Web Editor's Note:

If you are looking for the rules of Association Croquet, try the laws of Association Croquet.

THE RULES OF THE CROQUET ASSOCIATION

October 2001 edition,  as amended at the AGMs of October 2002, 2004 and 2006.

Contents

THE RULES OF THE CROQUET ASSOCIATION

GENERAL AND DEFINITIONS

In these Rules use of the masculine gender shall be deemed to include the feminine gender.

The words in the first column shall bear the meanings quoted opposite them:

1 CONSTITUTION AND OBJECTS

The Association is called "The Croquet Association" and consists of a Patron, a President, Vice-Presidents, Individual Associates (including Life and Honorary Individual Associates) , Member Clubs and Affiliate Members. Its objects are:

1. To encourage, promote, develop and control croquet in the Domain.
2. To codify and publish the laws of croquet and regulations for tournaments applicable in the Domain.
3. To assist croquet clubs and provide coaches in the Domain.
4. To represent the interests of its members in the Domain with Government departments and any other bodies and organisations.
5. Within the Domain to promote, hold and manage tournaments, matches and other events, to sanction championships and provide official managers, referees and handicappers.
6. To represent the interests of its members and promote development of croquet internationally.
7. To enter individuals and teams in international events to represent nations or groups of nations associated with the Domain and to host and support such events.

2 FULL AND AFFILIATE MEMBERSHIP

1. Membership of the Association shall comprise Full Members and Affiliate Members.
   1. Full Members
      Any individual interested in croquet shall be eligible for admission as an Individual Associate.
      Any club providing facilities for the playing of croquet shall be eligible for admission as a Member Club.
   2. Affiliate Members
      Individuals, groups of persons, clubs, other croquet associations and councils not fulfilling the requirements of Full Members may be eligible for admission as Affiliate Members.
2. The Council may from time to time as it thinks fit, sub-divide Individual Associates, Member Clubs and Affiliate Members into various classes for the purpose of classifying their rights, privileges and the subscriptions payable by them.

3 INDIVIDUAL ASSOCIATES: ELECTION

1. The Council shall elect Individual Associates.
2. The name and address of a candidate for election as an Individual Associate shall be given to the Secretary. Pending the decision of the Council as to election, a candidate may play in Calendar Fixtures as an Individual Associate upon depositing his subscription with the Secretary.
3. The Council may elect as Life and Honorary Individual Associates persons who have rendered special services to the Association.

4 INDIVIDUAL ASSOCIATES: RESIGNATION

An Individual Associate who wishes to resign must inform the Secretary not later than 30 November in any year or remain liable for the subscription for the following year.

5 DELETED - REPLACED BY NEW RULE 8

6 MEMBER CLUBS: ELECTION

The Council shall elect Member Clubs on such terms and conditions as it may from time to time determine.

7 MEMBER CLUBS: RESIGNATION

A Member Club wishing to resign must inform the Secretary not later than 30^th November in any year or remain liable for the subscription for the following year.

8 DISCIPLINARY AND APPEALS PROCEDURES

1. If an Individual Associate or Member Club believes that they have been adversely affected by the conduct of another Individual Associate or Member Club which is in breach of the Association's Rules or Tournament Regulations, or which is injurious to the character or interests of the Association, they should first attempt to resolve the matter informally, failing which they may lay a complaint before a disciplinary panel by following the procedure set out in Appendix 1 of these Rules. A disciplinary panel shall not consider any matter that it decides should be the sole concern of a Member Club.
2. If an Individual Associate or Member Club believes that they have been adversely affected by maladministration by the Council, its Committees or Officers, they should first attempt to resolve the matter informally, failing which they may appeal against it by following the procedure set out in Appendix 1 of these Rules. It is a condition of membership of the Association, for both individuals and clubs, that this procedure, which includes provision for arbitration, is their sole remedy against the Association.
3. If the Council, its Committees or Officers, believes the conduct of an Individual Associate or Member Club to be in breach of the Association's Rules or Tournament Regulations, or which is injurious to the character or interests of the Association, it should first attempt to resolve the matter informally, failing which it may refer the matter to a disciplinary panel under the procedure set out in Appendix 1 of these Rules.

