Revised August 8th, 2005
1. TITLE
The name of the body shall be The Association of Provincial Football Supporters'
Clubs in London ("The Association").
2. AIMS OF THE ASSOCIATION
These are stated to be, in no particular order of priority,
as follows:
- To promote mutual help and advice between affiliated organisations.
- To encourage other
eligible organisations which are not affiliated to the Association to
apply for affiliation and to encourage and assist in the formation of
organisations with a view to their applying for affiliation to the Association.
- To establish and
maintain a high standard of conduct by members of affiliated organisations
and, in doing so, to foster a reputation of respectability for organised
football supporters' excursions and activities.
- To promote the views and interests of football supporters generally.
- To encourage the
joint promotion by affiliated organisations of travel arrangements,
social functions and competitions.
- By the adoption
of a common approach to transport operators to secure for affiliated
organisations the best possible facilities for travel to football matches.
- To encourage, establish
and maintain lines of communication between the Association, its affiliated
organisations other supporters organisations where relevant and the
media generally.
3. AFFILIATION TO THE ASSOCIATION
Affiliation to the Association shall be open to London and Southern England
based organisations of football supporters of teams whose home grounds are
situated outside the area bounded by the M25 Motorway.
4. THE ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE
(a) Election
An Administrative
Committee of the Association shall be elected at each Annual General Meeting
of the Association and each person elected to the Administrative Committee
shall hold office for one year but may offer him or her self for re-election
at the following Annual General Meeting.
(b) Members of the Committee
These shall comprise:
- Chairman.
- Vice-Chairman.
- Secretary.
- Minutes Secretary.
- Treasurer.
- Press and Publicity Officer.
- Sports and Social Secretary.
- Travel Officer.
(c) Composition of the Administrative Committee
The Administrative Committee shall include no more than 2 representatives
from any one affiliated organisation.
(d) Casual Vacancies
If a vacancy on the Administrative Committee occurs then the Administrative
Committee shall have the power to co-opt a person to fill each such vacancy
and that person shall serve until the next General Meeting following when
the vacancy shall be the subject of a vote at which other candidates may
be nominated for the vacancy.
(e) Meetings of the Administrative Committee
- No meeting of
the Administrative Committee shall commence, or continue, without at
least 4 members of the Committee being present.
- The Administrative
Committee shall meet formally not less than once in every 70 days and
minutes of each such meeting shall be circulated to all affiliated organisations.
- Any member
of the Administrative Committee who fails to attend 3 consecutive meetings
of the Committee without offering an explanation which is acceptable
to the Committee shall be deemed to have resigned from the Committee.
(f) Powers of the Administrative Committee
The Administrative
Committee shall have no executive power but shall be responsible only
for carrying out the policy and actions decided upon at General Meetings
of the Association; provided that this clause shall not prevent the Administrative
Committee commenting upon, whether through the press broadcasting media
or otherwise, issues relevant to the Association where it is not practicable
to consult a General Meeting beforehand. In all such cases the Administrative
Committee shall report fully to the next General Meeting and implement
any decisions thereon following such General Meeting.
(g) Records of Attendances
The Administrative
Committee shall appoint a member of the Committee to maintain a record
of all those who attend General Meetings of the Association.
5. GENERAL MEETINGS
(a) Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be held no later than
the 30th June in each calendar year.
(b) General Meetings
General Meetings of the Association shall be held upon the first Monday
of each month except:
- Where the first
Monday in any month is a Bank Holiday then the General Meeting in that
month shall be held upon the second Monday.
- The Administrative
Committee may cancel a General Meeting providing the proposal is passed
at the General Meeting which immediately precedes the proposed cancelled
General Meeting.
- A General
Meeting may be called at the discretion of the Administrative Committee
at any time and shall so be called at the request of no fewer than one
quarter in number of the affiliated organisations of the Association.
- Notice of A
General Meeting pursuant to sub paragraph (iii) of this paragraph shall
be given by the Administrative Committee sending written notice to each
affiliated organisation not less than 7 days before the date of the
intended meeting.
(c) Quorum
No General Meeting
shall commence without there being present at least one representative
from no less than one half of each of the affiliated organisations of
the Association.
(d) Procedure at General Meetings
- Each affiliated
organisation shall have one vote upon any resolution before any General
Meeting but only if at least one representative of that affiliated organisation
is present when the vote is taken.
- With the intention
of ensuring that the Association's credibility is maintained and to
avoid the exposure to criticism that uninterested parties have participated
in any decision of the Association, the Chairman at any General Meeting
may, where there is a resolution to be voted upon which concerns matters
falling within sub-paragraphs (d) and/or (g) of paragraph 2, restrict
the voting on such resolution to those affiliated organisations which
are primarily interested in the matter which is the subject of the resolution.
