The HISC Constitution

1: Name and Objectives

1.1: The name of the organisation shall be Horsham FC Independent Supporters Club, referred to as HISC.

1.2: The Aims and Objectives of HISC shall be :

1.2.1: To represent the interest of its members. To help promote, develop and support Horsham FC (known thereafter as HFC) within the surrounding community

1.2.2: To arrange and organise Social events for HISC members and non members to be held, where possible at HFC’s Clubhouse.

1.2.3: To take part in other activities as shall be decided by the HISC membership.

1.3: HISC shall act as an independent association, not directly affiliated to HFC or responsible to HFC financially, in policy or otherwise.

1.4: To purchase shares in HFC’s holding company and to use any voting rights associated with the shares in accordance with the wishes of the HISC membership.


2: Membership

2.1: Full Members shall be those people who have paid the appropriate annual membership fee.

2.2: Members under 16 or over 60 at the start of June shall pay a discounted membership fee and shall have full membership rights unless specified in 3.8. The size of the fee shall be decided annually by the HISC General Committee.

2.3: Any member may resign their membership at any time up to one month before the renewal date by writing to the Secretary. No part of the membership fee shall be deemed refundable.

2.4: HISC shall from time to time agree to grant honorary membership to individuals and/or affiliate status to organisations. Such proposals shall be passed in the form of a vote at either an OGM or AGM where a 75% majority shall be required. The secretary of HISC shall keep an updated list. All honorary membership shall be free of charge and shall not confer the right to propose motions or to vote on policy-making decisions. However they shall be entitled to attend all OGMs and AGMs in an observer category.


3: General Meetings

3.1: There shall be an Annual General Meeting (AGM), held on the 1st Tuesday in June.

3.2: There shall be at least two Ordinary General Meetings (OGM) in addition to the AGM.

3.3: Any Full Member may call an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM), by the submission of a notice in writing to the Secretary or to the Chair. In addition to the Proposer, the signatures of at least 20 (twenty) full HISC members must be in support this notice.

3.4: An EGM may only discuss the motion put by the proposer of the EGM.

3.5: An EGM must be held within one calendar month of the receipt of a valid request. Notice must be posted within one full week.

3.6: Notice for meetings (OGM & AGM) shall be at least 1 (one) full month. Members shall be notified in writing/by telephone/by email/by SMS or as the General Committee shall deem appropriate and notice of meetings shall also be posted on the HISC website/in the match programme/in the HISC Newsletter and on the HISC notice board where possible. An agenda shall be issued within 14 (fourteen) days of the meeting and notification (where possible), will be given of any resolutions requiring a vote.

3.7: The quorum for all meetings (OGM, AGM & EGM) shall be 50% of members eligible to vote. In the situation where 50% are not present the meeting will continue, but no motions can be voted on.

3.8: All members shall have the right to vote except i) The Chair of the meeting, ii) Any Junior Members iii) Any member with direct current links to HFC when voting on any financial issues. This would include HFC Committee Members, Directors, Management or Players.

3.9: Non-members or guests at a meeting may have the right to speak, at the discretion of the Chair, but not to vote.

3.10: Voting shall be by show of hands and for motions to succeed 75% of members present and eligible to vote must vote in favour.

3.11: A postal vote in writing and signed by the member may be submitted to the chair, to be received 7 (Seven) days prior to the AGM or OGM, but not for an EGM where a member must be present to vote.

3.12: Any Full Member may submit resolutions, with at least 1 (one) second. The Proposer may withdraw the motion at any time until the Chair has called for a vote, at which time the vote will proceed and the motion may not be withdrawn.

3.13: Resolutions shall be submitted to the Secretary within 14 (fourteen) days of the notice of the meeting. Where resolutions are received late no postal votes will be counted.

3.14: Resolutions submitted late shall be brought under Any Other Business, and may be discussed if there are no objections. If any objection is voiced, a show of hands will decide whether to proceed with the discussion or delay the motion. If the motion is delayed it shall be added as an agenda item for the next meeting (OGM).


4: The General Committee

4.1: The committee shall consist of 3 (three) officers as listed below plus other committee members.

4.1.1: Chair
The Chair shall chair meetings and act as the principal spokesperson for HISC.
The Chair shall also act as returning officer during votes.

4.1.2: Secretary
The Secretary shall deputise for the Chair as necessary.
The Secretary shall organise meetings, book venues and publish agendas and shall keep and report minutes.

4.1.3: Treasurer
The Treasurer shall maintain, in full details, HISC’s financial records. The Treasurer shall report to each General Committee Meeting and Members Meeting on the state of the club’s finances including all income and expenditure.

