CONSTITUTION | heritage

HERITAGE NETBALL LEAGUE

Established 1997
Affiliated to England Netball and Bedfordshire County Netball Association

THE HERITAGE NETBALL LEAGUE

1) NAME

The league shall be called The Heritage Netball League (HNL).
If a sponsor for the league is obtained, the League Committee shall have the right to amend the League’s name to incorporate the sponsor’s name.
The HNL runs in association with Bedfordshire County Netball Association (BCNA) and England Netball (EN).
The league will recognise three gender participation categories, female netball, male netball & mixed netball.

2) VISION AND MISSION STATEMENT.

VISION

To plan, develop and sustain the growth of netball within our local community.

MISSION

We will create and deliver our objectives which meet the needs and expectations of

HNL members.

3) OBJECTIVES

To adopt the regulations, policies and procedures formulated by EN and BCNA as applicable to members of HNL, EN and BCNA.
To co-ordinate and deliver the HNL & BCNA objectives which meet the needs and expectations of the HNL & BCNA ‘s netball membership.
Organise events for the benefit of members.
To raise funds, such as fees, and employ the funds of the League as shall be deemed to be in the best interest of the members and the game.
To ensure robust governance procedures and high operational standards are in place to enable the needs of our members to be met.
To operate bank account(s)/investments in the name of the HNL; manage HNL resources in an effective and efficient manner.
To promote and uphold the game’s core values of teamwork, respect, enjoyment, achievement and fun.

4) LEAGUE COMMITTEE

The management of the affairs of the HNL shall be vested in the HNL Committee.
The structure of the HNL is decided by the HNL Committee.
The HNL Committee shall consist of representatives from the HNL, elected annually at the Annual General Meeting.
Elected officers may serve for a term of 4 years but may hold the position longer, until a successor is elected.
The HNL Committee shall consist of representatives from HNL. The officers will be but not exclusively Chair, League Secretary, Treasurer, Umpiring Lead, Assistant Umpiring Lead, Match Secretaries (the number as deemed necessary by the League Committee), Web administrator, Social Secretary & Safeguarding Officer, Trophy Secretary plus up to 4 committee members. The HNL Committee shall have the right to co-opt further members as the need arises. Co-Opted members shall have no voting rights.
The HNL shall have the right to form sub-committees when necessary and with powers as HNL Committee deem fit.
The HNL Committee shall have the right to form an independent appeals panel, comprising of members who were not involved in the initial grievance/complaint or the initial decision of the original grievance/complaint.
The HNL Committee shall have the right to fill any vacancies that occur during the year with Co-opt members who will fill the vacancy for the expired term.
Job roles for all HNL Committee Officers shall be held on file and reviewed periodically.
HNL Committee meetings shall be held at least every 8 weeks during the playing season or more often if required, including one pre-season and one end of season. Only elected members shall attend HNL Committee meetings, invited guests may attend to discuss specific issues.
A quorum to make decisions at HNL Committee meetings is 50% of the elected number.
Each HNL Committee member is entitled to one vote on issues at meetings, unless they have a vested interest in the issue for discussion, whereupon they must abstain.
In the absence of the Chair at any meeting, the Secretary shall preside. In the event of the absence of both the Chair and the Secretary, another officer may preside and take minutes of the meeting.
No minutes of meetings or copies of any correspondence shall be passed or divulged to a third party without the prior written permission of the Chair of the HNL Committee.
Ensure that the League complies with the terms of any contract with a third party.
The HNLC shall Indemnify any member of the HNL Committee who enters into a contract under Clause 6.2.1 in respect of any reasonable expenses and reasonable costs, losses or liabilities, judgements, fines and amount paid in settlement, which they may reasonably incur or sustain because of entering into such contract.
Members of the HNL Committee shall act in accordance with the powers set out in this constitution and must exercise independent judgement taking reasonable care, skill and diligence, whilst avoiding conflicts of interest and conflicts of loyalty.
The HNL Committee shall have the right to request a committee member to resign their elected position if:

The HNL Committee member is not carrying out their full designated duties
The HNL Committee member does not attend for 3 consecutive meetings (without reasonable extenuating circumstances).
They become bankrupt or are subject to bankruptcy proceedings or makes arrangement of composition with their creditors generally (including entering into an individual voluntary arrangement); or discloses an unspent conviction or is found to have a conviction for fraud, dishonesty or theft. The HNL Committee reserves the right to make a decision based on the perceived reputational risk to the league and the game.