This shall not, however, prevent any uninterested affiliated organisation
speaking in the debate upon the resolution and the Chairman's decision
as to which affiliated organisations may vote and which may not vote
can be challenged by any affiliated organisation and upon such challenge
the ruling of the Chairman shall be the subject of a vote by all the
affiliated organisations which are present.
- All resolutions
shall be decided by a simple majority of the affiliated organisations
present and voting, except that where the resolution concerns the admission
of an organisation to the Association or the expulsion of an affiliated
organisation from the Association that resolution shall, to be carried,
require a two thirds majority of those affiliated organisations present
and voting (and for this purpose an abstention shall constitute a vote).
(e) Records of Meetings
A formal record of
the outcome of each meeting in the form of minutes shall be maintained
by the Minutes Secretary or, in his or her absence, by a member of the
Administrative Committee appointed by the Chairman. The minutes shall
be distributed to nominated representatives of each affiliated organisation
no later than seven (7) days prior to the commencement of the next meeting,
except in the case of the Annual General Meeting, when the minutes shall
be distributed not later than one calendar month prior to the commencement
of the next Annual General Meeting. The minutes shall consist of, but
not be limited to, reports from members of the Administrative Committee
(see paragraph 4(b)) or sub-committees (see paragraph 8(a)).
6. RESPONSIBILITIES OF MEMBERSHIP OF THE ASSOCIATION
(a) Affiliated organisations must agree to uphold, and must at
all times carry out, the aims of the Association as set out in paragraph
2.
(b) Attendance at General Meetings
- Attendance at
a General Meeting shall be recorded by means of an attendance register
which shall be circulated at that meeting. Any affiliated organisation
which fails to record its representation on this register shall be marked
absent unless satisfactory proof of attendance is produced to the Administrative
Committee.
- An affiliated
organisation shall attend no less than one half of the General Meetings
in any one year (for this purpose the year shall commence with, and
include, the August meeting) and if any affiliated organisation fails
to attend at least one half of the General Meetings during that period,
or shall fail to attend any three consecutive General Meetings, the
Administrative Committee shal require that affiliated organisation to
explain its attendance record and/or absence from meetings and the Administrative
Committee may submit the continued membership of that affiliated organisation
in the Association for discussion at a succeeding General Meeting.
(c) Affiliation Fee
Each affiliated organisation
shall pay an affiliation fee for each year of its membership. The amount
of such fee shall be determined at the Annual General Meeting and shall
then become due on the date of the Annual General Meeting. Any affiliated
organisation which fails to pay the affiliation fee for the current year
calculated from the date of the Annual General Meeting by the commencement
of the September General Meeting in that year shall be deemed to have
lapsed from affiliation to the Association and must re-apply for affiliation
and, in the meantime, pending a decision on such application, that affiliated
organisation shall not be permitted to take any part in any activities,
sporting or otherwise, of the Association provided that eligible organisations
who affiliate at any other meeting other than the Annual General Meeting
(see paragraph 5(a)) shall have their affiliation fee calculated as follows:
(Meeting No. of General Meeting ___ (Meeting No. when) X Fee preceding next AGM) organisation
affiliated) 10
The affiliation fee shall become due at the date of affiliation and subsequent fees in accordance
with sub-paragraph 6 (c).
(d) Provision of Information
Each affiliated organisation
shall produce such information as the Administrative Committee shall require
from time to time as to its activities and its adherence to the aims of
the Association as set out in paragraph 2.
(e) Each affiliated
organisation shall nominate a representative who shall act as a formal
point of liaison between the Administrative Committee and that organisation.
It is the responsibility of the affiliated organisation to ensure that
formal liaison is maintained and any changes are notified in a timely
manner to the Secretary.
7. ACCOUNTS
(a) The Association shall maintain a fund from which can be met
the Administrative expenses incurred in carrying out the aims of the Association
as defined in paragraph 2 and for that purpose shall maintain an account
or accounts with banks and/or building societies to be determined by the
Administrative Committee and all cheques drawn on such accounts shall bear
the signature of not less than two of the persons elected for the time being
as Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer.
(b) The Treasurer
shall report to each General Meeting as to the state of the account or
accounts maintained by the Association and shall prepare for presentation
at every Annual General Meeting income and expenditure accounts and balance
sheets to show all monies assets and other securities of the Association.
In addition, the accounts will be audited annually and the financial year
will end on 31st March. Under no circumstances shall the accounts be audited
directly or indirectly by a member of the Administrative Committee.
(c)The authority
to pledge the credit of the Association and to enter into any contracts
and/or agreements and to make payments by or on behalf of the Association
is vested solely in the Administrative Committee unless specifically delegated
by the Administrative Committee.
8. SUB COMMITTEES AND SPORTING ACTIVITIES
(a) The Administrative Committee shall have the power to delegate
a specific responsibility (except where this would be in breach of paragraph
7(c)), to a sub committee established for that purpose. Such sub committee
will include at least one member of the Administrative Committee (and in
the event of a sub commitee concerned with a sporting activity, the Sports
and Social Secretary shall, in any event, be a member of such sports sub
committee). The other members of the sub committee will each represent a
different affiliated organisation from each other and from any member of
the Administrative Committee who is a member of that sub committee, except
in the case of the Sports and Social Secretary. Each sub committee shall
report regularly to the Administrative Committee.
