Society Constitution

Rules and Constitution

1 . Name and Composition
The Society shall be known as 'The London Society of Rugby
Football Union Referees' and the membership shall consist of
active and former referees of matches played under the Laws
of the game as framed by the International Rugby Fo o t b a l l
Board and other persons elected to membership at the absolute
discretion of the Regional Committee for the Region to which
those persons are assigned.

2 . P u r p o s e
The purpose of the Society shall be: 'To promote the game of
Rugby Union by providing the best referees to all affiliated
Clubs and Unions'.

3 . M e m b e r s h i p
There shall be the following classes of membership:

a ) M e m b e r s
Members shall be active and former referees who have
completed (or been excused) their period of probation to the
satisfaction of the Society and have paid such membership fees
as may be determined by the Society from time to time.

b ) Probationer Members
A candidate for probationary membership must be either
nominated by an affiliated club, of which he is a bone fide
m e m b e r, or produce a recommendation from another referees'
society or a similar reliable source. Such candidates must also
satisfy the Society as to their acceptability. Candidates who have
been recommended by an Associate Society or other referees'
society after completing at least one full season's satisfactory
service with that society may be admitted to membership
i m m e d i a t e l y. Candidates who have been nominated by an
affiliated club after completing at least one full season's
satisfactory refereeing with that club may be admitted to
membership after three months' satisfactory service with the
S o c i e t y.

c ) Life Vi c e - P r e s i d e n t s
For outstanding service to the Society a General Meeting may,
upon recommendation from the Management Committee, elect
to Life Vice-Presidency a member who has retired from
r e f e r e e i n g .

d ) Life Members
For special services to the Society, a General Meeting may,
upon recommendation from the Management Committee, elect
to Life Membership a member who has retired from refereeing.

e ) Associate Members
At the absolute discretion of the Regional Committee to which
the person is to be assigned, a suitable person who may not
fulfil normal membership requirements but who has strong
connections with the activities and purpose of the Society may
be elected to Associate Membership.
All classes of membership, other than probationer members
are entitled to purchase and wear the Society's insignia.

 

4 . Management Committee
The Society shall be administered by the Management
Committee, which shall assume office on 1st June annually
and shall be constituted as follows:

( i ) P r e s i d e n t
( i i ) Deputy President
( i i i ) General Secretary
( i v ) T r e a s u r e r
( v ) Training and Recruitment Officer
( v i ) Four Regional Managers
( v i i ) Midweek Manager
( v i i i ) RFRU Re p r e s e n t a t i v e
( i x ) Premier List Manager
( x ) IT/Communications Manager.

Election to the Management Committee shall be annually with
the exception of the President and the Deputy President. The
Deputy President shall be elected to office for a term of four
years commencing with the date on which a new President takes
office. At the end of that period the Deputy President shall
automatically take office as President for a term of four years.
All elections shall take place at the April General Meeting.

5. Regional Committees
The Society shall be divided into four geographical Regions.
There shall be a Regional Committee for each geographical
Region of the Society.
The Regional Committee shall include the following core
p o s i t i o n s :

( i ) Regional Manager
( i i ) Regional Appointments Manager
( i i i ) Regional Training Co-ordinator
( i v ) Regional Assessors Co-ordinator
( v ) Regional Re-appointments Managers
( v i ) Regional Recruitment Co-ordinator
( v i i ) Two active referees.

Elections for the post of Regional Manager shall be conducted
each year by the General Secretary. There shall be a proposer
and seconder for each nomination and such nomination shall
be delivered in writing to the General Secretary by the last day
of Fe b r u a r y.
In the event that there is more than one valid nomination for
the position of Regional Manager in a Region, the General
Secretary shall be authorised to conduct a postal ballot of the
members of the Society assigned to that Region and shall
announce the outcome of the election to the Region by the last
day of March. Elections of Regional Managers shall be subject
always to ratification by the Society at the April General
M e e t i n g .
Additional positions may be created in Regional Committees at
the discretion of the Regional Manager and with the agreement
of the members of the Society assigned to that Re g i o n .
Elections for all core positions and additional positions deemed
necessary within a Regional Committee shall be conducted by
the Regional Manager who shall ensure the outcome of such
elections are registered with the General Secretary prior to the
first Management Committee meeting following the April
General Meeting. The electorate shall consist of the members
of the Society assigned to that Re g i o n .
The two active referee members of the Regional Committee
shall hold no other position on the Regional Committee or
other official position within the Society. If, due to exceptional
circumstances between elections, an active referee member is
unable to continue in this role or takes some other position on
the Regional Committee or with the Society, the Regional
Manager shall immediately conduct elections within the
Region to elect a replacement on the Regional Committee.

