1. The club shall be called ‘the Birr Rugby Football Club”. The objects of the club are the playing and furtherance of Rugby Union Football. All other games, past-times, or athletic activities, whether indoors or outdoors, lawfully permitted by the club committee in or on the club‘s property shall be functions of the Birr Rugby Football Club’s Social section and shall be incidental or ancillary amenities, subservient in all respects to rugby football and its best interest in the club.
(The intent of this Rule is that in the event of any conflict, financial, administration, social or otherwise arising in the Club as between Rugby Football and any such games, past-times, athletic activity or other function of the Club’s social section the interest of Rugby Football in the Club shall be paramount, and it shall be the duty of the Club Committee to rule and act accordingly)
2. The registered address of the club shall be at Riverside, Birr, Co. Offaly.
3. The Club colours shall be a Green & Black jersey with black shorts and green socks.
4. The Club shall affiliate to the Leinster Branch of the IRFU.
5. The officers of the club shall be the President, Vice President, Trustees, Honorary Secretary, Assistant Honorary Secretary (if any), Honorary Treasurer, Assistant Honorary Treasurer(if any), Fixtures Secretary, Club Captains , Branch Representatives. Officers may be elected at the clubs Annual General Meeting
6. The committee of the club shall consist of the above officers, the Branch representative, the Youth Rugby Coordinator, Mini Rugby Coordinator, and six ordinary members.
The quorum of committee meetings shall be six. The committee shall have power to co-opt such additional members as may be required for special purposes and also to appoint sub- committees, (including selection committees).
The trustees shall be members, ex-officio of all sub-committees concerned with administration of the club.
7. The committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting of the club and shall hold office until the next succeeding Annual General Meeting unless otherwise disqualified under these rules. The Committee shall hold not less than one meeting per month during the Rugby Football season. No officer shall be removed from office save with the consent of not less than two thirds of the members present and voting at a special meeting. If a committee member fails to attend three consecutive meetings without "just cause“ or apology they will cease to be committee members.
8. The committee shall exercise general management and control and shall conduct all the business and affairs of the club.
No member of the committee, or manager or servant employed in the club, shall have any personal interest in the sale of excisable liquors therein, or in the profits arising from such sale. Correct accounts and books shall be kept showing the financial affairs and the receipts and disbursements of the club.
The committee shall have power to make regulations from time to time touching all matters affecting the club and its property, and such regulations shall have the same force and effect as these rules. Every member of the club shall be bound by these rules and all regulations made there under.
9. (a) The Trustees shall be not less than three and not more than five in number.
(b) All property of the club shall vest in the Trustees of the club. No personal liability shall be attached to the Trustees or to any Trustee acting in the ordinary and proper force of the club’s business.
(c) The club shall not incur any single expenditure exceeding €30,000 without the consent in writing of the Trustees of the club. The club and/or the trustees are authorised and empowered to borrow from time to time such sums of money to an extent not exceeding such amount, and upon such terms and conditions as may be authorised from time to time by a resolution of the Executive Committee of the club
10. Every General Meeting shall be convened by the Honorary Secretary who shall give each member due notice (minimum of seven days) in writing of the hour, date and place thereof and the reason for convening thereof, the quorum for a General Meeting shall be 15.
10 (a) The Annual General Meeting of the club shall be held in the month of May each year. Detailed reports concerning the working of the club for the previous year and its financial position shall be presented by the appropriate officers.
11. A Special General Meeting may be called at any time at the request of the committee or on a requisition to the Honorary Secretary, signed by not less than 15 paid up full members of the club, giving detailed particulars of the business for which the meeting is required. The Honorary Secretary shall within 15 days from receipt of such requisition convene a Special General Meeting of the club.
12. The President, or his nominee shall be chairman of all meetings and in the absence of the President or his nominee, a chairman may be appointed by those present and entitled to vote.
13. If, at a meeting, a quorum has not assembled within 30 minutes after the time appointed for such meeting, the Honorary Secretary may, at his discretion, declare such meeting abandoned.
14. The voting at every General Meeting shall be by ballot (or at the Chairman’s discretion, by show of hands) and in the event of a tie the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote. Only bona fide full members of the club as defined below and adult playing members can vote at such meetings and hold office in the club.
15. MEMBERSHIP
(a) Any person playing and/or training for or with any club teams shall be considered de facto a playing member of the club for that season. Such membership can, however, be cancelled, by a decision of the club committee. Persons under 18 years of age shall not be eligible to vote at General Meetings, nor to be sold or supplied with excisable liquors.
(b) Non playing members shall be in the following categories:
(Senior 18 or over, Student: 16 or over and in full time education or apprenticeship, Junior: under 16)
Such membership shall be granted at the absolute discretion of the club committee and any member who has paid an appropriate subscription shall be considered a bona fide member of the club unless such membership has been refused by a final decision of the club committee. Collective Family membership shall confer the appropriate status on the individual members thereof.
(c) Waiver of legal rights: pursuant to the provisions of section 34(1)(b) of the Civil Liability Act 1961 members waive their legal entitlement to claim against a fellow member, Officer or Committee member, compensation for personal injury, loss or damage, however caused.
16. ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION
The Committee may from time to time as they think fit recommend entrance and membership fees to the Annual General Meeting. Annual subscriptions fall due on the 1st September and any paying member whose subscription is 12 months overdue shall forthwith cease to be a member of the club.
