Constitution

NIFSAC Constitution

Foreward

Revised 11/12/2002

The Northern Ireland Federation of Sub-Aqua Clubs is the Regional Governing Body for the local administration and development of the Sport of Underwater Swimming in N.I. as approved by the Sports Council for N.I.

The business of the Northern Ireland Federation includes all matters of local concern to Underwater Swimmers, other than the qualification standards, training methods, and such matters as are the specific concern of a National Governing Body, or any recognised Controlling Body approved by the Federation.

Full Membership of The Federation is confined to Sub-Aqua Clubs already federated to a National Governing Body, or recognised Controlling Body approved by the Federation.

Associate Membership is open to Organizations as defined in the Articles of the Constitution.

Directives made by The Federation, with the approval of its Delegates Committee, are binding on all Members.

Articles

1. Title

The full title shall be "The Northern Ireland Federation of Sub-Aqua Clubs", herein referred to as "The Federation", and the abbreviated title shall be "NIFSAC".

2. Objects

The Objects of The Federation shall be the promotion of safety in Underwater Swimming, Snorkelling and other similar amateur pursuits: the promotion of Underwater Exploration; Marine Archaeology; Underwater Photography; the Conservation of the Underwater Environment, and to advance the interests of those engaged in the different aspects of the Sport.

3. Federation Address

The Federation’s address shall normally be that of the Secretary, unless decided otherwise by a General Meeting, or in emergency situations, by the Executive Committee.

4. Membership Categories

There shall be two classes of membership - Full and Associate.

Full Membership shall be open to Sub-Aqua Clubs which are affiliated to a National Governing Body, or a recognised Controlling Body approved by The Federation. (see notes)

Associate Membership shall be open to organisations having similar interests to those of The Federation, but not otherwise eligible for membership. (see notes)

This organisation is fully committed to safeguarding the well being of its members. Every individual in the organisation should, at all times show respect and understanding for their rights, safety, and welfare and conduct themselves in a way that reflects the principles of the organisation and the guidelines contained in the Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Children's Sport in Ireland. (See Appendix 1)

Clubs or organisations must agree to abide by the Child Protection Policy and Drug Abuse Policy as laid down by their respective Controlling Body, and produce a copy of their club's Constitution showing the relative clause to confirm this fact, or, in the case of an organisation or the club being a Limited Company, to produce a copy of Memorandum and Articles of Association.

Notes

1/ A club or organisation applying for Membership must :

be fully constituted and have a Committee structure democratically elected, and produce a copy of their Constitution at the time of application, and on request at any time,

be affiliated to, and/or responsible to, a Controlling Body approved by The Federation,

follow this Controlling Body’s training programme, if applicable,

have 3rd party liability insurance cover provided by this Controlling Body for all members, and produce proof of this, and the above, at the time of application, and on request at any time.

2/ Admission to Membership of The Federation is at the discretion of the Executive and Delegate Committees.

3/ A condition of Membership is that anything that may cause a risk of injury to an underwater swimmer or a spectator of the Sport and coming to the notice of the Diving Officer of a Member Club, should be reported to aStanding Committee of The Federation so that appropriate steps may be taken to warn all Member Clubs.

5. Patronage

A distinguished person may be appointed as Patron, President or Vice President.

6. Membership Fees

Membership fees shall be determined at a General Meeting of The Federation and shall be payable on application for Membership, and thereafter on or before the Renewal Date as set by the General Meeting.

7. Representation

Member Clubs will be entitled to two Delegates on the Delegate Committee, with one voting only.

8. Management

Management of The Federation shall be the responsibility of a Delegate Committee which shall include the Officers of The Federation, and the Delegates of the Member Clubs and Organisations.

The day-to-day running of the affairs of The Federation shall be by an Executive Committee comprised of the Officers of The Federation.

The Executive Committee shall at all times be responsible to the Delegate Committee.

The Delegate Committee may, within the confines of the Constitution, determine, as it sees fit, rules for better conduct of the affairs of The Federation.

The Constitution and Rules are binding on all Members.

9. Committees

The Officers of the Executive Committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting, or at a Special Meeting.

