Club Governance is the responsibility of the committee but what is a committee and what are their roles?
A group of people appointed by your club to manage the operations of your club
Constitution / club rules
Your club constitution is the backbone of the rules and guidelines set for the daily and long-term running of your club.
It details the name, objects, methods of management, and other conditions your club operates under.
All incorporated groups must have a constitution or set of rules which comply with and meet the basic legal requirements of the Associations Incorporation Act 2015.
Once adopted, any alterations must be made via a special general meeting and resolution, and application to the Department of Mines, Industry Regulations, and Safety – Consumer Protection.
For help developing your constitution visit developing your constitution
Model rules
The Model Rules are a standard set of rules that have been developed for use by associations who do not wish to develop their own rules or constitution.
- These rules meet all the requirements of the Act and provide a suitable governance framework for an incorporated association.
- Many clubs use or base their constitutions on these Model Rules.
- Once you have made a change to the Model Rules, it becomes your Constitution.
To complement or supplement the Constitution, your club may also have a set of:
By-laws or regulations
- Sit beneath the constitution
- Must not contradict the constitution
- Are not law and can be changed by the committee as per constitution instructions
- May include finer details of club management policies.
Game or competition rules
- Sit beneath the constitution and the by-laws
- Must not contradict the by-laws or constitution
- Can be changed to suit the season, age group, special needs, adapted games, special competitions, etc. (as per constitution instructions).
- Policies are useful to use as support documents for managing day-to-day issues.
- A Member Protection policy is an important and core document that acts as a backbone and links to various other policies.
- State and National Bodies will have a selection of policies that your club can use or adapt.
The constitution, rules and policies are your friends:
- Get to know them and keep them handy, print them off and post around your Club rooms. Be proud of these rules.
- If you have a question or problem with any aspect of your club management or daily running, check your constitution and by-laws.
For more information on constitution and by-laws see dlgsc.wa.gov.au/sport-and-recreation/every-club-hub
Risk management
Risk management assesses possible risks and creates a response plan to mitigate risks associated with sporting clubs. Clubs need to manage risks and provide protection for their volunteers, members, and participants.
Risk may include; physical (eg. injury prevention), financial (eg. avoiding fraud or monetary loss), sustainability (eg. maintaining membership numbers), or other.
A risk management checklist is paramount for an effective risk management plan and can be applied to all club operations:
- Appoint a risk manager on your committee to oversee all aspects of the risk management process
- Identify key people to be involved in managing risks (i.e. head coach, event manager, treasurer).
5 Steps to risk management:
- Establish the context
- Identify risks
- Assess risks (consequence, likelihood)
- Treat and control risks
- Ongoing monitoring and review (audits, reviews).
For more information on risk management see dlgsc.wa.gov.au/department/publications/publication/risky-business-a-club-guide-to-risk-management
Incorporation
Should your club be incorporated? Being incorporated is voluntary but offers some benefits:
- Members and officers of the association are generally not liable to contribute towards the payment of debts or liabilities of the association.
- Practical support / advice / resources available from the State or National body
- Members can participate in state and national competitions
- The right to own land, open bank accounts, employ staff
- Often a requirement for grants
- Once registered, the name of an incorporated association will be protected and ends with the word “Incorporated” or the abbreviation “Inc”.
Requirements of being incorporated
- Keep accurate records of accounts for reports to members
- Keep accurate records of member registrations and club rules
- Hold an AGM
- Ensure your club constitution is kept up to date
- Follow all the rules on the Associations Incorporations Act 2015
For further information on establishing your club constitution and becoming incorporated see: dlgsc.wa.gov.au/department/publications/publication/establishing-your-club-constitution-and-becoming-incorporated
Registering for an ABN
- It is not compulsory for your club to register for an ABN however it can be useful to have an ABN.
- Clubs that have an annual turnover of $150,000 or more are required to have an ABN
- ABN's help clubs to interact with Government departments, deal with private businesses and apply for grant funding
- Regardless if your club is incorporated or not it can be very useful for tracking transactions help businesses identify your club
- Registering for and ABN is also free!
Roles and responsibilities
The members of the committee are responsible for the running of the club and are bound by the constitution in the actions they take. The constitution is the rules your club is governed by and it is important as a committee to make sure everything you do follows the rules of your constitution. As a committee member it is important to be aware of your specific responsibilities in your role. Each role on the committee is responsible for specific tasks which keeps your club functioning. Each club may have different positions on the committee but there are a few vital positions every club requires. An example of some of the roles and responsibilities are listed below.
