North Staffs & District Chess Association
Constitution – As Amended at The 2023 AGM
1. TERMINOLOGY
The terms AGM and EGM in this document refer to Annual General
Meeting and Extraordinary General Meeting respectively.
2. NAME
The League shall be called the “North Staffs & District Chess
Association”.
3. OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the Association shall be:-
a) To encourage the study and practice of chess in the area.
b) To institute and maintain Championship contests between Member
Clubs and individual players.
c) To promote representative matches with Leagues in other areas.
d) To promote and foster chess generally throughout the area.
4. MEMBERSHIP
a) Any Club whose home venue is within 25 miles of Hanley Bus Station
shall be eligible to apply for membership of the Association.
b) Any Club applying for Membership must be registered with the ECF.
A Club registered with the ECF is defined as a Club that has been
allocated a 4 digit ECF Club Code.
c) Any Club wishing to apply for Membership must do so, in writing, to
the General Secretary, at least 21 days prior to the AGM.
d) There shall be no limit on the number of teams that any Club may
enter in the League, subject to the approval of the AGM.
5. SUBSCRIPTION
Each Club shall pay a fee, to be decided at the AGM, as a subscription to
the Association.
6. OFFICERS
The Officers of the Association shall be:-
a) Chairman
b) General Secretary
c) Treasurer
d) League Management System Administrator
In addition to these, an Honorary President shall be appointed for a term
of three years by the AGM. His/her duties shall be to take the chair at
any meeting which the Chairman is unable to attend, and to chair any
meeting of the Disputes Committee. He/she shall be considered an ex-
officio member of the League Executive Committee.
Also, the AGM shall have the power to nominate individuals as Honorary
Vice Presidents in recognition of their services to the Association. Such
individuals shall be entitled to attend Executive Committee Meetings,
but not to vote.
7. GOVERNMENT
a) The Association shall be governed by the Executive Committee,
consisting of the Officers of the Association and the Webmaster,
together with a nominated member from each Club not already
represented by an Officer or Official.
b) The Executive Committee shall meet as deemed necessary by the
Chairman. Other Committees and Sub-Committees may be formed to
deal with specific aspects of League Management, at the discretion
of the Executive Committee.
c) The Honorary President shall be elected every three years and all
Officers and Officials shall be elected annually at the AGM. In the
case of the Honorary President. He/she shall be elected at the first
AGM after the position becomes vacant.
d) All retiring Officers and Officials shall be eligible for re-election.
e) An Auditor shall be appointed at the AGM to examine the accounts of
the Association, prior to their presentation at the AGM.
f) Six members of the Executive Committee shall be understood to
constitute a quorum for any meeting.
g) A special meeting of the Executive Committee may be requested by
three members representing at least three Clubs. The Executive
Committee shall have the right to call an EGM of the League. The
General Secretary shall give all Clubs fourteen days’ notice of such a
meeting.
8. AGM
a) The AGM shall be held during the month of July.
b) At least twenty one day’s notice of the AGM must be given, in writing, to
all Clubs.
c) Any proposal to be put to the AGM must be submitted, in writing, to the
General Secretary at least twenty eight days before the meeting is to
take place, and must be circulated to all clubs, along with the notice of
the meeting.
d) Any registered member of any Club in membership of the League is
entitled to attend the AGM.
e) The four Officers of the Association, together with the Honorary
President and two accredited members of each member Club, are
entitled to vote at the AGM.
9. AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION
Amendments to the Constitution may be brought about by the following
procedures:-
a) Any proposed change to the Constitution must first be approved by a
two-thirds majority at a meeting of the League Executive Committee,
especially convened for that purpose.
b) If the proposed change to the Constitution is approved by a two-
thirds majority of the League Executive Committee, then it shall be
placed before the AGM as a League Executive Committee
recommendation.
c) If the proposed change to the Constitution is then approved by a two-
thirds majority at the AGM, then it shall be written immediately into
the Constitution and become operative from that time.
10.CHANGE OF RULES
a) Proposed changes of rules may be submitted to any meeting of the
Executive Committee.
b) Any proposed change of rule(s) approved by a simple majority of the
Executive Committee shall be placed as an Executive Committee
recommendation at the AGM.
c) Any proposed change of rule approved by a simple majority at the
AGM shall be written immediately into the League Rules and become
operative from that time.
d) Upon any change to the League Playing Rules, or the constitution,
the newly amended set of rules will be published in full and
distributed to all club secretaries within 14 calendar days of the
change taking effect. Copies to club secretaries should include
details of the change(s).
11.DISSOLUTION
a) In the event of the Executive Committee approving a proposal that
the Association, as constituted, be no longer a viable organisation,
then an EGM of the Association shall be called, which all members of
all member Clubs shall be invited to attend.
b) The only item on the agenda of such an EGM shall be the dissolution
of the Association.
c) All decisions of this EGM shall be submitted, in writing, by the
League General General Secretary or his/her accredited agent to the
members of the League Executive Committee and to the Secretary of
each member Club, within one calendar month of such a meeting.
d) A second EGM shall then be called, to take place within two calendar
months of the first such meeting.
e) All decisions of this second EGM shall prove to be binding on the
Association and shall be put into operation immediately subsequent
to such a meeting.
f) On dissolution, the remaining assets of the Association shall be
transferred to the Staffordshire County Chess Association, or
donated to a local charity if the Staffordshire County Chess
Association no longer exists. Exceptionally, the records of the
Association may instead be passed for safekeeping to a local
museum, library or historical society that expresses an interest in
them.