1. The name of the Club is "FC Crusaders".

2. The formation of the Club was approved by its founding members at a meeting on 1st May, 2001.

OBJECTIVES

3. The objective of the Club is to create and promote an environment where children may play competitive football in a sporting manner and develop their skills, physical fitness and football awareness in a safe and friendly environment.

4. Families of the children who join the Club are also welcomed into its organisation and social framework. The Club aspires to sporting ideals, creation of a team spirit and recognition of each child's contribution and performance, irrespective of results, with which parents may be comfortable and in which they will wish to participate wholeheartedly.

MEMBERSHIP

5. Each member of the Club is either a Player Member or a Parent Member. Player Membership is by application to the Club Secretary and by subscription. Membership is subject to acceptance by majority vote of the whole Management Committee, whose decision is final. Pending notification of acceptance, players may be invited to attend training sessions as Guests of the Club, subject to payment for each session attended of a fee set at the most recent Annual General Meeting. Decisions about membership will be based on availability of places, with reference to Article 7. Parent Membership is automatic on commencement of the Player Membership to which it is associated.

6. Player Membership is open to any child who is within the age range of any team the Club enters for competitive matches.

7. Player Membership numbers will be limited to ensure the Club is always in a position to meet its stated objectives. As a guide, training will be limited to a maximum of 15 players for each Coach and no more than 10 players will be selected for any competitive match.

8. Parent Membership is open to up to two adults related to or living at the same address as one or more of the Player Members. Parent Members are the adults who have given their permission to their child(ren) joining the club and have paid the required fees and subscriptions.

ORGANISATION

9. The Secretary will keep an up to date register of the Club's Player Members.

10. The Club will hold an Annual General Meeting of the Parent Membership each March to discuss its organisation, reflect on achievements in the broad context of its objectives, agree the financial statement and elect a Management Committee for the next season. Each Parent member attending the Annual General Meeting shall have one vote on each resolution irrespective of the number of Player Members to whom his or her membership is linked. No Player Member will have voting rights.

11. The date, time and place of the Annual General Meeting will be announced to Parent Members at least 21 days before the meeting.

12. An annual Management Committee report and financial statement will be issued Parent Members no later than one calendar month before the Annual General Meeting.

13. The Management Committee will consist of;

· at least five but no more than ten Parent Members (as defined in Article 8).

· Parent Memberships associated to at least four Player Memberships (as defined in Article 5).

· the elected Chairperson, who oversees the Club's organisation and chairs Annual and Extraordinary General Meetings and Ordinary and Extraordinary Management Committee Meetings.

· the elected Secretary, who, in addition to duties defined in Articles 5, 9,14 and 18, ensures match results are reported to the League accurately and on time, handles member enquiries, haises with the League, the Surrey County Football Association and other Clubs on matters of administration (including any SCFA request to view copies of meeting minutes).

· the elected Treasurer, whose role is defined in Article 23.

· up to four additionally elected Management Committee Members (depending on the number of appointed Team Managers).

· the appointed Manager of each team.

14. The Management Committee will hold an Ordinary Management Committee (OMC) Meeting each quarter. The Club Secretary must schedule, in consultation with each elected Management Committee Member, the dates of four OMC Meetings no more than seven days after the Annual General Meeting (AG M). The dates of these meetings must be communicated to Parent Members no later than one month after the AGM. The Club Secretary must issue an agenda for each OMC Meeting to all Committee Members at least seven days before each meeting. An Extraordinary Management Committee (EMC) Meeting may be convened by any one Committee Member who gives at least one week's notice to all the other Committee Members, stating the specific purpose of the meeting. The EMC Meeting must take place within one calendar month of it being convened. The Club Secretary must issue two copies of the minutes of all OMC and EMC meetings to each Committee Member in attendance (and one copy to each Committee Member not in attendance) no later than one calendar month after the date of each meeting. The minutes must be formally signed as agreed by each of those in attendance and returned to the Club Secretary before they may be recorded as approved. The Chairperson, the Club Secretary and one other Management Committee Member will form a quorum for any enforceable decision to be made except for

· any decision about financial expenditure, which requires the other Management Committee Member to be the Treasurer;

· any decision (should appointed Team Managers not reach agreement) about the allocation of Player Members to each team run by the Club (including any mid-season addition of a Player Member to or his removal from any of the teams), for any of which the Chairperson, the Club Secretary and each appointed Team Manager will form a quorum;

· the inclusion in or exclusion from training sessions of Player Members or guest players, for any of which the Chairperson, the Club Secretary and each Team Manager will form a quorum;

· any permanent change to the day, start or finish time of training sessions or matches or any permanent addition of training sessions or series of matches, for which the Chairperson, the Club Secretary and each Team Manager will form a quorum;

· disciplinary matters, for which the Chairperson, the Club Secretary and each Team Manager will form a quorum;

· changes to Team Management, which are subject to the agreement of the majority of the whole Management Committee.

