Club Constitution

Version 1 Policy Document

Status: Version 1 for committee and member adoption by South Galway Stormers Basketball Club. This Constitution has been strengthened against Basketball Ireland Club Mark expectations, Revenue sports body standard clauses and the current Club role structure. It should be reviewed against current Basketball Ireland, Sport Ireland, Revenue and legal requirements before adoption and during each review cycle.

• Document owner: Club Committee / Secretary (secretary.sgsbc@gmail.com)

• Version: Version 1

• Prepared for: South Galway Stormers Basketball Club

• Version date: 14 July 2026

• Review cycle: Annual or sooner if Basketball Ireland, Sport Ireland, Revenue or legal guidance changes

1. Name

The name of the club shall be South Galway Stormers Basketball Club, referred to in this Constitution as "the Club".

2. Status, Object and Affiliation

The Club is a voluntary, not-for-profit, member-controlled and unincorporated sports club established, managed and controlled in the State.

The sole object for which the Club is established is to promote, develop and support participation in the amateur sport of basketball in South Galway and the surrounding community.

The Club may affiliate to Basketball Ireland, relevant area boards, leagues, schools or community bodies as determined by the Committee, provided that such affiliation supports the Club object.

3. Powers

To the extent that they are essential or ancillary to the promotion of the Club object, the Club may exercise the following powers:

• raise funds, receive subscriptions, donations, grants and sponsorship, and apply them solely to the Club object;

• organise basketball training, matches, leagues, blitzes, camps, events, coaching, officiating, volunteer development and community basketball activities;

• hire, lease or use courts, halls, storage, equipment and other facilities required for club activity;

• purchase, maintain, insure and manage basketballs, kit, first aid items, training equipment, club property and records;

• open and operate bank accounts in the Club name where practicable, subject to the financial controls in this Constitution;

• enter into reasonable agreements, bookings, grant commitments, sponsorship arrangements and supplier arrangements necessary for Club purposes;

• adopt and enforce policies, procedures, codes of conduct and rules required for safe and effective operation;

• do all lawful things necessary or desirable to promote the Club object, provided they are consistent with this Constitution and the Club's not-for-profit status.

4. Best Practice and Club Policies

The Club shall operate in line with Basketball Ireland, Sport Ireland and statutory requirements applicable to youth sport, safeguarding, governance, participation, competitions and club administration.

The Club shall maintain and make available, as appropriate, a policy suite supporting this Constitution. These policies may be updated by the Committee from time to time, provided they remain consistent with this Constitution.

• Club Charter and Ethos;

• Player, Parent/Guardian, Coach and Volunteer Codes of Conduct;

• Safeguarding Statement and Child Protection Policy;

• Garda Vetting Policy;

• Complaints, Disciplinary and Appeals Procedure;

• Anti-Bullying Policy;

• Photography, Video, Social Media and WhatsApp Policy;

• Data Protection and Privacy Notice;

• Team Selection and Playing Time Policy;

• Fees, Refunds and Financial Assistance Policy;

• Injury and Incident Reporting Procedure;

• Travel and Away Match Supervision Policy;

• Volunteer Recruitment and Induction Policy;

• Equipment and Kit Policy;

• Fundraising and Sponsorship Policy.

The Club shall appoint and empower appropriate safeguarding roles, promote responsible use of mobile phones, messaging, cameras and social media, maintain procedures for responding to and recording accidents and incidents, and ensure that coaches, volunteers and relevant helpers meet applicable registration, vetting, safeguarding and training requirements before undertaking relevant work with children.

5. Membership

Membership shall be open to players, parents/guardians, coaches, volunteers, adult social participants, committee members and supporters who accept the Club rules, policies, codes of conduct and registration requirements.

The Committee may set membership categories, fees, capacity limits, registration requirements and waiting-list arrangements annually. Membership is not confirmed until the required registration steps and fees have been completed, unless otherwise approved by the Committee.

Membership conditions include:

• compliance with this Constitution, Club policies, Basketball Ireland rules and competition requirements;

• acceptance of the applicable code of conduct;

• payment of agreed membership, registration, competition or other approved fees, unless a payment plan, refund or financial assistance arrangement has been approved;

• completion of Basketball Ireland or other registration requirements where applicable;

• completion of Garda vetting, safeguarding training, coaching licence, volunteer approval or other compliance requirements where applicable;

• respect for Club safeguarding boundaries, facilities, equipment, kit and communication channels.