6 . Appointments and Grading Committees
The Appointments and Grading Committee shall be a standing
sub-committee of the Management Committee and shall be
constituted as follows:

( i ) Deputy President as chairman
( i i ) Four Regional Managers or their alternates
( i i i ) Assistant Secretary (Assessors)
( i v ) Assistant Secretary (Exchanges)
( v ) Training and Recruitment Officer
( v i ) Midweek Manager
( v i i ) Premier List Manager
( v i i i ) Development Squad Management
( i x ) Assistant Treasurer.

Elections to the positions of Assistant Secretary (Assessors),
Assistant Secretary (Exchanges) and Assistant Treasurer shall
be annually at the April General Meeting. The Development
Squad Management shall be appointed by the Management
C o m m i t t e e .
The Premier List shall be selected by the Appointments &
Grading Committee and managed by the Premier List
Manager and shall be appointed to such fixtures of the Society
as the Appointments & Grading Committee shall determine.

7 . Powers of Management Committee
The Management Committee, without prejudice to the
generality of the Rules and Constitution, shall be responsible
for the overall management of the Society and in particular
shall have the following powers, namely:

a ) To appoint sub-committees to deal with any particular
affair of the Society as may be decided by the
Management Committee.
b ) To invite members and other individuals who are not
members of the Management Committee to attend its
meetings and those of its other committees and subcommittees
on a co-opted basis, without voting powers.
c ) To expel from membership of the Society any member
or affiliated club for the infringement of any of the Rules
and Constitution of the Society or for any conduct which
in the opinion of the Management Committee is
detrimental to the interests of the Society or of the
G a m e .
d ) To authorise expenditure, including expenditure
recommended by other committees of the Society. The
Management Committee shall not have power to
authorise payment (other than reimbursement of
reasonable out of pocket expenses) to any person for his
services in administration of the Society.

8 . Powers of the Appointments and Grading Committee
The Appointments and Grading Committee shall:

a ) Formulate appointments and grading policy for the
S o c i e t y.
b ) Make arrangements for uniform standards of grading
across the Society at playing level 9 and below.
c ) Effect grading at playing level 8 and above.
d ) Supervise the exchange programme of the Society.
e ) Make arrangements in conjunction with the Training
and Recruitment Officer for the development and
training of referees, referee assessors and referee
c o a c h e s .

9 . Proceedings of Committees
The Management Committee, each Regional Committee and
the Appointments and Grading Committee shall meet at least
four times every year. The schedule of meetings for all
committees shall be published annually. Each Regional
Manager shall appoint an alternate to attend any Management
Committee or Appointments & Grading Committee meeting
which he is unable to attend so as to ensure that each Region
is represented at each such meeting.
Minutes shall be taken of meetings of the Management
Committee and the Appointments & Grading Committee and
these shall be made available to the Regional Committees. In
addition the Communications Manager will make available to
all members of the Society by means of the Society's website
information concerning the activities of the Management
Committee and the Appointments & Grading Committee.
Minutes shall be taken of each Regional Committee meeting
and these shall be communicated to members of that Region in
such manner as may be agreed by the members of that Region.
A Regional Committee shall review the grading of each of the
active referees assigned to its Region at least twice in each
s e a s o n .
A Quorum for any committee shall be one half its appointed
membership plus one. All members of the Management
Committee, the Appointments & Grading Committee and the
Regional Committees are officers of the Society.

1 0 . Affiliated Clubs
Any club which is a full member of the Rugby Football Union
or of the England Schools Rugby Football Union shall be
eligible to apply for affiliation to the Society. A club which is
affiliated must undertake:

a ) to nominate to the Society one or more of its members
who are willing and competent to referee unless
specifically given exemption from this requirement
upon application to the Society;
b ) to pay the appropriate subscription on or before 1st
September each year or upon election. (NOTE: Failure
to do so may result in suspension of referees' services
without notice.);
c ) not to seek the services of a Society referee except
formally through the Society;
d ) to forward by the required date set by the Society to the
official designated by the Society, its home fixtures for
the ensuing season on the form prescribed;
e ) whenever possible to give no less than 14 days notice to
the appropriate Regional Manager of any additional
fixture, which shall be in writing and shall state the
name of the opposing club, the date, the time and the
v e n u e ;
f ) being the home club, to refund the appointed referee his
o u t - o f-pocket expenses which must be offered on the day
of the match. (NOTE: In no case shall a referee be paid
more than a reasonable amount of out-of-pocket
expenses, which he must detail and which must not
include any sum in respect of loss of earnings. Any
application for or acceptance of more than the expenses
detailed above must be reported to the Society).
In all cases where the Affiliated Club reports in writing
its dissatisfaction with the appointed referee, the said
referee shall not officiate in any match wherein the
dissatisfied club is playing, pending an inquiry by the
S o c i e t y.

