PNA Constitution
1. Title of Association
1.1. The Association shall be known as the “Portsmouth Netball Association” (hereinafter referred to as PNA), and each member of the PNA (players, coaches, officials) shall have membership to England Netball, South Netball and Hampshire Netball. The PNA is formed as a voluntary body for the amateur sport of netball in Portsmouth and the local area. The responsibility for transactions of PNA shall be invested in the elected committee.
2. Objectives
2.1 The objectives of PNA shall be to plan and help in the growth and development of netball; uphold a high standard of conduct and integrity and to promote a sense of fair and excellent play within the league and all PNA competitions.
3. Member Rights and Obligations
3.1 Any registered member may participate in any league or competition run by PNA, stand for election provided the terms of entry are complied with and providing there are no current or outstanding PNA disciplinary sanctions against the member.
4. PNA Committee
4.1 The officers of the PNA (Hereinafter referred to as the committee) will be registered participants of PNA and they will be elected annually. To help ensure that the committee remains impartial in its duty of care, a maximum of two members from any registered PNA team will be allowed to serve on the committee at the same time. The voting roles within the committee are:
4.1.1 Chairperson (non-voting member unless a deciding vote is required)
4.1.2 Vice Chairperson
4.1.3 Secretary
4.1.4 Umpiring Secretary
4.1.5 League Secretary
4.1.6 Tournament Secretary
4.1.7 Registration Secretary
4.1.8 Treasurer
4.1.9 Coaching Secretary
5. Non-voting Co-Opted Members
5.1 At the discretion of the committee additional PNA members may be requested to assist the committee with specific tasks to help with the running of the PNA; these members will have no voting rights.
6. Committee Meetings
6.1 The committee shall meet at the discretion of the Chairperson or as agreed by the majority of committee members. These meetings are to discuss any matters, issues, appeals and concerns raised by PNA members.
7. PNA Meetings
7.1 The Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall be held in July and the date will be communicated to its members. The objective of the AGM is:
7.1.1 To elect committee members;
7.1.2 Receive a statement of the PNA accounts;
7.1.3 Consider proposed constitutional amendments.
7.2 Procedures for the AGM
7.2.1 Nominations, which must be proposed by a PNA member, to stand for a committee position and proposals for rule amendments need to be submitted to the PNA secretary in writing no later than 28 days prior to the AGM. Later proposals will not be considered.
7.2.2 If there is more than one nominee for a position an election will be held at the AGM.
7.2.3 Existing committee members wishing to stand for re-election in their role must inform the PNA secretary 28 days prior to the AGM but do not need to submit a nomination form. Committee members who do not want to stand for re-election must inform the PNA secretary in writing 28 days prior to the AGM.
7.2.4 Each registered team is allowed to have 2 representatives present who are both permitted a vote on resolutions providing they have current membership with England Netball. Failure of a team to have at least 1 member present at the AGM will result in a fine of £50.
7.3 Extraordinary General Meetings (EGM) may be convened at any time on 21 days’ notice to the Chairperson.
7.4 A written request from 6 or more registered team captains, stating the purpose for the meeting and setting out any proposed resolution must be sent to the PNA Secretary.
7.5 Ordinary General Meetings may be called at the Chairperson’s discretion if there are items of interest that need to be disseminated to members. Dates for the meetings will be promulgated by the PNA Secretary.
7.6 Teams that fail to attend a non AGM meeting will incur a 5 point deduction.
8. Disciplinary Powers, Procedures and Appeals
8.1 Each member of the PNA shall be obliged to conduct her/himself in an appropriate manner whilst participating in any league, competition, course or event run or organized by PNA. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action and will be documented on the team file.
8.2 Unsportsmanlike behaviour includes but is not limited to swearing, verbal/ racial/ physical abuse, sexual harassment and/ or threatening behaviour, dissent to umpires. Codes of conduct forms are available on the PNA website. Anyone found to be contravening this will be subject to a warning letter through to immediate suspension from the league pending a disciplinary hearing.
8.3 Where matters of discipline need to be addressed, the committee has the power to appoint:
8.3.1 An Investigative committee; this will have 2 members from the PNA committee.
8.3.2 A Disciplinary committee; this will have 2 members from the PNA committee and 2 independent members from the PNA league.
8.3.3 An Appeal committee; this will have 2 members from the PNA committee and 1 independent member from the PNA league who have not served on either the Investigative committee or the Disciplinary committee concerned with the subject of any appeal.
8.4 The decision of the Appeal Committee shall be final and binding on all parties and on all members of PNA.
8.5 When any facts or matters are brought to the attention of the PNA secretary, indication that a member has become liable to a disciplinary action, it shall be the duty of the Secretary to lay the complaint before the Investigative Committee.
8.6 All discussions and all paperwork relating to any disciplinary incidents shall be treated in a strictly confidential manner by all parties.
9. Accumulation of Penalty Points
9.1 A team that has, through non-compliance with the PNA Rules and Bye-Laws, accumulated 15 or more penalty points will incur the following additional penalties
9.1.1 15 points – £25 fine
9.1.2 20 points – £50 fine
9.1.3 25 points – £100 fine and suspension from the PNA league as imposed by the PNA Committee
10. Finance and Accounts
10.1 All monies of the PNA shall be banked by the Treasurer in the name of PNA at a bank/ building society approved by PNA and all expenses incurred of behalf of the PNA must be authorized.
10.2 The PNA financial years starts on 1 April and the accounts must be audited on an annual basis by a recognized auditor who has no other business with PNA.
10.3 The treasurer will advise teams on court fees prior to the start of the season and all debts to England Netball and/or the PNA must be cleared before a team member is permitted to participate in any PNA activities.
10.4 Teams with outstanding fees will not be allowed to enter the PNA league. Additionally, failure to pay outstanding fees will incur an additional £5.00 per week charge until the debt is cleared. Players registered for a team that has a debt will not be allowed to join another team until their portion of the debt is cleared.
11. Payment of an Honorarium to PNA Committee Members
11.1 A seasonal honorarium payment of £500 is to be divided between the committee members who carry out administrative tasks. The Honorarium payment is in appreciation of the voluntary work carried out by the committee on behalf of all PNA players.
12. Liabilities
12.1 PNA accepts no responsibility or liability for any losses or accidents sustained before, during, or after, or as a result of any occurrence at any fixtures arranged by the association.
13. PNA Indemnity
13.1 Any member of the committee shall be indemnified by the PNA against all costs and losses which may be incurred or sustained in relation to the execution of duties performed for or with the authority of the committee.
14. Dissolution of the PNA
14.1 In the event of winding up or the dissolution of the PNA, the remaining funds after the settlement of all debts, will be equally split between all current registered teams that have been playing in the PNA for 2 consecutive years or more.