9 AFFILIATED MEMBER CLUBS

Clubs may be affiliated to the Association without acquiring the full status of Member Clubs on such terms and conditions as Council may from time to time determine.

10 AFFILIATED COUNCILS AND ASSOCIATIONS

Other Croquet Councils and Associations may be affiliated to the Association on payment of such annual or other fee as Council may from time to time determine. The obligations and privileges of Affiliated Councils and Associations shall be as follows:

1. The mutual interchange of all official publications.
2. The right of any duly accredited member of the affiliated body, when visiting the Domain for a limited period, to enjoy, on payment of half of the appropriate annual subscription payable by a Home Member, all the privileges of an Individual Associate except that of voting at General Meetings.
3. The extension of reciprocal rights for any duly accredited Individual Associate when visiting the country of the affiliated body.

11 SUBSCRIPTIONS

1. The categories of membership and the annual subscriptions payable by Full Members shall be determined by the Council from time to time, provided
   1. the subscription of an Individual Associate shall not be raised by more than 50% above the rate payable for the previous year without the approval of a General Meeting; and
   2. the subscription of a Member Club is based on a per capita rate which shall not, without the approval of a General Meeting, be raised by an amount greater than that needed to match inflation in the period since the current rate first applied except that it may be rounded up to the nearest 5p. The value of the Retail Price Index (all items) for the April immediately preceding the coming subscription year compared to the value of that Index for the April immediately preceding the subscription year to which the current subscription rate first applied, is to be used as the measure of inflation.
   3. notice of any alteration of subscriptions for the following year shall be given by 1 August either in the Association's official journal or by post to all Home Members.
2. All subscriptions shall become due and payable to the Secretary on election or 1^st January for Individual Associates and 1^st May for Member Clubs in each year as applicable. The Secretary will issue membership cards to Individual Associates and receipts to Member Clubs.
3. Members whose subscriptions are in arrears shall not be entitled to any of the privileges of membership including, in the case of Individual Associates, the right to play in Calendar Fixtures. Individual Associates in arrears on 1 May and Member Clubs in arrears on 1 June shall forthwith cease to be members of the Association but shall remain liable for their subscriptions.

12 MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL

1. The management and control of the property, funds and affairs of the Association and the fulfilment of its objects except as otherwise provided by the Rules shall be vested in a Council consisting of:
   1. fifteen Council members (exclusive of ex-officio Council members) who shall be elected solely by the votes of all Individual Associates resident in the Domain or Scotland; and
   2. a maximum of nine Council members ("Regional Representatives") elected via the Federations to represent Member Clubs situated within the Domain; Regional Representatives shall be elected on the basis of one Council member for each Regional grouping.
2. A decision of the Council must be rescinded if a motion to that effect is proposed at a General Meeting and passed both by a majority of 6 to 4 of Individual Associates voting and by a majority of 6 to 4 of Member Clubs voting.

13 GENERAL MEETINGS: ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

A General Meeting of the Association shall be held annually in October at such time and place as the Council shall determine. The Secretary shall give at least 24 days notice of the meeting, accompanied by an agenda, either in the official journal of the Association or by post to every Home Member. As an alternative to use of the post the Secretary may, with the prior agreement of the member, transmit the information to the member electronically.

14 GENERAL MEETINGS: REPORT AND ACCOUNTS

The Council shall submit to the Annual General Meeting a Report and Statement of Accounts for the preceding year signed by the Chairman of Council and accompanied by a Report from the Reporting Accountants. Copies shall be available before the meeting and on request shall be sent by post or may be transmitted electronically to Home Members. The Report and Statement of Accounts shall also be published in the official journal of the Association as soon as possible after the Council has approved them.