1 1 . General Meetings
There shall be two General Meetings in each year as follows:

a ) In November:
To receive the accounts of the preceding season.
To conduct other relevant business.
b ) In April:
To elect those persons required by rules 4, 5 and 6 to be
elected or to ratify the election of those persons whose
election requires to be ratified.
To conduct other relevant business.

1 2 . Nominations for Po s t s
Nominations for posts to be elected at the April General
Meeting (except the Regional Managers) shall be in writing,
signed by the nominee, the proposer and seconder, and must
reach the General Secretary by the last day of March. In the
event of a vote, a simple majority shall decide.

1 3 . Special General Meeting
A Special General Meeting, for which one month's notice shall
be given, is to be called by the General Secretary on receipt of
instructions to that effect from the Management Committee
which must be minuted, or on receipt of a written request
signed by not less than 30 members. The notice calling such a
meeting shall contain an agenda of the items to be discussed
together with a statement giving the purpose(s) for which the
meeting has been called.

1 4 . F u n d s
The Management Committee shall have full control of the
funds and property of the Society. There shall be two Trustees
in whose names any investments shall be made, but such
investments shall nevertheless remain at the disposal of the
S o c i e t y. Any vacancy on the Trusteeship shall be filled by the
Management Committee. In the event of the winding up of the
Society for any purpose whatsoever as approved at a General
Meeting, any surplus funds shall be refunded to the Af f i l i a t e d
Clubs in the same proportions as their subscription for the
previous season provided it was paid.

1 5 . Changes to these Rules and Constitution
Notice of any proposal to add to, amend, or alter these Rules and
Constitution, together with the terms of such proposal, amendment
or alteration, shall be given in writing to the General Secretary
not less than two calendar months before the date of the next
April General Meeting at which the proposal is to be put.
The General Secretary shall give at least 28 days notice to the
members of the terms of the proposed additions, amendments
or alterations and the reasoning behind them.
No alteration, or addition to, these Rules and Constitution
shall be made except by a two thirds majority of all voters
present at that General Meeting and entitled to vote.

1 6 . D i s p u t e s
In the event of any dispute regarding the interpretation of these
Rules and Constitution or any question on matters not therein
provided for, the Management Committee's decision shall be
final and binding.

N O T E S
(Revised August 2009)

T r a n s p o r t
Members are advised to check public transport timetables
mentioned in directions to grounds since these are subject to
seasonal and weekend variations, and to be aware of road alterations
and closures caused by events held at weekends.

Clubs, please note 

In no case shall a Referee be paid more than out-of-pocket expenses,
and any application for or offer of more than such expenses must be
reported by the person receiving the application or offer to the
General Secretary.
Referees should not claim for taxi fares in their expenses unless
this has been agreed with the home club. Referees should not charge
clubs for meals.
The attention of clubs is drawn to the Society's Rule 10(f)
concerning the payment of referees' expenses. Clubs are requested
to ensure that expenses are offered to referees at each home game as
early as possible, so that referees are spared the embarrassment of
asking for their expenses.

Match Related Expenses, please note 

General - Claims will be reimbursed by direct payment to bank
accounts. Therefore, bank acccount details must be provided with
claims to enable payment to be made. The standard reimbursement
is 40 pence per mile for referees travelling by car or the cost of
standard class public transport. Taxi fares should only be claimed
where this has been agreed with the home club. Referees should not
claim for meals. Referees should claim the whole amount of their
expenses from the home club unless any of the following apply.
Assessors and Coaches should send their claims to the Assistant
Secretary (Assessors) twice a season.

Claims in excess of £25 -Where expenses exceed £25, a maximum
of £25 should be claimed from the club and the excess claimed by
application to the Regional Manager twice a season. Special
arrangements apply to certain schools in the west and south-west of
England. Details of these arrangements will be made available at the
start of each season.

Inter Society Exchanges - Where referees travel together in one
car to an exchange, the standard reimbursement is 40 pence per mile
for the entire journey. Where referees travel individually by car to an
exchange, the standard reimbursement is 40 pence per mile for the
first 100 miles and 10 pence per mile for the remainder of the
j o u r n e y. Where referees use public transport, the standard
reimbursement is the cost of standard class public transport plus,
e x c e p t i o n a l l y, any taxi fares necessary where the host club or society
is unable to provide transport for the referee between the club
and the connection for public transport. One night's overnight
accommodation will be provided when the driving journey time
exceeds 3.5 hours (using the AA Routefinder). The maximum claim
for overnight accommodation is £60 including VAT and claims must
be accompanied by a VAT invoice to ensure full payment. Details
must be agreed with the Assistant Secretary (Exchanges) in
advance. Claims for exchange expenses should be submitted to the
Assistant Secretary (Exchanges) within two weeks of the exchange.