The Office Bearers shall consist of :

Chairperson,

Treasurer,

Secretary.

The Executive Committee shall consist of :-

Chairperson,

Treasurer,

Secretary,

plus

Vice Chairperson,

Sports Development Officer,

and

one Coach from each of the Member National or Controlling Bodies, or their appointed representative, together with any such other persons as may be appointed thereto.

The Delegate Committee shall consist of the Executive Committee, Honorary Members, the Delegates of Clubs with Full or Associated Membership, or their nominated representatives.

Only Clubs with Full Membership will be entitled to vote.

All Standing Committees shall be elected by the Delegate Committee.

For duties of the Secretary, Treasurer & Sports Dev. Officer - see Article 19, 20 and 21.

10. Voting

Policy Decisions shall be made by Delegates of Clubs with Full Membership.

The Chairperson may at any time, at any Meeting, take a poll or ballot of those entitled to vote.

Only one Delegate from each Club with Full Membership of The Federation shall have voting rights at any Meeting.

In the event of a tie the Chairperson shall have a Casting Vote.

Voting shall be by a show of hands or by acclamation, and in the absence of an immediate demand for a poll or ballot, the Declaration of the Chairperson as to the result shall be conclusive, unless fraud or obvious mistake is proved.

When, by Resolution, a Record is required as to the manner of casting of votes, the details may be recorded in the Minutes.

If a Ballot is duly demanded by a Resolution of the Meeting, it shall be taken in such a manner as the Chairperson directs, and the result of the Ballot shall be deemed to be a Resolution of the Meeting at which the Ballot was demanded.

No Ballot shall be regarded as complete until the Chairperson is satisfied that the Count is correct and the Scrutineers have certified as to the validity of the Ballot.

A Poll or Ballot demanded on the rejection or election of a Chairperson or on any matter of adjournment shall be taken forthwith.

11. The Annual General Meeting

The A.G.M. will normally be held in April, at a place and time as decided by a General Delegates Meeting. It shall be a Special Meeting and no other business shall be transacted other than that which is on the Agenda.

The Secretary shall circulate the Notice and Agenda of the A.G.M. at least two weeks in advance.

A Quorum shall consist of three Officers and six voting Delegates of Clubs with Full Membership.

The Business of the A.G.M. shall be :-

Apologies

Minutes of the Previous A.G.M.

Minutes of any meeting not yet approved, provided such business is on the Agenda.

The Chairperson’s address.

The Officers’ Reports.

The retirement of the Chairperson and all other Officers.

The appointment of a temporary Chairperson.

The Election of Officers and the confirmation of any Standing Committees.

The appointment of Auditors.

Any other business of which due notice has been given.

All Nominees for election to Office shall be drawn Representatives from Clubs with Full Membership, and shall be proposed and seconded by such Members.

In the event of no Nominees being put forward for a particular post, the outgoing Officer may be re-elected to office, whether or not they are their Club’s Representative.

Voting shall be as stated in Article 10.

Amendments to the Constitution shall require a two-thirds majority of the voting Delegates.

12. General Delegate Meetings

The Secretary shall circulate the Notice and Agenda fourteen days in advance.

There shall be at least three General Meetings a year.

A Quorum shall consist of two Officers and three voting Delegates of Clubs with Full Membership.

Notice of all business must be given to the Secretary one week prior to the posting of the Notice and Agenda.

Voting shall be as stated in Article 10.

Rules complimentary to the Constitution may be made, amended or deleted, provided due notice has been given in the Agenda. The Constitution Articles may not be changed in any way, except at an A.G.M. or a Special Meeting.

13. Special Meetings

A Special Meeting may be called either by the Executive Committee, or by a Full Member Club with the signatures of Delegates of five other Full Member Clubs.

In the latter case the Secretary must be informed in writing, and the request must state the reason for which the Meeting is to be summoned and on receipt of such a request, duly authenticated, the Executive Committee shall convene such a Meeting within two months, giving not less than fourteen days notice to all Members and Officers, together with a statement for the reason for the Meeting.

