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1:
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Name And Objectives
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1.1:
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The name of the organisation shall be the Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association, referred to as WISA.
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1.2:
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The Aims and objectives of WISA shall be:
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1.2.1:
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To organise an enthusiastic and realistic campaign to return WFC to its own stadium in or as near as possible to, the London Borough of Merton.
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1.2.2:
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To campaign for a WISA representative to be elected on to the ultimate decision-making entity for AFCW to represent the interests of supporters.
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1.2.3:
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To take a caring and positive role in promoting the needs of Wimbledon supporters, to reinforce our identity and heritage, to increase and develop our fan base and represent the needs and views of members to the Club, the Trust and external parties.
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1.2.4:
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To take part in other activities as shall be decided by members at prescribed meetings of WISA. |
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1.3:
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WISA shall act as an independent association, not directly affiliated to AFCW or responsible to AFCW financially, in policy or otherwise.
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1.4:
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To purchase shares in AFCW’s holding company and to use the voting rights the shares confer in accordance with the wishes of the WISA membership at AGMs, OGMs or EGMs of the company.
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1.5:
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To work alongside the Football Supporters Federation and other supporters groups to represent the interests of football supporters.
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1.6:
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To oppose football franchising in all its forms and to support campaigns designed to return football to its true owners, football supporters.
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1.7:
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To offer help, support and advice to other ISAs, official supporters clubs and trusts as deemed appropriate by the membership or Committee.
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2:
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Membership
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2.1:
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Full Members shall be those people who have paid the appropriate annual membership fee.
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2.2:
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Members under 18 or over 60 at the start of September shall pay a discounted membership fee and shall have full membership rights. The size of the fee shall be decided annually at the WISA annual general meeting.
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2.3:
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Any member may resign their membership at any time up to one month before the renewal date by writing to the Membership Secretary. No part of the membership fee shall be deemed refundable.
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2.4:
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WISA shall from time to time agree to grant honorary memberships to individuals and/or affiliate status to organisations. Such proposals shall be passed in the form of a vote at either an OGM or AGM where a simple majority shall be required. The secretary of WISA shall keep an updated list. All honorary memberships shall be free of charge and shall not confer the right to propose motions or to vote on policy-making decisions. However they shall be entitled to attend all OGMs and AGMs in an observer category.
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3:
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General Meetings
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3.1:
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There shall be an Annual General Meeting (AGM), held on the 1st Thursday in May, subject to football commitments
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3.2:
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There shall be at least three OGMs annually in addition to the AGM. An OGM or the AGM must occur within each quarter of the year.
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3.3:
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Any Full Member may call an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM), by the submission of a notice in writing to the Secretary or to the Chair. The signatures of at least 20 (twenty) Full Members, as well as the proposer must support this notice.
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3.4:
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An EGM may only discuss the motion put by the proposer of the EGM.
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3.5:
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An EGM must be held within one calendar month of the receipt of a valid request. Notice must be posted within one full week.
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3.6:
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Notice for meetings (OGM & AGM) shall be at least 1 (one) full month. Members shall be notified in writing/by telephone/by email/by SMS or as the General Committee shall deem appropriate and notice of meetings shall also be posted on the WISA website and at the club shop/in the match programme/in the WISA newsletter/on the WISA notice board.
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3.7:
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The Quorum for all Meetings (OGM, AGM & EGM) shall be 21 (twenty-one) members.
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3.8:
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All Members shall have the right to vote except the Chair of the meeting, who shall not vote unless it is to use a casting vote under point 3.10.
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3.9:
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Non-members or guests at a meeting may have the right to speak, at the discretion of the Chair, but not to vote.
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3.10:
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Voting shall be by show of numbered voting cards issued to members as they arrive at said meetings and decided by a simple majority of those voting at AGMs and OGMs. However at an EGM, for any motion to succeed at least two-thirds of those present and eligible to vote must vote in favour. In the event of a tied vote at an AGM or OGM, votes shall be recast. In the event of a second tied vote, the Chair of the meeting shall have a casting vote.
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3.11:
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A postal vote in writing & signed by the member may be submitted to the chair, to be received 7 (seven) days prior to the AGM or OGM, but not for an EGM where a member must be present to vote.
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3.12:
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Any Full Member may submit resolutions, with at least 1 (one) second. The Proposer may withdraw the motion at any time until the Chair has called for a vote, at which time the vote will proceed and the motion may not be withdrawn.
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3.13:
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Resolutions shall be submitted to the Secretary no less than 14 (fourteen) days before a meeting (OGM). Where resolutions are received late no postal votes will be counted.
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3.14:
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Resolutions submitted late shall be brought under Any Other Business, and may be discussed if there are no objections. If any objection is voiced, a show of hands will decide whether to proceed with discussion or delay the motion. If the motion is delayed, it shall be added as an agenda item for the next meeting (OGM).
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4:
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The General Committee
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4.1:
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There shall be a Committee, of 21 (twenty one) members consisting of 9 (nine) officers as listed below plus 12 (twelve) other committee members:
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4.1.1:
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Chair
The Chair shall chair meetings and act as the principal spokesman for WISA. The Chair shall also act as returning officer during votes.
