Constitution of Midland Hockey Union


1. Name
The Association shall be called the ''The Midland Hockey Union'' (hereinafter referred to as ''the Union''.

2. Objects
The objects of the Union shall be to promote, foster, encourage and develop the playing by men and women, boys and girls of the games of field hockey and indoor hockey and to do all things necessary or desirable for the promotion of the interests of the said games.

3. Membership
The membership of the Union shall comprise those clubs and schools playing field hockey and/or indoor hockey which are located or based within the geographical areas of the City of Dundee, Angus, Perth & Kinross, north east Fife or such other area as may be admitted into membership of the Union.

All Applications for Membership of the Union shall be submitted to the Secretary before 31st March in each year enclosing:

(a) a copy of the Club Constitution or School Hockey Club Constitution
(b) details as to the home pitch and facilities and contact or registered address
(c) a declaration that the club will support the objects of the Scottish Hockey Union Limited and will abide by the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Scottish Hockey Union Limited. No club shall be admitted to the Union unless approved by simple majority at a general meeting.

Any club or school intending to resign from the Union shall give written notice to the Secretary, failing which, The said club or school shall be liable for all costs incurred by the Union arising from failure to give notice.

Honorary Office or Membership of the Union may be conferred at a general meeting on any of its past officers or other persons who have rendered special service to the Union or to its predecessors the Midland Hockey Association and the Midlands Women's Hockey Association.


4. Office Bearers
The Office Bearers of the Union shall be a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, League Convener (men), League Convener (women), Youth Convener all of whom shall be elected at an Annual General Meeting of the Union.

(a) The President shall hold office for 2 years and then demit office. All other Office Bearers will hold office for 1 year and shall be eligible for re-election annually. Any office unfilled at an Annual General Meeting of the Union or demitted during the season may be filled by appointment of the Management Council.
(b) No person shall hold more than one office of the Union at the same time except with the approval of the Union.
(c) The Union shall have power to pay an honorarium to any Office Bearer with the exception of the President, Any such honorarium will be authorised in advance at an Annual General Meeting. All Office Bearers and other officials of the Union shall be entitled to reimbursement of expenses properly incurred in carrying out the business of the Union.
(d) The Union shall indemnify the Office Bearers against all claims of whatever nature arising from the actions or decisions of any Office Bearer acting in good faith.
(e) All property of the Union shall be held in names of the President, Secretary and Treasurer as trustees ex officiis of the Union.

5. Management Council

The affairs of the Union shall be managed by a Management Council consisting of the Office Bearer and one representative from the Technical and Umpires Committee. The Management Council shall have full powers to pass resolutions, make decisions and generally attend to business which is for the benefit of or in the interests of the Union and its membership.

(a) The Management Council shall meet on at least one occasion in each two months between 1st August and 31st May.
(b) Four persons entitled to vote shall form a quorum for each meeting of the Management Council. Each meeting shall be chaired by the President, whom failing the Vice President, whom failing the preferred nominee appointed by a simple majority of those present and entitled to vote.
(c) Each Office Bearer and one representative from the Technical and Umpires Committee shall be entitled to one vote each. The vote shall be cast by a show of hands or on the request of two persons entitled to vote, by secret ballot. The Chairman shall have a deliberative and when necessary, a casting vote.
(d) The Management Council shall have power to appoint committees, representatives to committees, members to its own body and to co-opt members to its standing committees.
(e) The Management Council shall have power to delegate any of its powers to individuals or committees.
(f) The Management Council shall have power to make standing orders for proceedings at General Meetings and for the conduct of meetings and such other purposes as it thinks fit.


6. Standing Committees

(a) The Standing Committees of the Union shall be a Finance Committee, Men's Competitions Committee, Women's Competitions Committee, a Discipline Committee, a Youth Development and Competitions Committee and a Technical and Umpires Committee, all of whose membership and objectives are set out in the Appendix to this Constitution.
(b) The Management Council shall have power to establish any other Committee as may be deemed necessary.
(c) All Committees shall be under the supervision and control of the Management Council and shall report to the meetings of the Management Council on request.
(d) The Standing Committees may, subject to the approval of the Management Council, establish sub-committees and delegate such of their functions as they think at to
sub-committees or other committee or person.


