New Constitution agreed at AGM in May 2017
Purpose of the Association
1. This Association shall be called “York City & District Referees’ Association” (“the Association”,
or “York RA”).
2. The Association shall exist to:
2.1. advance the development of football referees in York City and District
2.2. provide networking and mutual support opportunities to its members
2.3. represent its members’ interests to affiliated Referees’ Association(s) and Football
Association(s), local leagues and clubs, the media, and other relevant organisations
3. The headquarters of the Association shall be based within York.
4. The Association shall be affiliated to the North Riding County Referees’ Association.
Membership of the Association
5. Football referees who are qualified, training to qualify, or retired, shall be eligible to join the
Association.
6. Members shall pay a subscription fee, decided annually by the Executive Committee. Members
not making payment by the advertised deadline shall lose access to membership benefits.
7. The Association shall have the authority to elect any member as a Life Member of the
Association, through a majority vote at the Annual General Meeting. Such Life Members will
have their membership fee waived for life.
Membership of the Executive Committee
8. The Trustees of the Association shall include:
8.1. President
8.2. Chair
8.3. Vice Chair
8.4. Secretary
8.5. Treasurer
9. The Executive Committee shall include each of the Trustees, plus the following Officers:
9.1. Referee Development Officer
9.2. Supplies and Equipment Officer
9.3. Membership Officer
9.4. Communications Officer
9.5. Officers without portfolio (a maximum of 3, unless increased due to Rule 11)
10. Delegates to the North Riding County RA, or other organisations as appropriate, should be
nominated by the Executive Committee from its membership.
11. An individual should only hold one Trustee role at any given time, apart from as an emergency
measure to cover a role until the next AGM. Otherwise, Officers may hold more than one role
on the Executive Committee. Where this occurs, the number of Officers without portfolio can be
increased to replace the duplicate roles.
12. Lay members may be co-opted on to the Executive Committee if the Committee feel that
particular expertise is required which cannot be found within the membership. Lay members
may not vote at any meetings.
13. Elections to all roles shall take place at the Annual General Meeting. In the event of a post not
being filled, or becoming vacant, the Executive Committee shall co-opt a member into that
post.
14. All Officers and Trustees shall be elected for one year. Officers and Trustees may stand for reelection
as often as they wish.
15. Officers and Trustees may be removed from the committee following a vote of no confidence at
any Executive Committee meeting, at which two-thirds of Executive Committee members vote
in favour. The individual concerned should receive a minimum of 7 clear days’ notice before the
vote.
16. Officers and Trustees may be removed from the committee following a vote of no confidence at
any General Meeting, at which a majority of members vote in favour. The individual concerned
should receive a minimum of 7 clear days’ notice before the vote.
17. Officers and Trustees should tender their resignation in writing to the Secretary. The Secretary
should tender their resignation to the Chair. Where appropriate, a minimum of one month’s
notice should be given.
Powers of the Executive Committee
18. The Trustees are:
18.1. legally responsible for the sustainability of the Association
18.2. empowered to veto any proposal which risks the sustainability or financial well-being of
the Association
18.3. empowered to take emergency measures to protect the sustainability or financial wellbeing
of the Association
19. The Executive Committee are:
19.1. responsible for the operational running of the Association
19.2. responsible for the running of events including regular meetings
19.3. expected to contribute to increasing membership numbers
19.4. responsible for ensuring that Association activities are representative, open and
accessible to all members
19.5. able to decide on any matter not provided for in these Rules
20. The Chair is:
20.1. able to make decisions by Chair’s action on behalf of the Association, where necessary in
between Executive Committee meetings, in conjunction with one other Trustee. These
decisions must be reported to the Executive Committee at the earliest opportunity.
21. Whilst the Executive Committee should meet in person on a regular basis, decisions may be
made using electronic methods of communication where necessary.
22. The quorum for any committee meeting or virtual decision is 4 Executive Committee members,
including at least 2 Trustees.
Honoraria
23. Whilst Trustees and Officers should not usually be paid for their services, the Annual General
Meeting may vote to pay individuals an honorarium to reflect their expenses and/or lost income
opportunities (for example, where Officers regularly attend meetings or organise training that
prevents them from officiating another fixture).
General Meetings
24. The Association should hold a meeting or event open to all members at least eight times per
year and usually one per month during the football season.
25. The Executive Committee has the authority to decide on meeting dates, times and locations.
Meeting dates should be advertised at the earliest opportunity.
26. Meetings should be open, accessible and welcoming to all referees and their guests,
regardless of their personal characteristics. This is the responsibility of the Executive
Committee and should be led by the Chair.
27. The Chair should usually chair General Meetings. In his or her absence, the Vice Chair shall
chair the meeting. In the event both are absent, another member of the Executive Committee
shall chair the meeting. The Officer chairing the meeting has responsibility for the conduct of
the meeting and has the authority to manage attendees accordingly.
Annual General Meeting
28. The Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall be held no later than the 2nd week in July each
calendar year.