5) JURISDICTION AND MEMBERSHIP

HNL shall comprise of an area approximately 10 mile radius of Biggleswade subject to HNL Committee discretion.
Upon payment of the appropriate annual County, Regional and/or EN membership fee, the members of the HNL shall be:

Voting Members:

Clubs whose Primary County is Bedfordshire. In accordance with the EN constitution and the BCNA constitution, each club will have one vote, and each team (not in a club) will have one vote. Each officer will have one vote. In the event of equal votes, the Chair shall have a (further) casting vote.

Non-voting Members:

Any person who plays, coaches, umpires, officiates or organises netball or is in any way connected with the game of netball within the HNL.

Any member of the HNL (as defined in 5b) may nominate or second a person(s) to be an elected person of the HNL Committee. Completed nominations must be signed by the nominee indicating consent to their nomination. A member of the HNL Committee may nominate only one candidate for each vacant post.
Nomination forms will be circulated to team captains and completed forms must be returned no later than 10 days before the date of the HNL. Elections will be by a simple majority vote at the AGM.

6) ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.

An Annual General Meeting shall be held in every calendar year during the month of June.
The date and the agenda of the Annual General Meeting shall be circulated to all members entitled to vote, no later than 21 days before the meeting.
Voting at the Annual General Meeting will be in accordance with 5b.
Business to be transacted at the Annual General Meeting shall be:

1) To receive reports and accounts covering the previous season.

2) To elect HNL Committee Officers and members.

3) To consider any proposed resolution submitted in writing 14 days before the date of the meeting, which has been proposed and seconded by two members.

The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting to or the non-receipt of notice of a meeting by, any person/member entitled to receive such notice shall not invalidate any resolution passed or the proceedings at that meeting.

7) EXTRA-ORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

An extra-ordinary General Meeting may be convened:

1) By order of the HNL Committee.

2) Upon written request to the League Secretary from one third or more of those entitled to vote at the Extra Ordinary General Meeting.

Each requisition shall state the purpose for which a meeting is required and shall set out any resolution that is desired to propose.
The meeting shall be held within 14 days of receipt of the requisition by the League Secretary and 14 day’s notice of the meeting shall be given. Any resolution proposed, shall be given to every member entitled to vote.

8) FINANCE

An independent auditor, who has the requisite ability and experience to carry out a competent financial examination, shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting to inspect and examine the League accounts annually.
The Financial year of the League shall be 01 October to 30 September.
The HNL Committee shall cause accurate accounting records for the League to be kept that are sufficient to show and explain the Association’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy, at any time, the financial position of the HNL.
The HNL Committee are responsible for the preparation of the annual accounts and must not approve them unless they are satisfied, they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the HNL and of the surplus or deficit of the HNL for that period.
In preparing the annual accounts, the HNL Committee are required to:

1) select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently.

2) make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and

3) prepare the accounts on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the HNL will continue in business.

The accounting records shall be kept at such place as is determined by the HNL Committee and must be retained for a minimum period of six years.
The HNL Committee shall determine and be responsible for all financial procedures and regulations, including the Expenses Regulations.
The HNL is a ‘not for profit’ organisation, all funds generated will be paid towards the furtherance of its objectives. All funds or other property of the HNL shall not be paid to or distributed among members of the HNL Committee, with the exception of the dissolution clause below. Payments to individuals, other than petty cash expenses, shall be sanctioned by the HNL Committee and subject to the appropriate employment/contractual legislation.

9) INDEMNITY.

Members of the HNL Committee, and any such sub committees shall be indemnified out of the assets of the HNL against all reasonable expenses and all reasonable costs, losses or liabilities, judgements, fines and amounts paid in settlement, which they may reasonably incur of sustain in relation to the proper and lawful execution of their duties, or by reason of any task properly performed for and with the authority of the HNL Committee.
The indemnity in Clause 10 above only applies if the person acted honestly and in good faith and the best interests of the League. Also, in the case of criminal proceedings, the person must have had no reasonable cause to believe that her/his their conduct was unlawful.

10) TROPHIES

All trophies remain the property of the HNL.
All trophies must be returned by the teams holding them on a date advised by the HNL. Failure to do so will render that team responsible for having the trophy(s) cleaned, engraved and available for the Annual Presentation.
Teams will be held responsible for the loss or damage to the HNL trophies.
The replacement of trophies through normal wear and tear to be reviewed annually by the HNL Committee.

11) DISSOLUTION

a) In the event of the HNL being wound up, any monies in hand shall be donated to a charity or organisation to be named by the League Committee in liaison with BCNA.

August 2025