Constitution

1.Title
The club shall be named “Radio Controlled Northern Ireland” (RCNI).
The club is a non-profit organisation.

2. Definitions
2.1 "Chair of the Club" means the person elected from time to time to be the chair of the club / chairperson / chairman of the Club in accordance with rule 8.
"Vice Chair" means the person elected from time to time to be the vice-chair of the Club in accordance with rule 8.
"Treasurer" means the person elected from time to time to be the treasurer of the Club in accordance with rule 8.
“BRCA” means British Radio Car Association – the governing body of RC racing.
“Management Committee" means the committee appointed under rule 8 to manage the Club.
"Members" means the members of the Club admitted from time to time to membership of the Club in accordance with rule 4.
“Subscription year” means a 12-month period for which annual subscriptions are payable beginning on 1st January in any year.
“Regulations” means the regulations established by the Management Committee from time to time for the racing of RC vehicles.
“Rules” means the rules of the Club in force from time to time.
“BRCA Disciplinary Code” means the disciplinary code of the BRCA in force from time to time.
“BRCA Rules” means the rules of the BRCA in force from time to time.
2.2 Words denoting the singular number include the plural number and vice versa.

3.Aims
3.1 To provide radio-controlled racing, social and other activities to encourage and facilitate the running and racing of radio-controlled vehicles.
3.2 To promote, grow, improve, and support the sport of radio-controlled car racing.
3.3 To facilitate the exchange of information and ideas relating to the sport.
3.4 To set the rules and standards for membership and racing.

4.Membership
4.1 Membership shall be open to all and will commence on payment of membership fee.
4.2 Membership will run from 1st January to 31st December each year.
4.3 Membership will be divided into the following classes.
4.3.1 Adult Membership – being a member aged 18 or over at the start of the subscription year.
4.3.2 Junior Membership – being a member aged under 18 at the start of the subscription year.
4.3.3 Veteran Membership – being a member aged 60 or over at the start of the subscription year.
4.4 All members shall be entitled to receive notice and vote at general meetings.
4.5 All members shall be subject to the Rules and Regulations of the club.
4.6 BRCA condition
4.6.1 Each member agrees as a condition of membership –
(a) to have a valid BRCA subscription for the current membership year.
(b) to be bound by and subject to the Rules.
(c) to be bound by and subject to the BRCA Rules and the BRCA Disciplinary code.
4.7 Non-members can race in 3 club meetings without membership. After which, they will be asked to join the club at a pro-rata amount based on the number of race meetings left.
4.8 Visitors who are not BRCA members can race in 3 club meetings. After which, they will be asked to join the BRCA.

5. Resignation
A Member may withdraw from membership of the Club at any time. Membership shall not be transferable in any event and shall cease immediately on death or dissolution of the club or on the failure of the Member to comply or to continue to comply with any condition of membership set out in the Rules.

6. Expulsion
6.1 The Management Committee shall have power to expel a Member when, in its opinion, it would not be in the interests of the sport or of the Club for them to remain a Member.
6.2 A Member shall not be expelled unless they are given 14 days written notice of the meeting of the Management Committee at which their expulsion shall be considered and written details of the complaint made against them.
6.3 The Member shall be given an opportunity to make written representations and/or to appear before the Management Committee and at any such meeting to be accompanied by a representative or friend, who may answer complaints made against the member and to cross examine any witnesses on behalf of the member.
The member must not be expelled unless at least two-thirds of the Management Committee then present vote in favour of their expulsion.

7. Effect of Resignation or Expulsion
Any person ceasing to be a Member forfeits all right to and claim upon the Club, its property and its funds and they have no right to the return of any part of their subscription.