Each Management Committee Member has one vote on any resolution irrespective of the number of Player Members to whom his or her Club Membership is linked. The Chairperson has a casting vote in the event that there is no dear majority in any matter.

15. The Management Committee appoints the Manager of each team and any additional Coaches and its decision in this regard is final.

16. The Manager of each team selects the Player Members required to play in each match and his or her decision in this regard is final.

17. All perpetual shields awarded to Player Members remain at all times the property of the Club and must be returned to the Management Committee immediately on request, upon membership ceasing or in any event by 1 March of the season following the award being given.

18. An Extraordinary General Meeting may be convened by any 10 Parent Members. A written request must be made to the Club Secretary stating the exact purpose of the meeting. The meeting must be called within one calendar month of receipt of notice by the Club Secretary.

19. These Articles of Association may be altered only with the agreement of a majority of Parent Members attending the Annual General Meeting or at an Extraordinary General Meeting convened for that purpose.

20. There will be regular training and competitive matches throughout the football season.

21. The Club will enter one or more teams in a League allowing all matches to be played within a reasonable distance of Guildford.

22. Each Player Member's regular attendance at training sessions is essential if the Club is to achieve its objectives. Each Player Member is similarly required to be regularly available for selection for matches. Player Members should understand that Team Managers cannot gauge their readiness for matches if they do not attend training sessions regularly, so failure to attend may affect team selection.

23. The finances of the Club will be managed entirely by the Club. The finances of the Club will be managed by the elected Treasurer, who must:

· Be one of the authorised signatories on any cheque written.

· Report the Club's current financial position to each quarterly Management Committee Ordinary General Meeting.

· Ensure Club accounts are audited annually by an independent qualified body or person appointed by the Management Committee.

· Present a current financial statement to the Annual General Meeting.

· Present an audited statement of receipts and payments to Surrey County Football Association by the date it requires each year.

· Manage all bank accounts the Management Committee deems appropriate to hold Club funds and operate a control method that ensures all funds are received and reconciled.

· Deposit funds of more than £100.00 at the Bank within 14 days of receipt.

· Make timely payment of authorised expenditure.

FINANCE

24. Membership is annually renewable and is subject to subscription due on 1 August each year (which includes League registration fees, a Surrey County Football Association affiliation fee and training fees) and payment of a fee on the day of each match attended. Unless more than five training sessions are cancelled by the Club in the period for which the annual subscription applies, training fees are non- refundable. The decision to cancel training will be made at the earliest practical time by the Coach responsible for leading the affected session. Should bad weather or availability of training facilities or coaches cause more than five training sessions to be cancelled in the period for which the annual subscription applies, a refund will be made to each Parent Member for each cancelled session associated Player Membership was active at the rate per Player Member per session agreed at the Annual General Meeting immediately prior to the subscription period.

25. The subscription and match fee amounts will be set for the following season at the Club's Annual General Meeting.

26. The subscription for members joining one calendar month or more after the Club's first competitive match of the season has been played will be the amount agreed at the last Annual General Meeting reduced according to the number of days elapsed since 1 August of the season of joining.

27. Except where a Parent Member notifies the Club Secretary of an inability to pay in full or in part because of financial hardship, membership will be withdrawn at the discretion of the Management Committee if, despite the issue of a written notice specifying the amount overdue, all or some of the annual subscription and/or match fees remain unpaid for more than one calendar month after they become due.

CODE OF CONDUCT

28. The Club believes that training should be enjoyable for all and Coaches seek to develop players' personal and team skills through fun activities. Players are expected to work hard in training and to try their hardest to win matches by fair and stylish play, taking satisfaction from success and seeing defeat as part of an overall learning process.

