1. Name(s) and Colour (s)
2. Objective
3. Affiliation
4. Club Coaching Staff
5. Membership Types & Fees
6. Meeting Procedure’s
7. Club Officers and Administration
8. Meetings
9. Complaints Procedure
10. Finance
11. Dissolution Of The Club
12. Equality
13. Criminal Allegations
14. Data Protection
15. Social Media

(TMSC) Tallaght Masters Swim Club
(SI) Sport Ireland – previously Irish Sports Council (ISC)
(AGM) Annual General Meeting
(EGM) Extraordinary General Meeting
(Officer) Officers of a club are the Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer.

Open water & Pool competitions are the aquatic discipline(s) in which the members participate

Management Committee – This is the body elected by the Members for the management of the business and affairs of the club.
Leader – this is any person, whether paid or unpaid, who is responsible for those participating in the aquatic disciplines; roles include but not limited to supervisor, team manager, sports science personnel, chaperone, helpers, committee members, tutors, coaches and teachers.

Swim Ireland – is the National Governing Body for the Aquatic Disciplines in Ireland, recognised as such by the Irish Government, the Irish Sports Council, Sport Northern Ireland, the Olympic Council of Ireland and FINA and LEN, the World and European Aquatic Governing Bodies.

National Governing Body (NGB) – The role of a NGB is to organise and administer the sport; train and deploy coaches; organise representative level sport; and provide sporting opportunities and pathways leading from grass root sport to national and international competition.

Tallaght Masters Swim Club website:  https://tmsc.ie

Tallaght Masters Swim Club Face Book:  https://www.facebook.com/TallaghtMastersSwimClub/

Club contact details:  tallaghtmastersswimclub@gmail.com

Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer

1.1 The name of the club shall be Tallaght Masters Swim Club
1.2 The colours of the club shall be Black & Amber and away Green and White
1.3 The headquarters of the club shall be Tallaght Sports Complex,Balrothery, Tallaght, Dublin 24 Ireland.

2.1 To promote swimming and swim training in all its aspects, amongst all swimmers over 18 years of age and in particular to facilitate the enjoyment, self-fulfillment and competitive aspirations of the swimmer.

2.2 The Club will at all times have due regard to the safety of swimmers.
2.3 The Club shall engage in all aspects of competitive swimming to the highest levels.
2.4 The Club shall organise and promote social and other activities to further the objectives of the Club and to benefit the members of the Club.

3.1 The Club shall be affiliated to and abide by the rules of Swim Ireland.

By virtue of the affiliation of Tallaght Masters Swim Club to Swim Ireland, its members acknowledge that they are subject to the laws, rules and constitutions of:

• Swim Ireland, the governing body for the whole of the island of Ireland.
• Ligue Européenne de Natation (LEN), the European governing body for the aquatics.
• Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), the world governing body for the aquatics.

3.2 When abroad the Club, as directed by Swim Ireland, will abide by the rule of FINA

3.3 Only those members who have paid the appropriate Swim Ireland license and/or registration fees and Club membership fees, if appropriate, may swim competitively for the Club.

The teaching/coaching staff of the Club must be qualified lifeguards or hold such swim teaching qualifications as the Committee as its sole discretion may decide. The duties and responsibilities of the teaching/coaching staff will include the following:

• To assist swimmers to develop skills and abilities in a progressive way.
• To provide swimmers with the opportunity to improve their skills based on personal goals and standards.
• To recognise the role that suitably structured and graded competitive experiences can play in the development of swimmers.
• To organise appropriately safe training sessions in order to prepare the swimmers for competitive events.

5.1 Full member A Full Membership should attend 50% of training & 12 monthly €40 payment unless cleared by the committee for no less than 9 payments direct into club ac, standing order if possible (eligible to go on the committee). This also includes full access to the Gym at the complex.

5.2 PAYG Member ( Pay As You GO induction member) One session Thurs evening PAYG induction member €6 per swim (for swimmers who want to phase/integrate into the club, to build up their ability to become a full member) Also all SI affiliated members can PAYG per session open to all sessions.

5.3 Limited membership A member with Limited membership will pay €28 per mth and avail of no more than 2 sessions per wk any session attended after this is €6 per session.

5.4 Absent member Absent members pay annual fee €150 + SI Membership not actively swimming with the club, down as an official working for SI,

5.5 Honorary Member Honorary Membership has reduced fee 10 % for services given served over 6 yrs. on the committee and full membership,

5.6 Lifetime Member A Lifetime Member is (Example) Marion Lane Coach swimmer and committee member membership is automatic for services rendered.

