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1 TITLE AND PURPOSE 1.1 The Group shall be called the DERBY COUNTY COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP and shall exist for the purpose of building and improving links between Derby County Football Club (The Club) and the local community. For the purposes of this constitution, the local community will be defined as the county of Derbyshire. 1.2 The remit of the Group is to ensure that the relationship between the Club and its community is a two-way street, and to facilitate the development of practical projects to improve community collaboration and mutual support. 2 MEMBERSHIP 2.1 Each Member shall have one vote in all cases. The definition of a Member shall be a volunteer who is accepted as having a genuine motive to work closely with The Club in achieving improved links with its local community. The Group may vote to exclude any person from membership (for any reason) by a simple majority at any bona fide meeting of the Group. The membership should as far as practicable be broadly representative of the principal activities of supporters in the local community. 2.2 The Group should be one that people aspire to join; membership will not be open to nomination by external bodies. There will be no restriction on the number of members in the Group, except that membership shall be limited so that no organisation or institution shall have a controlling majority. 2.3 New volunteers wishing to join the Group will be accepted following Group approval with no discrimination in age, sex, colour, creed or profession provided that their business or other activities are legally and morally acceptable. In any case of doubt the membership application will be put to Group members and ratified by vote. 2.4 Members will be accepted into the Group in good faith and on the understanding that they will act in the best interests of Derby County and its community stakeholders. 2.5 Members excluded by a majority vote of the Group will not, in normal circumstances, be acceptable for membership re-application. On receipt of such an application, the Secretary may however, submit the application to the Group for a decision. 2.6 Visitors attending (by invitation) three or more Group meetings in a calendar year will be deemed to be Members and will be subject to these rules. 3 MEETINGS 3.1 The Group will meet at times and dates to be announced at each meeting. The venue for general Group meetings will be Pride Park Stadium unless otherwise agreed. Notice of meetings will be given at least seven days in advance where practicable. 4 ADMINISTRATION 4.1 The Group will normally be organised and run on a day-to-day basis by three people, two of whom will be nominated as Co-ordinator and Secretary respectively. The other organiser may be co-opted volunteer, a member of an associated organisation, or may be a representative of the football club. 4.2 The Organisers shall be elected by the Group members from time to time by democratic vote at any Group meeting, the wishes of the majority prevailing at all times. 4.3 Decisions relating to policy will be taken collectively by the Group. 4.4 The Organisers may nominate additional Group members when appropriate, subject to ratification by the Group. 4.5 All written correspondence with third parties will normally be conducted through the Organisers unless otherwise agreed. 4.6 Any member of the Group may be authorised to make public statements regarding the work of the Group where appropriate. The content of such statements should normally be agreed by one or more of the Organisers in advance, and should in all cases be in accordance with agreed Group policy. 4.7 The minimum number of Group members to make a quorum will normally be three. 4.8 Consultation between members by telephone, email or videoconference should be sought when policy decisions are required in the absence of a quorum. 4.9 Should the Group wish to undertake fund-raising and expenditure in the name of the Group, the Committee will elect a Treasurer and he/she will conduct a bank account in the name of the Derby County Community Partnership. The Co-ordinator, Secretary, Treasurer and Club Representative will sign the bank mandate for withdrawal and any two of the four signatures will be required for any withdrawal. 4.10 Any amendments to this Constitution must be ratified by a majority of members at a general meeting of the Group. |