15 GENERAL MEETINGS: SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS

1. The Council may call a Special General Meeting at any time.
2. The Secretary shall call a Special General Meeting within one month of receiving a requisition in writing from at least 35 Full Members to consider such matters as shall be stated in the requisition.
3. The Secretary shall give at least 21 days notice of the meeting, accompanied by an agenda, either in the official journal of the Association or by post to every Home Member. As an alternative to use of the post the Secretary may, with the prior agreement of the member, transmit the information to the member electronically.

16 GENERAL MEETINGS: PROCEDURE

1. The quorum for Annual General Meetings shall be 12 Individual Associates and the authorized representatives of three Member Clubs. The quorum for Special General Meetings shall be 25 Individual Associates and the authorized representatives of seven Member Clubs. The authorized representative of a Member Club, if he is also an Individual Associate, shall be counted as a member of both categories.
2. The President or, in his absence one of the Vice-Presidents in order of seniority, or, in their absence, the Chairman or Vice-Chairman of the Council shall take the chair. In their absence the members present shall elect a member of the Council to take the chair.
3. If an Individual Associate or Member Club wishes
   1. to propose a candidate for the office of President or Treasurer, or
   2. to propose a motion at an Annual General Meeting, except on a question arising out of the Report and Statement of Accounts, the election of the Treasurer and members of Council or the appointment of the auditors,

   they must give written notice thereof to the Secretary by 1 August preceding the Annual General Meeting.

4. The election of members of Council shall be determined in accordance with Rule 18. Motions that required notice under the above Rule 16c and motions proposed at Special General Meetings shall be the subject of a postal vote in accordance with Rule 19. All other questions put to the vote at a meeting shall be decided by a show of hands and to succeed each resolution must be carried both by a majority of Individual Associates voting and by a majority of Member Clubs voting through their authorized representatives, both categories voting separately on each issue. The authorized representative of every Member Club present in person and every Individual Associate present in person shall have one vote. The authorized representative of a Member Club, if he is also an Individual Associate, shall be entitled to vote in both capacities.
5. Proxy voting by Individual Associates and the authorized representatives of Member Clubs is not permitted.
6. If a vacancy exists in the office of President or Treasurer and there are no nominations, or the nominees refuse to stand or withdraw, the Council shall nominate a person at any time before the Annual General Meeting without prior notice. If no nominee is elected, the Council shall fill the vacancy as soon as possible thereafter.

17 GENERAL MEETINGS: ELECTION OF PRESIDENT AND VICE-PRESIDENTS

At an Annual General Meeting the Association shall on due notice given under Rule 16c elect its President and may elect Vice-Presidents nominated by the Council from among Individual Associates or Benefactors to the Association or persons of distinction who are interested in croquet. They shall be ex-officio members of the Council, but shall not be eligible for membership of Council Committees unless so appointed by the Council.