The Committee may refuse, suspend, restrict or terminate membership where necessary for safeguarding, welfare, capacity, non-payment, serious misconduct, repeated breach of Club rules or other substantial reason, subject to fair process and any applicable appeals procedure.

6. Rights and Responsibilities of Members

All members are expected to behave in a way that protects the reputation of the Club and the welfare of players. Members must comply with Club policies, Basketball Ireland rules, safeguarding requirements, codes of conduct and reasonable directions from coaches, officials and committee members.

Membership of the Club does not give any member a personal ownership right in Club funds, property, equipment, kit, records, grant-funded assets or other Club assets.

7. Club Committee and Officers

The affairs of the Club shall be managed by a Committee elected or confirmed at the Annual General Meeting. The Committee shall act in the best interests of the Club and shall be responsible for governance, finance, safeguarding oversight, membership, coaching, competitions, volunteering, fundraising, communications, facilities, policies, compliance and long-term planning.

The Club shall have a minimum of three Officers: Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer. The majority of Officers shall be unrelated and resident in the State. Core Committee and operational roles for the Club are Chairperson (sgstormersbc@gmail.com), Secretary (secretary.sgsbc@gmail.com), Treasurer (treasurer.sgsbc@gmail.com), Club Children's Officer (cco.sgsbc@gmail.com), Designated Liaison Person (dlp.sgsbc@gmail.com), Coaching Lead (sgstormersbc@gmail.com) and Volunteer/Fundraising Lead (volunteer.sgsbc@gmail.com) where appointed. The Deputy Designated Liaison Person may be appointed as a safeguarding support role under the Safeguarding Statement and Child Protection Policy and may use the Club Children's Officer contact (cco.sgsbc@gmail.com), but is not a core Committee role unless separately elected or appointed to the Committee.

Committee members and Officers shall normally be elected or confirmed annually at the AGM. The Committee may co-opt members to fill vacancies or support specific duties until the next AGM. The Committee may assign additional responsibilities, including membership administration, communications, kit/equipment, facilities, events, grants or sponsorship, to Committee members, sub-groups or approved volunteers. These assignments do not create separate constitutional offices unless approved by the Club. Roles may be combined where appropriate, provided safeguarding independence, financial controls and conflict-of-interest requirements are maintained.

• Officer / Role: Typical responsibility

• Chairperson sgstormersbc@gmail.com: Lead the Committee, chair meetings, represent the Club, support good governance and ensure Committee decisions are properly recorded and followed up.

• Secretary: Maintain meeting notices, minutes, correspondence, official records, policy records and committee administration. Support membership administration where this is not assigned elsewhere.

• Treasurer: Maintain accounts, payments, receipts, banking, budgets, financial reports, annual accounts, financial controls and financial record retention.

• Club Children's Officer: Promote child-centred practice, act as a resource for children, parents and volunteers, and support safeguarding implementation.

• Designated Liaison Person: Receive and report child protection concerns in line with Club, Basketball Ireland and statutory guidance.

• Coaching Lead sgstormersbc@gmail.com: Support coach development, coaching standards, training allocations, player pathway consistency and coaching resources.

• Volunteer/Fundraising Lead: Support volunteer recruitment and induction, fundraising activity, sponsorship coordination, grants and facilities/access initiatives as assigned by the Committee.

• Other Committee Members / Approved Volunteers: May support membership administration, communications, kit/equipment, facilities, events, club shop, table duties, grants or sponsorship as assigned. These are not separate constitutional offices unless approved by the Club.

8. Committee Meetings and Decision-Making

The Committee shall meet as required during the season and at least quarterly where practicable. Minutes should be kept for committee meetings and made available to Committee members.

The quorum for a Committee meeting shall be three Committee members or one-third of Committee members, whichever is greater, and should include at least two Officers where practicable. The Committee may set a higher quorum by standing order.

The Committee should seek consensus where possible. Where a vote is required, decisions shall be made by a simple majority of voting Committee members present, unless this Constitution requires otherwise. The Chairperson may have a casting vote where votes are tied.

Committee members must declare conflicts of interest and should not take part in decisions where they have a material personal, family or business interest unless the Committee records that participation is appropriate and fair.

9. Annual General Meeting and Extraordinary General Meetings

The Club shall hold an Annual General Meeting once per year. Members shall receive reasonable notice of the AGM, normally at least 21 days, including agenda items and any proposed constitutional amendments.