7. Committee Procedure

(a) Committees and any sub-committees thereof shall meet and regulate their proceedings as they think fit.
(b) Any questions shall be determined by a majority of votes. Every member of the committee present at the meeting shall have one vote. The Chairperson of the meeting shall have a deliberative vote and in the case of an equality of votes, a casting vote,
(c) The Convener of the Committee shall chair its meetings. In the absence of the Convener, the meeting shall elect one of its members present to chair that meeting only.
(d) A quorum for any committee shall be two members.
(e) Any Committee shall have power to co-opt or request the attendance of any person but such person shall not have a vote.
(f) All Committees shall furnish a written report to the Management Council on request.

8(i) Annual General Meeting

(a) An Annual General Meeting of the Union shall be held within the District not later than 30th April in each year. Not less than 21 days notice of such meeting will be given to all Office Bearers, all Affiliated clubs and schools, Chairpersons of all Standing Committees and the representatives of the Union to the Scottish Hockey Union Limited.
(b) The business of the Annual General Meeting shall be:-
(i) to receive the annual written reports of the Management Council and Standing Committees.
(ii) to elect Office Bearers, an Auditor or Auditors, Conveners and Members of Standing Committees and any Honorary Officials.
(iii) to elect representatives from the Union to the Scottish Hockey Union Limited.
(iv) to fix affiliation fees, registration fees, competition fees and any other fees and levies upon members.
(v) to transact any other competent business.
(c) The Annual General Meeting shall be open to all members of affiliated clubs or schools and Honorary members. The nominated Official of each club or schools shall each be entitled to cast one vote and the nominated Officials of joint men's and women's clubs shall be entitled to cast two votes. Honorary Office bearers and members shall not have a vote. All motions and nominations at the Annual General Meeting shall be decided by a simple majority of votes, cast on a show of hands or if called for by two voting members, by secret ballot. On all votes, the Chairman shall appoint two tellers, No proxies will be accepted.
(d) Seven persons entitled to vote shall form a quorum of an Annual General Meeting. The President whom failing the Vice President shall act as Chairman of the meeting. In the absence of the President and Vice President, the meeting shall elect one of its members present to chair that meeting only.
(e) Notification in writing of any motion or nomination shall be given to the Secretary at least 21 days before the date of the Annual General Meeting, The Chairman shall have discretion to accept or refuse any motion proposed at the Annual General Meeting. Nominations for any Office bearer or other Official may be made prior to or at the Annual General Meeting, All motions and nominations must be proposed and seconded by different clubs or schools.
(f) The Treasurer shall report to the Annual General Meeting with accurate statements of the accounts of the Union.


8.(ii) General Meetings
The Secretary shall convene a general meeting of all affiliated clubs and schools in September and February of each season. No formal business other than approval of accounts will be carried out at these meetings.

8.(iii) Extraordinary General Meetings

The Secretary shall convene an extraordinary general meeting of the Union by order of the Management Council or on receiving a request for such meeting from five or more affiliated clubs or schools signed by an Official from each club or school. Such request must state the business for which the meeting is to be called. The Secretary shall convene a meeting within 21 days of receiving such a request and shall give all concerned 14 days notice. The intimation shall set forth the business to be discussed at the meeting and no other business will be considered.
Ten members entitled to vote as aforesaid shall form a quorum at any such extraordinary general meeting, No proxies will be accepted. Any Extraordinary General Meeting will be chaired in accordance with Paragraph 8d of this constitution.


9. Finance

The financial year of the Union will be for the period from 1st June to the following 31st May. Not later than 15th August of the year in question the Treasurer will distribute to all affiliated clubs and schools and the Office Bearers of the Union, an income and expenditure account for the year to the immediately preceding 31st May and balance sheet as at the immediately preceding 31st May. Such income and expenditure account and balance sheet will bear the docket of an Auditor or Auditors appointed by the Union and will be submitted for approval at the first full meeting of clubs and schools.