President
- Be the leader of your club and set a good example for other to follow
- Advocate for your clubs interests
- Implement plans and strategies to grow your club - volunteers and participation
- Understand the clubs rules, policies and duties of all office bearers
- Works with the Secretary on preparing the agenda
- Starts the meeting and strictly follows the agenda to progresses the meeting
- Ensures that there is a fair discussion on each issue and all points are expressed before the meeting is called to a vote
- The President is there to facilitate the meeting, not to dominate or make decisions on behalf of the committee; they should also look to summarise long debates
- Closes the meeting, reviews and signs off on the final version of the minutes taken.
Vice President
- Assist the President with their role and duties they may not be able to fulfill
- In the event the President cannot attend a committee meeting, act as the chairperson
- Shadow the president in all their roles and responsibilities
- The vice president role is often undertaken by someone considering being President in the future
Secretary
- Prepare the agenda for club meetings in consultation with the President and send out agenda prior to the meeting (at least one week)
- Make arrangements including venue, date, times and hospitality for club meetings
- Collect and collate reports from office bearers
- Call for and receive nominations for committees and other positions for the club AGM
- Take the minutes of meetings and send to those in attendance as soon as possible.
Treasurer
- Prepare financial reports for meetings
- Send reports to the secretary prior to meetings, so they are circulated before the scheduled date
- Make sure financial reports are available and understood at all committee meetings.
- At AGM's they need to supply a financial report for all members
- Needs to have an external party either audit or review the financial reports
- Develop and monitor an annual budget for the club
- Implement appropriate financial controls and policies for the club
Registrar
- Ensure that all players are registered with the club and able to play in the correct competition
- Make sure every player is also registered with the relevant sporting association
- Keeping a record of all registered players
- Completing player transfers to other clubs
- Provide a report of the number of players registered for record keeping and for invoicing
- Ensure any coaching registration requirements are complete
- Keep record of number of games played by each player in your club
Committee Member
- Prepare individual reports for distribution prior to scheduled meeting date
- Discuss motions
- Move motions and second motions
- Discuss “general business”.
- Vote on proposals
Job description forms are an effective way to clearly communicate the key club position roles. More information about committee roles, responsibilities and positions can be found at Club roles.
Committee Meetings
- Most common and frequently held meetings
- Generally only attended by committee members
- Discuss the management and running of the club
- Quorum number often required for the meeting to occur and outcomes to be actioned
Annual General Meetings (AGM)
- Required to occur once a year and should be stated in your constitution
- Must be set and advertised publicly to all club members and volunteers
- Require a quorum to be reached for your AGM to occur, quorum numbers should be in your constitution
- Committee positions must be advertised prior to the AGM and if no nominations are received then it should be opened to the floor at the AGM
- All reports such as presidents and financial reports should be sent out prior to the event and presented at the AGM
- Financial reports are a statutory requirement and depending on annual revenue may require an external review or audit
- AGM's are an opportunity to highlight the achievements of the club and volunteers from the year
- Provides a space for discussion for all members on issues or club activities
- Special or extraordinary meetings may be called as per your clubs constitution, they are open to all club members and deal with specific issues
Are your committee meetings effective?
Here are some tips to ensure your Club runs an effective and efficient meeting:
- Plan! Have a succinct agenda that is completed and sent out prior to the meeting to committee members before the set meeting date
- Meetings should be punctual and also end on time.
- Set time limits for agenda items, allowing the President to wrap up discussions and confirm actions before moving to next agenda item
- Follow the agenda and set action items
- Minutes must be recorded. Keep it simple and stick to the facts.
- The President is there to facilitate the meeting, not to dictate or make decisions on behalf of the committee.
A great resource from Department of Local Government, Sport & Cultural Industries can be found via: https://www.dlgsc.wa.gov.au/sport-and-recreation/every-club-hub/starting-a-new-club
Communicating with your members
Communication is key for the success of your sports club. Open, honest, internal communication with committee members, players and parents, coaches and volunteers is essential to ensuring your club values and mission stated in your constitution is continuously upheld.
Plan your communication
- WHAT is the key message?
- WHO needs to know?
- WHEN do they need to know?
- HOW will you get your message across?
- RESPONSIBILITY who will be delivering the message?
Other tips include:
- Stay committed & communicate with your club throughout the season!
- Ensure your marketing officer has the skills to reach all members – using only one avenue to communicate means you may miss reaching some people
- Ensure your club has a clear social media policy for those who are administrators of your social media channels.
- Be consistent across communication channels