The ordinary business of the AGM should include consideration of Chairperson and Secretary reports, Treasurer report and accounts, election or confirmation of Officers and Committee members, membership fees or subscriptions, appointment of key safeguarding roles, policy matters, facility and fundraising updates, and any constitutional amendments properly proposed.

Voting rights shall be determined by the Committee and recorded before each AGM. Unless changed by the Committee, adult members and one parent/guardian representative for each registered underage player household may vote on ordinary club matters. The Committee may adopt additional standing orders to manage voting fairly.

An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called by the Committee or by a written request signed by at least 20% of eligible voting members or ten eligible voting members, whichever is lower. The request must state the business to be considered. Reasonable notice should be given unless urgent safeguarding, legal or operational circumstances require a shorter period.

10. Finance, Accounts and Financial Controls

Club funds shall be used solely for the purposes of the Club and in accordance with this Constitution. The Treasurer shall maintain proper records of income and expenditure and provide reports to the Committee.

Bank accounts shall be held in the Club name where possible, with at least two authorised signatories for payments above thresholds agreed by the Committee. Online banking controls, card use and expense reimbursement should be approved and reviewed by the Committee.

Membership fees, training fees, competition fees, kit charges and other charges shall be reviewed annually by the Committee and communicated before the season begins where possible. Fundraising events, sponsorship approaches, raffles, grant applications and major campaigns should be approved by the Committee or a delegated fundraising committee before launch.

The Treasurer shall prepare annual accounts for consideration by the Committee and AGM. Financial records, bank statements, grant documentation, invoices, receipts and relevant records should be safely retained for at least seven years, or longer where required for legal, tax, grant, insurance or safeguarding reasons.

Where the Club makes payments to coaches, trainers, referees, service providers or others, these must be approved, recorded and consistent with Revenue requirements, Basketball Ireland requirements and the Club's not-for-profit status. No payment or benefit shall be made to an Officer except where expressly permitted under the Income and Property clause of this Constitution and confirmed as lawful and Revenue-compliant.

11. Income and Property

The income and property of the Club shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the object as set forth in this Constitution. No portion of the Club's income and property shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend, bonus or otherwise howsoever by way of profit to members of the Club. No officer shall be appointed to any office of the Club paid by salary or fees, or receive any remuneration or other benefit in money or money's worth from the Club.

However, nothing shall prevent any payment in good faith by the Club of:

• reasonable and proper remuneration to any member or servant of the Club, not being an officer, for any services rendered to the Club;

• interest at a rate not exceeding 1% above the Euro Interbank Offered Rate (Euribor) per annum on money lent by an officer or other members of the Club to the Club;

• reasonable and proper rent for premises demised and let by any member of the Club, including any officer, to the Club;

• reasonable and proper out-of-pocket expenses incurred by any officer in connection with their attendance to any matter affecting the Club;

• fees, remuneration or other benefit in money or money's worth to any company of which an officer may be a member holding not more than one hundredth part of the issued capital of such company.

12. Accumulation of Funds

The Club may invest any moneys not immediately required for use in connection with its main object and may place any such moneys on deposit. Prior permission must be obtained from Revenue where the Club intends to accumulate funds over a period in excess of five years for any purpose.

13. Safeguarding and Welfare

The welfare of children and young people is paramount. The Club shall appoint safeguarding roles, maintain safeguarding policies, require Garda vetting and safeguarding training where appropriate, and follow Basketball Ireland, Sport Ireland and statutory guidance. A Deputy Designated Liaison Person may be appointed for continuity and cover, using the Club Children's Officer contact point where appropriate (cco.sgsbc@gmail.com), but this is a safeguarding support appointment and not automatically a core Committee role.

No person may undertake relevant work with children on behalf of the Club until required vetting, safeguarding, registration, coaching licence or role approval requirements have been completed. New helpers may observe or shadow only under appropriate supervision until cleared.

The Club shall maintain procedures for supervision, travel, incident reporting, injury response, communication with parents/guardians, approved group-level communication channels and the responsible use of photography, video, social media and WhatsApp.

14. Codes of Conduct, Complaints, Discipline and Appeals

All members must comply with the Club codes of conduct. The Committee may investigate breaches, impose reasonable sanctions, suspend membership, refer matters to Basketball Ireland or statutory authorities, or take other action consistent with natural justice, safeguarding requirements and the Club complaints, disciplinary and appeals procedure.

