The synopsis paraphrases relevant minutes, to which members should refer
if they wish to read the definitive decisions. This is an extract of the full
synopsis, containing the decisions felt to be of greatest current relevance.
| 1. Council |
|
22 Oct 1964 |
Existing procedure for nominating Chairman and Vice-Chairman of Council to
continue. [Under this procedure, the retiring Chairman consulted
past Chairmen to decide on the appropriate person to be nominated
as the next Vice-Chairman, it being understood that normally this
person would automatically succeed the next Chairman.] |
|
26 Feb 1966 |
Ex-Chairmen and Vice Chairmen eligible for re-election after interval of five years. |
|
8 Dec 1990 |
Executive Committee to report action to Council. |
|
23 Mar 1991 |
Members’ claims for expenses must be made before end of calendar year. |
|
7 Dec 1991 |
Federation
Representation on Council approved. Such persons to act as
representatives not delegates (reconfirmed 21 March 1992). |
|
11 Dec 1993 |
Any
controversial motion should be published in The Croquet Gazette
well in advance, ideally in the May/June edition for the AGM in
October. |
|
22 Mar 1997 |
Powers
of co-option of non-Council members extended to all Standing
Committees. |
|
20 Mar 1999 |
New
structure and modus
operandi adopted
allowing greater autonomy to committees. Management Committee
established. Detail of routine committee decisions not to be
reviewed by Council which in future will concentrate on policy
matters. |
|
25 Mar 2000 |
Summary
of Council decisions to be prepared by Chairman of Management
Committee [later the Hon Secretary] for publication in The
Croquet Gazette. |
|
25 Mar 2000 |
Guide
for Council members published. This includes advice to members
wishing to express dissent from Committee and Council decisions. |
|
14 Oct 2000 |
Laws
and Tournament committees empowered to change Tournament
regulations without seeking prior approval of Council. |
|
24 Mar 2001 |
Proposals to amend the Laws of
Association Croquet and Golf
Croquet
may be submitted to Council by the International Laws Committee.
Council
may approve changes, if satisfied that there has been adequate
opportunity for members to comment on them, without the need for
explicit publication of the proposals in The
Croquet Gazette and a
confirmatory second vote on them.
Power to issue Rulings and
Commentary on the Laws effective in the domain given to the
International Laws Committee in addition to the power given to a
member of Council appointed for that purpose.
[On 19 January 2008 Council
decided to adopt the Rules of Golf Croquet drafted by the WCF Golf
Croquet Rules Committee and publish them with its own rulings.] |
|
24 Jan 2009 |
Chairmen
of non-Principal Committees to be elected by Council rather than
the Committee itself. |
|
23 Jan 2010 |
Full
results of elections to Council to be published. |
|
27 Mar 2010 |
Committee
chairmen must be members of Council but need not be "currently
elected". [This allows the President, Vice-Presidents, the Hon
Secretary and the Hon Treasurer to chair committees.] |
|
22 Jan 2011 |
Minutes, reports and agreed policy documents of Council and its committees to be published to Associates on the website, normally within four weeks of the meeting. Management Accounts and Budget also to be published. |
|
22 Jan 2011 |
Conflict of Interest Policy for relations with WCF approved. |
|
22 Jan 2011 |
Committee Chairmen to report significant decisions to Hon. Secretary each June. |
|
19 Mar 2016 |
Tournament committees do not have the power to impose sanctions on a player, only to refer the case to a disciplinary panel. |
|
21 Oct 2017 |
Committee chairmen no longer need to be members of Council. Chairmen of Principal Committees no longer sit on Management Committee. Additional member of Executive Committee drawn from Council rather than Management Committee. |
|
30 Mar 2019 |
SGM agreed changes to the Constitution to reduce the size of Council and confine its role to high-level policy, strategic initiatives, scrutiny and transparency, with a separate Executive Board. |
|
19 Oct 2019 |
New Council, consisting of 12 voting members, with President, Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer and Chairman of the Executive Board as non-voting members, took over from larger one. It defined its top-level policy as “to get more people, playing more croquet in more places by promoting , developing and administering the sport.” |
| 2. President |
|
2 Mar 1933 |
Report
of ad hoc committee on office of President stated that founders of
the CA intended Presidents to occupy an independent position at
General Meetings to hold the balance between Council and
Associates. |
|
23 Jan 2010 |
President
to be elected by single ballot with both individuals and clubs
having one vote. |
|
23 Jan 2010 |
Council
has power to grant expenses for overseas travel by the President. |
|
Various |
On
their retirement Past Presidents are invited to attend Council
Meetings in accordance with Standing Order 15. |
| 3. The Office |
|
29 Mar 2008 |
Changes
approved to implement restructuring to replace CA Secretary by CA
Manager with responsibility for membership services, the shop and
publicity, and an Honorary Secretary, with responsibility for
servicing Council and its Committees. |
|
16 Oct 2010 |
Archiving Policy adopted |
| 4. Membership |
|
6
Mar 1976
AGM 1976 |
Power
given to Council to increase CA individual subscriptions (by not
more than 50%) without prior reference to AGM or SGM. |
|
13
Mar 1982
3 Apr 1982 |
Only
Associates are entitled to attend Club or Delegate conferences. |
|
17 Jul 1993 |
Increases
in Club Registration Fee after 1995 to be limited to the rate of
inflation unless approved in General Meeting. |
|
25 Mar 2000 |
Reciprocal
playing rights not to be offered to members of the Scottish or
Irish C A. [This decision has been superseded by a WCF rule
guaranteeing reciprocity of playing rights between all Member
Associations of the WCF, which was incorporated into the Constitution at the 2013 AGM.] |
|
18 Oct 2014 |
Federations to become eligible for membership of the CA and be directly represented on Council from the date of the 2015 AGM.
