Club Constitution
1. Title
The name of the Club is Avon Valley Runners.
2. Headquarters
The Headquarters of the Club is the Trowbridge Rugby Football Club, Paxcroft, Hilperton, Wiltshire
3. Object
The object of the Club is the promotion of social and competitive participation in road, cross-country and multi-terrain running and multi-discipline events such as duathlons and triathlons.
Our Mission statement is To be the club of choice for runners in West Wiltshire and to be recognised as a club of excellence and support for the promotion of running as a sport and a recreational pursuit.
4. Management
(a) The management of the club is vested in a committee consisting of a Chairman, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer and such other additional officers and committee members as may be deemed desirable for the optimum operation of the club. Five members will constitute a quorum. The committee may at its discretion fill any vacancy which arises.
(b) The committee will meet after club training on the first Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday of each month at a suitable and agreed venue unless in extenuating circumstances when it will be arranged no later than the second week of that month.
(c) The honorary role of President shall be elected in an Olympic year for a four year term and will oversee the election of the management committee and act as a figurehead for the club. The President shall be supported by up to four honorary Vice-Presidents whose term shall also finish in an Olympic year, regardless of election date.
(d) The annual general meeting shall normally take place on the second Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday in January, or as soon as practicable thereafter, to receive the committee's report and financial statement, elect officers and committee and deal with any other matter specified on the agenda. The honorary secretary must give members twenty-one days' notice of the meeting. Proposals, nominations and any other items desired to be included in the agenda must be given in writing to the honorary secretary for consideration at least fourteen days before the meeting.
(e) The honorary secretary shall give at least seven days' notice to every member of the time and place of any special general meeting and of the business to be dealt with, and no other business shall be dealt with at any such meeting.
(f) Avon Valley Runners Youth (AVRY) is not separately financially accountable section of the club that is responsible for members aged 11 to 16 inclusive. It is managed by the AVRY working group, headed by the Juniors Secretary who also sits on the Avon Valley Runners Committee.
(g) Avon Valley Triathletes (AVT) is a separately financially accountable section of the club that is responsible for all multi-sport involvement. It is managed by the AVT working group, headed by the Multi-sport Secretary who also sits on the Avon Valley Runners Committee.
5. Membership
(a) The club is open to all who are aged eleven and above on the day of joining. Membership implies acceptance of these rules.
(b) Junior members between the ages of seven and sixteen can only train at suitable age AVRY training sessions or sessions/events specified as “Open to juniors”
(c) Honorary Membership may be awarded at the discretion of the Committee to people who have made a significant contribution to the Club in a given year.
(d) Life Membership may be awarded at the discretion of the Committee to people who have made a significant contribution to the Club taking into consideration guidelines laid down by the committee.
6. Resignation
(a) A member wishing to resign from the Club shall give notice in writing to the honorary secretary, and his or her membership will terminate on the date of that notice unless he or she is financially indebted to the club, in which case the committee may withhold acceptance of the resignation until such indebtedness is discharged.
(b) If a member wishing to resign from the Club is also affiliated to England Athletics and intends to compete for an alternative club as a first claim athlete, then they must complete the appropriate change of first claim club form and submit to the Honorary Secretary for approval.
7. Subscription
The Annual Subscription of the Club for seniors, juniors and Students is set by the membership at the Annual General Meeting. Membership should be renewed between 1st February and 31st March.
(a) If a membership renewal is not received by end of May then the member is deemed to have ended their membership on 31st March of the preceding year for purposes of eligibility. The Committee shall have the power to expel any member, whose subscription is still not paid by 30th June. Every effort will be made by the committee to communicate with the member before this date but the onus is on the member to ensure subscriptions are paid.
(b) Any member whose cheque is returned or has not paid in full by the end of May shall pay a £4 surcharge.
(c) The name and address of any person so expelled from the Club shall be sent to UK: Athletics and Association of Running Clubs. The named person shall be ineligible to compete at any UK: Athletics and/or Association of Running Clubs permitted race until the liability causing their said expulsion, which shall not exceed one year's subscription, has been discharged.
(d) Honorary Members are exempt from paying an annual membership fee to the Club for a given year.
(e) Life Members are exempt from paying an annual membership fee to the Club.
8. Eligibility
(a) For purposes of Club Championship qualification or Club Record consideration the performance must take place on a certified measured course, and that the runner concerned be entered as an Avon Valley Runner - exception will be made for runners representing in county, regional or national teams. Any other exceptional circumstances will be considered by the committee. Split times will not be considered.
(b) The Club may receive a number of ‘Club Places’ for events such as the London Marathon in accordance with the criteria laid down by UK: Athletics. These club entry places are available to members who have more than one year's continuous membership and are EA members (where EA membership contributes to allocation). This membership has to have been continuous and in place from 1 st April of the Ballot year). If more members are eligible for club entry places than have been allocated then the entries will be drawn by ballot, any member who won a club ballot in the previous year will be excluded from the ballot for the same event. Rejection from said public ballot is mandatory for inclusion in the club Ballot.
Avon Valley Runners - January 2023