RULES: Approved 28th April 2004

BYE LAWS: Agreed by Committee 2004. Updated and agreed by the Committee 2012.

AMENDED: 22nd April 2009, 14th April 2011, 11th September 2012, 16th October 2012, 29th April 2014, 25th April 2017.

RULES: Social Club: Accords with legal requirements for the regulation of clubs.

 

Loughborough Boat Club

 RULES

1 : Name

That the club be called the “Loughborough Boat Club”.

2: Affiliation and Objects

The object of the club is to encourage participation in the sport of rowing and to that end will be affiliated to British Rowing, the national regulatory body concerned with the development of the sport and the well being of participants engaged in healthy recreation.

3: Club Colours

That the authorised Colours of the Club be Dark Blue and Old Gold.

4: Club Year

The Club Year shall commence on the 1st January and end on 31st December in each year.

5: Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting of the club shall be held within four months of the expiration of the Club Year at which the Accounts of the Club shall be presented.

6: Management

That the Club be managed by the President, Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Captain, Regatta Secretary, and a committee of a maximum of eight Members, to be elected by ballot at the Annual General Meeting of the Club. 50% plus one Members of the committee to form a quorum.

The officers of the club to be ex-officio Members of the Committee. Full discretionary powers of organising and managing the club shall be vested in the committee.

In the event of a vacancy occurring, such vacancy may be filled at a Committee meeting. The Committee shall have the power to co-opt such additional Members as may be deemed necessary.

7: General Meeting

That upon written request of not less than ten fully paid up Rowing Members, the Secretary shall call an Extraordinary General Meeting to be held within twenty-one days of receiving such notice specifying the terms of any motion to be placed before it and giving the Members fourteen days notice of that meeting.

8: Membership

Membership shall be open to anyone interested in the sport of Rowing on application regardless of sex, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or other beliefs. However, limitation of membership according to available facilities is allowable on a non-discriminatory basis.

No person shall use any club equipment until they have fully completed a membership application form or an application for temporary membership.

The different classes of membership available on a non-discriminatory basis are outlined in Bye-Law number 3.

Applicants for membership will be asked to sign a form agreeing to abide by Rules, Bye-Laws and relevant Codes of Conduct of the Club. Applicants will also be required to confirm or otherwise their swimming competence and any medical condition that may put themselves or others at risk. Upon renewal these undertakings, swimming and medical declarations will again be required.

If it is considered by the Club Committee that the granting or renewal of membership would be detrimental to the aims and objectives of the Club, by virtue of conduct or character likely to bring the Club or the sport of rowing into disrepute or for some similar good cause, the Club Committee shall be entitled to refuse or withdraw membership. In doing so the committee shall provide full reasons for their decision and grant a right of Appeal to that member. Decisions shall be by simple majority.

9: Vice Presidents and Honorary Members

Vice Presidents may be appointed at the discretion of the Committee in recognition of distinguished service or support for the Club.

Honorary Life Membership of the club shall only be granted in exceptional circumstances, and then only be conferred by a majority vote at a General Meeting.

10: Disciplinary, Grievance, Suspension and Expulsion

The Committee has the power to expel or suspend any Member on the basis of a simple majority vote, but that at such Committee Meeting the quorum is increased to nine. The Committee may only refuse, expel or suspend Membership for good cause such as conduct or character likely to bring the sport into disrepute or actions which undermine the management of the Club.

The Committee may appoint Sub-Committees with power to act on its behalf, and to adjudicate on any disciplinary or grievance matter which it deems serious enough to warrant formal resolution or where the matter could not be resolved informally. The Sub-Committee shall have power to expel a member, suspend, fine or impose such other penalty as seems appropriate for the conduct which is the subject of the complaint. Likewise it shall have power to resolve a grievance in any way appropriate to the circumstances.

Save in the case of expulsion, the Sub-Committee has the delegated power to impose immediate penalties, but in the case of expulsion its decision must be ratified by the Committee who shall meet within 21 days of the date when the penalty was imposed, with a minimum quorum of nine members.

A Member who is aggrieved by any penalty imposed may appeal by notifying the Secretary of the Club within 14 days of the imposition of the penalty, or in the case of expulsion, within 14 days of the Committee’s decision or its ratification of the Sub-Committee’s decision.

A Sub-Committee will be given delegated powers to hear the Appeal, and it may confirm the penalty, vary it by increasing or reducing it, or substituting some other sanctions. The Sub-Committee may also adjudicate on a submission that the complaint was not proved, in which case it will be dismissed or upheld.

The decision of the appeal Sub-Committee shall be final.

NOTE:

The constitution and proceedings of the Sub-Committees noted above will accord with Guidance Notes, approved by the committee and lodged with the Secretary.

11: Annual Subscriptions

The Annual Subscription shall be decided at the AGM. Subscriptions shall be paid by 31st May each year. A discount may be offered for full payment by 31st May. Members in arrears may be suspended until such subscription is paid.