A Quorum shall consist of three Officers and six voting Delegates.

Voting shall be as stated in Article 10.

14. Interpretation

The Executive Committee may determine any question as to the interpretation of the Constitution and Rules, and may make a directive for any occurrence not defined therein, always provided the matter is referred to the following General Delegates Meeting.

15. Property & Insurance’s

The property of The Federation shall be recorded in an Inventory which shall be revised annually.

Property held in the name of The Federation shall be vested in charge of three Trustees or as directed by a Solicitor.

Trustees shall be re-imbursed for any expenses incurred on behalf of The Federation in the course of their duties.

Property and valuable items of equipment belonging to The Federation shall be insured.

16. Debts

No person shall make purchases, incur debts or in any way pledge the credit of The Federation, unless due authorisation has been given by the Delegates Committee.

17. Discipline

The Executive Committee shall have the power to recommend to a Delegates Meeting the expulsion or suspension of a Member Club or Organisation.

18. Dissolution

The Federation shall only be dissolved by ratification of a proposal for dissolution not less than three months after a Special Meeting has adopted the original proposal and appointed a Special Committee to discharge all liabilities of The Federation and to dispose of funds and property as directed by the Special Meeting.

19. Duties of the Secretary

The Secretary shall be responsible for the preparation of the Minutes and their safe keeping, and for the production of such Books at a Meeting provided such notice has been given.

The Secretary shall circulate copies of the Minutes of Meetings to those persons qualified by the Rules of The Federation to receive them, and at such intervals as directed.

The Secretary shall keep a record of all correspondence.

The Secretary shall present a Report at the Annual General Meeting.

20. Duties of the Treasurer

The Treasurer shall open a Bank Account in the name of The Federation and shall keep accounts as required by the Auditors.

All subscriptions to The Federation and all sums of money received, shall be receipted by the Treasurer, or by an authorised Deputy, and all cheques issued on behalf of The Federation shall be signed by the Treasurer, or the Deputy, and one other Officer.

The Treasurer shall present a Financial Report to the Annual General Meeting, and submit audited Statements of Accounts at such times as required by the Committee.

21. Duties of the Sports Development Officer

The Sports Development Officer shall be responsible for the application and distribution of Grant Aid from the Sports Council.

He/she shall investigate the training needs and skill development of Clubs, as well as improving The Federation’s overall profile, and the Sport in general.

The Sports Development Officer shall present a Report to the Annual General Meeting, and prepare statistics at such times as required by the Committee.

End.

Constitution Appendix 1

Nifsac, as the organisation recognised by the Sports Council for N.I. as being responsible for the administration of our sport, we are responsible for overseeing the adoption and the implementation of the Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Children's Sport by our members. To maximise compliance with the Code, as set out in Section 2.8 we shall:-

Ensure that the Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Children's Sport in Ireland is adopted, agreed to, implemented and signed up to by all members.

Amend as necessary, its Constitution to reflect a safe and clearly defined method of recruiting, selecting and managing.

Appoint a Children's Officer as a member of the Committee. · Ensure that effective disciplinary, complaints and appeals procedures are in place.

Having in place procedures for dealing with a concern or complaint made to the Statutory Authorities against a committee member or Sports Leader. Regulations should stipulate that a Sports Leader who is the subject of an allegation, which has been reported to the Statutory Authorities, should stand aside while the matter is being examined. S/he should be invited to resume full duties immediately if s/he is vindicated.

Ensure that all sports clubs with child members are fully affiliated and signed up to Nifsac's constitution.

Be represented by appropriate personnel at all education/training workshops dealing with the Code.

Where children are involved in representative teams, designate an appropriate senior officer in Nifsac as the person with responsibility for following the guidelines of the Code.

Review its child protection procedures regularly through open discussion with its members, Sports Councils and Statutory Authorities.

Establish contact with representatives of the Statutory Authorities in their areas. The building of these relationships will contribute to the creation of an environment in which education and knowledge of child protection issues and procedures are widely known.

Examine and take appropriate action in response to any reports of unusual incidents (high rate of transfers, dropouts) received from clubs."