10. Minutes

Minutes of every meeting of the Union or of a Committee of the Union shall be taken and submitted for adoption at the next meeting of the Union or Committee of the Union. Minutes shall be held as being a correct record of the proceedings unless challenged by a member who was present at the meeting to which the Minutes refer. In such an eventuality, the members present at that meeting shall determine their accuracy by vote and such Minutes shall thereafter be adjusted as necessary and resubmitted.
The Minutes of every meeting of the Union or of a Committee of the Union shall be available to any member of an affiliated club or school upon written application to the Secretary of the Union or the Convener of the appropriate Committee of the Union.

11. Competitions
(a) The District Competitions shall be open to all teams from all clubs or schools affiliated to the Union. All Competitions both outdoor and indoor shall be governed by their respective bye-laws and rules and shall be administered by their respective Competitions Committee.
(b) Any Club or School can submit in writing to the Competitions Committee an amendment to a Competition Bye Law prior to the Competition beginning. Competitions have the discretion to review and amend any of the Competition Bye Laws should they deem it necessary
(c) No club or school in arrears with its affiliation fees or competition entry fees or having been removed from the Union or from the Scottish Hockey Union Limited shall be eligible to take part in or continue to take part in any Union Competition.
(d) No player can participate in Union competitions unless registered to a club or
school affiliated to the Union.


12. Appeals

Any club or school or individual may appeal against a decision of any Committee with the exception of the Discipline Committee where appeals must be made to the Appeals Panel of the Scottish Hockey Union Limited, An appeal against the decision of any other Committee shall be made in writing to the Secretary of the Union within fourteen days of the date of the original written decision, An application for an appeal shall be accompanied by an administration fee of £ 30. Appeals will be considered by a Committee of three persons appointed by the President and the decision of such Committee shall be intimated to the party or parties concerned timeously. Such appeals shall only be competent where no procedure for appeal to the Scottish Hockey Union Limited exists.


13. Colours

(a) For women, the Union colours will be:- shirt - maroon, skirt - maroon, socks - maroon. For men, the Union colours will be:- shirt - red, shorts - white, socks - red.
(b) Each club or school of the Union shall have distinguishing colours and any club or school joining the Union or proposing to change their colours shall first submit their proposals in writing to the Management Council for approval.


14. Discipline

(a) The Union shall be responsible for the conduct of individuals, clubs and players in matches played under the jurisdiction of the Union,
(b) The Union shall adopt and implement so far as possible in all matches played under their jurisdiction, the Code of Discipline from time to time adopted by the Scottish Hockey Union Limited.
(c) The Union Discipline Committee shall deal with written reports of any field misconduct (as defined from time to time by Scottish Hockey Union Limited), alleged breaches of discipline or misconduct which occur in competitions played under the jurisdiction of the Union and shall follow the procedure set out in said Code.
(d) The Union Discipline Committee shall have power to suspend over a stated period any offending club or team or school or player and to deal with the offender in any such manner as the Discipline Committee may think appropriate.
(e) The Union Discipline Committee may on its own initiative refer any case to the Scottish Hockey Union Discipline Committee.
(f) All other disciplinary matters are to be reported to and dealt with by the Management Council.


15. Constitution

The Union shall be governed in all matters by this Constitution, the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Scottish Hockey Union Limited and the Law of Scotland.
(a) It shall only be competent to amend this Constitution by written proposal from an affiliated club or school to the Secretary, lodged not less than 28 days before the date of an Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting of the Union. Such proposal shall be seconded in writing by another affiliated club or school and all proposed amendments shall be circulated at least 14 days prior to the general meeting. A simple majority of votes cast will be sufficient to carry any proposed amendment.
(b) In the event of dissolution of the Union, all assets will be realised and after settlement of all liabilities, any remaining funds will be made over to any successor body or bodies, which failing for the general purposes of the Scottish Hockey Union Limited.


16. Interpretation
In these presents, the masculine shall include the feminine and the singular shall include the plural and vice versa.