RULE 4 – MANAGEMENT, NOMINATION, ELECTION

4(A) The Competition shall be governed in accordance with the Rules and Regulations of The Football Association by a Management Committee comprising of the Officers and at least 3 members who shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting. All participants shall abide by The Football Association regulations for Safeguarding Children as determined by The Football Association from time to time.

4(B) Retiring Officers shall be eligible to become candidates for re-election without nomination. All other candidates for election as Officers or members of the Management Committee shall be nominated to the Secretary in writing, signed by the Secretaries of 2 member clubs, not later than 30th April in each year. Names of the candidates for election shall be circulated with the Notice of the Annual General Meeting. In the event of there being no nomination in accordance with the foregoing for any office, nominations may be received at the Annual General Meeting.

4(C) The Management Committee shall meet monthly to deal with business as it arises.

On receiving a requisition signed by two-thirds of the Management Committee the Secretary shall convene a meeting of the Committee.

4(D) Except where otherwise mentioned all communications shall be addressed to the Secretary who shall conduct the correspondence of the Competition and keep a record of the proceedings. 

4(E) All communications received from the clubs must be conducted through the nominated Officers.  

RULE 5 – POWER OF MANAGEMENT

5(A) The Management Committee appoint sub-committees and delegates such of their power as they deem necessary. The decisions of the sub-committees shall be reported back to the Management Committee for ratification. The Management Committee Shall have the power to deal only with the matters within the Competition and not for any matters of misconduct that are under the jurisdiction of The Football Association or affiliated Association.

5(B) Subject to the permission of the Bedfordshire County Football Association having being obtained the Management Committee may order a match or matches to be played each season, the proceeds to be devoted to the funds of the Competition, and if necessary, may call upon each club (including any club which may have withdrawn during the season) to contribute equally such funds as may deem necessary to meet the deficiency at the end of the season. [See Rule 6(E).]

5(C) Each member of the Management Committee shall have the right to attend and vote at all Management Committee meetings and have 1 vote thereat, but no member shall be allowed to vote on any matters directly appertaining to such member or the club so represented, or where there may be a conflict of interest. (This shall only apply to the procedure of any sub-committee.)

In the event of a vote being equal on ant matter the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.

5(D) The Management Committee shall have the powers to apply, act upon and enforce the Rules of the Competition and shall also have the jurisdiction over all matters affecting the Competition, including any not provided for in the Rules.

With the exception of Rules 5(I), 6(H), 10(A), 11 and 19 for any breaches of Rule a formal written charge must be issued. The respondent shall be given 7 days from the date of the notice to reply to the charge and given the opportunity to:

(i) Accept or deny the charge, (ii) Submit in writing a case of mitigation, or (iii) Put their case before the Management Committee.

With the exception of clubs playing at Step 7 of the football pyramid the maximum fine for a breach of a Competition rule is £250 and, when setting the fine, the Competition must ensure that the penalty is proportional to the offence, taking into account any mitigating circumstances. 

5(E) All decisions of the Management Committee shall be binding, subject to the right to appeal in accordance with Rule 16.

Decisions of the Management Committee must be notified in writing within 14 days.

5(F) 5 members of the Management Committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business of the Management Committee and 3 members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business by any sub-committee of the Competition.

5(G) The Management Committee, as it may deem necessary, shall have the power to fill in any acting capacity any vacancies that may appear among their members.

5(H) A club failing to comply with an order or instruction of the Management Committee, or failing to satisfactorily attend to the business and/or correspondence of the Competition shall be liable to be fined or otherwise penalised at the discretion of the Management Committee.

5(I) Any club failing to do so will be fined a maximum of £50. Further failure to pay the fine including the sum within 14 days will result in fixtures being withdrawn until such time as the outstanding payments are settled.

5(J) A member of the Management Committee appointed by the Competition to attend a meeting or match may have any expenses incurred refunded by the Competition.

5(K) The Management Committee shall have the power to fill any vacancy that may occur in the membership of the Competition between the Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting called to decide the constitution and the commencement of the Competition’s season.

5(L) No participant under 18 can be fined.

5(M) The Council shall meet on the second Wednesday in January at 8.00pm. Clubs will be invited to suggest items for discussion at this meeting by 20th December, and the Management Committee shall draw up an Agenda. A copy of the Agenda and Notice of Meeting shall be forwarded to each club at least 7 days prior to the meeting.

5(N) The business of the Competition as determined by the Management Committee may be transacted by e-mail or facsimile.

RULE 6 – ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

6(A) The Annual General Meeting shall be held no later than 30th June each year. At this meeting the following business shall be transacted providing that at least 15 members are present and entitled to vote:

(i) To receive and confirm the Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting.

(ii) To consider any business to arrive there from.

(iii) To receive and adopt the Annual Report, Balance Sheet and Statement of Accounts.

(iv) Election of Club(s) to fill vacancies (as recommended by the Management Committee).

(v) Constitution of the Competition for the ensuing season.

(vi) Election of Officers and Management Committee.

(vii) Appointment of Auditors.

(viii) Alteration to Rules, if any (of which notice has been given).

(ix) Fix the date for the commencement and conclusion of the playing season and kick-off times applicable to the Competition.

(x) Other business of which notice shall be given and accepted as being relevant to the Annual General Meeting.

6(B) A copy of the duly audited Balance Sheet and Statement of Accounts shall be forwarded to each club at least 14 days prior to the Meeting, and to the Bedfordshire County Football Association.

6(C) Each full member club shall be empowered to send 2 delegates to the Annual General Meeting. Each club shall be entitled to 1 vote only. No less than 7 days notice shall be given of any Meeting.

6(D) Clubs who have withdrawn their membership of the Competition during the season being concluded, or who are not continuing their membership, shall be entitled to attend but shall vote only on matters relating to the season being concluded. This provision will not apply to clubs expelled in accordance with Rule 17.  

6(E) All voting shall be conducted by a show of voting cards unless a ballot be demanded by at least one-third of the delegates qualified to vote or the Chairman so decides.

6(F) No individual shall be entitled to vote on behalf of more than 1 full member club.  

6(G) Any continuing full member club failing to be represented at the Annual General Meeting and Half-Yearly Meeting without satisfactory reason being given shall be fined £10, failure to be represented at 3 consecutive meetings without satisfactory reason being given shall be further dealt with as the Management Committee shall determine.