NAME AND OBJECTIVES
1. The Club shall be called “The International Lawn Tennis Club of Ireland” and its objectives shall be:
(a) To promote, by social union and match play, good fellowship among players who are or who were active in international play.
(b) To develop, encourage and maintain the highest standard of sportsmanship and understanding among players of all nations.
(c) To assist in the welcome and hospitality of players visiting Ireland from abroad.
(d) To provide members with information on clubs and tennis facilities in overseas countries.
PRESIDENT
2. There shall be a President. No one will be eligible for election as such who is not already a member of the Club.
The President shall only be elected upon nomination of the Committee at a general meeting to serve for two years, being eligible however for re-election. The president shall be an ex officio member of the Committee.
MEMBERSHIP
3. The Club shall consist of Ordinary Members, Honorary Members and Junior Associate Members who in the opinion of the Committee shall be deemed worthy of membership.
• Ordinary Members must be Irish and shall only be eligible for election if they have been selected to represent Ireland on an international team.
• Honorary Members shall be eligible for election if they are deemed worthy of election by the Committee.
• Junior Associate Members shall be under 21 years of age. Anyone under 21 years who has borne his / her rackets in an I.C. team at home or abroad, may be invite the manager of that team to apply to the Honorary Secretary to be elected a Junior Associate Member. In such cases no proposer or seconder will be required. Junior Associate Membership entails no subscription or charge, carries no right to vote and terminates automatically at the age of 21, without prejudice to election as an Ordinary Member.
Members of affiliated International Clubs who are temporarily resident in Ireland will be eligible for proposal for election as Visiting Members, provided approval from their own International Clubs has been obtained.
ELECTION OF MEMBERS
4. The election of members is vested in the Committee and shall be decided by a majority of the Committee present and voting, excluding abstentions, on a show of hands unless any committee member present shall demand a ballot. If demanded, the Chairman shall be obliged to hold a ballot and if the ballot shows that 25% of those members of the committee present and voting, excluding abstentions, voted against the candidate then the candidate’s application shall fail. No candidate once rejected shall be eligible for election as a Member for twelve months following his / her rejection.
Every candidate for membership shall complete a Nomination Form, which must be signed by a proposer and seconder, both of whom must be members of the club. The name of every candidate, together with the names of his or her proposer and seconder, shall be circulated to every member of the Committee prior to election. The candidate’s name shall be read at a meeting of the Committee and, subject to the preceding paragraph, he / she shall be eligible for election at that meeting.
NEW MEMBERS
5. Each new member will receive notice of his / her election in writing with a copy of the Rules and will be requested to pay the subscription for the current year to the Hon. Treasurer, the payment of which shall be considered as implying acquiescence in, and submission to the Rules of the Club.
COMMITTEE
6. The management of the club will be vested in a Committee of 6 Ordinary Members, including the President and Captain, Hon. Treasurer and Hon. Secretary. The Committee and its officers shall be elected by the Members.
ELECTION OF COMMITTEE
7. Vacancies in the Committee will be filled by vote (or if required by ballot) at the AGM, at least one third of the Committee retiring every 2 years by rotation, such retiring members, however, being eligible for re-election.
VACANCIES IN COMMITTEE
8. In the event of any vacancies occurring in the Committee after the annual election, the Committee will have the power to fill such vacancies. However, members so appointed will retire at the next AGM, but will be eligible for re-election.
NOTICE OF MEMBERS PROPOSED FOR COMMITTEE
9. Four weeks before the AGM, notice will be given in writing to the Hon. Secretary of the name of any member proposed by a member of the Committee by a member of the club. Without such notice, no name shall be proposed, and the election of the members proposed by the Committee shall be deemed to be unopposed.
The notice calling an AGM under rule 12 will contain a list of the names of the members of the Committee retiring by rotation and the names of the members proposed by the Committee for election or re-election shall be specified on that list.
POWER OF COMMITTEE
10 The Committee shall meet at such times and places as deemed necessary and convenient to transact business. For ordinary business, 3 shall form a quorum; for the election of new members, the quorum shall be 5, and for the expulsion of a member, the quorum shall be 7. All matters not agreed unanimously by the Committee shall be decided by majority vote, and in the case where votes are equally divided, the chairperson shall have a casting vote.
The Committee shall have power to co-opt persons at any time to assist the Committee for a specific purpose, but such persons shall not be entitled to vote.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
11. The AGM will be held at such place, day and hour as the Committee may decide. Particulars of resolutions to be brought forward at the AGM shall be sent to the Hon. Secretary 4 weeks prior to the AGM. At least 14 days notice will be posted or emailed to all Ordinary Members, together with a copy of any resolution to be moved, together with copies of the Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurers’ reports from the previous year.
SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS
12. A special general meeting can be called at any time by the Committee to consider any question affecting the welfare and constitution of the Club. A special general meeting can be called upon receipt of a requisition in writing signed by 15 Ordinary Members specifying the object of such a meeting. Fourteen days notice will be posted to all Ordinary Members giving the date, place and hour of such a meeting. Notice will also be published on the Club’s website.The quorum for such a Meeting will be 10. Only Ordinary Members can vote at general meetings of the Club.
SUBSCRIPTION
13. The subscription for Ordinary Members, due and payable on election and thenceforth on February 1 each year shall be €75. If the payment of the subscription by new members be not made within one calendar month after election, the member’s name shall be erased for the list of Members, unless the committee otherwise direct. Any member whose current year’s subscription is not paid by 1 April shall lose all privileges of membership, and if not paid by 1 May shall cease to be a member of the club, unless the delay can be explained to the satisfaction of the committee.
EXPULSION
14. If the conduct of any member, either in the opinion of the Committee or of any 10 members of the Club be regarded as injurious to the interest of the Club or incompatible with its objectives, the Committee will have the power, after a suitable investigation, to recommend, in writing that the Member resign. If the member fails to comply within 14 days, the Committee can then call a Special General Meeting, and if such a meeting agrees by a two-thirds majority to expel the member, then the members’ names will be erased from the List of Members and he / she shall forfeit all subscription and the right to claim privileges of Membership.
ALTERATIONS TO RULES
15. Alterations and additions to these rules can only be made by a two-thirds majority of members present and voting at a general meeting.
AFFILIATION
16. The Club will be affiliated to Tennis Ireland and the Council of International Lawn Tennis Clubs.