5.7 If a member wishes to leave TMSC and join another club they must follow Swim Ireland transfer rule (6.9 Swim Ireland Rule Book)

5.8 Membership fees shall be monthly and should be paid before the end of that calendar month. Any variation from this must be agreed by the management committee.

5.9 The membership year shall run from the 1st of September to the 31st of August of each year

5.10 Club fees will be determined by the management committee.

5.11 If a member is deceased, their legal personal representative is not liable for any balance of subscriptions.

5.12 The membership of the Club (in accordance with Swim Ireland guidelines) shall be open to all male and female adults over the age of 18 years and as per the club membership categories.

5.13 All members must complete a standard application form.

5.14 The Club will ensure that all members will be issued with a copy and/or access to an electronic copy of the Constitution upon joining the Club or upon first renewal of the membership after the date that the Club adopts the Constitution.

5.15 The Committee shall agree the maximum number of members in the Club at any given time.

5.16 It is deemed that all members must abide by the rules of the Club and of Swim Ireland.

5.17 Any member who disregards the rules of the Club, or who, in the opinion of the Committee, brings the good name of the Club into disrepute may be called to appear before the Committee. The Committee will have the Authority to warn, reprimand, suspend or expel any member.

5.18 If the member is not satisfied with the decision of the Committee, an independent arbitrator will be appointed with the agreement of the member and the Committee, and in default of such agreement, by the President of Swim Ireland to consider the matter.

5.19 The Committee reserves the right to accept or reject applications for membership of the Club at its sole discretion.

6.1 No business shall be transacted at a general meeting unless a quorum is present. A quorum of (30 or 50 %) of the eligible voting members is the number required.

6.2 If such a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting, or during a meeting such a quorum ceases to be present, the meeting shall stand adjourned to the same day in the next week at the same time and place or to such time and place as the club committee may determine and if at the adjourned meeting a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting the members present shall be a quorum

6.3 Only members who are full members as per 5.1 are eligible to vote and stand for the committee.

6.4 Voting by proxy is not allowed.

6.5 Voting shall be conducted via a show of hands, which will be counted by the secretary. The management committee may, however, recommend that a vote should be held in a secret ballot format owing to the context of the vote.

6.6 Nominations will be passed at AGM’s by simple resolution of (50 %) plus.

6.7 Motions for a change to the (club) constitution must be passed by a special resolution of 75% of persons entitled to vote present at the meeting.

6.8 The chairperson will have a casting vote if there is an equality of vote.

6.9 Nominations, Notice of Motions and Election of the Management Committee

6.10 Election of the management committee members takes place at the club AGM each year.

6.11 At this time the executive officers of the club shall be elected – chairperson, treasurer and secretary, along with four other members of the management committee.

6.12 If an executive officer of the club must step down during their term the management committee may appoint an existing committee member to fill this vacancy to hold office from the date of such appointment until the expiry of the term of office that would have been served by that executive officer where he or she had completed a full term.

6.13 A committee member may stand for re-election for four consecutive years. After this time period is up, they will be ineligible for election for a period of two years. See SI Note

6.14 Nominations for office and notice of motions must be received in writing by the club secretary no less than 14 days prior to the general meeting.

6.15 A proposer and seconder are required for all nominations and notice of motions.

6.16 Notices of motions and nominations for the management committee shall be displayed on the club Notice board for not less than 7 days prior to the AGM. They will also be available on request from the club secretary. Motions and nominations without due notice will not be discussed.

6.17 In the event that no nominations are received by the Secretary by (days) prior to the general Meeting, only then may a nomination from the floor at the AGM can take place.

7.1 The Chairperson shall chair all meetings of the Club. In the absence of the Chairperson at any meeting, the committee members shall elect one of their number to be the chairperson of that meeting. In the case of a tied vote at a meeting, the chairperson will have the deciding vote.

7.2 The Hon. Secretary shall be responsible for recording the minutes of meetings of the Club and the Committee and for the normal secretarial duties of the Club. He/she shall prepare a report for the AGM. He/she shall assist the Chairperson on an ongoing basis in the administration of the Club, ensuring adherence to the rules of both the Club and Swim Ireland. The Hon. Secretary shall maintain a list of all members and officials of the Club. Complete records will be handed over to the incoming Hon. Secretary on change of appointment.