International Exchanges - The travel and insurance
arrangements should be discussed, well beforehand, with the
General Secretary. Those hosting incoming referees should also
discuss, in advance, the financial arrangements with the General
S e c r e t a r y.

Reimbursement of Other Expenditure 

Those carrying out activities on behalf of the Society are entitled to
reimbursement of all out of pocket expenses. Except where stated
b e l o w, all claims should be approved by the Regional Manager
before being submitted to the Treasurer. Receipts, including VAT
invoices, are required for all expenditure other than travel. The
following matters, although not exhaustive, should cover most
eventualities. If in doubt, the General Secretary or Treasurer should
be contacted before any expenses are incurred on behalf of the
S o c i e t y. Claims will be reimbursed by direct payment to bank
accounts. Therefore, bank account details must be provided with
claims to enable payment to be made.

VAT - The Society is VAT registered. Therefore, any claims for
expenses which contain a VAT element must be accompanied by a
valid VAT invoice, showing the name of the supplier, their VAT
number and the rate and amount of VAT. This is of particular
importance in the case of fixed-line and mobile telephone
expenditure and broadband, since VAT invoices need to be
specifically requested from suppliers. If no VAT invoice is provided,
the reimbursement of the VAT element of a claim may be
w i t h h e l d .

Committee Meetings - Those attending Management Committee
Meetings, Appointment & Grading Committee and Re g i o n a l
Committee Meetings may claim travelling expenses. The standard
reimbursement is 40 pence per mile travelling by car or the cost of
standard class public transport. Claims should be submitted to the
Treasurer twice a year.

Social Engagements and Disciplinary Hearings - Members of
the Society may be asked by the General Secretary to represent the
Society at one of the above. Those doing so may claim travelling
expenses. The standard reimbursement is 40 pence per mile
travelling by car or the cost of standard class public transport.
Claims should be submitted to the Treasurer twice a year.

Meeting Expenses - Guest Speakers - Guest speakers are
entitled to claim travelling expenses. The standard reimbursement
is 40 pence per mile travelling by car or the cost of standard class
public transport. Claims should be submitted to the Treasurer on
behalf of the Guest Speaker by the member of the Society acting as
host. It may be considered appropriate to offer hospitality to Guest
Speakers. The Society will reimburse a host for a Guest Speaker to
a maximum of £50 in total, but this should be agreed with the
Treasurer in advance.

Training Courses and Training Meetings - Members of the
Society who act as tutors at training courses or speakers at meetings
may claim travelling expenses. The standard reimbursement is 40
pence per mile travelling by car or the cost of standard class public
transport. Claims should be submitted to the Treasurer twice a year.
The Society will also pay each tutor for a training course the sum of
£50 (or pro-rated share thereof) towards the cost of preparing for
each day of a training course. The Recruitment and Training Officer
will submit a claim once a year to the Treasurer on behalf of all
t u t o r s .

Postage - Stamps should be obtained direct from Clive Goff. Costs
will then be submitted to the Treasurer.

Stationery and Printing - The Society will provide letterhead
paper and compliment slips. Other expenditure will be reimbursed
by the Treasurer. Claims should be submitted to the Treasurer twice
a year.

Telephone - The Society will reimburse fixed-line, mobile telephone
and broadband expenditure on behalf of the Society. Where possible,
dedicated numbers, lines and/or connections should be obtained for
Society use. In the case of all claims, VAT invoices should be
obtained from the supplier to support the claim. If amounts warrant
it, claims may be submitted to the Treasurer on receipt of telephone
invoices. Otherwise, claims should be submitted to the Treasurer
twice a year.

Equipment, IT Hardware and Software - The Society will
supply appropriate equipment and IT hardware or software to
those within the Society who have a need for them. If additional
IT hardware or software is needed, the IT Manager should be
consulted. In some limited cases, such as anti-virus software, this
may be obtained without input from the IT M a n a g e r. If other
equipement such as communication devises, is needed, the
Treasurer should be consulted. Expenditure will be reimbursed by
the Treasurer. Claims should be submitted to the Treasurer as soon
as possible after expenditure is incurred.

Society's Insignia
 

Insignia shall be available to: 

(a) Full Members.
(b) Retired and Life Members

K i c k-off Times
 

N.B. - Kick-off times will be as follows unless otherwise notified.

3 p.m. S e p t e m b e r, October
2.30 p.m. N o v e m b e r
2.15 p.m. D e c e m b e r, January
2.30 p.m. Fe b r u a r y
3 p.m. March, April

 

 Last updated August 2009