Club Constitution 2020
1. The Club will be designated and known as POLMONT BOWLING CLUB.
a) (Amended 2008) The object of the Club shall be to promote the game of bowls in Polmont and surrounding areas.
b) (Amended 2009) The Club must consist of at least 25 members.
2. (Amended 2019) The Club shall consist of Patrons, Honorary Presidents, Honorary Vice-Presidents, Ordinary Members, Life Members, Associate Members and Junior Members.
a) (Amended 2000). The club is a non-profit making organisation. Any surpluses generated will be used to improve the club’s facilities. No profit or surplus will be distributed other than to another non-profit making body.
3. Patrons, Honorary Presidents, Honorary Vice-Presidents, and Honorary members may be elected at any General meeting of the club. Except in the case of Honorary members, there shall not be any restriction as to the number of persons to be so elected, but no person shall be so elected unless they have been recommended for election by at least 10 Ordinary members of the club and a nomination in their favour has been lodged with the secretary at least one month before the date of a General Meeting. This nomination to be approved by the Committee of Management. Such persons so elected (except they also be Ordinary Members of the Club) shall not have any financial responsibility for the club and shall not be entitled to vote or take any active part in the management of the Clubs affairs. They shall have all the other privileges of membership except that they shall not be entitled to play in any Club competition or match. The number of Honorary members shall be restricted to 10. Such members to be any person of outstanding distinction, either in public affairs or sport.
4. Ordinary members of the Club shall include:
a) all the persons who are in Full Membership of the Club as at the date upon which this constitution is adopted.
b) all persons who shall be admitted as Full Members subsequent to said date as herein after provided.
c) No person under the age of 18 years shall be allowed membership of Polmont Bowling Club other than to play bowls.
d) (Amended 2016) A maximum of 40 Associate members will be allowed in the club at the invitation of the reigning committee. They will not take part in the running of the Club or have any voting rights and will not sign in visitors. Their membership will be reviewed yearly.
5. (Amended March 2006) Ordinary members shall alone have equal rights to the property and assets of the Club, and they shall also be liable for its liabilities.
6. The admission of Ordinary Members shall be regulated by the Committee of Management. All persons applying for admission must be proposed and seconded by two Ordinary Members. The Committee may require applications for membership to be submitted in writing. If there be any objection to the admission to membership of any person applying, a vote of the Committee shall be taken, and no person shall be admitted to membership unless a majority of the Committee present has voted for their admission. The Committee shall not admit any person to membership unless every member of the Committee has had due notice of such person’s application for membership and that it is to be considered at a specified meeting.
7. The Club alone, in the General Meeting, may fix the fee, if any, which shall be payable by persons admitted to Ordinary Membership of the Club, over and above the annual subscription.
8. The amount of the annual subscription of Ordinary Members and Associate members shall be fixed by members at the Annual General Meeting and shall be payable, in advance, by the 31st day of March for that year. Unless special circumstances be proved to the Committee to explain the default, members failing to pay by this date shall be deleted from the Roll of Members. They shall nevertheless remain liable for their subscription and may be sued therefore by the Treasurer on behalf of the Club.
9. Any member desiring to withdraw or resign from the Club must give written notice to this effect, to the Secretary, on or before 31st day of March, otherwise they shall be held liable for their subscriptions for the current year and may be sued therefore by the Treasurer on behalf of the Club.
10. The Committee of Management shall have power to expel from membership of the Club, any member who has been guilty of conduct which, in the opinion of the majority of those present and voting at a meeting of the Committee, shall justify expulsion but any person so expelled shall have a right of appeal to the next General Meeting of the Club.
11. The affairs of the Club shall be managed by a Committee of Management not exceeding 11 in number, who shall be the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and seven Ordinary members of the Club, all duly elected by members of the Club. These Office bearers and members shall retire from the Committee annually, with the exception of the retiring President, who will automatically serve on the following years Committee. The remaining retiring members shall be eligible for re-election. The Committee will meet weekly during the season and fortnightly during the close season.
12. A General Meeting of the Club will be held on the second Monday in March in each year. This meeting shall constitute the Annual General Meeting. At said meeting the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer shall be filled. The seven members to serve on the Committee will also be chosen. There shall also be a General Meeting of the Club in each year for the formal closing of the season’s activities and the transaction of any competent business. Special General Meetings of the Club may be convened (a) at any time by the Committee of Management (b)by the President within eight days of the receipt of a requisition for a General Meeting, signed by at least 15 Ordinary Members and containing a precise specification of the business to be considered. No business, other than that specified in the notice calling for a Special General Meeting, shall be competent at such a meeting. At all General Meetings of the Club, 15 members shall form a quorum and at such meetings the chairperson shall have a casting vote as well as a deliberative vote.
13. The financial year of the Club shall close on the last day of January. The treasurer shall keep correct accounts and books showing the financial affairs and intromissions of the Club and these accounts and books shall be examined and certified by the Clubs accountants and submitted, along with a balance sheet, to the members at the Annual General Meeting.
14. All funds of the Club shall be lodged in a bank on behalf of the Club and all bank transactions for the Club shall be conducted in the names of the President, Vice-president, Secretary and Treasurer for the time being. Sums may be withdrawn from the bank upon the signatures only of any two of these officers.
