1. The name of the club is “Leixlip United” (hereinafter called “the club”). The club’s colours are red and white.

2. The club is an unincorporated association.

3. The main object of the club is to promote, foster, and develop the game of association football, to provide competitive football for its playing membership and to undertake such activities as are necessary to support the achievement of the object.

4. The club shall have the status of an affiliated member club of the Football Association of Ireland (“the FAI”).

5. The club shall abide by the FAI’s rules, policies and codes of conduct. The club will also abide by the rules and regulations of the League(s) it is affiliated to.

6. The club shall also be a member of the DDSL and Leinster Senior Leagues (including schoolboy and schoolgirl leagues).

7. The power to admit an individual to membership and to terminate membership shall lie with the Executive Committee.

8. There shall be three classes of membership dependent on the availability of teams and coaches:

   a. Full membership, open to players aged 18 years and over.  

   b. Youth membership, open to those players aged under 18 years.  

   c. Voting Honorary Life Membership, which may be granted by the Executive Committee to those who have rendered exceptional service to the club. Such members shall not number more than ten at any one time and shall be entitled to attend all executive meetings of the club.

9. All those seeking admission to membership to play shall complete a prescribed online form and submit it, together with the appropriate membership fee, to the Registrar.

10. Once admitted to membership the player shall be entered on to the club’s player register which shall be maintained by the Registrar who shall be a member of the Executive Committee.

11. Registered players shall be deemed to continue as members for the football season on payment of the requisite annual membership fee until:  

Or

(at the discretion of the Executive Committee those players can be re-admitted to membership on payment of the outstanding fee)

12. Membership shall run from 1st September until to 31st July, other than in respect of a new members who joins mid-season it will run from the date of joining until the following 31st July. 

13. Youth members shall not be eligible to be elected to any office in the club or to attend or vote at General Meetings of the club.

14. Members/Players/Parents of the club shall comply with all rules, regulations, codes, directives and decisions of the Executive Committee and its sub-committees; the leagues which the club’s teams are registered with and their respective divisional associations and the Football Association of Ireland at all times.

15.  The club is committed to conducting its activities in a sporting, dignified, and responsible manner and will require that all its members conduct themselves with integrity and accountability.

16. Annual accounts shall be kept and made available to the Revenue Commissioners on request.

17. The financial year of the club will run from 1st June to 31st May each year and it is the responsibility of the Executive Committee, through the Treasurer, to prepare annual accounts of the club. 

18. A bank account shall be maintained in the name of the club (the “Club Account”). All withdrawals drawn against the club’s funds shall be signed by the Treasurer and one of two other nominated office holders, nominated by the Executive Committee.

19. The income, property and assets of the club shall be applied only in furtherance of the objectives of the club.

20. Holding the Lease in Trust. The lease is held in the names of the trustees. They hold it on trust for the members of the club and this protects the lease if committee members change. Trustees are effectively the legal holders, not the “owners”.

21. Protecting the Club’s Long-Term Interests. Trustees must ensure the land is used only for club purposes and the club complies with lease conditions (use, maintenance, insurance, subletting). The lease cannot be surrendered, transferred, or altered without proper authority

22. Signing Major Legal Documents. Trustees may be required to sign lease documents or variations, sign agreements with the council or sign security or funding-related documents (with member approval).

23. The Trustees provide oversight but not day to day control. They must not manage teams, coaches, or finances. They do not overrule the committee on routine decisions, and they can only intervene when the following conditions are met:

24. Trustees may be appointed by the club at an Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) or at a Extraordinary or Special General Meeting (“SGM”) and shall hold office until death or resignation or unless removed by a resolution passed at an AGM or SGM or if they are in a role contravened by 23. On a vacancy occurring a new Trustee shall be elected in the same way.

25. The income and property of the club shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the main object(s) as set forth in this Constitution. No portion of the club’s income and property shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend, bonus or otherwise howsoever by way of profit to members of the club. No Officer shall be appointed to any office of the club paid by salary or fees or receive any remuneration or other benefit in money or money’s worth from the club in respect of such office. However, nothing shall prevent any payment in good faith by the club of:

26. Annual membership fees shall be decided and approved by the Executive Committee. The fees will be communicated to all in attendance at the AGM. 

27. Membership fees shall fall due throughout the month of August every year for all players. All players must have registered to Leixlip United and registered with DDSL as a Leixlip player to both train with a team and play a competitive match. Fees can be paid in full or over a four month instalment. Acceptance of new players will be determined by the rules of our affiliated leagues (e.g. DDSL and Leinster Senior Leagues). Fees are non-refundable. 

28. The management and administration of the club shall be vested in the Executive Committee which will consist of 11 members elected annually.

29. The Committee shall hold office for a period of one year or until the next AGM following its election.

30. At its first meeting following the AGM, the Executive Committee shall appoint the honorary officers of Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice Chairperson, Public Relations Officer and such other officers as the Committee may determine.

31. Meetings of the Executive Committee shall take place each month or at such frequency as the Committee considers desirable provided that not less than 10 meetings shall be held in any calendar year.

