Our Constitution

Revised for 8 October 2024

1. NAME

The Association shall be called the National Passenger Transport Sports Association.

2. OBJECTS

The Objects of the Association shall be to govern, promote, encourage and co-ordinate sport and recreation amongst member organisations throughout the United Kingdom.

3. MEMBERSHIP

(a) Membership of the Association shall consist of individual Sports Competitions constituted in accordance with paragraphs 10 (a) to 10 (g) and 13 (a) to 13 (l) below.

4. SUBSCRIPTIONS

The Annual Subscription for membership of the Association shall be determined at the AGM of the Association.

5. MANAGEMENT

(a) The overall management of the Association shall be vested in a Central Committee consisting of Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, and Vice Chairperson, at least three of whom shall be employees or former employees of a passenger transport organisation.

(b) Members of Central Committee shall serve for a period of three years, a proportion of whom shall retire annually and would be eligible for re-election at the Association Annual General Meeting.

(c) Central Committee may, at its discretion, fill any vacancy which may occur, and such appointment shall hold good until the following Annual General Meeting.

(d) Central Committee may, at its discretion, co-opt additional members, and such appointments shall hold good until ratified or otherwise at the following Annual General Meeting.

(e) Central Committee shall be empowered to arbitrate on any question of interpretation of rules or eligibility of any person, group or organisation participating in any Sports Competition. Central Committee’s decision in these cases shall be binding upon all parties.

6. ASSOCIATION – GENERAL

(a) In pursuance of its objectives, Central Committee shall take all appropriate steps to secure sponsorship.

(b) Central Committee shall maintain a website and other appropriate social media to promote the activities of the Sports Competitions, and shall appoint a Website and Social Media Administrator for this purpose, with the appointee being confirmed by the Association Annual General Meeting.

(c) Central Committee shall be empowered to take appropriate disciplinary action in the event of misconduct by any member.

(d) All officers of Central Committee, including the Website and Social Media Administrator, shall be entitled to attend any meeting called by a Sports Competition but shall not be entitled to vote thereat.

(f) A Sports Competition in membership or the Association Management Committee may submit to the Association Annual General Meeting nominations for Life Membership of the Association in respect of any member who has, in their opinion, given valued service to the Association. Such Life Members shall be entitled to attend any meeting of the Association but shall not be permitted to vote thereat.

7. ASSOCIATION ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

(a) The Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be held within 120 days of the end of the financial year on 31 December, at such time and place as is approved by the previous Annual General Meeting.

(b) The business of the Annual General Meeting shall be:

(i) To receive reports from the Association Chairperson and Association Secretary.
(ii) To receive an audited statement of Accounts, audited Balance Sheet and Treasurer’s Report duly prepared by the Association Treasurer.
(iii) To appoint an Independent Financial Examiner.
(iv) To approve honoraria payments for Association Officers if deemed appropriate.
(v) To consider any Notice of Motion from a member Sports Competition submitted duly proposed and seconded in writing to the Secretary not less than 14 (fourteen) days prior to the date of the Annual General Meeting.
(vi) To approve the date and location of the following Annual General Meeting.

(i) One vote per Sports Competition present.
(ii) One vote per member of Central Committee.
(iii) The Association Chairperson or his nominated representative shall have the casting vote in the event of a deadlock.

(d) At an Annual General Meeting, three Sports Competitions in membership and present shall form a quorum.

(e) Decisions by a simple majority, or by a two-thirds majority in the case of amendments to the Constitution, at an Annual General Meeting shall be deemed to be decisions of the Association, shall be binding on all members, and cannot be revoked except at a succeeding Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting.

8. ASSOCIATION GENERAL MEETINGS

(a) The Central Committee shall call a General Meeting with its member Sports Competitions at least once per year to receive reports from each Sports Competition and to agree agenda items for the Association Annual General Meeting.

(b) An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called by Central Committee on its own authority, or upon receiving a requisition signed by a minimum of two member Sports Competitions stating the business to be transacted at the requested meeting.

(c) The Secretary shall give a minimum of 14 (fourteen) days’ notice of the Extraordinary General Meeting to every Sports Competition, giving date, time, venue and subject matter to be discussed.