29. At least 4 weeks’ notice shall be given to all members of the AGM.
30. The quorum for the AGM is 10 members.
31. The AGM shall, as a minimum, receive:
31.1. A report from the President
31.2. A report from the Chair
31.3. A report from the Treasurer, including audited accounts not more than twelve months old
32. Officers and Trustees of the Association shall be elected at the AGM. Where positions are not
contested, this may be carried out by open ballot; where positions are contested a secret ballot
must be used.
33. Officers and Trustees must be elected individually and not en bloc, except where positions are
not contested and no changes are proposed.
34. Those wishing to stand for election must make the Secretary aware before the AGM opens.
35. The President will usually act as Returning Officer; when standing for election themselves this
duty must be carried out by another member of the Executive Committee.
Extraordinary General Meetings
36. An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) may be called following a majority vote at the
Executive Committee, or a two-thirds vote in favour at a General Meeting.
37. At least 2 weeks’ notice shall be given to all members of the EGM.
38. The powers of an EGM match those of an AGM.
39. The quorum for the AGM is 10 members.
Winding up of the Association
40. The Annual General Meeting, or an Extraordinary General Meeting, can take the decision to
wind up the Association (subject to Rule 18).
41. In the event of the Association being wound up, the assets of the Association may be
distributed to other Associations with similar objectives. The objective should be to benefit Yorkbased
referees to the greatest extent possible. Organisations that may be considered include,
but are not limited to:
41.1. The York City & District Football Association (Referee Development fund)
41.2.Other Referees’ Associations within close proximity who can provide useful services to our
members
41.3. The Referees’ Association Benevolent Fund
42. Funds not distributed to other organisations may be held in trust for the benefit of York
referees.
43. Where possible, funds should be donated with the proviso that they should be earmarked for
referee development and support.
Changes to these Rules
44. Changes to these Rules must only be made at the Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary
General Meeting.
45. Notice of proposed alterations to the Rules must be sent to the Secretary at least 28 days prior
to the AGM or EGM.
46. The Secretary must distribute notification of proposed changes to all members at least 7 days
prior to the AGM or EGM.
47. Changes to these Rules can be passed by a simple majority.
Additional information:
Appendix 1: Interim arrangements for introducing these Rules
1. The rule relating to individuals only holding one Trustee position at any time will not take effect
until the 2018 AGM, for those already holding multiple posts.
Appendix 2: Suggested role outlines
President
• The figurehead of the Association
• Acts as Returning Officer at the AGM
• Represents the Association to outside organisations, acting as a key spokesperson
• Liaising with guest speakers and other visitors at meetings
• Acts as a signatory for the Association’s bank accounts
Chair
• Chairs Executive Committee Meetings, General Meetings, Annual General Meetings and
Extraordinary General Meetings, ensuring that meetings are open, accessible and welcoming
• Represents the Association to outside organisations, acting as a key spokesperson
• Takes decisions on behalf of the Association where necessary between Executive Committee
meetings
• Acts as a signatory for the Association’s bank accounts
Vice Chair
• Chairs meetings in the absence of the Chair
• In the event of the Chair being incapacitated or unavailable for an extended period of time,
assumes the other responsibilities of the Chair on a temporary basis
• Represents the Association to outside organisations
• Responsible for fundraising efforts for the Association, e.g. raffles, numbers board, fundraising
events (individual tasks may be delegated)
Secretary
(Currently paid an honorarium)
• Conducts the correspondence of the Association
• Services all meetings of the Association, including the publishing of agendas and minutes
• Supports the Chair in managing the conduct of meetings
• Liaises with guest speakers and other visitors in advance and after meetings
• Acts as a signatory for the Association’s bank accounts
• Maintains records and submits data on behalf of the Association; e.g. records of those attending
events, completes submissions e.g. RA QUEST, etc.
• Advises members on issues including insurance claims, benevolent fund claims etc.
Treasurer
(Currently paid an honorarium)
• Manages the Association’s finances
• Acts as a signatory for the Association’s bank accounts
• Submits audited financial reports to the AGM annually
• Maintains petty cash
Referee Development Officer
(Honorarium to be proposed to AGM)
• Manages the referee mentoring scheme on behalf of the Association
• Coordination of training events at General Meetings and other events
• Attends new referee courses to present on behalf of the Association
Supplies and Equipment Officer
• Stores, sells and distributes refereeing kit and equipment
• Manages the purchase and sale of Association merchandise
• Keeps records of stock and advises the Treasurer on a monthly basis
• Keeps a record of equipment owned by the Association (e.g. IT or audio visual equipment)
Membership Officer
• Responsible for recruiting new members to the Association
• Responsible for efforts to retain existing members
• Updates the National RA’s membership records
• Liaises with the NRCFA to identify new referees and advertise the Association
Communications Officer
• Maintains and updates the Association’s website, social media pages and online store
• Communicates with members via monthly newsletters
Officers without portfolio
• Take on roles and responsibilities not listed, or delegated from other Officers, for example:
• Coordinating events
• Taking responsibility for particular fundraising activities
• Attending meetings or events on behalf of the Association
• Anything else not included in these Rules
4 May 2017