Constitution

Name of the Club

1. The Club shall be called the Seniors’ (formerly Veterans’ – changed March 2013) Lawn Tennis Club of Great Britain.

Objects of the Club

2. The Club shall have the following objects:

(a) To encourage the playing of lawn tennis for the love and enjoyment of the game.

(b) To encourage lawn tennis players who have reached the age of 35 to continue to play the game.

Membership of the Club

3. The membership of the Club shall consist of:

The President

Life Vice-Presidents

Vice-Presidents

Ordinary Members and

Honorary Members

all of whom are lawn tennis players who have reached the age of 35.

Qualification for Ordinary Membership

4. Ordinary Members shall be lawn tennis players who are British subjects or citizens of the Republic of Ireland and, at the time of their election, are permanent residents of the British Isles. Such players shall be eligible for Ordinary Membership only if they have:

(a) played (in singles or doubles) in The Championships at Wimbledon; or

(b) been a finalist in a senior level event (including a Seniors’ event) at a lawn tennis tournament sanctioned by The Lawn Tennis Association; or

(d) won a Services (including the Civil Service) championship; or

(e) been awarded colours for representing their county during Inter-County Week in the Winter Singles Competition or seniors’ Inter-County Competition; or

(f) represented their Country in an international competition sanctioned by the Lawn tennis Association.

Election of Members

5. Regarding Members:

(a) A candidate for election as an Ordinary member shall be proposed by one member and seconded by another, to both of whom he/she must be personally known, and his/her candidate shall be supported in writing by both proposer and seconder.

(b) Election may be by a majority of the Committee taken on open vote but any member of the Committee may demand a secret ballot. In that case one black ball in five shall include.

(c) The President and Vice-Presidents. In recognition of services as Members of the Club, the President and Vice-President(s) shall be elected by the Committee for a term of one year, but may be re-elected.

(d) Honorary Members. The Committee shall have powers to elect as Honorary Members individuals of any nationality or place of residence who have reached the age of 35 and who, in the estimation of the Committee, deserve recognition for their services to seniors’ (used to be veterans’) lawn tennis.

(e) Life Vice-Presidents. The Committee shall have powers to nominate for election at a General Meeting of the Club as Vice Life-Presidents, not subject to re-election, Ordinary or Honorary Members who, in the estimation of the Committee, deserve recognition for long and active service to the Club. Life Vice-Presidents shall become Honorary Members and ex-officio non-voting members of the Committee.

Management of the Club

6. The Management of the Club shall be vested in a Committee consisting of not more than twelve Ordinary Members together with the President ex-officio. (Vice-Presidents may attend and speak at meetings of the Committee, but they do not have the right to vote)

7. Committee:

(a) The Committee shall, at their first meeting in each year held after the Annual General Meeting, elect from their own body a Chairman and three additional officers for the posts of Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer and Honorary Match Secretary.

(b) The Committee shall meet at such place and time as may be considered convenient. Four members of the Committee shall for a quorum except for the election of Members when six shall form a quorum or for the expulsion of Members when eight shall for a quorum.

(c) All business at the Committee Meetings (excluding the election or expulsion of Members) shall be decided by the vote of the majority. The Chairman for the time being shall have a casting vote in addition to his/her own vote whenever there would otherwise be an equality of votes.

(d) Vacancies on the Committee shall be filled by vote of the members (if necessary by ballot) at the Annual General Meeting. At each Annual General Meeting one-third of the Committee or, if the number on the Committee is not a multiple of three, then the number nearest to but not exceeding one-third who have been longest in office shall retire but be eligible for re-election. As between two or more members of equal seniority those to retire shall (unless by mutual agreement) be determined by lot.

(e) In the event of any vacancies occurring in the Committee after the election at the Annual General Meeting the Committee shall have power to fill such vacancies. Members so co-opted shall retire at the next Annual General Meeting but shall be eligible for re-election.

Annual General Meeting

8. An Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held each year at such place and time as the Committee may decide and Ordinary Members resident in Great Britain and Ireland shall be given not less than twenty-eight days’ notice of such meeting. All resolutions to be proposed at an Annual General Meeting shall be sent to reach the Honorary Secretary not later than fourteen days before the date of the Annual General Meeting. Notice in writing of the name of any Member proposed as a Member of the Committee shall also be sent to reach the Honorary Secretary not later than fourteen days before the Annual General Meeting. Not less than seven days before the Annual General Meeting copies of resolutions and names of Members proposed for the Committee shall be delivered to all Ordinary Members and Honorary Members resident in Great Britain and Ireland together with a list of names of the Committee retiring and those offering themselves for re-election and copies of the Honorary Secretary’s and the Honorary Treasurer’s reports for the preceding year. The quorum at the Annual General Meeting shall be ten.

Special General Meeting

9. A Special General Meeting may be called at any time by the Committee or on receipt of a written request signed by not less than ten Ordinary Members of the Club. Notice of such Special General Meeting shall be posted to all Ordinary Members at least fourteen days before such meeting giving the subject of the meeting. Discussion at that meeting shall be strictly limited to that subject. The quorum for such Special General Meeting shall be twenty.

Subscription

10. The subscription for Ordinary Members, payable on election and thereafter on 1st January each year, shall be as determined by the Committee from time to time.

Club Colours

11. The Club colours shall be dark green and gold.

Affiliation

12. The Club shall be affiliated to Seniors Tennis GB and shall at all times strictly observe and conduct its affairs in accordance with the Rules of the Lawn Tennis Association.

Expulsion of Members

13. If, in the opinion of the Committee, the conduct of any Member is injurious to the interests of the Club then the Committee shall hold an enquiry at which the Member in question shall be invited to be present and then if he/she so desires, shall be heard in explanation of his/her conduct. Thereafter, if the Member fails to attend the inquiry or to offer any explanation, or if the Committee is not satisfied with such explanation, it may recommend the Member to resign. If the Member fails to resign within fourteen days from such recommendation the Committee shall call a Special General Meeting to consider the vote upon the matter. If two-thirds of the Members present and voting shall so decide then the Member shall cease to be a Member and his/her name shall be erased from the List of Members and he/she shall forfeit his/her subscription and rights of membership.

Alteration of the Rules

14. Alterations to these Rules shall be made only by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the Members present and voting at an Annual General Meeting or at a Special General Meeting.