(d) No other business shall be transacted at an Extraordinary General Meeting other than that specified in the Notice of the Meeting.

(e) The conduct of a General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be the same as that laid down in paragraph 7 for an Annual General Meeting, except that in the case of an Extraordinary General Meeting a majority of two thirds of the voting members present shall be required to carry any motion.

9. ASSOCIATION – FINANCIAL

(a) The Financial Year of the Association shall end on 31st December each year.

(b) The Treasurer shall be accountable for the keeping of records of all monies received and paid by him/her on behalf of the Association.

(d) Payment for work executed, goods or articles supplied, and grants and donations shall be paid by electronic means or by cheque signed by the Treasurer and counter-signed by one of the two officers appointed by Central Committee for this purpose.

10. SPORTS COMPETITIONS – MANAGEMENT

(a) The management of each Sports Competition shall be vested in a Management Committee comprising of:

(i) President
(ii) Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer
(iii) A maximum of three representatives of each organisation which is in membership of the Sports Competition.

(b) The positions of Secretary and Treasurer may be combined with the approval of the Competition Management Committee.

(c) All members of the Management Committee shall be elected at the Competition Annual General Meeting to serve for a period of three years, a proportion of whom shall retire annually and be eligible for re-election.

(d) At all meetings of the Competition Management Committee, 10% of organisations in membership shall form a quorum.

(e) The Chairperson of each Sports Competition shall be responsible for the proper management of that Competition in accordance with the Constitution and the rules of any relevant National sporting body.

(f) Nominations for election to a Management Committee shall be accepted at the Competition Annual General Meeting. Retiring officers and members shall submit in writing to the Competition Secretary their intention to resign or stand for re-election at least 14 (fourteen) days prior to the Competition Annual General Meeting.

(g) Any vacancy which may occur on a Management Committee may be filled at the discretion of the Management Committee, and such appointment(s) will hold good until the following Competition Annual General Meeting.

11. SPORTS COMPETITIONS – ADMINISTRATION

(a) No Sports Competition shall be formed unless it has the approval of The Association.

(b) Individual Competition member organisations, including garages, may join together for the sole purpose of entering a particular Sports Competition providing all group members are in membership of the Competition.

(c) The Secretary of each Sports Competition shall keep a record of all organisations and individuals in membership and shall actively seek new members and sponsorship.

(d) The Secretary of each Sports Competition shall be responsible for producing minutes of each meeting which shall reflect all matters discussed and all matters approved at that meeting. Such minutes to be submitted to the subsequent meeting for approval.

(e) The Secretary of each Sports Competition shall be responsible for submitting to the Association Secretary no later than 31st January each year, minutes of the Competition Management Committee, minutes of the Competition Annual General Meeting, an audited copy of the Competition’s Annual Accounts, Competition Results and an Annual Report.

(f) Any application for grant or loan must be made in writing to the Association Secretary. Such application shall include an audited copy of the previous year’s balance sheet.

(g) The Competition Treasurer shall be accountable to the Competition Management Committee for the keeping of records of all monies received and paid by him/her on behalf of the Competition and shall present all Bank Statements to the Competition Management Committee on a regular basis as determined by the Committee.

(h) All cheques issued by the Competition Treasurer shall be in respect of expenditure authorised by the Competition Management Committee and shall be counter-signed by one of two officers appointed for this purpose by the Competition Management Committee.

(i) A Competition Management Committee may submit to its Annual General Meeting nominations for Life Vice Presidencies of that particular Competition in respect of any member who has in their opinion given valued service to that Sports Competition. Such Competition Life Vice Presidents shall be entitled to attend any meeting of the respective Competition but shall not be permitted to vote.

12. SPORTS COMPETITIONS – ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS

(a) The Annual General Meeting of each Sports Competition shall be held within 120 days of the end of the financial year on 31st December.

