UQ clubs are all incorporated associations under the Associations Incorporation Act 1981 (Qld) – ‘the Act’.
Clubs are independent legal entities, governed by an elected management committee.
As an incorporated association, clubs are legally separate from their membership – meaning that the management committee’s personal liability for the club’s debts and legal obligations is limited (with conditions).
Clubs can:
As incorporated associations, UQ clubs also benefit from:
Complying with legal requirements
To continue to enjoy the benefits noted above, your club needs to follow certain rules which link to the Act. These rules are set out in your constitution, which is why some clubs even call their constitution their ‘rules’.
Meeting the minimum legal obligations of being incorporated is actually straightforward – so all UQ clubs should strive to be great, rather than just good enough.
To get an overview of your legal obligation see the section: Complying with Legal Requirements.
You can read more about your legal requirements on the Queensland Government website.
Your constitution
The purpose of the constitution is to describe why your club exists (its purpose) and how it operates. As your ‘source’ document, your constitution guides your club’s governance and management. The constitution shouldn’t go into detail about day-to-day operations – these are better addressed in more operational documents, such as bylaws or an operations manual.
As a management committee member, you must always act in accordance with your constitution, so it’s essential that you have read it and know where to look when you need to rely on it to help run your club. Your constitution should be readily available to all members and management committee members as it is the best source of clarification should disputes arise.
If you’re not certain what each section of your constitution means, see the section: Your Constitution.
Updating your constitution
You should revisit your constitution about every five years – if only to ensure that it aligns with any updates to the Act that may have occurred since your constitution was last updated.
Importantly, though, your constitution reflects the individuality and points of difference of your club. If your club has changed over time, you’ll want your constitution to reflect these changes.
Find out more about updating your constitution in the section: Updating your constitution.
Read about the law changes for incorporated associations on the Queensland Government website.
UQ Sport reinvests all profits into services, facilities, and programs, and is supported by funding from the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) to benefit UQ students.
UQ Sport Ltd is a division of UQ Holdings.
