Club constitution

Name of Organisation

The club shall be called Gedling Southbank Football Club (referred as the ‘Club’ hereinafter)

Aims and Objectives

The Club is a community based football club located in the Gedling Borough of Nottinghamshire providing the opportunity for as many people as possible to play association football. In addition social activities will be arranged for the members. The Club is a non-profit making organisation.

The Club was founded from the merger of a senior club, Arnold Southbank FC and a junior club Gedling Southbank FC in June 2006. The new club Gedling Southbank’s vision and objectives are contained in a Development Plan that was agreed at each previous club’s closing 2006 AGM. The Club’s second Development Plan is contained in Appendix 1. The Constitution is situated on the Club’s website and will be updated from time to time to reflect changes agreed at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).

The clubs year will run from July 1st till June 30th each year.

Governing Body

The organisation is administered by a Committee. The Executive Committee (Committee members excluding President, Vice Presidents, Team Managers and Coaches) is elected each year at an Annual General Meeting by simple majority of members attending that meeting. Committee meetings are then held bi-monthly during the football season. The Committee is responsible for running the club, including the appointment of Team Managers and coaches, and will have the power to decide on any questions and disputes on Club Conduct and Rules or other matters with external bodies.

Committee Structure

The Committee has the following officers and membership:-

Chairman; Vice Chairman; Youth Development Officer; Finance Secretary; Club Secretary; Child Welfare Officer’s; Senior Section Coordinator; Girls Section Coordinator; Pitch & Training Coordinators; Club Kit Coordinator; Committee Members; Parent Committee Members.

The role profiles of the above posts are contained in Appendix 2.

A Club President will be appointed by invitation and will be an honorary life position within the club. Vice Presidents may be appointed by invitation and agreement of the Executive Committee. The Club President and Vice Presidents have an open invitation to attend all Committee meetings and will be copied with all notes from meetings etc.

Each of the Club Officers will hold office from the date of appointment until the next AGM, unless otherwise resolved at a Special General Meeting. One person may hold no more than two positions of Club Officer at any time. The Vice Chairman will deputise for the Chairman when he is unable to attend a meeting.

Nominations for elections as Officers on the Committee shall be made in writing by a proposer and seconder, both who must be existing members of the Club, to the Club Secretary not less than 7 days before the AGM.

Club Committee Meetings

There is an Annual General Meeting which will normally be held in July to which all members of the Club will receive an invite and be given at least 30 days notice of the meeting. The AGM will;

1. Receive the previous year’s AGM minutes and deal with anything outstanding.
2. Receive the Chairman’s annual report of the activities of the Club over the previous year.
3. Receive a report of the Club’s finances over the previous year.
4. Elect the members of the Club Committee for the coming 12 months
5. Review and Update of the Club Development Plan

6. Agree the Club Constitution

7. Agree on Club structure and policy for the coming year including:
· Training arrangements
· Teams, leagues and cups to be played in.
· Fees, subscriptions and insurance for the following year.
· Fund raising and sponsorship approach for kit, equipment, etc.
· Social Activities
· Facilities Development.
· Young People Development.

Decisions made at the AGM will be a simple majority of the members present and the meeting will be minuted by the Club Secretary. Minutes of meetings and appropriate policies, procedures and Club communications will be posted on the website or via another suitable medium.

Club Committee meetings are recorded by the Club Secretary and decisions are made by a simple majority of those attending.

A Special General Meeting may be called at any time by the Committee and shall be called within 21 days of the receipt by the Club Secretary of a request in writing signed by not less than 5 members over the age of 18, stating the purpose for which the meeting is required and the resolutions proposed. The Club Secretary will then inform members of the Club of the details of the meeting and the resolutions proposed. The quorum for an SGM will be 25 members present.

For all Committee meetings where decisions following a vote are tied, the casting vote will be the Chairman.

Membership of Organisation

Playing members are registered with the Club in accordance with the rules of the Leagues and Competitions the Club is competing in and hence in accordance with the rules of the Nottinghamshire Football Association.

Players cancelling their registration with the Club will no longer be members, and existing members will need to renew their playing registration each season to remain members. The Committee have the power to suspend and/or expel a member in accordance with the Club Rules and Code of Conduct when, in their opinion, it would not be in the interests of the Club for them to remain a member.

Members of the Committee will be automatically members of the Club.

Membership fees and subscriptions paid by playing members shall be determined at the AGM.

All members of the Club are bound by the Club’s code of conduct and rules.

Club Rules and Code of Conduct

The Club as a member of the Nottinghamshire Football Association shall have the status of an Affiliated Member Club of the Football Association. Therefore the rules and regulations of the FA and any League or Competition to which the Club is affiliated shall be deemed to be incorporated into the Club Rules and Code of Conduct.
The Club Rules and Code of Conduct are contained in Appendix 3 of the constitution and shall be reviewed from time to time by the Club Committee with any changes presented to a General Meeting. The club will adopt the FA Respect campaign (see below) and abide by the principals of the campaign.