15. The Committee of Management shall have power, from time to time, to make bye-laws to regulate the use of the Green, the Clubhouse and other property of the Club and such bye-laws shall be effective and binding on the members until repealed by the Committee itself or by the Club in General Meeting.
a) The Committee have the power to negotiate with the bank and/or other parties for financial assistance. Any agreement so entered in to shall be binding on all members, the Committee, and their successors in office.
16. No member of the committee and no manager or servant employed by the club shall have any personal interest in the sale of excisable liquor therein or in any profits arising from such a sale.
17. A visitor shall not be supplied with excisable liquor in Club premises unless on the invitation and in the company of a member. A Club member shall invite no more than four bona fide visitors to the club on any one occasion. The member shall, upon admission of such a visitor to the club or immediately upon their being supplied with alcoholic liquor, enter their own name and the name and address of the visitor in a book which shall be kept for the purpose, and which shall show the date of each visit.
18. Once Club competitions have started, bounce games cannot go on the green before 7.00pm. Ties take preference over bounce games at all times.
19. When playing ties, rinks are taken on a “Ball System 1-6” basis. If the green is full, members should enter their names on the blackboard at the committee room door for the first available rink, but only if all players involved are present on the Club premises. If a player leaves the premises, they will forfeit their place on the waiting list.
20. When there is a waiting list for rinks to play ties, trial ends are not allowed in team games. (i.e. pairs, triples, fours).
21. Wednesday is Hat Day and no ties of any kind can be played at any time on that day.
22. No one is allowed on the green before 12.00 noon, Monday to Friday or until the greenkeeper has finished their work at weekends.
23. Club skips are for friendly games only. Skips for external competitions will be selected by the Selection Committee.
24. All complaints must be submitted to the Committee in writing.
25. Any grievance by Junior members should be raised through the Child Welfare Office (CWPO) in the first instance.
26. As a courtesy to other players, mobile phones are not allowed on or near the green while play is in progress.
27. Senior ties should be played during the day, where possible.
28. The wearing of knee length or below the knee dress trousers is allowed on hat days, bounce games, and internal club ties up to semi-finals.
29. Team colours cannot be worn in Club premises.
30. Members and visitors are requested not to sit on Club furniture while wearing Dirty working clothes.
Bye-Laws made Under Constitution 15
1. Every member shall, before leaving the Club, pay any charges incurred by them, whether on their own account or for a visitor.
2. The staff have instructions to call the attention of members to any infringement of the Rules and/or bye-laws and if persisted in, to report the conduct of members concerned to the person in charge or to any member of the Committee. No member shall personally reprimand or find fault with any member of the staff. Complaints against the staff should be made in writing to the Secretary.
3. Any member, requested by the person in charge or by a member of the Committee, to leave the Club premises shall do so forthwith and if aggrieved by the request, they may notify the Secretary, in writing, of their desire to be heard by the Management Committee. Any member who infringes this bye-law by refusing to leave the Club premises when requested shall forfeit all rights and privileges of membership until they have appeared before the Committee.
4. Visitors may be introduced by members in accordance with the latest ruling of the Committee, which ruling shall be posted on the notice board.
5. Persons who have been expelled from the Club shall not be admitted as visitors. Members under suspension or temporarily deprived of their rights and privileges of membership shall not be admitted as visitors.
6. At the discretion of the Committee, free life membership will be awarded to members of good standing, who for reasons of age or infirmity are unable to take an active part in the Club. Such persons will not be entitled to vote or take any active part in the management of the club’s affairs or play in any Club competition or match.
7. Conditions for let of lounge: (Amended 2004)
Only written applications from Club members will be considered.
The member in who’s name the lounge is let:
a) Must be present in the Club premises.
b) Pay £50 hire charge.
c) Will be responsible for any misbehaviour and/or damage caused during the function and will be required to recompense the Club if requested by the Management Committee.
d) No drink of any kind will be brought into the Club for consumption at the function.
e) The lounge must be cleared 30 minutes after the bar closes.
f) Children must always be supervised and must stay in the lounge during the function.
g) Any decorations must be attached to the woodwork using drawing pins and removed afterwards. Sellotape must not be used to fix anything to any part of the Club premises.
h) Aerosol spray string is not allowed in the Club.
i) The use of the kitchen is optional, if used:
• The kitchen must be left clean.
• The oven must also be cleaned if used and trays must not be removed.
j) Any breakages must be paid for.
k) The maximum number of people allowed at any function is 80 (eighty).
l) All names and addresses of Visitors coming to these functions must be written on the sheets provided by the Secretary and must be returned to them seven (7) days before the function. They will then fill the information into a special visitor’s book and will obtain signatures from the person hiring the lounge on the night of the function. Lounge furniture is NOT to be used by Bands or Disco’s. Tables for this purpose are available from the storage cupboard.
Dress Code
1. The required standard of dress for members when representing Polmont Bowling Club in any official match or competition organised by the Eastern District, Stirling County or Scottish Bowling Association and in club friendly games at home or away will be:
Dress white shirt with collar, club tie or Polo shirt, grey trousers, and club blazer.
2. When Playing in Open or Invitation events, or any One Day Club Tournament, such as Mixed Pairs, a white polo shirt may be worn instead of a white dress shirt and tie.
3. Anyone not wearing the required standard of dress will not be allowed to take part in the competition.
4. Members are requested to inform their visitors of this requirement and suggest that they dress similarly.
5. When playing in Invitation or Open Tournaments away from home, the dress code of the host club will be adhered to, provided the image of Polmont Bowling Club is not compromised.
By order of Committee 12.02.08