29. All Player Members must be provided with current copies of the Club's sportsmanship guidelines and the Articles relating to the Club's Code of Conduct. Unsportsmanlike conduct by Player Members will not be tolerated by the Club and, in such instances, the Team Manager will remove from the field of play or the Coach will remove from the training area any Player Member who swears, argues, fights, criticises other players' performance or refuses to accept the Referee's decision or a Coach's instructions. Once removed, the Player Member will take no further part in any match (whether competitive, friendly or tournament) or in any training in association with the Club for the rest of the day of the offence. The Coach should instruct the Player Member to sit out the rest of the training session but must ensure the child does not leave the school premises until collected by a responsible adult. If any Player Member's unsportsmanlike conduct persists, the Management Committee will determine an appropriate course of positive remedial action, which will include personal coaching on sportsmanship and behaviour control. Only after all appropriate courses of action have been pursued, the Management Committee may cease the membership of any Player Member whose behaviour is considered to be irreversibly inconsistent with the Club's sportsmanship aims. All fines imposed on the Club by the League(s) or the County Football Association because of the actions of Player Members are payable by those Parent Members whose memberships are associated to the offending Player Members. The Management Committee's decision on all matters of discipline within the Club is final.

30. The Club asks spectators to be supportive and to give encouragement to the players during matches but to avoid coaching or criticism, as this may cause confusion or upset to the players. Any critical observations should be brought to the Team Manager's attention as soon as possible after the match; the Team Manager will then deal with the matter as he or she considers appropriate. Aggressive or abusive behaviour has no place at FC Crusaders' matches, as this reflects on the individuals concerned and on the Club as a whole.

31. At matches, parents and players are encouraged to applaud and congratulate the opposing team, particularly at the end.

32. Appropriate footwear (usually football boots) must be worn for all training and matches.

33. Shin pads must be worn for all training and matches - referees will not allow players to start a match without them.

34. Each player must be accompanied before, during and after matches by his parent(s) or by an adult to whom the parents have delegated responsibility.

35. Transport for matches is not the Club's responsibility and should be arranged by parents. A parent contact list is held by Management Committee Members if anyone has difficulty making arrangements.

36. To ensure the safety of the children while they are involved in - and particularly while they are travelling to and from - Club activities, the Club strongly commends the FC Crusaders Training Effectiveness and Safety Reminder (TEASER) Code to its Parent Members:

Unless notified otherwise, training starts at 9.3Oam sharp each Saturday. Not only does this enable our coaches to fit in all the activities they have planned, but it allows us to record each boy's attendance in an organised fashion so we know exactly for whom we are responsible on a given day.

Coaches are ready to welcome the boys as parents drop them off from 9.2Oam.

Saturday pick up time is 1130am. The Club asks that all boys are picked up on time.

The Club strongly recommends that boys are delivered to and picked up from training by a parent or a delegated responsible adult. The Club does not believe that children under 12 should be making their own way to and from training sessions. Any Parent Member who wishes his or her child to leave the training ground unaccompanied by a responsible adult must write to the Club Secretary to confirm this.

We should also like parents to instruct their children

· to wait for them at the edge of the field, near the school building (not in the car park or on the road), if they are late

· to tell a Coach or a Management Committee Member if their lift isn't there not to leave the Boxgrove site until their lift arrives.

Although the Club does not take responsibility for the players' welfare after the end of the training session, a Management Committee member will of course wait after training until all children are collected and will, if possible (which it isn't always), prevent them from making their own way home.

Parents are responsible for their children at all matches and tournaments. If a parent cannot attend, the Club will assume that an arrangement has been made with another responsible adult to look after the child. To avoid confusion, it is helpful if a Management Committee member in attendance on the day is aware of any such arrangements.

37. To ensure all aspects of training and match play remain consistent both between the teams and with the Club's aims, all appointed Team Managers and Coaches will meet at least monthly during each football season to discuss coaching and training issues, match progress, individual player development, team tactics and strategy.

38. The Club's affairs may only be wound up by majority vote at an Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting. In the event that such a meeting resolves to wind up the Club's affairs, all proceeds (cash or sale of assets) will be used in the first instance to settle any outstanding liabilities. Any surplus will then be disposed of by donation to the Surrey County Football Association Benevolent Fund and/or to a recognised and appropriate charity chosen by the Management Committee.