Finance Policy  

  • Purpose 

The Club has a Finance Policy to ensure there is a sound, fair and structured framework for collecting and accounting for the money required to run the Club 

  • Guiding Principles 
  • The club is a non-profit making sports and social organisation trying to serve the needs of the Club and local community
  • The Club Finance Policy is overseen by the Treasurer as part of the Club Executive Committee
  • The Treasurer keeps a set of club accounts in accordance with accounting principles and Charter Standard status, and the transparency of these accounts is made available at Committee meetings, the Club AGM, to external bodies for grant application purposes and at the request of Club members
  • The Club accounts will be examined by a third party on an annual basis
  • The Club sets out to cover all costs but recognises as a community body fundraising is taken on from time to time for both charitable causes and Club requirements (e.g. the Club Facility Fund)
  • How the Club raises money? 

The Club raises money through several sources:

  • Player subscriptions are the main source of revenue for the club paid monthly by Team Fee Pay. Subscription rates are reviewed annually to ensure the Club is meeting its Guiding Principles in paragraph 2 of this document
  • Other sources of revenue are grants, sponsorship and donations.
  • Managers are expressly forbidden to accept cash for player subs or other items like kit or equipment, any fund raising activities that exceed £50 must be paid into the club account to be put against that teams account within 7 days of the fund raising event.
  • How the Club sets Subscriptions? 

Monthly subscriptions are set based on the following principles:

  • A simplified uniform payment system applied across the club
  • A hassle-free subscription collection point for coaches/managers
  • Payments are made monthly by Team Fee Pay over 12 months by Debit Card
  • Covers all costs incurred by the team
  • Supports the flagship men’s team in working towards playing at the highest potential level and provides a pathway through the ages of the boys and girls sections for a lifetime of football with the club
  • The club committee will review subscription rates and finance targets each year for approval at the annual AGM
  • Players falling into arrears by one month will be subject to immediate suspension till all outstanding payments have been received.

For All Sections: 

From season 2025/26, all club members covered by the YEL, NYL & NGYL who play for one team at the weekend will pay £26 a month for 12 months from 1st July till 30th June. Players who play for an additional team at Gedling Southbank FC (Sat & Sun) will pay £52 per month. Other plans are in place for specific team requirements and for train only players.

Senior teams will work with the club committee each season to ensure they are working within costs raised by the wider club and themselves.

What costs do the Subscriptions cover? 

Typical costs are covered below but these can only be afforded if every team ensures the vast majority of the team are paying their monthly subscriptions by standing order:

  • League and cup fees
  • FA affiliation and insurance costs
  • FA mandatory CRC (criminal record check) verification costs
  • Training costs
  • Pitch costs
  • Officials costs
  • A new kit every two seasons** (see note below) £250 per season put aside from subscriptions
  • Equipment costs (balls, ball bag & pump, cones, flat discs, whistle, tops for up to two CRC checked or equivalent coaches, bibs, first aid kits, water bottles for senior teams)
  • Laundry costs – senior section only
  • Mandatory coach courses (e.g. L1, First Aid etc)
  • End of season trophies
  • Tournament costs or summer friendlies (Maximum of 3 per season) £75 5 v 5, £100 7 v 7, £125 9 v 9, £150 11 v 11
  • £180 per season towards Little Kickers and new team support.
  • £96 per season towards the Men’s team support
  • Contingency costs (unforeseen items e.g. fines)

**As a club policy over the years the club has encouraged all teams to seek sponsorship of their kits or other sports wear from local businesses and this has been very successful. It is important that this continues and we develop these partnerships. 

  • How the Club Collects Subscriptions 

All teams in the club are required to collect subscriptions monthly through the Team Fee Pay App.

  • Subscription Support

Any parent experiencing financial difficulty should contact there team manager, club welfare officer or club chairman to discuss a possible suspension or reduction of subscription payments, the club will endeavor to assist where possible on a short term basis to ensure no child is prevented from playing football due to financial hardship.

  • Coaching Support

All necessary coaching courses will be paid for out of club funds, initial outlay for courses should where possible be paid for by the coach and reimbursement made on completion of the course. Following the reimbursement it is required that coaches commit to a minimum period of 1 year coaching within the club, failure to complete one year may result in the club requesting 100% reimbursement of coaching courses paid for, between year 1 and 2 if the coach leaves the club may request reimbursement of 50% of coaching courses paid for.

  • Teams who default in collecting subscriptions 

All teams are required to conform to the above policy which has been introduced through experience and consultation with the section leaders. Individuals who default on payment may be suspended from the club on agreement from a majority of the club committee, if any team does find difficulty with implementing this, then in the interests of fairness and consistency and if after support and advice from the committee there is no improvement then they will be asked to leave and run independent of the club.

  • What happens if a team folds? 

If a team folds or leaves the club for whatever reason part way or at the end of the season then action will be taken to minimise the financial impact on the club without compromising the Club’s reputation as a well-run club with the highest Charter Standard status.

