CONSTITUTION AND GENERAL RULES
1. NAME. The Association shall be called “The Lancashire Schools’ Athletic Association”.
2. OBJECTS. The objects of the Association shall be the advancement of organised athletics among pupils and students in schools and non-advanced further education in Lancashire, the arrangement of inter-Association competitions, and exercising membership of The English Schools’ Athletic Association.
3. ELIGIBILITY FOR AFFILIATION. The Schools’ Athletic Association representing each of the administrative Districts of the Lancashire Education Authority and other unitary authorities shall be eligible for affiliation to the Association subject to the approval of the Executive Committee. Individual schools and educational establishment shall affiliate only to the Association of the District in which they are situated. Pupils, students and teachers of independent education establishments may participate in the Association’s activities only if the establishment is affiliated to the appropriate District association as defined above.
4. AFFILIATION FEE. The affiliation fee for District Associations will be due on the date of the Annual General Meeting of the Association and must be paid not later than 1 December of the school year concerned. Only District Associations whose affiliation fees have been paid by this date may enter any competition organised by the Association. Entry fees for the Association’s Cross Country Championships and the Association’s Track and Field Championships will be incorporated with a general membership fee in the affiliation fee.
The affiliation fees shall be as follows:
a) For Districts with fewer than 10 secondary schools and further education colleges - £160.
b) For Districts with more than 10 secondary schools and further education colleges - £250.
In assessing a District’s liability at a) to b) above, the Lancashire College of Agriculture, because of its limited and specialised recruitment shall not be included.
5. MANAGEMENT. The management of the Association shall be vested in a Central Council, which shall consist of the President, the Vice President, the Executive Committee and three representatives of each affiliated District Association.
The Council shall hold an Annual General Meeting (Rule 10 below). The Officers of the Association shall call a special meeting of the Council on the requisition of any three affiliated Districts, within three weeks of the receipt of that requisition. The officers may call a special meeting of the Council on such other occasions as they feel necessary, giving as much notice as possible.
Requisitions for Special General Meetings must give the business to be conducted in the form either of a motion or statement for discussion. This must be set out fully in the notice of the meeting. No other business shall be transacted at the meeting.
6. PRESIDENT. The Association may appoint a President, who should be a person of distinction with an interest in the Association. The President may take the chair at General Meetings and meetings of the Executive Committee. The President shall serve until replaced.
7. VICE PRESIDENTS. The Association may appoint Vice-Presidents from senior members of the Lancashire Education Committee, senior officers of the Lancashire Education Department, and past officers of the Association.
Appointments to Vice-President shall be for life.
8. THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE – POWERS AND COMPOSITION. The Council shall delegate the responsibility for the day-to-day running of the Association to the Executive Committee, which shall consist of:
a) The officers, who shall be:
(i) Chairman, the immediate Ex-Chairman, Vice Chairman, Honorary Treasurer and Honorary Secretary.
(ii) Hon Championship Secretary, Hon Cross-Country Secretary, Hon Minuting Secretary, Hon Officials’ Secretary, County Track and Field Team Managers (Lady and Gentleman), County Cross-Country Team Managers (Lady and Gentleman).
(iii) E.S.A.A. Schools Cup Secretary, Combined Events Co-ordinator, Hon. Awards Secretary.
b) Five other members elected from five different District Associations.
c) Members whom the Executive Committee may co-opt, up to five in number.
d) The active Vice-Presidents, i.e. Vice-Presidents who have more than 50% of attendance at meetings in the preceding year or have sent reasons for absence acceptable to the Executive Committee.
Five members of the Executive Committee shall form a quorum.
No person shall vote in any meeting in more than one category of membership.
9. STANDING COMMITTEE. The officers listed in 8a) (i) shall constitute a Standing Committee to conduct urgent business between meetings of the Executive Committee to whom they must report their actions for approval.
10. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. The Annual General Meeting of the Central Council shall be held on an appropriate day in November, when the business shall be in this order.