The club will endeavour to keep subscriptions at levels which will not prevent people from joining.

12: Property and Funds

The property and funds of the club cannot be used for the direct or indirect private benefit of its members other than as reasonably allowed by this rule.

That no Member shall acquire any interest in the property of the Club until he or she shall have been a Member for five successive years, and all his or her Subscriptions and Fines are paid.

The club may indemnify the Committee and members acting properly in the course of the running of the club against any liability incurred in the proper running of the club (but only to the extent of its assets).

The club may provide sporting and social facilities, club sporting equipment, coaching, course and insurance cover as laid down by British Rowing.

The club may sell and supply food, drink, and related sports clothing and equipment.

The club may employ members (though not for competition) and remunerate them for providing goods and services, on fair terms set by the Committee without the person concerned being present.

Any monetary prize won by a member representing the Club shall be deemed to be the property of the club.

13: Members Withdrawing

Any member withdrawing shall be liable for his or her subscription for the current year.

14: Booking, Checking and Returning of Boats

That no boat shall be taken out until the number or name of the Boat, the names of Stroke/Sculler, and the time of starting shall have been entered in a book to be kept at the Boat House for that purpose. The return of the boat and the time must also be indicated after its use.

All boats and blades must be checked before being used for hull and rigger integrity, steering mechanism, heel restraints, buoyancy compartment hatches and bungs and bow ball.

15: Non-Swimming Members and Members with Epilepsy 

That no member who cannot swim shall be allowed to use the Sculling Boats or to form one of any crew engaged in competitive rowing or training unless wearing a lifejacket suitable for rowing and trained in its correct checking wearing and deployment.

Members who have had epileptic episodes may not partake in water activity until they have fulfilled the recommendations set out by the Driving Vehicle Licence Agency, except where there is a special individualized risk assessment and agreed controls put in place.

16: Coxswains

All Coxswains must wear a life jacket on top of their outer garment and be trained in its correct checking wearing and deployment

17: Junior Members (up to the age of 18 years)

Until a Junior Member has successfully fulfilled a swim test and capsize training and has demonstrated competence in a single sculling boat, a buoyancy aid must be worn.

Junior Members training on land or on the water must be under the direct supervision of a senior member or coach.

Junior Members must not use the weights equipment until the age of 16 years and then only under the direct supervision of a coach.

A Junior under the age of 12 years may only become a member if directly supervised by their parent/carer who is also a member.

18: Child and Vulnerable Adult Welfare and Equity

The Club shall appoint a Welfare Officer to oversee the policies and practices set out by British Rowing’s ‘Safeguarding and Protecting Children Policy’.

All coaches and adults with regular influential contact with Junior Members must satisfy the checks required under the ‘Criminal Records Bureau’. The Welfare Officer will identify those where checking is required and oversee the process.

The Club shall appoint a different person as Junior Coordinator to oversee the induction, coaching and competition entry of Junior Members and contact with parents/carers requiring information and permission for extra activities and competitions.

19: Rowing Safety

The Club shall appoint a Rowing Safety Adviser and a Deputy Rowing Safety Adviser to be conversant with the guidance in British Rowing’s ‘Row Safe’, advise the Committee on safety issues and promote the development of the safety culture within the Club.

All Members are required to ensure their actions or omissions do not compromise the safety of themselves or others.

All incidents and situations where safety is compromised, both on and off the water, must be entered into the Club’s Incident Log Book and also on line using the British Rowing Online Incident Reporting System,

Members must report to the captain or a vice captain any equipment which is damaged or may compromise the safety of others. Such equipment must be quarantined until repaired.

 20: Damage to Club Property

a) That the stroke of the Boat (or Sculler) shall be responsible to the Club for the return of the Boat and all its accessories. The crew collectively shall be responsible for any damage to such Boat or its accessories between the time of the Boat leaving and returning to the Boat House, unless it can be proved that the damage has been caused by the culpable negligence of any particular Member, Member’s guest or Members of the crew. The decision of the Committee as to the amount payable shall be binding and conclusive, but the Committee may under special circumstances remit the whole or any part of such amount. The amount to be paid to the Secretary within one month of its being applied for, or such members shall not be allowed to use the Club properties.

b) No Boat or equipment may be removed from the Club premises, without the authority of the Captain or, in his absence, the Vice-Captain(s). That Members using the Boats and equipment away from the Club Premises shall be under the same liability as in 20(a). That Boats loaned to other Clubs shall be insured by the borrower comprehensively, including liability for damage while in transit.

c) No modification to any Boat may be made without the express permission of the Captain.

21: Duties of Captain

That the duties of Captain and Vice-Captain(s) be to superintend the rowing of the club, to control the use and maintenance of boats and to appoint suitably qualified coaches as recommended by British Rowing.