  • New Teams joining the Club 

New teams joining the club will be required to place a £300 bond ring fenced in the club accounts. If the team runs its finances satisfactorily for a complete season the bond will be transferred back into that team’s accounts for the following season

  • What happens if the Club Dissolves? 

Any remaining monies arising out of the dissolution of the club will be distributed in accordance with the Club Constitution paragraph headed Dissolution of the Organisation.

Club Respect Policy

The club fully supports the FA Respect program to reduce unacceptable behaviour and set high standards in all aspects of the game. Following our award to Community Club status under the Charter Standard structure the club decided it was important to set a good example in local grassroots football by strengthening our approach and implementation of the Respect programme across all sections of the club.

A workshop took place for all coaches in February 2013 to agree a practical policy and approach the club could adopt. Specifically the following was agreed:

1. All coaches must have a copy of the FA ‘s Respect document which includes the Respect Codes of Conduct.

2. The club adopts the 4 steps as laid down in the Respect program as follows:

3. At the beginning of each season the Codes of Conduct will be made available to all players, spectators/parents, coaches and club officials and signed for acceptance via the Team Fee Pay App. New players etc during the season will be issued with the appropriate Code and signed for as part of the registration process. In addition everybody will be reminded of the Club policy & practice towards Respect and this policy is reproduced under the Club Rules under Conditions on the Home page of the Club website.

4. In all junior and youth football spectators will be required to stand behind the designated area for spectators. In senior football at home games grounds will be prepared in line with league rules but as a minimum a spectators’ area will be roped off to prevent spectators from encroaching on the pitch area.

5. All appointed team captains will wear a captain’s armband and where the captain is old and responsible enough, he/she will work with the referee to help manage the behaviour of the team if it is necessary. Where captains are too young to carry this out it will be the coach’s responsibility.

6. All representatives of the club whether they are coaches, players, club officials or spectators, will be expected to support the referee in managing the game whether it be greeting or looking after the referee at home games or respecting his decisions during the game. In no way should a referee be harassed or spoken to aggressively over any of his decisions. The established procedures will be followed for questioning a referee’s performance which is either an assessment of the referee on the match report or a separate report to the league. Referees are the lifeblood of the game and should be supported and encouraged by everyone in what is a difficult role.

REMEMBER – PLAYERS PLAY, COACHES COACH, REFEREES REFEREE AND SPECTATORS WATCH, SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGE

Finally as a last resort where there are persistent breaches of the club’s policy above despite advice given, the club may apply its disciplinary procedure which may result in the club member leaving the club or in the case of spectators being requested not to attend games.

Equal Opportunities

The Club is committed to providing fair and equal opportunities to all individuals involved in the club. This includes players, committee members, coaches, managers and volunteers. The Club will abide by the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Commission for Racial Equality and ensure that all guidelines are followed at all times.

Child Protection

A Child Welfare Officer will provide advice and assistance to squad players, managers and assistants. Contact numbers for the Child Welfare Officer will be made available to all parents, and coaches and managers will attend training if required with the Child Welfare Officer. All junior section managers and coaches will be vetted and a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check will be made to ensure the safety and well being of the players. The CRB checks must be done prior to appointment. Policy will be maintained in accordance with FA Policy and Guidelines.

To ensure the safety of our players, Gedling Southbank FC have determined that all players under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a responsible adult and remain at pitch side for the duration of training and or matches, from age 12 to 14 we recommend that they be accompanied by a responsible adult and remain at pitch side for the duration of training and or matches.

The Club notes the Child Car Restraint regulations introduced in September 2006 by the government, which confirms it is the legal responsibility of the car driver to ensure that the correct restraint is used by passengers under 14 years of age, and it is the responsibility of passengers aged 14 years and over to wear seat belts where available.

Complaints Procedure

Whilst every effort will be made to ensure that players, parents and officials are happy with the service the Club provides, a formal complaints procedure will be set in place to ensure that complaints are dealt with fairly and equally. Should anyone feel that they have been dealt with unfairly or discriminated against, or that the ethics of the Club are in question, they should submit a written account of the issue to an officer of the Club Committee.

This account should contain all the relevant details which will then be assessed by the Club Committee who will deal with the complaint in an unbiased fashion and will consider evidence from witnesses, former complaints or statements. The Club Committee will have the power to take appropriate action if a complaint is upheld which may result in expulsion, suspension or the issue of a warning in accordance with the Club Rules and Code of Conduct.

Dissolution of Organisation

A resolution to dissolve the Club shall only be proposed at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting and shall be carried by a majority of at least three quarters of the members present. Dissolution shall take effect from the date of the resolution and the Committee shall be responsible for the winding up of the assets and liabilities of the Club.

Any surplus assets after the discharge of the liabilities of the Club, shall either be donated to a suitable charity or to the Nottinghamshire Football Association for their disposal as they see fit.