|
|
28 Mar 2015
21 Oct 2017 |
Increases in per-capita club subscriptions of up to £1 above inflation per year permitted for the next five years. Members of Member Clubs to become eligible for membership of the CA from a date to be determined by Council no later than 1st January 2020. Implemented 1st January, 2018.
|
|
23 Jan 2016 |
General Meetings Working Party reported. Its recommendation that binding votes should not be taken at general meetings, but in postal/electronic votes afterward, was accepted in principle.
|
|
1 Jan 2018 |
Standard Membership offered to members of Full Member Clubs. Tournament membership renamed Premium, and Non-Playing renamed Supporter. Additional daily levy of £5 introduced for Standard members; Premium members get priority entry to tournaments.
|
|
10 Aug 2020 |
Priority entry for Premium Members withdrawn from 1 Jan 2021.
|
| 5. Finance |
|
14 Oct 2000 |
Annual
budgets should be on a break-even basis with reserves invested so
as to maintain their real value allowing for inflation. |
|
14 Dec 2002 |
Benefactors
Book. Unless anonymity had been requested, the names of donors of
gifts and bequests to the CA to the value of £1000 or more, or of
those deemed by Council to have rendered service to an equivalent
value, should be inscribed in the Benefactors Book. Only those
names entered into the Benefactors Book within the previous 25
years should be read at the Annual General Meeting. |
|
15 Oct 2011 |
Arrangements for banking signatories changed. |
|
28 Jan 2012 |
Reserves strategy agreed. |
|
28 Jan 2012 |
Fraud insurance agreed, but this was reversed 23 Mar 2013. |
|
24 Mar 2012
19 Mar 2016 |
Budgetary and expenditure authorisation procedures agreed. |
| 6. Development |
|
14 Dec 2002 |
Federations
can use approved grants from the CA to fund small capital projects
up to a limit of £150 per club per annum. The Development
Committee may authorise grants over £150 up to a limit of £1000 [raised to £2000 in January 2017].
Applications for grants over that amount will be handled by a Major
Grants Committee consisting of the Chairman of the Management
Committee, the Chairman of the Development Committee and the
Treasurer. |
|
25 Mar 2006 |
Grants
and/or loans totalling £5K or more to be approved by Management
Committee. |
|
26 Mar 2011 |
Grant Poicy for 4-lawn clubs adopted. |
|
25 Jan 2014 |
Loans to clubs will no longer require individual guarantors, but the total outstanding is to be limited to £15K.
|
|
28 Jan 2017 |
National Development Officer post approved for two years.
|
| 7. CA Awards |
|
2 Mar 1985 |
Criteria
for election of Honorary Associates: membership will be awarded to
those who have rendered exceptional services, normally on a
national basis and in one or more of the official posts recognised
by the CA. |
|
11 Dec 1999 |
Townsend
Award to be open to clubs of any age but with 2 courts or less and
Apps-Heley Award to be open only to clubs with 3 or 4 courts; both
to be awarded in alternate years.
Millennium Award to be awarded in alternate years for clubs with 5 courts or
more. |
|
11 Dec 1999 |
CA
Diplomas instituted for those who have made a very significant
contribution to croquet by helping at club level. |
|
14 Oct 2006 |
Executive
Committee to consider candidates for major awards annually. |
|
27 Mar 2010 |
Criteria
for award of Council Medal and Diplomas widened: Council Medal is
now awarded for distinguished service to croquet and Diplomas can
include services to Federations as well as clubs. |
|
25 Jan 2014 |
Members of Council not to receive long service award, but those with more than 12 years service to be commended in The Gazette.
|
|
21 Oct 2017 |
Revised awards policy adopted.
|
|
16 May 2020 |
Bernard Neal Award for Exceptional Services to Croquet instigated, to sit between Council Medal and Diplomas.
|
| 8. Tournaments |
|
18 Dec 1988 |
Fees
for non-playing managers for Opens (Association Croquet),
President's Cup and Men’s and Women’s Championships approved
(in addition to traditional payment of specific expenses such as
lunches and travel). |
|
9 Dec 1989 |
No
entry for any CA event to be accepted until fee paid. |
|
8 Dec 1990 |
No
prize money in CA Tournaments. |
|
23 Oct 1993 |
Acceptance
of entry fee only by Tournament Secretary. |
|
6 Dec 1997 |
Late
entries to CA sponsored tournaments may be accepted at the
discretion of the manager on payment of a 50% surcharge. |
|
14 Dec 2002 |
Practice
before start of play permitted unless forbidden by the Manager. |
|
24 Jan 2009 |
It
is not in the interests of croquet to join WADA or to perform drug
tests. |
|
25 Mar 2017 |
CA Events not to clash with AC and GC Opens.