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4.1.2:
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Vice-Chair
The Vice-Chair shall deputise for the Chair as necessary.
The Vice-Chair shall co-ordinate the work of those Committee members who are not Officers.
The Vice-Chair shall also be responsible for organising WISA social events.
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4.1.3:
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Secretary
The Secretary shall organise meetings, book venues, and publish agendas and shall keep and report minutes.
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4.1.4:
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Treasurer
The Treasurer shall maintain, in full detail, WISA’s financial records. The Treasurer shall report to each General Committee Meeting and Members Meetings on the state of the association’s finances including all income and expenditure.
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4.1.5:
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Publicity Officer
The Publicity Officer shall write and issue press releases, and organise other publicity events.
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4.1.6:
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Website Controller/Webmaster
The Website Controller shall maintain the official WISA website.
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4.1.7:
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Membership Secretary
The Membership Secretary shall maintain membership lists, process applications and issue membership cards.
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4.1.8:
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Newsletter Editor
The Newsletter Editor shall publish a newsletter for members at least twice a year
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4.1.9:
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Club Liaison Officer
The Club Liaison Officer shall be responsible for communicating with WFC and the WFC Official Supporters Club.
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4.2:
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The General Committee shall carry out the policy of WISA, as decided by the membership.
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4.3:
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The quorum for a General Committee meeting shall be half of the serving members plus one at the date of each Committee meeting. Any resignations received will be deemed to be effective immediately for this purpose. Additionally 2 (two) of the following must be present: Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer.
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4.4:
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The General Committee shall meet quarterly or more often if desired, between OGMs.
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4.5:
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Notice for a General Committee Meeting shall be at least one full week.
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4.6:
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Other persons may be invited to General Committee meetings. They shall have speaking rights at the discretion of the Chair or acting Chair, but shall not have voting rights.
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4.7:
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Voting within the General Committee shall be by a show of hands and based on a simple majority
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4.8:
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The Officers shall be elected individually, at the AGM, by the showing of numbered voting cards. Members wishing to stand for an office must be nominated by a full member and seconded by another full member.
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4.9:
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The rest of the General Committee shall be elected annually, at the AGM, using the following procedure:
Members may stand for the remaining General Committee positions having been nominated by a full member and seconded by another full member. If no more than 12 (twelve) Members are duly nominated, they shall all be deemed elected immediately.
Should more than 12 (twelve) Members be duly nominated, a ballot shall be held. Members shall vote by writing the names of up to 12 (twelve) candidates on a ballot paper.
The 12 (twelve) candidates with the most votes will be elected to the General Committee.
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4.10:
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In the event of a change of Treasurer, the Chair shall hold the accounts until such time as the mandates are amended at the bank to reflect this change.
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4.11:
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Committee members who are not Officers will assist the Officers in carrying out their roles. The distribution of this work will be co-ordinated by the Vice-Chair.
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4.12:
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Any post vacated shall be filled as soon as possible, but not later than at the next Ordinary General Meeting.
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4.13:
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Between General Committee meetings, the Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and Publicity Officer shall constitute an Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall act in lieu of The General Committee when the need arises, with Executive Committee decisions to be ratified by the General Committee at its next meeting.
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5:
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Finances
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5.1:
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WISA shall be self-financing.
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5.2:
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The Treasurer shall have responsibility for the finances of WISA.
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5.3:
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WISA shall have a bank account in the name of the association, and the treasurer shall hold the chequebook and account statements, plus an investment account to earn interest on behalf of WISA.
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5.4:
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Petty cash up to, but not exceeding, a total of £50 (fifty pounds) may be held by the Treasurer.
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5.5:
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Income for WISA shall be from membership fees and modest commercial activities such as raffle tickets, t-shirt sales, advertising on the WISA website or publications or similar fund-raising methods.
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5.6:
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Money raised by WISA may only be used to further the aims and objectives of WISA.
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5.7:
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All income from membership fees, donations and any other sources shall be given to the Treasurer to be accounted for.
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5.8:
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The association will not borrow any money from banks or any other commercial lenders except for using an overdraft on its bank account of pound;100 (one hundred pounds). The officers of the association may not incur any other debts, liabilities or expenditure on behalf of the association that would cause it to exceed the overdraft limit.
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5.9:
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Any expenditure must be agreed in advance by the General Committee. If a meeting cannot be organised in time and the matter is urgent, then expenditure may be authorised by the Executive Committee.
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5.10:
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The General Committee may agree expenditure on any single item up to the sum of £1,500 unless such expenditure would breach the provisions set out in 5.8 of the Constitution. Any such expenditures, on any single item of between £500 and £1,500, should be accounted for at the next scheduled General Meeting of members. Should the General Committee wish to spend more than this sum, they shall be required to seek prior approval from a General Meeting.
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5.11:
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Members who incur legitimate expenses on behalf of WISA may claim them back in full from WISA funds, but only on production of an itemisedreceipt, bill or invoice.
