| Constitution: |
| 1. TITLE
European Federation of Sea Anglers (English Section)- referred to hereinafter as the Section- formed in accordance with clause 15 of the Constitution of the European Federation of Sea Anglers. 2. OBJECTS The objects of the Section are: i. To promote the sport of sea angling with rod and line, and to seek to be connected or affiliated with other similar bodies throughout the world. ii. To encourage the study of fish for whatever pleasure, information, conservation or other benefit it may provide. iii. To establish and maintain standards and ethics for the sport of sea angling, and to agree rules governing the sport in Europe , especially in Championships, Festivals and Competitions of all kinds. iv. To provide information, as appropriate, to interested persons or organisations. v. To keep a watching brief on all commercial fishing interests in European waters and take appropriate action when and where necessary, either directly or in concert with other interested organisations. 3. LIMITATIONS The Section shall have no restrictions or limitations based on race, colour or creed, nor shall it have any local, national or international political affiliations. 4. CONSTITUTION The Section shall consist of: a) Individual Members – those who have paid an annual subscription. b) Individual Life Members – those who have been an Individual Member for not less than three [3] years, have attained the age of thirty [30] years and have paid a fixed sum for their Life Membership equivalent to fifteen [15] times the current annual membership. Existing Life Members as at December 31 st 2008 are not effected by this ruling. c) Honorary Life Member – granted for outstanding services to the Section. Must be nominated and elected at the Annual General Meeting. d) Junior Members – are under the age of eighteen [18] years if accepted and approved by the Executive Committee and with the written consent of a parent or guardian, who shall be responsible and liable at all times. e) Associated Members – those who are members of an Affiliated Body. f) Members otherwise provided for in these Rules and Byelaws. 5. DEFINITIONS Affiliated Member – a recognised Sea Angling Organisation or a Scientific/Marine Organisation admitted to membership of the Section. Privileges – Officers, Individual Members, Life and Honorary Life Members, Associated Members and Junior Members are entitled to the privileges of the Section and may compete within their respective categories for trophies, cups, awards and prizes offered. 6.GOVERNMENT OF THE FEDERATION The management of the Section shall be vested in the Executive, which shall consist of the Patron, the President, the Vice President(s) and the following Officers, each of whom shall be a Life, Honorary Life or Individual Member. i. Chairman ii. Vice Chairman iii. Honorary General Secretary or General Secretary iv. Honorary Treasurer v. Honorary Fish Recorder vi. Honorary Membership Registrar vii. Honorary Press Officer viii. Honorary Competition C oordinator ix. Honorary Boat Festival Officer x. Honorary Public Relations Officer xi. Honorary Shore Festival Officer The Rules of the Section shall not be negated if any Executive Office(s) is /are temporarily vacant. 7. POWERS OF THE EXECUTIVE The Executive from time to time shall have the power to take all or any of the following steps on behalf of the Section, provided it is not contrary to these Rules and Byelaws. i. The Financial Year of the Section shall end on 31st. October in each year and a Revenue Account for the year, together with a balance sheet as at that date, duly audited and certified, shall be submitted to the Section in Annual General Meeting. ii. Collect, manage and expend the finances of the Section and vouch all accounts in respect thereof. iii. Draw up and publish Rules regulating the actions of the Section and the conduct of its Members. Such Rules shall be submitted to the Standing Committee of the EFSA for their approval and shall be subject to confirmation at the next AGM of the Section. The confirmation shall be shown on the agenda as “Special Business”. iv. Suspend any Member on reasonable grounds pending confirmation at the next AGM of the Section. The Member so suspended or their Representative may appeal against such suspension by notice in writing which shall be received by the Honorary Secretary within twenty one [21] days of such suspension. The Member or their Representative may attend the AGM where notice has been given that their appeal will be heard but shall retire whilst the Meeting is making its decision. The decision of the AGM shall be final. v. Do anything they believe to be in the best interests of the Section and in furtherance of its Objects. vi. The Officers shall be reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred. vii. Fill any casual vacancy that may occur during the term of office of an Officer; the holder to retain such casual office until the next AGM. viii. Meetings of the Executive shall be called at the discretion of the Chairman and a quorum shall consist of any three [3] Officers plus the Chairman or Vice Chairman. ix. Minutes of all Executive Committee Meetings and General Meetings shall be kept and shall be certified as a true record by the Chairman. 