22: Alterations to Rules and Bye-Laws

That no alterations may be made to any of the Club Rules except at a General Meeting of the Club, of which notice has to be given to all Members stating the proposal to alter the Rule or Rules, but the Committee shall have full power to make and alter Bye-Laws for the organisation and management of the Club.

23: Patrons

A Patron shall be a person who subscribes to the Regatta fund and who is not a Member of the Club and shall be entitled to receive Club circulars, to take part in social functions, and to wear the Club tie, but shall not be entitled to vote at an Annual General Meeting or to share in the distribution of assets upon the dissolution of the Club.

24: Dissolution

In the event that a decision is made by the Members in General Meeting to dissolve the Club, notice will be given to all the relevant statutory authorities and to the Trustees for the Club’s land and property. The Committee will seek to discharge the debts of the Club, including cost of dissolution, and to meet the obligations insofar as they are able, of

a) any conditions relating to grants received from public funds.

b) the wishes of any private donors made known at time of any bequest.

After settling all liabilities the Committee shall dispose of the net assets remaining to one or more of the following:

a) to another club with similar sports purposes which is a charity.

b) to another club with similar sports purposes which is a registered CASC.

c) to British Rowing for use by them for related community sports.

 

 BYE-LAWS

1: Designation of Boats

That for all purposes of reference, the Club Boats shall be distinguished by numbers or names.

2: Powers of Committee 

That the Committee have the power to reserve or withdraw from use one or more Boats at any time for any period they may consider necessary.

3: Classes of Membership 

That the classes of Membership shall be as follows:-

  • Rowing Members
  • Non-Rowing Members
  • Rowing Members under eighteen (not to vote)
  • Gym User Members (not to vote)
  • Student Members (not to vote)
  • Parent Supporter (not to vote)

By virtue of membership all classes are members of Loughborough Boat Club Social Club.

4: Club Day 

Every member taking out a Club Boat must return it to the Boat House on the same day on which it was taken out, unless permission has previously been granted by the Captain.

5: Members 

A Member may at any time introduce one or more friends who are not members of the Club. Friends so introduced may, in company with the Members introducing them be admitted to the use of a Club Boat.

No member is allowed to introduce the same friend more than TWICE during the Boat Club Year unless such friend be bona-fide visitor and ordinarily resident more than twenty-five miles from the club.

6: Housing Boats 

That any member landing from a Club Boat shall be bound to assist in properly housing such Boat and stowing away oars and sculls.

7: Allocation of Boats and Blades

The Captain, or Vice-Captain(s) shall allocate Boats and Blades to crews.

8: Management of Races 

On the occasion of a Club competition or any other special event, the Committee shall appoint a Member or Members of the Club to take charge of and conduct all the arrangements connected therewith.

9: Regatta Crews 

That all crews entered by the Club to contend at a Regatta be formed by the Captain, or Vice Captain(s).

Crews entered for Regattas must be certain of being at the start of the time they are drawn for, and Members may be fined for being late by the Committee or Captain.

10: Regatta Fees 

That all Crews contending at Amateur Regattas are responsible for the payment of their own fees.

11: Non-Fulfilment 

That any member engaging to row in a Regatta or Club Competition, and failing to do so for any cause the Committee may deem insufficient, shall reimburse other members of the crew for any loss.

12: Club Notices 

Attention must be paid to all notices posted on the Club Notice Board, located in the Boat house, by the Captain, Vice-Captain(s) or Secretary.  A plea that Members have not read these notices cannot be taken as an excuse for non-compliance.

13: Navigation 

That the Rule of navigation on the River Soar shall be to keep to the Coxswain’s right, leaving the Boat passed on the left side.  A rowing boat with a coxswain should give way to a boat without a coxswain.  A rowing boat should give way to a sailing boat.

A sculler or crew intending to overtake another craft must make sure it is safe to do so before commencing the manoeuvre.

The Stroke of a Boat shall be responsible for instructing the Coxswain in the Rule of the river.

All Members and Coxes must abide by safety Regulations as promulgated by the Committee.

14: Using Locks 

Up gate Boats within 100 yards of any lock to have first turn through same, and Down gate Boats within 200 yards to have first turn through same, providing that the lock is in their favour.

15: BR Racing Licence 

Every Member entered at a Regatta shall be required to pay British Rowing for their racing licence or day ticket.

16: Private Boats 

Private pleasure boats may only be kept on Club Property, but not within the Boathouse, by fully paid Members of not less than three years standing at the discretion of the Committee, and if permission is granted, entirely at the owners risk and at a rental to be fixed by the Committee.

‘Private boats (rowing or other) may only be kept on Club property by fully paid rowing Members at the discretion of the Committee, and if permission is granted, entirely at the owners risk and after having paid the appropriate racking fee.

All privately owned boats of whatever type, either kept in, or within the curtilage of the Boathouse, shall be adequately insured by the owner, including third party liability, for risks both on and off the water