7.3 The Hon. Secretary shall notify in writing Swim Ireland of any changes to rules or Constitution of the Club.

7.4 The Hon. Treasurer shall be responsible for keeping proper accounts of the income and expenditure of the Club. He/she shall collect any monies due to the Club. He/she shall prepare statement of accounts for the information of the AGM. A copy of the statement shall be forwarded to the Hon. Secretary of the Club.

7.5 The members of the management committee shall be indemnified by the members of the club against all liabilities properly incurred by them in the management affairs of the club.

7.6 Committee members must declare any personal or business interest, which may conflict with their duties as a member of the management committee. Such a declaration may be discussed with the other committee members at a designated meeting, and they may be required to absent themselves content, discussions and decisions.

7.7 The management committee may also decide upon acceptable means of communication used, during periods between meetings, to ensure the day to day running of club.

8.1 Normal Committee Meeting

8.2 Meetings shall be held as determined by the Chairperson and the Hon. Secretary shall notify the time and date of such meetings to the Committee members. There shall not be less than eight Committee meetings each year. The quorum for Committee meetings shall be 3. The Chairperson shall convene a meeting when requested to do so by 50% or more of the members of the Committee If the Chairperson refuses to convene such a meeting, or delays unnecessarily in convening such a meeting, a meeting may be convened by 50% or more of the members of the Committee.

8.3 The Committee may, from time to time, and shall do so when directed by the general meeting of the Club, appoint as many sub-committees as it considers desirable or necessary to assist it in discharging its functions.

8.4 The Club Committee will ensure that the record of all matters relating to the running of the Club during its tenure is passed to the incoming committee

8.5 The Committee may from time to time make or alter rules for the management of the Club. Changes to any rules or information for members will be displayed on the Club noticeboard, which will be maintained in a prominent position in an area accessible to members or will be notified to members by such other means as the Committee may decide.

8.7 The AGM will be held no later than the end of November of the relevant year. Attendance at the AGM shall be restricted to members in good standing with the Club.

8.8 Fourteen days’ notice of AGM must be given, by posting the notice on the Club noticeboard, which will be maintained in a prominent position in an area accessible to members, or by such AGM will contain the agenda for the meeting.

8.9 The members of the club shall, at the AGM, elect by majority vote, a (chairperson), honorary secretary (Hon Secretary”) and honorary treasurer (“Hon. Treasurer”). The persons for the time being elected to these positions will be known as the officers (the “Officers”) of the Club. The Officers will constitute the committee of the Club (the “Committee”), who shall be responsible of administering and managing for conducting the affairs of the Club and maintaining a written record of all general meetings of the Club and Committee meetings.

8.10 Nominations for positions on the Committee must be made in writing with the nominee’s consent, and proposed and seconded by two full members as described under 5.1 membership type. Nominees proposed and seconded must be in good standing with the Club. The Honorary Secretary must receive nominations not less than 7 days before the AGM. In the event of the nominations not being received for any one or more of these positions, then the Officers of the Club will have the option to nominate a member, in good standing, for election at the AGM.

8.11 In the event of a vacancy arising during the year then an election shall take place within 21 days. If it is not possible to hold a meeting of the Club Members within 21 days, then the use of a postal vote is appropriate.

8.12 Amendments to the Constitution of the Club may only be amended as the AGM.

8.13 The acceptance of a resolution to that effect at a general meeting of the Club called for that purpose by two thirds of the Full members (as described under 5.2 membership type) of the Club present and entitled to vote

8.14 EGM Extraordinary General Meeting

8.15 Any EGM may be called by either the Committee or at the written request of 1/3 (“one third”) of the Club membership.

8.16 An EGM may be called by the Committee to put forward to the meeting such resolutions as the Committee considers appropriate.

8.17 An EGM must be called by the Committee at the written request of 1/3 (“one third”) of the Club membership.

8.18 Fourteen days’ notice of an EGM must be given, and only the purpose for which the meeting is called shall be considered at the meeting. Notice of an EGM shall be served in the same manner as for the AGM

9.1 The Committee will deal with general complaints at the next planned committee meeting. If no meeting is planned for some time, a special committee meeting will be called within two weeks of the complaint being made to hear the complaint and to take whatever action is deemed necessary to deal with the complaint.

9.2 The club hereby adopts The Swim Ireland complaints & disciplinary rules and procedures as amended by Swim Ireland from time to time

9.3 All members of (club) must abide by the Swim Ireland complaints and disciplinary procedures

9.4 All complaints will be dealt with in accordance with the relevant complaints and disciplinary procedures

9.5 The management committee will appoint a complaints and disciplinary committee (CDC) in accordance with the Swim Ireland Complaints and Disciplinary Rules and Procedures.

