) at least one training session a week as well as playing in matches. See rule 3.

16. The club should be non-profit making, with all monies redeployed for the benefit of the club. As such, subscriptions should be kept to as low a level as possible, with sponsorships and grants sought, and fund raising events organised.

17. Accounts for each team should be kept by each team`s co-ordinator / manager, and be made available, by 31st May each year, to any applicant from the membership.

18. The committee should consist of Chairperson/Treasurer, Vice-chair and Secretary/Football and Resources manager.

19. The committee will hold office for one year, running from June 1st - May 31st. All Committee positions will be open for election for the following year, from a quorum of at least 10% of all members, at the annual meeting (or see rule 19) of the group. All positions will be filled by way of voting, for the most popular applicant for that role. If the quorum is not met, all committee members are automatically re-elected, and the constitution remains unchanged. Any committee vacancy will be filled, by any person who is nominated by at least 5% of the membership, and so long as no other person advises a committee member of their intention to seek election, within fourteen days. If more than one person advises a committee member of their intention to seek a position on the committee, after the annual meeting, an extra-ordinary meeting will have to be convened, as per rules 18 and 19.

20. The annual meeting should be notified to all members by the chair, at least 14 days before the event, detailing date, start time and venue.

21. Extra-ordinary meetings can be called at any time, when at least 10% of the members express a desire to change the constitution, or the committee, or to discuss a matter of extreme importance to the club. The same criteria for rule changes, and the calling of the meeting, as in rules 17 and 18 will be observed. Up to a maximum of 2 such meetings can be held in any one year from June 1st - May 31st.

22. Any constitution rule can be changed at an annual or extra-ordinary meeting by at least 67% of the full-membership voting for a change.

23. A member will be deemed to be: any one parent of one child under 17 years of age, or a player aged at least 17 years, currently training or playing for the club, or supporter (who has paid the same amount as any participant of the group he/she is attached to), who have fully paid all subscriptions due for the current season, on or before 14 days previous to any annual or extra-ordinary meeting of the club (as detailed in rules 17, 18 and 19). Also any persons selected to manage, assistant manage, coach or assistant coach, any of the teams within the group, so long as they have been selected to do so, by the elected committee.

24. All constitution rule changes as agreed at an annual or extra-ordinary meeting should be notified to all members.

25. Should the club fold, once all outstanding debts have been met, any surplus resources owned by the club, should be disbursed to a local club, whose constitution is closest to that of this constitution. This decision should be taken by the elected committee, after discussions with members, sponsors, and grantees.

26. Separate child protection and code of conduct documents have been produced, and are considered central to this club, and be part-documents of this constitution. All members when joining the club will have deemed to have read these documents, and agreed to adhere to them.

27. Any member who joins the club will have deemed to have read and agreed to this constitution.