8. ELECTION OF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS i. Officers of the Section shall be elected for a three [3] year term of office and shall hold such office from the conclusion of the AGM election. ii. Ideally one third of the number of Executive Officers, or if their number is not divisible by three [3], the number nearest one third, shall retire by rotation in each year but shall be eligible automatically for re-election to that office. iii. Nominations for elections to Executive Office must be submitted, in writing, to the Honorary Secretary by the 30th. September. iv. Any Officer wishing to resign must inform the Honorary Secretary in writing, six [6] months prior to the AGM. Should the resignation be before the completion of the current three [3] year term and be deemed, in the opinion of the Executive Committee, to be without just cause, such Member shall not be accepted as a Nominee, in the future, for an Executive post within the Section. v. Patron(s). The Section at Annual General Meetings may nominate a Patron or Patrons, such nominee(s) need not be a member(s) of the Federation. vi. President: A President may be appointed by the Executive Committee of the Section, and he or she shall hold such appointment until he/she resigns or is removed from the office by the Executive Committee of the Section. 9. GENERAL MEETING i. The Annual General Meeting of the Members of the Section shall be held each year in the month of January; all other General Meetings of the Members shall be called Extraordinary General Meetings. ii. All Members of the Section are entitled to attend General Meetings, but only Individual and Life Members and one Accredited Representative from each Affiliated Club shall be entitled to one [1] vote each. An Accredited Representative exercising the voting right of an Affiliated Club must be advised to the Honorary Secretary, in writing, by that Club, before the start of the AGM. An Accredited Representative, who is unable to attend and vote, may appoint a proxy to vote instead, and notice of such appointment shall be given to the Honorary Secretary, in writing, before the start of the AGM. iii. A majority on a show of hands shall be valid when so declared by the Chairman- unless a ballot is demanded by two [2] or more Members with a right to vote, at the time of such a declaration. The demand for a ballot shall be put to the Meeting, and if accepted such ballot will be taken and the result of such ballot will be binding and final. iv. The Chairman shall preside at all Meetings, or in his absence, the Vice Chairman or in his absence the President. If all three [3] of the aforementioned be absent, the Meeting shall elect any Member of the Executive Committee present as Chairman of the Meeting. The Chairman of the Meeting shall have a second or casting vote. v. No business shall be transacted at any Meeting unless a quorum shall be present, and such a quorum shall be twenty five [25] Members present in person and entitled to vote. 10. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING i. The time and place of the AGM which may be held anywhere in England , shall be fixed by the Executive Committee and at least twenty one [21] days notice shall be given of such Meeting to all Members of the Section. ii. The ordinary business of the AGM shall be : (a) To receive reports from the Executive Officers of the Section. (b) To receive and approve audited accounts for the year. (c) The election of Executive Officers. (d) Appointment of an Auditor. (e) To consider proposals for forthcoming Championships, Festivals and Events. iii. All and any other business shall be “Special Business”, which shall have been notified to the Honorary Secretary by the 30th. September in writing, and shall be so specified on the agenda for the AGM. iv. The election of Officers shall be by ballot if there is more than one [1] nomination for any one [1] vacant office. v. If within thirty [30] minutes of the appointed time for holding of the AGM a quorum is not present it shall stand adjourned to the same time and place in the next week, when if there is still no quorum present those Members who are present shall constitute a quorum. 11. EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING (EGM) i. At the request of the Chairman, or a request in writing, by not less than one third of those Members entitled to a vote, an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be convened within two [2] months of the request being made and fourteen [14] days Notice of the Meeting shall be given to all Members. ii. The time and place of the Meeting shall be decided by the Chairman. iii. Only the subject(s) for which the Meeting has been convened will form the business of the Meeting. iv. If within thirty [30] minutes of the appointed time for a start of the Meeting a quorum is not present, the Meeting shall be dissolved. 