Child protection concerns, alleged abuse or immediate welfare risks must be handled under the Safeguarding Statement and Child Protection Policy and reported to the Designated Liaison Person (dlp.sgsbc@gmail.com), Club Children's Officer (cco.sgsbc@gmail.com) or statutory authorities where required. Safeguarding and welfare concerns take priority over internal dispute resolution.

15. Data, Records and Document Retention

The Club shall process personal data only for legitimate club purposes, including membership, registration, safeguarding, competition, communications, finance, governance and legal compliance, in line with the Club Data Protection and Privacy Notice and applicable data protection law.

Committee minutes, membership records, financial records, policy approvals, safeguarding records, incident reports, complaints records and grant records should be retained securely and only accessed by those who need them for their role. Safeguarding and child protection records must be handled with particular care and should not be destroyed without appropriate advice.

16. Additions, Alterations or Amendments

This Constitution may be amended by members at an AGM or Extraordinary General Meeting. Proposed amendments should be circulated in advance. Amendments shall require a two-thirds majority of members present and eligible to vote, unless otherwise agreed by the Club.

No addition, alteration or amendment shall be made to the provisions of the object clause, the income and property clause, the winding-up clause, the keeping of accounts clause or this clause of the Constitution for the time being in force unless the same shall have been previously approved in writing by the Revenue Commissioners.

17. Keeping of Accounts

Annual accounts shall be kept and made available to Revenue on request. Where the gross annual income exceeds EUR250,000 the accounts will be audited.

18. Winding-up

The Club may be dissolved only by a resolution passed at an AGM or Extraordinary General Meeting.

If upon the winding up or dissolution of the Club there remains, after satisfaction of all debts and liabilities, any property whatsoever, it shall not be paid to or distributed among the members of the Club. Instead, such property shall be given or transferred to some other institution or institutions having objects similar to the objects of the Club. The institution or institutions to which the property is to be given or transferred shall prohibit the distribution of their income and property among their members to an extent at least as great as is imposed on the Club under or by virtue of the Income and Property clause hereof. Members of the Club shall select the relevant institution or institutions at or before the time of dissolution, and if and so far as effect cannot be given to such provisions, then the property shall be given or transferred to some charitable object. Final accounts will be prepared and submitted that will include a section that identifies and values any assets transferred along with the details of the recipients and the terms of the transfer.

19. Adoption and Signatures

This Constitution takes effect when approved by the Club members at a properly called Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting and signed below.

• Role: Signed Date

• Chairperson

• Secretary

• Treasurer

Reference Points Used for Version 1

This Version 1 Constitution has been prepared as a club-level document using Basketball Ireland, Sport Ireland and Revenue resources as reference points. The Club should adopt official Basketball Ireland documents where required and update this Constitution whenever national guidance changes.

• Basketball Ireland Club Mark Bronze Constitution Template: https://ireland.basketball/uploads/ed/Club%20Mark%20Level%201%20Constitution.pdf

• Basketball Ireland Downloads: https://ireland.basketball/downloads

• Basketball Ireland Safeguarding / Child Welfare: https://ireland.basketball/childprotection

• Basketball Ireland Garda E-Vetting: https://ireland.basketball/e-vetting

• Basketball Ireland Coach Licensing: https://ireland.basketball/coach-licencing

• Basketball Ireland Coaching Minimum Standards: https://ireland.basketball/coaching-minimum-standards

• Sport Ireland Safeguarding Sport: https://www.sportireland.ie/ethics/safeguarding-sport

• Sport Ireland Garda Vetting: https://www.sportireland.ie/ethics/garda-vetting

• Revenue Sports Bodies Tax Exemption - How to Apply: https://www.revenue.ie/en/companies-and-charities/charities-and-sports-bodies/sports-bodies-tax-exemption/apply-sports-body-tax-exemption.aspx

• Revenue Model Constitution for Unincorporated Sports Bodies: https://www.revenue.ie/en/companies-and-charities/documents/constitution-template-for-unincorporated-sports-bodies.pdf

• Revenue Conditions for Retaining Sports Body Tax Exemption: https://www.revenue.ie/en/companies-and-charities/charities-and-sports-bodies/sports-bodies-tax-exemption/conditions-retaining-tax-exemption.aspx

Committee Review Record

• Date: Reviewed by Decision / Changes Next review

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