Minutes of previous meeting and matters arising.
Adoption of Reports, Financial Statements and Balance Sheets.
Notice of Motion.
Installation of new Chairman.
Election of Officers.
Election of other members of the Executive Committee.
Election of Auditors.
Rule Changes, Motions and Matters for Discussion.
Rule Changes, Motions and Matters for Discussion must be notified to the Hon. Secretary at least 21 days before the date of the meeting, and must be published in the agenda.
11. ELECTIONS.
a) All members of the Executive Committee shall be elected for one year only, except that the Vice Chairman shall normally become Chairman of the year following and Ex- Chairman in the next year. The term of office shall expire at the Installation of the Chairman at the next Annual General Meeting.
b) Only persons who are or have been actively and professionally engaged in the education service of the Lancashire LEA or of independent educational establishments affiliated to a District Association, itself affiliated to the county Association, shall be eligible for election to the Executive Committee.
c) Nominations for Officers and places on the Executive may be made by District Associations and the retiring Executive Committee, and must be submitted in writing to the Hon. Secretary no later than 15 October prior to the Annual General Meeting.
d) Elections shall be by ballot.
e) Only District representatives may vote in elections unless there is a tie. In the event of a tie, the President, Vice President and Chairman shall be entitled to vote. If the tie remains, the Chairman (or President if he be present) shall make a casting vote.
f) In the event of nominations not being made for one or more positions by the closing date, nominations for those places only, may be made at the Annual General meeting.
12. CHANGES TO THE CONSTITUTION AND RULES. Changes to the Constitution and Rules shall be made only by majority vote at the Annual General Meeting.
13. DISSOLUTION. In the event of the dissolution of the Association or its becoming inactive over a continuous period of five years, arrangements shall be made by remaining officers of the Association and the Chief Education Officer to enable its assets to be held in trust by the Lancashire Schools Sports Federation for use in support of the objects of the Association.
NOTES FOR GUIDANCE
Rules 5, 10 and 11a) – Voting entitlement at General Meetings.
Voting entitlements may be summarised thus:
a) All business other than elections – President, Vice Presidents, all members of the Executive Committee, three representatives of each District Association.
b) Elections:
(i) Three representatives of each District Association.
(ii) If there is a tie – three representatives of each District Association, the President, Vice Presidents and Chairman.
(iii) If the tie still remains, the Chairman (or President if he be present) shall make a casting vote.
c) No-one may have more than one vote, or change his category of membership during a meeting. This also applies at Executive Committee meetings.
Rules 8b) and 11f) - Procedures on insufficient prior nominations:
If fewer valid nominations than the places defined are received in any category by the closing date, the persons nominated will be declared elected. Nominations may be made at the Annual General Meeting for the balance of places and on election held for those places only, if necessary.
Rules 6 and 7 – Term of Office for President and Vice Presidents:
The President holds office until he is replaced.
Vice Presidents are appointed for life.
Rules 8, 10, 11 – Terms of Office of the Executive Committee:
Officers and members of the Executive Committee are appointed for one year. They remain in office till the point in the Annual General Meeting when the new Chairman is installed. Up to that point they may vote as Executive Committee members and the retiring officers remain in post. The new Executive Committee begins its term of office at the conclusion of the three items on elections, defined in Rule 10. During those items,
there is no Executive Committee – and, because no other new Executive Committee member has any powers, there is only one officer – the Chairman.
POINTS OF INFORMATION
CHAMPIONSHIP SUB-COMMITTEE.
The Executive Committee passed the following resolution on 28 October 1985:
(a) The planning, organisation and running of County Championship events shall be the responsibility of a Championship Sub-Committee whose membership shall be composed of an equal number of representatives of the Executive Committee and of the District Association(s) acting as local organisers.
(b) The Executive Committee shall appoint from among its members a Championship Organising Secretary who shall be one of its representatives on the Championship Sub-Committee, and who shall act as its executive officer.