32. The Executive Committee meetings shall be chaired by the Chairperson. In the absence of the Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson will act. In the absence of both, the Committee may elect a Chairperson for the meeting from among the other members in attendance.

33. Draft Minutes of Executive Committee meetings shall be circulated to all Committee members and copies of approved minutes shall be available to all coaches and staff members of the club.

34. The quorum for meetings of the Committee shall be five.

35. Decisions of the Executive Committee shall be made by simple majority vote. Each member of the Committee shall have one vote other than the Chairman who shall have a second or casting vote in the event of a tie.

36. The Committee shall have the sole authority for the appointment of team managers, assistant managers, coaches and any other persons assisting with the running of the club.

37. The Committee may appoint sub-committees to whom they may delegate functions including decision-making functions to help in the operation of the club:

38. Each club member/coaches/parents shall have the right to present complaints or representations for consideration by the Executive Committee whose decision shall be final. Any such complaint or representation shall be sent in writing to the Secretary and shall be considered by the Committee at the next available meeting following its receipt by the Secretary.

39. The Executive Committee may nominate individuals to the honorary positions of Club President and Club Vice-President. The term of office of the President and Vice-President shall be 7 years. 

40. The club shall prepare and adopt at a General Meeting rules of procedure for the Executive Committee and any sub-committees provided such rules are consistent with this Constitution.

41. The Executive Committee shall abide by the adopted rules of procedure.

42. The Chairperson or acting Chairperson of any meeting held in accordance with these rules shall have an original and a casting vote.

43. The Chairperson shall present a Chairperson’s report on the work of the club to the Committee.

44. General Meetings of the club are the Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) or a Special General Meeting (“SGM”).

45. The AGM of the club shall take place on, or as near as possible to, the 15th June each year.

46. Notice of any resolution to be proposed at the AGM shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary not later than 14 days before the meeting. The Secretary shall send notice to each member by electronic means, by sending it to such electronic address as has last been supplied to the club by the member as the e-mail or other electronic address for correspondence.

47. A Special General Meeting may be called at any time by the majority of the Executive Committee or by at least seven club members provided such request is forwarded to the Secretary in writing and specifies the nature of the business to be transacted.

48. On receipt of such a request, the Secretary shall arrange a General Meeting for a date not later than 21 days following receipt by him of the said request.

49. Each member present by entitlement shall have one vote and resolutions shall be passed by a simple majority. In the event of an equality of votes the Chairperson shall have a second or casting vote.

50.The following business shall be transacted at the AGM:

   a. Minutes of the previous AGM;  

   b. Financial statement submitted by the Treasurer;  

   c. Election of members of the Committee;  

   d. Fixing subscriptions for the following year;  

   e. Any motions of which prior notice has been given;  

   f. Any other competent business.

51. Seven registered members entitled to vote shall constitute a quorum at any General Meeting of the club.

52. The executive committee shall appoint a Disciplinary Committee from time to time as necessary to investigate alleged breaches of club discipline.

53. A Disciplinary Committee is authorised to determine whether a breach of the rules of the club has taken place and to determine what sanction, if any, should be imposed in the event of its finding that such a breach has occurred.

54. A Disciplinary Committee of the club shall be a three-person sub-committee of the Committee and shall include at least one Honorary Officer.

55. No member of the Executive Committee shall participate in any investigation concerning a matter where there are serious grounds for questioning their impartiality or which may involve a potential conflict of interest for them.

56. Disciplinary Committees shall follow and abide by procedures which shall be determined by the Executive Committee from time to time.

57. All notices including notices of decisions, shall be communicated by electronic mail and/or by post. A electronic delivery report or registered post receipt is sufficient evidence that a decision has been properly notified.

58. Any member who is dissatisfied with a decision of the club shall have a right of appeal in accordance with procedures which shall be adopted by the Executive Committee from time to time.

59. In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (“GDPR”) and the Data Protection Act 2018, members consent to the club collecting, recording, storing and otherwise processing their personal data (including, where necessary, special categories of personal data) for the purposes of administering their membership, organising club activities, complying with legal obligations and the effective management and operation of the club. Personal data may be held on computer systems and/or in manual files and may, where necessary for these purposes, be disclosed to third parties (such as governing bodies, insurers, competition organisers and service providers) subject to appropriate safeguards.

60. The club shall adopt, maintain and publish a Data Protection/Privacy Policy, which shall be consistent with GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy shall specify, inter alia, the categories of personal data held, the lawful bases on which such data are processed, the purposes for which they may be used. The committee shall review the policy from time to time and update it as required.

61. The club shall maintain in force general liability insurance from recognised insurers with policy limits appropriate to the scope and scale of its operations and shall furnish a copy of such policies on request. 

N.B Player insurance for DDSL is managed directly by player/parents with the DDSL upon registration of the player.

62. No addition, alteration or amendment shall be made to or in the provisions of this Constitution for the time being in force unless the same shall have been proposed at a General Meeting of the club and adopted with not less than three-quarters of the members present voting in favour.

63. Annual accounts shall be kept and made available to the Revenue Commissioners on request.