(b) Those affiliated
organisations of the Association participating in any specific sporting
competition or activity may nominate a person to organise that competition
or activity in which case the name of such person shall be submitted to
the Administrative Committee for approval as soon as is reasonably possible.
Such individual shall report regularly to the Administrative Committee
and/or to General Meetings.
(c) Any affiliated
organisation participating in any sporting competition or activity organised
solely for the affiliated organisations within the Association shall have
the right to pursue any grievances in the following manner:
- Firstly, to
any sub-committee which exists to organise and/or oversee that sporting
competition or activity and
- In the event
that there is no such sub-committee, or in the event that the affiliated
organisation is dissatisfied with the decision of such sub-committee
in respect of its grievance, that affiliated organisation may submit
its grievance or appeal to the Administrative Committee (as the case
may be) within a reasonable time after the circumstances which form
the subject of the grievance arose or after the decision of the sub-committee
has been notified to that affiliated organisation and the Administrative
Committee shall consider the grievance and shall be entitled to request
all such information and assistance from that affiliated organisation
and/or any other affiliated organisation to enable it to consider the
grievance and
- In the
event that no decision is made by the Administrative Committee and notified
to the affiliated organisation, whose grievance it is, within 4 weeks
of the grievance having been notified to the Secretary of the Association
in writing, or in the event that that affiliated organisation is dissatisfied
with the decision of the Administrative Committee, that affiliated organisation
may refer the grievance for discussion at a General Meeting and any
decision made at that General Meeting shall be final and binding.
Provided that the
procedure set in sub-paragraph (c) of this paragraph shall not apply to
any matters which fall to be dealt with by the London Football Association
exclusively and arising from those affiliated organisations participating
in the APFSCIL Football League.
9. DUAL OR MULTIPLE MEMBERSHIP OF AFFILIATED ORGANISATIONS
While any individual may express opinions or present reports on behalf of
more than one affiliated organisation at any one General Meeting he or she
may only register attendance on behalf of one affiliated organisation and
vote on behalf of that affiliated organisation at any one General Meeting.
10. DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURE
If any complaint is made that any affiliated organisation has failed to
maintain a high standard of conduct either by its self and/or by its members
or in any other way has not upheld the aims of the Association as set out
in paragraph 2, that organisation shall be required to submit for discussion
at the next General Meeting after the complaint is made a statement concerning
the complaint. Such complaints should, wherever possible, have been made
to a responsible officer of that affiliated organisation at the time of
the incident or as soon as reasonably possible after the incident. In cases
where unsatisfactory behaviour is alleged the statement submitted by the
relevant affiliated organisation shall include a full report of the incident
and of the steps taken to deal with those members responsible. The General
Meeting shall discuss the complaint and the response of the relevant affiliated
organisation and the continued affiliation of the organisation may then
be the subject of a vote.
11. CESSATION OF THE ASSOCIATION
In the event of the cessation of the Association for any reason any monies
remaining together with any accumulated profits from any events organised
by the Association shall after settlement of outstanding debts and liabilities
be distributed equally among all those affiliated organisations which have
been affiliated to the Association for not less than twelve months.
12. ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP OF THE ASSOCIATION
The Association shall also maintain a category of Associate Membership for
organisations or individuals whose ultimate objective is to form an organisation
which shall be capable of, and eligible to, apply for affiliation to the
Association. The following provisions shall apply to the category of Associate
Membership:
(a) This category
shall be open to organisations or individuals which or who satisfy the
Aims of the Association set out in paragraph 2 and in particular sub-paragraph
(b) of paragraph 2.
(b) Associate
Members shall be entitled to attend General Meetings but shall have no
right to vote at General Meetings.
(c) Associate
Members shall not be permitted to participate in any of the sporting activities
organised by the Association save that Associate Members may be invited
to participate in any individual sporting or other competitions organised
by the Association.
(d) The affiliation
fee for Associate Membership shall be determined at each Annual General
Meeting. The intention, subject to the overriding decision of the Association
at an Annual General Meeting, is that Associate Members shall pay a reduced
affiliation fee consistent with the limited rights of Associate Members
and with the specific intention of encouraging Associate Members.
(e) The continued
membership of each Associate Member shall be subject to a vote at each
Annual General Meeting but without prejudice to the right to consider
the continued membership of any Associate Member at any other General
Meeting.
(f) Affiliated
organisations are encouraged to arrange joint travel with Associate Members
where practicable.
(g) All resolutions
concerning the membership of an Associate Member shall be subject to the
voting requirements as set out in paragraph 5(d)(iii) which relate to
the admission of an organisation to the Association.
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