Your constitution
As a management committee member, you must always act in accordance with your club’s constitution, so it’s important that you have read and are familiar with its contents.
This guide provides an overview of some sections of your constitution and what they mean. These are the standard sections in a constitution; yours may have different titles or contain more sections.
Name
The full legal name of your club.
Definitions and interpretations
A list and description of terms used in the constitution.
This section also explains how any ambiguity in the interpretation of the document is to be resolved.
Objects or purpose
This tells the story of your club – why it exists and what it seeks to achieve.
This section can demonstrate that you are a not-for-profit club, with objects like “to promote and support the sport of …” or “to increase participation in the sport of…”
Powers
This section explains how the club, as a legal entity, has the powers of an individual. For example, it can buy things, sell things, enter into contracts, take out insurance policies, open bank accounts and be the subject of legal action, all in its own right.
Did you know? A not-for-profit organisation doesn’t operate for the profit, personal gain or other benefit of its members, the people who run it, or any other people.
Rather, any profit made is used to support the club’s objects, such as increasing participation.
Membership
This section covers:
Did you know? Your constitution is required to include a grievance procedure explaining how disputes between members can be resolved.
The management committee
This is where the management committee (or board) is defined, including its composition, eligibility for election, the election process, the tenure of a management committee member (i.e. how long they hold office), why and how management committee members can be removed from office, and how vacancies on the management committee are to be filled.
The powers of the management committee should also be defined. Typically, the constitution grants the management committee the authority to exercise the overall powers of the club, to achieve its objects or purpose.
Finances
This section defines how your club’s financial affairs are to be managed, including setting your financial year end date.
This section should include a clause that confirms the club’s not-for-profit status – that the proceeds and profits of the club cannot be distributed among members.
Did you know? A club can change its financial year end date if it wishes to move it to a more convenient time of year. This could be a month or so after the end of your season. As the club’s AGM must be held within six months of the end of your financial year, consider the best time of year to elect new committee members.
Meetings
This section describes the meeting requirements for the management committee and subcommittees, as well as for general meetings of members. This should include minimum meeting frequency, who can attend and vote at meetings, quorum requirements and meeting procedures for each type of meeting.
As incorporated associations, the minimum requirement for UQ Sport affiliated clubs is that they meet at least once every four months. You’ll probably meet more frequently than this already.
Did you know? ‘Quorum’ means the minimum number of members who must be present for the meeting to be formally opened and to be able to make any decisions. The quorum requirements for each type of meeting will be detailed in your constitution.
Documents and records
How and where the club’s documents and records are to be kept.
Winding up/dissolution
The process that the club needs to follow should it decide to cease operations and close down.
Amending or replacing the constitution
How to update or replace your constitution, noting that changes cannot be made without member approval at a general meeting.
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.