4.2: The following Sub-Officer roles will also be filled.

4.2.1: Publicity Officer
The Publicity Officer shall write and issue press releases, and organise other publicity events.

4.2.2: Website Administrator
The Website Administrator shall maintain the official HISC website.

4.2.3: Club Liaison Officer
The Club Liaison Officer shall be responsible for communicating with HFC.

4.3: The General Committee shall carry out the policy of HISC, as decided by the membership.

4.4: The quorum for a General Committee meeting shall be half of the serving members. Any resignations received will be deemed to be effective immediately for this purpose. Additionally 2 (two) of the following must be present :Chair, Secretary, Treasurer.

4.5: The General Committee shall meet quarterly, or more often if desired, between OGMs.

4.6: Notice for a General Committee Meeting shall be at least one full week.

4.7: Other persons may be invited to General Committee Meetings. They shall have speaking rights at the discretion of the Chair or acting Chair, but shall have no voting rights.

4.8: Voting within the General Committee shall be by a show of hands and based on a simple majority. The Chair shall have the casting vote if necessary.

4.9: The Officers shall be elected individually, at the AGM, by the showing of hands. Officers will be decided from those wishing to serve on the committee. If two people are interested in the same Officer role then it will go to a vote by the General Committee. Voting shall be by a show of hands. Those vying for the role are exempt from voting and a majority decision is required. In the situation of a tie the Chair will have the casting vote. In the case of a majority decision not being reached there will be a re-vote.

Any members wishing to join the committee must nominate themselves, in writing to the Chair, at least 14 days prior to the AGM. Officers need to be nominated by a full member and seconded by another full member. A show of hands is required by the remaining eligible membership present at the meeting and a 75% majority required for the vote to be carried.

Should a member wish to join the committee after the AGM they must still nominate themselves in writing to the Chair. They will then be proposed by the Chair at the next OGM and would require 75% from the eligible membership to be officially accepted onto the committee. Point 3.7 must be met for this vote to occur.

4.10: The rest of the General Committee shall be elected annually, at the AGM. All members who have nominated themselves to serve on the committee will be proposed en masse by the Chair. The members will then need to be seconded by a Full Member. A show of hands is required by the remaining eligible membership present at the meeting and a 75% majority required for the members to be voted onto the committee.

4.11: In the event of a change of Treasurer, the Chair shall hold the accounts until such time as the mandates are amended at the bank to reflect this change.

4.12: Committee members who are not Officers will assist the Officers in carrying out their roles. The distribution of this work will be co-ordinated by the Chair.

4.13: Any post vacated shall be filled as soon as possible, but not later than at the next OGM.

4.14: Between General Committee meetings, the Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and Publicity Officer shall constitute an Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall act in lieu of The General Committee when the need arises, with Executive Committee decisions to be ratified by the General Committee at its next meeting. At least 3 of the Executive Committee are required at an Executive Committee Meeting to make the meeting official.

4.15: Any Committee Member or Officer wishing to resign from their role or the committee must do so in writing to the Chair. In the situation where the Chair is wishing to resign all correspondence should be directed to the Secretary.

5: Finances

5.1: HISC shall be self-financing.

5.2: The Treasurer shall have responsibility for the finances of HISC.

5.3: HISC shall have a bank account in the name of the association, and the Treasurer shall hold the cheque book and account statements, plus an investment account to earn interest on behalf of HISC. The spare cheque book shall be held by the Chair.

5.4: Petty cash up to, but not exceeding, a total of £150 (one hundred and fifty pounds) may be held by the Treasurer.

5.5: Income for HISC shall be from membership fees and commercial activities, such as raffle tickets, t-shirt sales, advertising on the HISC website, or publications or similar fund-raising methods.

5.6: Money raised by HISC may only be used to further the aims and objectives of HISC. The exceptions would be any charity event where the nominated benefactor is agreed in advance at an OGM/AGM or EGM.

5.7: All incomes from membership fees, donation and any other sources shall be given to the Treasurer to be accounted for.

5.8: The club will not borrow any money from banks or other commercial lenders. The officers of the club may not incur any other debts, liabilities or expenditure on behalf of the club that would cause it to exceed its bank balance.

5.9: Any expenditure must be agreed in advance by the General Committee. If a meeting cannot be organised in time and the matter is urgent, then expenditure may be authorised by the Executive Committee with a unanimous verdict.

5.10: The General Committee may agree expenditure on any single item up to the sum of £250 (two hundred and fifty pounds), unless such expenditure would breach the provision set out in 5.8 of the constitution. Any such expenditures, above £250 should be required to seek prior approval from a General Meeting.