17. No person shall be allowed to become an honorary or temporary member of the club or be relieved of payment of the regular subscriptions save that the members and officials of visiting teams (including the match official), shall be deemed to be temporary honorary members for the day on which they are playing/visiting and shall be entitled to enjoy the amenities of the Club.
18. The Committee shall have power to elect honorary life members.
19. Should a member conduct himself in the manner that in the opinion of the committee is derogatory to the club the committee may call for an explanation and, if they think fit, remove such a person from membership without any obligation to refund his subscription.
20. Data Protection: Pursuant to the provision of the Data Protection Act 1988-2003 members consent to the club obtaining, recording, holding and retaining their personal data (including sensitive personal data) solely for club purposes, either on its computer or its manual filing system, and consent to the use of all such data, including disclosure to third parties, for the proper and effective management of the club.
21. REGISTRATION OF CLUBS ACTS, 1999/2008 Section 7 of the INTOXICATING LIQUOR
21.1 No person other than a member (as defined in Rule 3 hereof) shall order or pay for refreshments in the clubhouse. Cash must be paid for every expense incurred in the clubhouse before the person ordering leaves the premises.
21.2 No visitor shall be supplied with excisable liquor on the club premises unless on the invitation of and in the company of a member, and that member, shall, upon the admission of visitor to the club premises or immediately upon his being supplied with such liquor, enter his or her own name and the name and address of the visitor in a book which shall be kept for the purpose and which shall show the date of such visit.
21.3 The committee of management may prohibit the admission of any visitor to the club premises and no member shall bring any person whose admission is prohibited into the club premises.
21.4 No excisable liquor shall be sold or supplied for consumption outside the premises of the club, except to members of the club, between the hours of eight o’clock in the morning and ten o’clock at night.
21.5 No excisable liquors shall be sold or supplied in the club premises to any person under the age of eighteen years.
21.6 No member of the Committee of Management or officer, and no manager or servant employed by the club, shall have any personal interest in the sale to the club of supplies of excisable liquors, or in the profits arising from such sale.
21.7 Subject to the exceptions contained in clause 21.8, no excisable liquor shall be supplied for consumption on the club premises to any other person (other than a member of the club lodging in the club premises) or be consumed on the club premises by any person (other than a member of the club lodging on the club premises).
21.7.1 (a) On weekdays, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday before 10.30 a.m. in the morning and after 11.30 p.m. in the evening
(b) On Thursday, Friday and Saturday before 10.30 a.m. in the morning and 12.30 a. m. in the evening.
21.7.2 On any Sunday, before 12.30 p.m. in the afternoon and after 11.00 p.m. in the evening.
21.7.3 On St. Patrick’s Day, where that day falls on a weekday, before the 12.30 p.m. in the afternoon or after 12.30 a.m. in the evening
21.7.4 At any time on Christmas Day or Good Friday.
21.7.5 Christmas eve and the eve of Good Friday between 10.30 a.m. in the morning and 11.30p.m. in the evening.
21.8 Nothing contained in the Registration of Clubs Acts, 1904 - 1999, or contained by virtue only of the operation of clause 21.7 hereof, shall operate to prohibit the supplying for consumption of excisable liquor to any person or the consumption of excisable liquor on the club premises by any person.
21.8.1
(a) On Christmas Day, between 12.00 midday and 10.00 p.m. in the evening.
(b) On any other day, for one hour after the expiration of any period in respect of that during which it is lawful for the club to supply any excisable liquor for consumption on the club premises If in each case the excisable liquor is —
21.9 In the clauses 21.7 and 21.8 hereof, ‘weekdays‘ and ‘Sunday’ have the meanings assigned to them by Section 1 of the Intoxicating Liquor Act, 2000.
In addition to the foregoing rules, the clauses and regulations embodied in the registration of Clubs Acts, 1904 to 1999 and the Intoxicating Liquor Acts amending and extending the same, shall be deemed to be rules of the club.
Amendment & alterations
No alteration, amendment, or addition (shall be made to these rules except at the Annual General Meeting of the Club with the consent of at least two thirds of the members present and voting (save that an alteration, amendment, or addition required to comply with any statute may be made by the committee) provided always that should any motion at any General Meeting be considered by not less than seven members present and voting to be inimical to the best interests of Rugby Football in the club, such motion shall be referred to the I.R.F.U. committee whose decision as to whether or not the Motion be so inimical shall be final and binding; and pending the decision of that Committee no steps shall be taken to implement the Motion, notwithstanding that it shall have received the said two thirds consent.
Notice of any proposed alteration, amendment or addition shall be given in writing to the Honorary Secretary at least seven clear days before the first day of May preceding the Annual General Meeting.
a. There shall be at least three (3) and not more than five (5) Trustees of the club.
b. A Trustee must be a club member, over 18 years of age and have at least three years membership prior to appointment.
c. The present Trustees of the club shall be retained on adoption of any revised constitution.
d. A Trustee shall cease to be a Trustee if:
This Constitution having been adopted by General Meeting on the 28t’ May 2010, shall upon promulgation take effect from that date.
Updates
The following updates have been made to the club constitution.
17th May 2024: It was adopted at the AGM to update paragraph 5 from "Club Captain" to "Club Captains" so that both the Men and Women's captains where recognized as officers and captains of the club. It was also agreed to back date this by 1 year to ensure that Saoirse Egan is recorded as the first female club captain.
Birr RFC Constitution.pdf