8. Committee
8.1 The club shall be managed by a Management Committee consisting of –
(a) the Chair of the Club (Chairman)
(b) the Vice-Chair (Vice-Chairman)
(c) the Secretary
(d) the Treasurer
(e) the Ground Co-ordinator(s)
8.2 The Management Committee may appoint general committee members who shall work with the rest of the committee on various projects and jobs the committee are doing. This person shall attend committee meetings and have a vote in the same way other committee members do.
8.3 The Management Committee shall communicate to the Members each year the opportunity to nominate members to the Management Committee in the place of those retiring. Those persons proposed to be nominated as members of the Management Committee to fill any vacancies that have arisen must be nominated by any two Full Members in a form prescribed by the Management Committee and must be submitted to the Management Committee by such date as the Management Committee shall prescribe each year.
8.4 Any person nominated as a member of the Management Committee must be a member of the club for the previous 12 months.
8.5 If there is only one candidate nominated to fill any vacancy, that candidate shall be declared elected unopposed for that vacancy at the next annual general meeting. If there is more than one candidate for any vacancy there shall be an election at the annual general meeting for that position. In the event of a tie, the candidate to be elected shall (unless the candidates otherwise agree) be determined by lot.
8.6 The Management Committee shall be elected at the annual general meeting in each year, and subject to termination of office by resignation, removal or otherwise, the members remain in office until they or their successors are re-elected or elected (as the case may be) at the annual general meeting following their re-election or election (as the case may be).
8.7 The Management Committee may appoint any Member to fill any casual vacancy on the Management Committee until the next annual general meeting when that person shall retire but shall be eligible for re-election.
8.8 Retiring members of the Management Committee may be re-elected.
8.9 A member of the Management Committee shall be deemed to have vacated office if:
(a) they are unable to perform their duties due to ill health (mentally or physically).
(b) they resign their office by notice to the Club.
8.10 The Club agrees that each member of the Management Committee will be required, as a condition of election or appointment, to agree to be bound by and subject to the Rules, the BRCA Rules and the BRCA Disciplinary Code, such agreement to contain an express acknowledgement that the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 applies and that the BRCA and the Club can enforce any breach at its option and in its sole discretion.
8.11 Should any member of the Management Committee step down or be replaced, any monies outstanding or loaned to the Club from this Committee Member should be instantly repaid and debt cleared according to the ledger held by the Treasurer.

9. Proceedings of the Management Committee
9.1 Management Committee meetings shall be held as often as the Management Committee thinks fit. The Chair of the Club and the Vice-Chair shall have discretion to call emergency meetings of the Management Committee if they consider it to be in the interests of the Club. The Chair of the Club shall give all the members of the Management Committee no less than 5 days' notice of a meeting.
9.2 Decisions of the Management Committee shall be made by a simple majority and in the event of an equality of votes the Chair of the Club (or the acting Chair of that meeting) shall have a casting or additional vote.
9.3 The Management Committee may from time to time appoint from among its number such subcommittees as it considers necessary and may delegate to them such of the powers and duties of the Management Committee as the Management Committee may determine. All sub-committees shall periodically report their proceedings to the Management Committee and shall conduct their business in accordance with the directions of the Management Committee.
9.4 The members of the Management Committee shall be entitled to an indemnity out of the assets of the Club for all expenses and other liabilities properly incurred by them in the management of the affairs of the Club.
9.5 The members of the Management Committee shall determine and publish the Regulations for the Club.
9.6 The members of the Management Committee have duty of care of safeguarding at the club and shall help maintain the club as a safe space for everyone.
9.7 No personal liability shall be attached to the Committee or to any member acting in the ordinary and proper force of the club’s business.
9.8 No Committee member may profit from their actions while in office. All Committee members must act in the best interests of the club.
9.9 Management Committee members will pay no race or membership fees due to the commitment they are providing to the running and maintenance of the club.

10. Annual general meeting
10.1 The annual general meeting of the Club shall be held at such time as the Management Committee shall decide each year to transact the following business:
(a) to receive the Chair of the Club's report of the activities of the Club during the previous year.
(b) to receive and consider the accounts of the Club for the previous year and to receive the Treasurer's report as to the financial position of the Club.
(c) to elect the members of the Management Committee.
(d) to decide on any resolution which may be duly submitted in accordance with rule 6.2 below.
(e) to deal with any other matters which the Management Committee desires to bring before the membership.
10.2 Notice of any Constitutional or Rule change proposals to be voted on at the annual general meeting shall be given
in writing to the Management Committee not less than 14 days before the meeting.
10.3 Proposals will be voted on at the AGM, only club members can cast a vote.
10.4 No period greater than fifteen months shall elapse between one annual general meeting and the next.
10.5 AGM agenda will follow the itinerary below
(a) Opening comments by The Chair of the Club
(b) Report by the Secretary on the closing year of the Club and the current state of the Club
(c) Report by The Chair of the Club on the future or ideas for the Club
(d) Report by the Treasurer on club finances. This is to include monies in, monies out and current bank balance for the closing year.
(e) Any other business from club members. This should include feedback on the previous year including running and management of the club.
(f) Election of the committee for the following year
10.6 The Secretary, or in their absence a member of the Management Committee, shall take minutes at annual general meetings.