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5.12:
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Cheques drawn on the Association’s bank account must be signed by the Treasurer and one of the following Officers: Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary or Publicity Officer. In the absence of the Treasurer, and under exceptional circumstances, a cheque drawn on the Association’s bank account in the amount of no more than £50 (fifty pounds) may be signed by two of the following Officers: Chair, Vice-Chair or Secretary providing approval has been obtained from the Treasurer verbally by the Chair (and minuted by the Secretary) and later confirmed in writing by the Treasurer.
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5.13:
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At each AGM, 2 (two) Full Members, who shall not be officers nor General Committee members, shall be elected to inspect and independently examine the accounts of WISA for the following year.
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5.14:
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At each AGM, or at any time the General Committee requests an examination, the examiners will report on the finances, and notify WISA if there have been any irregularities.
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5.15:
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The WISA membership year and its accounting period shall run from 1st September to the 31st August of the following year.
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5.16:
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WISA’s shareholding in AFCW plc: Senior Officers, deemed to be 4 (four) members of the Executive Committee, shall be the nominated holders of the shares purchased in AFCW plc by WISA. Any dividend paid or capital received shall be paid into WISA’s bank account. The shares shall not be sold, transferred or otherwise relinquished, save for transfer from outgoing officers to officers-elect. The voting rights of the shares shall be cast by the Officers in accordance with WISA policy and any advice given by the membership. In the event of a mandate not being possible due to time constraints, the General Committee shall mandate the Officers accordingly, in line with established WISA policy.
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5.17:
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An Officer who is to be a joint holder of the WISA Shares in AFCW plc shall sign a declaration relinquishing their personal rights over such shares for the duration of their ownership of them, in accordance with clause 5.16 above and no share transfer shall be effected by the remaining Officers until such a declaration is signed by a prospective joint-holder.
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6:
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Media announcements
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6.1:
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Only the Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Publicity Officer and Club Liaison Officer are authorised to give on-the-record comment expressing the opinion of WISA.
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6.2:
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If there is no association view or policy on a subject, WISA members should take care to ensure that any comments attributed to them are expressed in their personal capacity, not as WISA representatives.
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7:
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Discipline
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7.1:
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A Member may complain to the General Committee about the behaviour of any member who appears to be abusive, disruptive, violent, threatening, or which appears to bring the association into disrepute or which is in breach of the WISA constitution.
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7.2:
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In the event of a complaint being made, it shall be heard, within one month by the General Committee, who shall accept a written statement or allow an oral hearing from both the complainant and the member who is the subject of the complaint. The General Committee may then take the following actions after suitable inquiry and report from the member and any witnesses:
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7.2.1:
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Reject the complaint.
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7.2.2:
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Accept the complaint, but take no further action.
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7.2.3:
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Accept the complaint, taking one or more of the following actions
a: demanding and receiving a written apology
b: receiving an assurance as to future conduct
c: suspending the member for a period of time
d: Expelling the member from WISA.
e: Notifying the club/police where required by law
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7.3:
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If a complaint is made by - or against - a committee member, they shall not take part in the hearing other than to state their case. They shall have no vote in the matter.
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8:
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Dissolution
A motion proposing the dissolution of WISA may be submitted to the Secretary, provided the motion is supported by the signatures of at least 20 (twenty) full members. In this event an EGM shall be called in accordance with the procedure outlined in the Constitution.
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8.1:
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A proposal to dissolve WISA may be submitted to the Secretary, provided the motion is supported by the signatures of at least 20 (twenty) full members. An EGM will be called in line with Point 3.3 to 3.5 above.
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8.2:
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To pass this motion at least two-thirds of those present and eligible to vote must vote in favour.
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8.3:
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In the event of the association being dissolved, and after all its debts and liabilities have been satisfied, any surplus assets or property shall be given or transferred to one of the following:
(i) Sporting Trust or sporting Charities operating in the London Borough of Merton
(ii) One or more societies established for the benefit of the community operating in the London Borough of Merton
(iii) An organisation established to benefit Football supporters, such as Clubs in Crisis or Supporters Direct.
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9:
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The Constitution
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9.1:
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This constitution is the document by which WISA operates, and membership of WISA signifies acceptance of the terms of the constitution.
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9.2:
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At the General Committee meeting at least 2 (two) months before the AGM, a group shall be appointed to undertake a review of the constitution.
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9.3:
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Any proposals to change the constitution must be submitted to the Secretary at least one month before an OGM or the AGM, and circulated to members at least two full weeks before the Meeting.
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9.4:
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Any changes to the constitution must be supported by at least two-thirds of those present and eligible to vote, by show of numbered voting cards at an OGM or the AGM. The amended constitution shall become binding one full week after the Meeting.
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9.5:
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This constitution was adopted on 24th January, 2002 at an ordinary general meeting of WISA members held at Wimbledon Community Centre, St. George's Road, Wimbledon, London, SW19.
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9.6:
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This constitution supersedes all previous constitutions.
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September 2003
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