5.11: Members who incur legitimate expenses on behalf of HISC may claim them back in full from HISC funds, but only on production of an itemised receipt, bill or invoice.

5.12: Cheques are drawn on the club’s bank account must be signed by the Treasurer and one of the following officers: Chair, Secretary or Publicity Officer. In the absence of the Treasurer, and under exceptional circumstances, a cheque drawn on the club’s bank account in the amount of no more than £50 (fifty pounds) may be signed by two of the following Officers : Chair and Secretary providing approval has been obtained from the Treasurer verbally by the Chair (and minuted by the Secretary) and later confirmed in writing by the Treasurer.

5.13: The HISC membership year and its accounting year shall run from 1st June to the 31st May of the following year.

5.14: The HISC Finances will be split into three separate funds by the Treasurer in their accounts reporting, although all monies will be banked into the same account.

5.15: The funds will be
a: The General Fund. This fund is used by the General Committee to cover the cost of the day to day issues during the HISC Financial year. Examples will be the cost of the newsletter, postage, stationery, social events etc. If the fund stands at over £5000 (five thousand pounds) then a re-distribution of funds can be raised by the Treasurer and the motion raised at the AGM. The motion will be carried if 75% of eligible members present at the meeting agree by raising of hands.

b: The Player Fund. This fund is to be made available to the Horsham FC manager to buy/loan a player or to assist with their wages if the following criteria are met.

i) HISC will consider making funds available only if HFC are in a position where they are challenging for promotion OR fighting relegation.
ii) HFC make it known to HISC that they are unable to provide funds for the HFC manager for the additional player(s)
If the first two criteria are met then the HISC Chair will call an EGM informing all members within 48 hours of hearing from HFC. The meeting will be called to decide if money will be made available and if so how much. The manager of HFC would be invited to the meeting to explain the situation to members and then asked to leave the room for the vote. The motion will be carried if 75% of eligible members present at the meeting agree by raising of hands.

c: The Club Fund. This fund is to be used by members to improve conditions/facilities of members in and around the football club. The fund could also be used to support HFC in a sponsorship/marketing function. Any expenditure from this fund must be agreed by members at an OGM or AGM. Details of the proposed expenditure will be made known to members 2 (two) weeks in advance of the meeting where possible, alternatively it will be brought up by the Chair under AOB. The motion will be carried if 75% of eligible members present at the meeting agree by raising of hands.

5.16: Junior Membership. The funds from Junior Membership shall we kept in the general fund and will be spent in its entirety on the Junior Membership packs and other items solely for the Junior Membership as agreed by the HISC Committee.

6: Media announcements

6.1: Only the Chair, Secretary and Publicity Officer are authorised to give on-the-record comment expressing the opinion of HISC.

6.2: If there is no club view or policy on a subject, HISC members should take care to ensure that any comments attributed to them are expressed in their personal capacity, not as HISC representatives.

7: Discipline

7.1: A Member may complain to the General Committee about the behaviour of any member who appears to be abusive, disruptive, violent, threatening or which appears to bring the club into disrepute or which is in the breach of the HISC constitution.

7.2: In the event of a complaint being made, it shall be heard, within one month by the General Committee, who shall accept a written statement or allow an oral hearing from both the complainant and the member who is the subject of the complaint. The General Committee may then take the following actions after a suitable inquiry and report from the member and any witness.

7.2.1: Reject the complaint.

7.2.2: Accept the complaint, but take no further action.

7.2.3: Accept the complaint, taking one or more of the following actions
a: demanding and receiving a written apology
b: receiving an assurance as to future conduct
c: suspending the member for a period of time
d: expelling the member from HISC
e: notifying the club/police where required by law.

7.3: If a complaint is made by – or against – a committee member, they shall not take part in the hearing other than to state their case. They shall have no vote in the matter.

8: The Constitution

8.1: The constitution is the document by which HISC operates, and membership of HISC signifies acceptance of the terms of the constitution.

8.2: At the General Committee meeting at least 2 (two) months before the AGM, a group shall be appointed to undertake a review of the constitution.

8.3: Any proposals to change the constitution must be submitted to the Secretary at least one month before an OGM or AGM, and circulated to the members at least two full weeks before the meeting.

8.4: Any changes to the constitution must be supported by at least 75% of those present and eligible to vote, by a show of hands at an OGM or AGM. The amended constitution shall become binding one full week after the meeting.

8.5: This constitution supersedes all previous constitutions.