11. Extraordinary general meetings
11. An extraordinary general meeting may be called at any time by the Management Committee and shall be called within 21 days of receipt by the Chair of the Club of a requisition in writing signed by not less than 5 Members stating the purposes for which the meeting is required and the resolutions proposed.
11.1 Procedures at the annual and extraordinary general meetings
11.1.1 The Chair of the Club shall communicate written notice of the date of the general meeting at least 28 days before the meeting.
11.1.2 The quorum for the annual and extraordinary general meetings shall be 5 Members.
11.1.3 The Chair of the Club shall preside at all meetings of the Club but if they are not present within 15 minutes after the time appointed for the meeting or has signified their inability to be present at the meeting, the Members present may choose one of the other members of the Management Committee present to preside.
11.1.4 Each Member present shall have one vote and resolutions shall be passed by a simple majority of those Members present and voting. In the event of an equality of votes the Chair of the meeting shall have a casting or additional vote
11.1.5 The Secretary, or in their absence a member of the Management Committee, shall take minutes at extraordinary general meetings.

12. Visitors
12.1 Visitors are welcomed at the Club. Anyone spectating or attending the Club's premises who is not a Member shall remain outside of track boundaries including, but not limited to, the pit lane.
12.2 All visitors will abide by the Rules of the Club.
12.3 The Management Committee shall have power to limit the number of occasions on which any visitor may be admitted in any calendar year.

13. Opening / Closure of Club premises
Tracks are available for use on each race day according to the annual race calendar, or at such other times or for such
other periods as the Management Committee shall decide. Tracks will be closed at such times that the Management Committee shall decide.

14. Alteration of the rules
The Rules may be altered by resolution at an annual or extraordinary general meeting provided that the resolution shall not be passed unless carried by a majority of at least two-thirds of the Members present and voting at the general meeting, the notice of which contains particulars of the proposed alteration or addition.

15. Regulations and Standing Orders
15.1 The Management Committee shall have power to make, repeal and amend such regulations and standing orders as it may from time to time consider necessary for the wellbeing of the Club. Such regulations and standing orders and any repeals or amendments to them shall have effect until set aside by the Management Committee.
15.2 The Club agrees that all visitors, so far as reasonably practicable, members and other persons using the facilities of the club will be required, as a condition of such use, to agree to be bound by and subject to the Rules, the BRCA Rules and the BRCA Disciplinary Code, such agreement to contain an express acknowledgement that the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 applies and that the BRCA and the Club can enforce any breach at its option and in its sole discretion.

16. Finance
16.1 All moneys payable to the Club shall be received by the person authorised by the Management Committee to receive such moneys and shall be deposited in a bank account in the name of the Club unless the Management Committee sees fit that a cash balance be held. Any moneys not required for immediate use may be invested as the Management Committee in its discretion thinks fit.
16.2 Subject to rule 16.3, the income and property of the Club shall be applied only in furtherance of the objects of the Club and no part thereof shall be paid by way of bonus, dividend, or profit to any Member.
16.3 The Management Committee shall have power to authorise the payment of remuneration and expenses to any member of the Management Committee, Member of the Club and to any other person or persons for services rendered to the Club.
16.4 The financial transactions of the Club shall be recorded in such manner as the Management Committee thinks fit by the Treasurer.
16.5 Full accounts of the financial affairs of the Club shall be prepared each year. The accounts must be made available to every Member at the AGM. These accounts will be available to all members after the date of AGM, if requested from the Management Committee.

17. Borrowing
The Management Committee (or any club member) will not borrow any money from any financial institution on behalf of the club.

18. Property
18.1 The property of the Club, other than cash at the bank, shall be vested in the Management Committee. The Management Committee shall deal with the property as directed by resolution of the Management Committee and entry in the minute book shall be conclusive evidence of such a resolution.
18.2 Management Committee shall be entitled to an indemnity out of the property of the Club for all expenses and other liabilities properly incurred by them in the discharge of their duties.

19. Sponsorship and Fundraising
19.1 The Management Committee will have the power to negotiate sponsorships on behalf of the Club and engage in fundraising activities. Any financial returns from these activities will be used for the sole purpose of developing the Club.

20. Dissolution
20.1 A resolution to dissolve the Club shall be proposed only at an extraordinary general meeting and shall be passed only if carried by a majority of at least three-quarters of the Members present and voting.
20.2 The dissolution shall take effect from the date of the resolution and the members of the Management Committee shall be responsible for the winding-up of the assets and liabilities of the Club.
20.3 Any property remaining after the discharge of the debts and liabilities of the Club shall be paid to or distributed to another non-profit making RC racing club or voluntary Organisation(s) having objects similar to those of the Club.

21. Current Standing Management Committee
Management Committee 2024 - 2025
Chairman – Bradley Baird
Vice-Chairman – Rodney Ferguson
Secretary – Ashley Tsang
Treasurer – David Henry
Ground Co-ordinator – Lee Coggan
Ground Co-ordinator – Ryan Maney

 

Created 17/01/2024 – Ashley Tsang