9.6 Cessation/Suspension/Expulsion of Membership

9.7 TMSC have the power to terminate and suspend membership owing, but not limited to, violation of the constitution and/or rules, criminal behavior or any activity deemed unseemly by the management committee in line with Swim Ireland complaints and disciplinary policies.

10.1 The financial affairs of the club shall be the responsibility of the management committee in general and in particular, the treasurer. Correct accounts and book keeping shall be done by treasurer or under his/her supervision

10.2 Annual accounts of TMSC should be prepared for the Annual General Meeting by TMSC treasurer

10.3 The management Committee shall be empowered to open bank accounts in the name of (club) and all transactions in these accounts shall be authorized by the management committee. All cheques, drafts and so forth shall be signed by the treasurer and either the chairperson or secretary.

10.4 The treasurer will receive all money paid to the TMSC and ensure all such sums are lodged to TMSC bank account as soon as possible.

10.5 Any assets invested in by the management committee will be used for (club) purposes only. The management committee will delegate the use of these assets under advisement from coaches, teachers, club officers and others within the (club)

10.6 The committee will have the power to negotiate sponsorships on (club) behalf and engage from time to time fundraising activities. Any financial returns from these activities will be used for (club) development purposes only.

11.1 TMSC may be dissolved by a Resolution passed owing to the inactivity of its members. This Resolution would be passed at an EGM, specifically called for that purpose and carried by three quarters of the members present.

11.2 A Court Order where a dispute exists within its membership

11.3 Notice must be given to members and Swim Ireland for any Dissolution to come into effect, owing to a resolution at a general meeting

11.4 All aspects of the club, having discharged debts and liabilities, shall be distributed to a charity, charities or other non-profit making organization having an agenda similar to those of TMSC or Swim Ireland. The management committee shall be responsible for the winding up of assets and liabilities of TMSC.

12.1 In accordance with the Equal Status Act 2000 – 2004 and the Equality Act 1996 in Northern Ireland, TMSC will not discriminate against any persons or visitors within TMSC. No discrimination of any kind against employed and voluntary staff, membership applications, members and individuals within the general public, will be tolerated.

13.1 TMSC shall treat allegations of criminal activity very seriously. Any allegation of a criminal offence will be reported to Swim Ireland and the appropriate policing body.

14.1 The club hereby adopts The Swim Ireland data protection policy as amended by Swim Ireland from time to time.

15.1 TMSC Guidelines for Social Networking Social networking means any medium on the internet in which TMSC wishes to participate (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube etc.). TMSC community rules and guidelines for online social networking are: All comments, visuals, videos and other type of material posted on an online social networking site by its members do not necessarily reflect the opinions or ideals of TMSC and its committee or its members. TMSC does not represent or warrant the accuracy of any statement or product claims made on an online social networking site, is not responsible for any user content on that site, and does not endorse any opinions expressed on that site. All users must comply with the social networking medium’s terms of use and the community rules for the medium in which TMSC is participating. TMSC shall monitor every posting of user content on TMSC social networking sites and reserves the right to remove any posting deemed inappropriate or offensive and will block the person responsible for such activity. TMSC will not, and expects that users will not, post any materials that fall into any of the following categories and may have any materials removed that:

• Have content that the moderator deems inappropriate, which includes but is not limited to swearing, abusive language and inappropriate photos.
• Defame abuse, harass, stalk, threaten or otherwise violate the legal rights (such as rights of privacy and publicity) of others.
• Publish, post, distribute or disseminate any defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, misleading or unlawful material or information.
• Upload or attach files that contain software or other material protected by intellectual property and copyright laws (or by rights of privacy of publicity) unless the user owns or controls the rights thereto or has received all necessary consents.
• Upload or attach files that contain viruses, corrupted files, or any other similar software or programs that may damage the operation of another’s computer.
• Delete any author attributions, legal notices or proprietary ownership.
• Falsify the origin or source of software or other material contained in a file that is uploaded.
• That discriminates against a member of the community based on sex, race, sexuality, religion or any other issue.
• Advertise for any products, business or services. • Link or refer to inappropriate content of an explicit nature.
• Refer to personal details including address, phone number or any other contact details.
• Spam the wall, or incite or encourage other users to spam the wall with any kind of content.
• Please bring your best manners while on any of our social sites or networks. In return, we will try to keep it as interesting and be as helpful as Possible.