12. LEGALITIES i. The unauthorised use of the name, logo or headed stationery of the European Federation of Sea Anglers (English Section) is prohibited, except with the written permission of the Chairman and one [1] other Executive Officer. ii. No Member of the Section shall be entitled to any remuneration or profit direct or indirect by or through any Section activity, unless authorised by a resolution passed at General Meeting of which Notice has been given. Reimbursement of reasonable expenses incurred by an Officer may be made if previously agreed, or if sanctioned by two [2] other officers. iii. An Individual Member of their own Section or of their country of domicile may also become a Member of any other Section(s), provided their subscriptions are paid to each Section where Membership is desired. Any exception to this Rule requires the approval of Standing Committee in writing. 13. FINANCE i. The Financial Year of the Section shall run from 1st. November to the 31st. October. ii. The Annual Subscription for all classes of Membership shall be determined by the Executive Committee annually and shall be payable on the 1st. January each year. iii. An entrance fee may be levied and the amount of such fee shall be determined by the Executive Committee. iv. In the event of Membership lapsing for a period in excess of three [3] months, an entrance fee or part thereof may be re-imposed should such Member seek to re-join the Section. v. The Treasurer shall keep proper books of account and shall present at the next AGM a Revenue Account for the year together with a Balance Statement, and such Account and Statement shall be available prior to the Meeting. vi. The Accounts shall be audited prior to submission to the AGM. vii. An Auditor(s) shall be appointed by Members at the AGM. viii. All the funds of the Section shall be applied solely to the stated Objects of the Section. 14. LIABILITIES i. The Section undertake no responsibility whatsoever for any loss or damage of any kind, including personal injury or loss of life suffered by any Member or their property incurred while a Member is taking part in any Championship, Festival, Competition or other activity organised and held under the auspices of the Section or incurred in the furtherance of the business of the Section. It is a condition of Membership that neither the Member nor their Representative shall make any claim against the Section for such loss or damage. ii. The Section shall effect Third Party Insurance Liability to cover itself during all Championships, Festivals, Competitions and other events against all possible claims. 15. TERMINATION i.(a) The Section shall have continuous succession and existence not withstanding changes in Membership, unless and until a majority of two thirds of the Members present or by proxy and voting at a Meeting specially called for the purpose shall have voted for the dissolution of the Section. (b) The Chairman of the Federation shall be informed that Special Notice has been given of such a Meeting, and he/she shall nominate an Executive Officer of the Federation to attend and Chair such a Meeting. ii. On dissolution, after payment of all and any debts, all and any assets of the Section and with the agreement of the Chairman of the Meeting shall be: (a) Distributed equally amongst Members. (b) Donated to an agreed charity or charities. (c) Donated to the Federation, with or without conditions. (d) A combination of all or any of the foregoing options. ———————————————- Protocols: 1. European Events and Shore Championship of the British Isles , competitor entry and Team Selection Procedures: All members are encouraged to submit their name for consideration to represent the Section in all EFSA International events. All entries for European Championships or Shore Championship of the British Isles must only be submitted via the English Section Competition Coordinator who will process these for final action by the English Section Secretary. Where the English Section are hosting the event, entries may be submitted via the English Section Competition Coordinator when notified on the entry form. C.V. forms will be issued either with receipt of entry, direct from the Secretary, or via an appropriate Committee member handling the Selection process for that event. Each angler seeking Selection must submit a fully completed C.V. when required by the time advised in any Newsletter or other appropriate means of communication. This will generally be at least 6 weeks or any other deadline notified prior to close of entries for the event. Any C.V. received after this date will not be passed to the Selectors for consideration. This procedure is required for every event an individual enters where they seek consideration for Selection. Team Selectors will indicate to the Chairman of Selectors their preferences for members to represent the Section by means of their individual knowledge, the members submitted C.V. and / or any other means deemed appropriate. For Boat and Shore events a C.V. must always be submitted, because of the special