9 October 2007

Good Practices for CACSSA Clubs 

A. Membership 

All people regularly participating in club activities must be members of the Civil Service Sports Council or CACSSA; although we talk colloquially as being members of CACSSA this is not strictly true.   All Civil Servants, working or retired, should be members of the CSSC and pay their membership fees directly to CSSC.  This entitles them to use the facilities of any CSSC sports club.  A spouse who is not a civil servant and dependent children of a CSSC member may apply for Family membership of CACSSA at no further cost.  Anyone else who has good cause may apply for Associate membership of CACSSA at the current fee. 

Clubs should be open to all CSSC and CACSSA members.  Clubs should ensure their participants are members. 

B. Affiliation to CACSSA 

Clubs whose members are predominantly CSSC members may apply for affiliation to CACSSA.  There are advantages in this as well as a few obligations.  Affiliated clubs receive preferential bookings; discounted ground rents and a substantial rebate for every CSSC member.  To receive the rebate a club needs to provide a full list of its members to the CACSSA Treasurer at the appropriate date each year (end of  May for Rugby/Football/Squash/Table Tennis/Ladies Hockey, end of October for Archery, Softball, Cricket, Bowls, Sailing)  and a copy of its Annual Accounts. 

To be successful each club is required to be seen to participate in the running of CACSSA and its activities.  Each club should send a representative to the meetings of the Executive Committee which meets 4 times a year; this is the easiest way to get improvements of facilities for the clubs.  There are events throughout the year to which clubs should send volunteers, eg Fireworks Night and Open Days. 

The clubs should publicise their activities by sending regularly something to be included in CACSSA News and the CACSSA website. This will keep members informed of what is going on and will help to stimulate interest and bring in new members. 

C. Running a Club 

Each club will be different but there are similar features.  There will be an Annual General Meeting.  Each club will require a committee and officers to take and execute decisions and pay the bills.  The AGM will elect a Chairman; a Secretary and a Treasurer.  At least two of those must be CSSC members. Should there be a nomination of someone who is a Family member or Associate member for one of those posts approval must be sought from the CSSC members entitled to vote. There may be other elected officers.  The clubs will receive reports from the officers and the statement of the accounts at the AGMs.   

Each club will need a bank account.  Details of the location, title and number of the main account should be given to the Management Committee.  It is usual for more than one signature from the officers to be required to operate the account.  Clubs should ensure there are always enough people available to sign cheques etc.  There may be occasions when officers are unexpectedly unavailable for long periods.  Extraordinary General Meetings may need to be called to elect new officers. 

D. Rules or Constitution 

For affiliation each club must have a set of rules or constitution approved by the Management Committee.  It is expedient to seek approval before voting their acceptance at a meeting of the club membership.  These could be based on the CACSSA rules  and will include 

• Name or title of the club 
• Objects of the club 
• Eligibility of membership 
• Descriptions of the responsibilities of the officers 
• Arrangements for meetings, their frequency and quora; what to do if the chairman fails to arrive on time 
• Elections 
• Handling and accounting of monies 
• Conduct of members and officers 
• Requirements for the alteration of the rules 
• Handling of matters not covered by the rules 
• A statement that in the event of the club disbanding or being disbanded any monies, accounts, stocks, fixtures and fittings, except the private property of the club or an individual, shall be vested in CACSSA. 

E. Hire of CACSSA Facilities

The CACSSA facilities or services required during the year by all Affiliated clubs (eg playing facilities, rooms for meetings, function rooms, big screen display equipment, food) MUST be booked in advance with either the Club Manager or the Club Groundsman or both. The only exceptions are the playing facilities used by the Squash, Table Tennis and Tennis Clubs. At the end of each playing season, Clubs will be billed by CACSSA for the use of playing facilities and this bill should be settled within 2 months although Clubs may apply for a rebate to be provided based on membership. Reduced charges are made for use of the Function Room and Meeting Rooms.   

F. Use of CACSSA Facilities

Clubs will be expected to use only those facilities that have been pre-booked and to ensure that their members and visiting teams/supporters treat CACSSA facilities with due care and respect. Any deficiencies/damage/repairs needed should be reported as soon as possible to either the Club Steward, Club Manager or Club Groundsman.

 

Brian Wood and David Wilson 

 

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