|
|
20 Oct 2019 |
Higher rate of Lawn and Ball Hire introduced for large events.
|
| Selection Events |
|
25 Feb 1976 |
Holders
of Chairman's Salver and Surrey Cup (Spencer Ell Cup) have right
to defend their titles unless selected for a higher event. [This was subsequently superseded by the CA's Selection Policy.] |
|
17 Oct 2009 |
Acceptance
of promotion to a higher Eight after selection announced is not
mandatory. |
| 9. Handicaps |
|
20 Mar 1999 |
Initial
handicap test to be mandatory for novices before entry to first
tournament. |
|
20 Mar 1999 |
Maximum
handicap to be 20 for both Doubles and Singles in CA Association
Croquet events. |
|
25 Mar 2000 |
Club
handicappers to have discretion to set or alter handicaps above 8
for Association Croquet. |
|
24 Mar 2001 |
14-point
Association Croquet games to be included in the Automatic
Handicapping System with a 5-point index change. |
| 10. Trophies |
|
16 Nov 1974 |
CA
Selection Events. In the event of a tie, only the name of the
winner of the play-off to be engraved on the trophy. |
|
22 Apr 1989 |
AELT&C
Club presented silver Wimbledon Bowl to the CA for the World
Croquet Championship. |
|
8 Dec 1990 |
Cost
of engraving CA trophies to be borne by CA. Prize money no longer
to be awarded to winners. |
|
16 Jul 1994 |
CA
trophies must not be taken out of the U K. |
|
23 Mar 1996 |
Terms
of loan of the Wimbledon Bowl to WCF confirmed in a Memorandum of
Understanding. |
|
24 Mar 2007 |
Beddow
Cup donated to the CA as a trophy for the Association Croquet
Inter-Club competition (though to be retained by the CA). |
|
Various |
See full Synopsis for
decisions about ownership of trophies loaned or donated to clubs |
| 11. Sponsorship |
|
17 Dec 2005 |
Clubs
offering to host events should indicate if they are willing to try
to obtain sponsorship. They can keep two-thirds of any surplus.
Budgets for sponsored events may include provision for paying
direct expenses of players. |
| 12. Magazine |
|
19 Oct 1985 |
Name
Croquet Gazette
again changed to
Croquet.
(Note: the magazine was called The
Croquet Gazette
from its inception in 1904 until 1954 when the new style magazine
was entitled Croquet.
A reversion to the old title took place in 1970.) |
|
17 Jul 1993 |
Croquet
is the official magazine of the CA but opinions expressed in it
are not necessarily those of Council. |
|
9 Dec 1995 |
Name
changed back to The Croquet Gazette following a poll of
readers. |
|
23 Jan 2016 |
The Croquet Gazette is no longer to be a journal of record. |
| 13. International |
|
18 Oct 1986 |
Solomon
Trophy for annual or bi-annual matches between GB and USA under
Association Croquet Rules to impose no financial obligation on the
CA. |
|
21 Mar 1992 |
Cost of entertaining official teams invited by Council is a proper expense of the CA. |
|
15 Dec 2001 |
Budget
to be established to enable better hospitality to be offered to
teams from other countries taking part in International matches. |
|
23 Mar 2002 |
International
Fund may be used to assist players with their expenses in needy
cases. |
|
24 Jan 2009 |
Support
for WCF re-affirmed: CA seeks to work with other national
associations and the WCF to increase the effectiveness of the WCF
Council, the accountability of its Management Committee and
confidence in the WCF’s processes and procedures.
International
Committee to organize the hosting of a reasonable share of the
Championships held by the WCF, subject to the Management Committee
agreeing a budget on each occasion. |
|
24 Jan 2009
22 Jan 2011 |
Bursary
scheme, primarily for Student Members, established for a trial period of
two years [and subsequently continued]. |
|
22 Jan 2011 |
Agreement to be sought for WCF to take over MacRobertson Shield subject to supermajority approval by 4-GB of changes to its regulations. |
|
22 Jan 2011 |
CA team in MacRobertson Shield to represent England rather than GB in future. Solomon Trophy and Maugham Salver to remain as GB. Northern Irish players to play for Ireland not GB nor England. |
|
24 Mar 2012 |
Payment of travel and accommodation expenses for GC World Team Championship players agreed on same basis as for MacRobertson Shield. Grants towards travel expenses for other international team members agreed. |
|
23 Mar 2013
19 Oct 2013 |
Proposed to restrict Domain to England, but allow co-operation with other Associations within a Home Area by agreement. |
|
23 Jan 2013 |
Precedent confirmed that players who are borderline for selection cannot be a member of the Mac selection committee.
|
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