nature of Game Fishing a C.V. may not always be required. Anglers seeking to represent the Section, who have previously represented another Section, must undertake a period of one year free of representing any Section to re-qualify for consideration. All anglers seeking Selection shall be fully paid up members of at least 12 months continuous duration for consideration for Team Selection. Please note membership subscriptions are due for renewal by the 1 st January each year. For newer members the duration of continuous membership will count up till the commencement of the event. All members who have sought Team Selection will be advised of their individual vote tally. After an event the Team / Squad Captains, together with the Squad Manager if applicable shall submit reports to the Chairman of Selectors with copies also being sent to the nominated Committee representative for that event and the Section Secretary. These reports may be used in part to base future assessments of an individual’s suitability for future Selections. For an International event to qualify for the presentation of Championship Pins the following minimum number of participants must be present: Shore Championship of the British Isles = Individual participants from at least 3 Sections. European, Shore, Species, Boat, Line Class, Game = Individual participants from at least 4 Sections. Official Section teams will only be selected for European Boat, Species, Shore, Game and Shore Championship of the British Isles events. All other events may have Representative teams entered. Note: Whilst angling ability is the primary consideration in a Selector voting for a member to represent the Section other important factors are also considered when a Team is created. These being; Willingness to share all information with everyone in the Squad. Attendance at all functions suitably dressed, as detailed by the Manager or Squad Captain. Most importantly, the ability to be a team player, and to uphold the good name and standing of the English Section. 2. Entering other Section’s National or local events. All anglers are entitled and encouraged to attend events run by other Sections. Where an angler enters direct via the other Section the English Section Secretary must always be advised. This allows the English Section to inform other individual members attending the event, and to put forward a Representative team if numbers allow. 3. Special Funds: Three special funds are in current use, these being the Norman Witt, Frank Klugman and Rick Norman. Norman Witt left £5000.00 to the Section. The interest from the capital to be used to pay for the “Fish of year Trophy” and also a Practice boat for European Boat Championship if held outside UK waters when sanctioned by the members at an AGM. Any interest left over is returned to the fund to increase the capital. Frank Klugman left £500.00 to the Section. The interest from the capital to be used to pay for the Heaviest / Longest Cod trophy at the English Cod Festival. Any interest left over is returned to the fund to increase the capital. Rick Norman; The proceeds are to go to the local RNLI station at the venue of the English Boat Championship. The proceeds are made up from the Heaviest / Longest Flatfish competition at the English Boat Championship after the first prize and trophy has been deducted along with 10% of all raffle profits at boat events made since the last donation. 4. Proposal process at meetings:
5. Fish Awards; Annual awards for Boat and Shore caught entries will be made for the Heaviest fish recorded for each of the following species of fish: Bass, Black Bream, Cod, Conger Eel, Flounder, Plaice, Pollack, Ray (Blonde), Smoothound, Whiting, and Wrasse (Ballan). There will be a twelfth heading which will be “other” and this will be decided on the best Specimen fish of all ‘other’ species recorded that fall outside the scope of the eleven specified main species. All other fish awards (Norman Witt, BCC Tankard, Overseas Fish of the Year, Junior Fish of the Year) will remain unchanged, and will run alongside this scheme. The species selected can be altered each year if felt necessary by the Committee. Entries received for any category of award will be considered for the Norman Witt “Fish of the Year” award All Personal and Affiliated Club members may enter fish caught in waters of the British Isles and Channel Isles, for the Boat and Shore categories of the “Fish of the Month” award. Personal members and Affiliated Club members of the Section recording Conger caught in waters of the British Isles and Channel Isles are eligible for the “British Conger Club Tankard”. “Junior Fish of the Year” award is for any fish caught by a Junior angler whether a Personal or Affiliated Club member, under the age of 18 years at time of capture, from waters of the British Isles and Channel Isles. The “Overseas fish of the Year” is awarded to the best catch by an angler, whether a Personal or Affiliated Club member, anywhere in the world outside the waters of the British Isles and Channel Isles. Edition: January 2009 |