18 GENERAL MEETINGS: ELECTION OF COUNCIL

1. Election of Council Members by Individual Associates
   The procedure for the election of the 15 members of Council who are elected by the votes of the Individual Associates resident in the Domain or Scotland shall be:
   1. At the Annual General Meeting in each year elected members of the Council who shall have been elected at the Annual General Meeting in the third calendar year preceding, and any member of the Council who is filling a vacancy on Council in accordance with Rule 24a , shall retire. These persons shall be eligible for immediate re-election provided that they have notified the Secretary by 1 June that they are willing to stand.
   2. Other candidates for election shall be Individual Associates duly proposed and seconded for membership of the Council by two other Individual Associates, and of whose candidature written notice has been received by the Secretary by 1 June preceding the Annual General Meeting.
   3. If the number of candidates does not exceed the number of vacancies then the candidates shall all be deemed to be elected to fill the vacancies and this result shall be announced at the Annual General Meeting.
   4. If there shall be more candidates for election than there are vacancies a ballot shall be held in the manner set out in the next following paragraphs numbered (v) to (viii) inclusive.
   5. If a ballot shall be required for the election of members of Council the Secretary shall issue a voting paper to every Individual Associate Member resident in the Domain and Scotland, either with the Association's official journal or by post, not less than 24 days before the Annual General Meeting. The voting paper shall give the names of retiring members of the Council offering themselves for re-election under sub rule 18a(i) above, the names of the Individual Associates offering themselves for election under sub rule 18a(ii) above and in the latter case the names of the proposer and seconder of each. It shall also include such other relevant information about the candidates as the Council may reasonably require and the candidates are willing to supply.
   6. In voting an Individual Associate may not give more than one vote for any candidate and may not record more votes than there are vacancies. Any such error will invalidate the voting paper.
   7. The voting paper must be signed and returned to the Secretary so as to arrive not later than the first post 10 days before the date of the Annual General Meeting.
   8. Two scrutineers who are not members of the Council shall be appointed by the Chairman or Vice-Chairman of the Council to count the votes. In the event of a tie they shall decide by lot. They shall report the names of those elected in alphabetic order at the Annual General Meeting.
2. Election to Council of Regional Representatives by clubs
   The procedure for the election of Regional Representatives shall be:
   1. Regional representatives shall be elected for a period of three years, normally through the Federation structure by such method being either a ballot or a show of hands at a General Meeting of the relevant Federation or by a postal vote as the rules of the Federation may prescribe.
   2. Candidates for election as Regional Representatives must be Individual Associates resident in the Domain or Scotland. A retiring Regional Representative shall be eligible for re-election.
   3. Every member club of a Federation including (if the Federation so wishes) any club that is a member of the Federation but not a Member Club, and every other Member Club situated within the Federation boundaries, shall be eligible to vote in the election but shall have only one vote. A club may vote in only one Federation region.
   4. Any Member Club situated within the Domain but not within the boundaries of any Federation may, with the agreement of that Member Club and for the purposes of Rule 18b only, be allocated by the Council to a Federation and shall be deemed to be a Member Club situated within the boundaries of that Federation.
   5. Prior to an election being held all clubs that are members of the relevant Federation, and all clubs that are not members of the Federation but are Member Clubs situated or deemed to be situated within the boundaries of the Federation, shall be notified by the Secretary of their right to elect a Regional Representative in accordance with the above provisions as applicable to the Federation. The onus will be on those clubs that are not also members of the Federation to make appropriate arrangements with the Federation to enable them to exercise this right.
   6. Notice of the meeting at which a Regional Representative is to be elected and of the method of voting to be adopted shall be lodged with the Secretary of the Croquet Association no later than two weeks before such meeting takes place. Within two weeks after the election the Secretary of the Federation should notify the Secretary of the Croquet Association in writing of the name of the Regional Representative.
   7. The period for which Regional Representatives are elected shall begin on the date of the Annual General Meeting of the Association immediately following their election by a Federation.
   8. If a Federation is unwilling or unable to conduct an election, either in accordance with the above provisions or according to those provisions modified in a manner that is acceptable to the Council, the Secretary shall organize the election and conduct it in the region concerned according to conditions to be laid down by the Council.
3. Attendance
   Any member of the Council who does not attend at least half the meetings to which he has been summoned during the year without leave of absence or an explanation satisfactory to the Chairman of the Council shall be deemed to have resigned his membership of the Council and shall not be eligible for re-election for a period of 12 months.