(b) The business of the Competition Annual General Meeting shall be:

(i) To receive and approve the Minutes of the previous year’s Competition Annual General Meeting.
(ii) To receive Reports from the Competition Chairperson and Competition Secretary.
(iii) To receive an audited Statement of Accounts and audited Balance Sheet.
(iv) To elect members to those positions on the Competition Management Committee made vacant under the provisions of paragraph 10 (c).
(v) To determine the subscription which shall be paid by member organisations for the following year.
(vi) To approve honoraria payments to officers of the Competition Management Committee if considered appropriate.
(vii) To consider any Notice of Motion from a member organisation submitted, duly proposed and seconded, in writing to the Competition Secretary not less than 14 (fourteen) days prior to the date of the Competition Annual General Meeting.
(viii) To adopt any change of rules of the Sports Competition.
(ix) To review the previous year’s events and approve the programme for the following year.

(i) One vote per organisation in membership of the specific Competition.
(ii) The Competition Chairperson or his nominated representative shall have the casting vote in the event of a deadlock.

(d) Decisions by a simple majority at a Competition Annual General Meeting shall be deemed to be decisions of the Sports Competition, shall be binding on all members of that Competition, and cannot be revoked except at a succeeding Competition Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting.

13. SPORTS COMPETITIONS – ELIGIBILITY

(a) 50% of competitors in a Sports Competition must be members of passenger transport organisations which are in membership of that Competition subject to any modification by clauses 13 (j), (k) and (l) below, or

(b) Individuals who have joined the Sports Competition as Individual Members, or

(c) Retired employees, and employees retired through ill health, who are in receipt of a pension or superannuation benefits from an organisation which is in membership, or

(d) Retired and Discharged employees for medical reasons who are not in receipt of a pension or superannuation benefits from an organisation which is in membership, provided they are in receipt of incapacity benefit or an appropriate state medical benefit, or

(e) Part-time employees whose only employment is with an organisation which is in membership, or

(f) Seasonal employees with an organisation which is in membership who are eligible for their period of contract only, or

(g) Employees who work for a minimum of 16 (sixteen) hours per week for a social or recreational club being part of an organisation which is in membership, or

(h) Spouses/partners of categories 13 (a) to 13 (g) above who are only eligible to participate in the same Sports Competition as their spouse/partner, subject to the approval of the relevant Competition Management Committee, or

(i) Spouses/partners of categories 13 (a) to 13 (g) above who are allowed to continue to participate in the Sports Competition for which they are qualified under paragraph 13 (h) after the death of their spouse/partner provided that they have previously taken part in that Competition.

(j) Individual Competitions, by resolution passed at a Competition General Meeting, may reduce the level of compliance with clause 13 (a) to any specified percentage between 50% and 10% of competitors who shall be passenger transport employees.

(k) Individual Competitions, by resolution passed at a Competition General Meeting, may increase the level of compliance with clause 13 (a) to any specified percentage between 50% and 100% of competitors who shall be passenger transport employees.

(l) Individual Competitions, by resolution passed at a Competition General Meeting, may define the participants to be included in the non-compliant percentage agreed under paragraphs 13 (j) or 13 (k) so as to apply only to specific categories including, by example but not limited to, blood relatives of eligible participants and employees of contractors working solely for Member organisations.

14. ALTERATION TO THE CONSTITUTION

No new rules shall be made, nor any of the rules herein shall be amended, altered, or rescinded without the consent of a two-thirds majority of eligible voters present at an Association General Meeting.

15. WINDING UP OF THE ASSOCIATION OR A SPORTS COMPETITION

(a) If at any Annual General Meeting a resolution for the dissolution of The Association or of a Sports Competition shall be passed by a majority of the member Sports Competitions present, an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be called not less than one month thereafter at which not less than two-thirds of the member Sports Competitions shall be present in person or by proxy received by the Secretary not less than 24 hours before the date of such an Extraordinary General Meeting.

(b) In the case of the Association, should the resolution be passed by a majority of two-thirds of the member Sports Competitions present or by proxy, Central Committee shall thereupon proceed to realise the assets of The Association. After the discharge of all liabilities, any balance shall be equally divided between the Sports Competitions still in being.

(c) In the case of a Sports Competition, should the resolution be passed by a majority of two-thirds of the member Sports Competitions present or by proxy, the Competition Management Committee shall thereupon proceed to realise the assets of the Competition. After the discharge of all liabilities, any finance, trophies and property held by the Competition shall become the property of the National Passenger Transport Sports Association.

16. APPROVAL

This Constitution was approved by the Association Annual General Meeting on ___________________________