19 GENERAL MEETINGS: POSTAL VOTING

1. If notice of motion has been given under Rule 16c or a Special General Meeting has been called or requisitioned, a voting paper shall be issued to all Home Members either with the Association's official journal or by post not less than 24 days before an Annual General Meeting or 21 days before a Special General Meeting giving the terms of each motion to be proposed thereat.
2. Each Individual Associate member and each Member Club shall have one vote and the two categories of membership shall vote separately on each issue.
3. The voting paper must be signed and returned to the Secretary so as to arrive not later that the first post 10 days before the date of the meeting.
4. Two scrutineers who are not members of Council shall be appointed by the Chairman or Vice-Chairman of Council to count the votes. They shall record the number of votes cast for and against each motion within each of the two categories of membership.
5. At the conclusion of the debate on each motion, the Chairman of the meeting shall call upon the Individual Associates present who have not cast a postal vote to vote upon the motion by a show of hands; and he shall next call upon the authorized representatives present of Member Clubs that have not cast a postal vote to vote upon the motion by a show of hands. The authorized representative of a Member Club, if he is also an Individual Associate, shall be entitled to vote in both capacities subject to the above conditions. The Chairman shall then call upon the scrutineers to announce the result of the postal vote and shall then declare the total number of votes cast for and against the motion within each of the two categories of membership.
6. For a motion to be carried it must be carried both by a majority of Individual Associates and by a majority of Member Clubs, both categories being considered separately.
7. An Individual Associate who has cast a postal vote but attends the meeting in person may cancel his postal vote and vote at the meeting provided he so informs the scrutineers before the result of the postal vote is announced. A Member Club that has cast a postal vote may cancel its postal vote and vote through its authorized representative subject to the same proviso.
8. The Chairman of the meeting may require those who have voted at the meeting to identify themselves to the scrutineers.

20 GENERAL MEETINGS: ELECTION OF TREASURER

The Association shall elect a Treasurer at each Annual General Meeting who shall be an ex-officio member of Council if not a member already. If a vacancy in the office of Treasurer arises during the year between Annual General Meetings, Council shall appoint a substitute to hold office until the next Annual General Meeting.

21 APPOINTMENT OF SECRETARY

The Council shall appoint a Secretary to hold office on such terms and conditions as it may from time to time determine.

22 COUNCIL: ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN AND VICE-CHAIRMAN

At the first Council Meeting after the Annual General Meeting the Council shall elect a Chairman and Vice-Chairman to hold office until the first Council meeting after the next Annual General Meeting.

23 COUNCIL: QUORUM

The quorum for ordinary Council meetings shall be seven.

24 COUNCIL: VACANCIES

1. Members of Council elected by Individual Associates
   The Council may appoint any Individual Associate to be a member of the Council, either to fill a casual vacancy arising by resignation or otherwise, or to add to the existing members of Council, but only so far as the total number of elected members and of members appointed under this sub-rule shall not exceed 15. Any person so appointed shall be a member of the Council only until the next Annual General Meeting but thereafter shall be eligible for election as a member of Council.
2. Regional Representatives
   If a Regional Representative resigns or otherwise ceases to be a Regional Representative before the expiry of his elected period the Council, after consulting the relevant Federation, shall fill the vacancy so created and the person appointed shall serve as the Regional Representative for the remainder of the original elected Representative's term.

25 COUNCIL: COMMITTEES AND PANELS

The Council may appoint committees and sub-committees consisting of members of the Council and other Individual Associates and may delegate some of its powers and duties to such committees. The Chairman of such a committee shall always be a currently elected member of the Council and the Council shall have the power to elect and remove him and to withdraw the powers delegated to a committee.

The Council may appoint disciplinary panels consisting of members of the Council and other Individual Associates, and appeals panels consisting of current and past Presidents, Vice-Presidents, Chairmen of the Association and if necessary other Individual Associates.

26 INDEMNITY

A Council member who acts within the scope of his express or implied authority in the performance of his duties, and a member of the Croquet Association who so acts on behalf of the Council and/or pursuant to its instructions, shall be entitled to be indemnified fully out of Association funds in respect of any claim arising therefrom, and in respect of any legal costs that are reasonably incurred in connection therewith, provided that such person:

1. as soon as possible, but in any event within one month of being made aware of such claim, notifies the Secretary of the Association both of the existence of the claim and of the circumstances in which it has been brought;
2. thereafter keeps the Secretary fully informed as to any developments relating to the same, and provides him with all relevant documentation; and
3. complies with any directions of the Council as to how the claim should be dealt with, including any directions as to whether the claim should be contested or compromised, or as to the terms of such compromise.

27 LAWS AND REGULATIONS

1. Amendments to, or new editions of, the Laws of both Association and Golf Croquet may be submitted to the Council for approval by the International Laws Committee on which the Council is entitled to be represented or by a Council committee. If the Council is satisfied that adequate opportunity has been given for Individual Associates and Member Clubs to comment on the proposal, the Council may approve it by passing, with a majority of at least 6 to 4, a resolution specifying the date on which it is to take effect, which fact shall be published in the Association's official journal. Such approval by the Council of alterations to the Laws shall apply within the Domain under the provision of Rule 1b .
2. The Council shall have power to authorise the adoption of temporary variations in the laws and regulations.
3. The Council shall, for both Association and Golf Croquet, appoint one of its members to decide questions arising on the interpretation of the laws and regulations. The Council may additionally delegate power to issue rulings and commentary on the laws to an international body on which it is entitled to be represented.

28 INVESTMENTS

The Council may invest any part of the property and funds of the Association, whether real or personal, that is not needed immediately for the ordinary purposes of the Association in such securities including real property as it may determine with power to sell or vary such securities at any time. Such investments shall be held for the benefit of the Association in the name of a trust company or in the names of at least two and not more than four Individual Associates appointed by the Council to be Trustees or held in any other legally acceptable manner on such terms and conditions as the Council shall think fit provided always that the Council shall retain the power to remove and to appoint such trust company or Trustees at any time.

29 BANK ACCOUNTS

30 ALTERATION OF RULES

Alterations in and additions to these Rules shall not be made except by means of a motion proposed and seconded at an Annual or Special General Meeting. The voting shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions for postal voting set out in Rule 19 . For the motion to succeed it must be carried by a majority of 6 to 4 of the Individual Associates voting and by a majority of 6 to 4 of the Member Clubs voting. Such alterations and additions shall come into force forthwith unless otherwise decided.

Appendix 1: PROCEDURES CONCERNING COMPLAINTS, DISCIPLINARY AND APPEALS PANELS

The procedures that any of the parties named in Rule 8 may invoke, and the consequences that follow, are as given below and as provided for in any procedural guidelines the Council may authorise:

a. Complainants

Complainants should inform the Secretary in writing about the complaint or matter in dispute giving details of the specific instance(s) of an alleged breach of the Association's Rules, Laws or Regulations or conduct that is alleged to be injurious to the character or interests of the Association.

b. Disciplinary Panels

Disciplinary Panels shall have the power to make declarations, issue warnings, exclude players, teams or clubs from selection or participation in certain events, suspend or terminate membership of the Association. If membership of the Association is terminated all subscriptions paid by the member shall be forfeited.

c. Appeals Panels

Any of the parties concerned, or the Council itself, may refer the decision of a Disciplinary Panel to an Appeals Panel by informing the Secretary in writing of the matter that is the subject of the appeal. Appeals Panels may also consider written complaints alleging one or more specific instances of maladministration detrimental to the complainant, or complaints about the decisions of the Association's Officers or Committees. Any reference to an Appeals Panel must be made within three months of the original decision of the Disciplinary Panel.

Appeals Panels shall have the power to uphold or vary the findings and decisions in the case of a disciplinary appeal, and to make recommendations to Council in the case of an administrative appeal.

d. Arbitration

If complainants are dissatisfied with the way in which the decision of the Appeals Panel has been reached they undertake to agree to binding arbitration by the Sports Disputes Resolution Panel, Francis House, Francis Street, London SW1P 1DE.

© 2000-2006 The Croquet Association - www.croquet.org.uk